Communist Government Fears Rise with Increase of Christian Followers
2/23/2016 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that China’s hardline President Xi Jinping has begun to require Christian religious leaders to carry ID cards divulging their religious beliefs. Such a move could allow for the government to deny the proper paperwork to those who they deem to be a threat to their continued “Three Rectifications and One Demolition” campaign.
This new policy is indicative of the perceived threat the growing Christian Church is to the Chinese Politburo’s power, as the age old platform of religion being “poison” in need of eradication is alive and well.
While identification cards for religious leaders have been present for many years, Catholic priests and similar leaders have not applied due to their belief they receive their recognition through the church. Although Buddhist and Taoist clerics have been required to carry such cards in the past, Catholics are now being forced to do the same by the end of this year.
According to UCA News, a Catholic news site reporting religious related stories in Asia, the new ID laws will force religious leaders to include their “secular name, religious name, national ID card numbers, and a new, unique faith number.”
This is another step in the Communist Party’s continued campaign to reduce the growing influence of religion in China through various legal and illegal activities against religious communities. In 2010, it was estimated that Christian followers now outnumber adherents to the China’s Community Party by 108 million to 85 million. Other examples include the destruction of Christian crosses and the arrests of prominent Christian pastors.
To the east, Zhejiang province has seen the largest percentage of religious persecution as the Chinese government has implemented a nationwide demolition of over 1,700 crosses and over 400 church buildings.
ICC’s Advocacy Manager, Nate Lance, stated, “ICC is distressed to hear of the Nazi-like identification credentials for Christian leaders in China. Our concern is that this new requirement will force many churches and their leaders underground. It is becoming ever clearer that the communist government and ardent Maoist President Xi Jinping is concerned over the growth of the Christian faith in China. We strongly request that the government rescind these requirements for all faiths, allowing the Chinese people to worship as they please.”
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