Posted on 11/05/2017 6:01:14 PM PST by marshmallow
Churches are closed and communities disbanded. The crackdown comes ahead of new regulations on religion slated to come into effect on 1st February 2018. The authorities have not provided clear reasons for the measures.
Shenyang (AsiaNews/Yonhap) – The authorities in three provinces in northeastern China have expelled hundreds of South Korean religious people and closed down their churches over the past year. The crackdown against religious activities came ahead of new regulations slated for 1st February 2018.
From late last year to the first half of this year, the authorities in the three provinces – Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang – expelled about a thousand South Korean pastors and missionaries, resulting in the disbandment of most local South Korean religious communities.
In Changchun, the capital of Jilin Province, all South Korean churches, were shut down at the start of this month.
Chinese authorities have offered no clear reasons for the measures taken against South Korean religious people and Churches.
Between December 2016 and January 2017, at least 32 Protestant missionaries were deported to South Korea from northeast China.
They were involved in evangelisation as well as helping North Korean refugees face the dangerous trek across the Yalu River, which separates China from North Korea.
Because of their support for North Korean deserters, some South Korean Christians were urged to return home to avoid forced repatriation.
The State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) announced new regulations on religious activities last month.
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Communists are scared.
They inadvertently have readied the harvest.
Jesus is a threat to all authoritarian regimes.
Predicting explosive growth of the Church in China. Happens every time!
Some years later a bus of naive Korean Christians driving through known hostile territory was captured by the Taliban. The pastors were killed but the others eventually released. Subsequently the South Korean government refused to allow their citizens to go to Afghanistan. This was quite a blow to the overall international Christian community as the Koreans were spiritually strong, dedicated, and significant in numbers. Their participation in prayer gatherings and other events was sorely missed.
Yet, the Francis is still “negotiating” with the ChiComms on who selects Catholic bishops.
This is the regime that basically gets a pass for Tiananmen Square, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.
The problem is not religion, it is unlawful assembly. That has always been the concern of the Chinese government when dealing with what it considers underground churches. It can't see what is being organized when church service in not in an authorized location. Church bells ring calling people to worship service at the State sanctioned churches every Sunday and lots of people attend.
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