Religious freedom in China continues to be under peril as the Communist Regime led by President Xi Jinping pressures Christian churches to publicly glorify the government instead of God.
ANI reported that the Chinese Communist Party has mandated various religions across the country to display banners containing their political ideology and to sing China's national anthem before Christian hymns to demonstrate their loyalty to the government above God.
The move comes after Chinese pastors were forced to include Xi's speech in church sermons and Bible study discussions due to the recently-concluded 100th anniversary celebrations of the Chinese Communist Party's establishment last July 1.
The directive for the pastors came during a July 8 conference conducted by the Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which is a group of Protestant churches controlled by the CCP, and the China Christian Council with the pastors to highlight Xi's centenary speech.
As per the National Review, the mandate to "glorify the Communist Party above all" was also an offshoot of the government's 100th anniversary celebration with the intention of projecting an image of unity in China to the world.
"To project the image of a unified China, government authorities pressured religious heads across the nation to evangelize about the glories of the CCP's ideology and way of life. Churches were told to display banners with slogans of political ideology, perform the national anthem before singing Christian hymns, and in general demonstrate their loyalty to the CCP above all, and only secondarily to the church," the National Review said.
"This process is a snapshot of how religious freedom is dying in China, with authorities subordinating inner faith in God to ostentatious public displays of faith in the party," the National Review added. "The CCP has issued rules covering every aspect of religious life, from the formation of groups to daily activities involving worship and prayer, all of which need to be approved by the communist government."
The National Review pointed out that the Shenyang Religious Affairs Bureau last February 2020 stressed the need for religious groups to "advocate Xi Jinping's policies. The Three-Self Patriotic Movement followed suit by pressuring churches to display socialist values posters in their facilities and to be taught by the clergy in "sermons and Sunday worship services" so as to instill in the faithful's daily lives.
The National Review also cited several other instances that exemplify CCP's intensifying actions to curtail religious freedom in China in the course of a year. They highlighted that the CCP's thrust of governance is focused in remaining in power and control amid its citizens striving to "lead moral lives."
ANI, in a separate report, highlighted the growing "discontent" among the Chinese who are facing a high unemployment rate that has left thousands of new graduates "continue to sit at home" while the government is focused on its centenary celebrations. In Addition, ANI also disclosed that President Joe Biden has already setup an agreement with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel to stand up against China's human rights abuses, which includes curtailing religious liberty.
