Posted on 08/03/2006 9:37:10 PM PDT by Coleus
Hundreds of Chinese police clashed with thousands of "underground" Christians over the demolition of a church which was deemed to be an illegal structure. Up to 500 police forced back as many as 3,000 Christians who had gathered at the weekend to mount a peaceful demonstration against the state's demolition of the church in the eastern province of Zhejiang.
More than 20 Christians were injured in the clashes on Saturday, while five organisers of the protest were arrested, according to the Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. Its spokesman, Frank Liu, said that the unregistered church was being rebuilt by locals after it was destroyed last year by a typhoon.
As news spread that a demolition crew had been sent in, demonstrators massed at the construction site. Police were called in, leading to clashes. A police officer involved in the incident acknowledged that the clash took place but denied that any Christians had been arrested. The unnamed officer said: "It is clear that this church was an illegal structure. It did not have the approval of the religious affairs bureau or the government.
"The church had to be destroyed. They can explain their demands, but if they are in violation of public order, laws and regulations, we will deal with them in accordance with the law." China maintains tight control over religious affairs and requires all faith communities, whether Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim or Christian, to register and carry out their activities according to strict and often changed guidelines.
There are an estimated 80 million Christians praying outside the state-regulated Church. At Christmas and Easter, lifts and stairwells of public housing complexes are packed with smartly-dressed Christians on their way to a service at a "house church". Last year, President George W Bush attended one of Beijing's five officially recognised Protestant churches during a visit to the country. He wrote in the visitors' book: "God Bless China's Christians."
Mark Allison, a spokesman for Amnesty International in Hong Kong, said: "This latest incident proves that despite the odd overture towards more freedom of expression and the building of a harmonious society, China's leader's will use force to crack down on un-sanctioned religion. "Those arrested, like the thousands of Christians interned across the county, who largely go unreported, are forbidden to worship the religion of their choice.
"They will receive summary justice by the police and be sentenced to re-education through forced labour or sentenced to prison." While Beijing has been doing battle with the Vatican for decades and appointing its own priests, it is also struggling to rein in new and growing religious movements that have attracted millions of new followers in recent years. The most prominent target has been the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which was banned in 1999 as a threat to public safety and communist rule. Its worshippers are regularly tortured.
"Those arrested, like the thousands of Christians interned across the county, who largely go unreported, are forbidden to worship the religion of their choice."
Sobering. May we never take for granted our freedom to worship. Prayers for our underground brothers and sisters in Christ.
I've met many a Chinese immigrant who fled to the US to escape Communist persecution at several churches I've attended. A guy in one of my small groups was beaten by the Chinese police when they found him attending a house church.
We take so much for granted here...
But in time, forces like the Church will crack the Commies, and they will fall. It's just a matter of time.
I used to recieve Richard Wurmbrands newsletter Voice of the Martrys. (mid-1970's)
A Church I have attended here in Alaska the APstor and his wife did a trip some years ago to communist China and visited some "underground" churches.
It strikes me very odd that members of an underground church "3000" would do a public protest in China where the prisons are filled with christians as slaves working 12-18 hours a day.
The article said also that the police or government reps said they could make their demands known -- This is an extremely odd statement as well.
This is on the tailof another article that the premier of China announced that they would no longer tolerate beatings and torture of prisoners in China
This seems to be a propanda piece to try to tell the world they are changing on human rights
I can not beleive that members of an underground church that exist only by secrecy would public protest that they might all be identified and arrested over the tearing down of a meeting site -- also the size of the congregation goes against much of what I have heard over the years they meet in smallgroups toavoid detection
how undetectable is three thousand people showing uptoa warehouse for a meeting 2-3 times a week?
Why would they? This happened in CHINA.
It was a Joke guys.... I was insinuating that since china is communist and so is the ACLU well... okay it was a stretch.
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