100 Christians, Including Children, Arrested During Major House Church Raid in China

Christian Post ^ | 09/23/2014 | Stoyan Zaimov

[SeekAndFind]

Over 100 Christians, including children, were arrested during a major house church raid on Sunday in Foshan city in China's Guangdong Province. Close to 200 police officers stormed in during the service, eyewitnesses said, believed to be part of a large-scale crackdown on Christians in the country.

"We don't know exactly why they raided our church," a local believer told watchdog group International Christian Concern, which has been keeping track of the rising tide of persecution in China. "The government does not want us to get together and worship as a church."

Worshipers said that the church was raided without any warning, and that police only left behind a notice stating that people were detained for an "illegal gathering." More than 30 parishioners reportedly still remain in custody.

"It is unbelievable that local authorities arrested over 100 church members, including children, in Foshan city. Even though most people have been released, the experience has been traumatizing," said ICC's Regional Manager for Southeast Asia, Sooyoung Kim.

"ICC urges local authorities in Guangdong Province to respect its citizens' rights to religious freedom, that the government of China says are upheld, and free these innocent Christians as soon as possible."

The Mount Olivet Church has over 20 years of history and has close to 170 members, ICC added.

Only government-approved churches are legal in China, with all house churches considered "illegal gatherings." But even a number of officially sanctioned churches have been targeted by the government in recent months, with officials explaining that they have been "removing or modifying illegal constructions."

[ThanhPhero]

As China’s economy begins to unravel there will be more and more such raids and attacks on other things that are “foreign.” It is China;’s culturally instinctive reaction to foreigners, with Christianity being a foreign infection of the Pure Chinese. Islam is seen the same way and also as an active enemy.There is coming a time when it will not be safe to be a tourist in China.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Someday the Butchers of Beijing will be butchered.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: with Christianity being a foreign infection of the Pure Chinese

As if Communism isn’t a foreign infection...

A lot of the older Communist Chinese cadre were foreign students in Europe, where they learned about Marxism.

[ThanhPhero]

Communism is really not so foreign to the Chinese. China has for 2-3 millennia been ruled in pretty much totalitarian fashion where the ruler said something and it was Law. Periodically the economy got overs trained and rulers were occasionally weak and the Empire broke up into warlord states mostly themselves ruled by autocrats. Communism is total rule by the Center. It will at some point break up again into Warring States. China continues to be China.