Persecution of Christians in China: the Chinese government has recently been acting with markedly greater impunity against Christians. The draconian fine imposed on Niu Guobao for celebrating Christmas, as detailed in this article, is just the latest manifestation of its ongoing efforts to destroy Christianity and create a new pseudo-Christianity that advances the goals of the Communist Party. This threatens all the Christians of the country, including the tiny community of Orthodox Christians in China.
China offers yet another instance of the persecution of Christians by governing officials that is unfortunately on the increase not only in China, but in all too many other nations around the world.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in China, see here.
“Villager Fined $ 24,693 for Celebrating Christmas,” by Daniela Bovolenta, Bitter Winter, January 27, 2021:
Speaking of expensive Christmas gatherings, one took place in the unlikely location of Huang Zhang Liang village in Lushan county, Henan. It was, admittedly, a large gathering for the village. One Niu Guobao gathered more than forty Christians, including twenty children, to pray and sing hymns.
Little did Niu realize that he was committing a number of crimes at the same time, and the penalty will be huge. The police raided the home and told Niu that, first of all, he had organized an illegal religious gathering under Article 71 of the Regulation of Religious Affairs. They suspected he had not been authorized by any Three-Self church but, even if he had, Christmas gatherings this year were submitted to ten or more different levels of authorizations, which Niu did not obtain.
Niu had also involved minors in religious activities, which is totally forbidden in China, even when meetings are otherwise authorized: crime number two. And the police found Christian calendars for the year 2021 and other unauthorized religious books Niu planned to distribute: crime number 3.
Niu learned that crime does not pay when last week, less than one month after the event, he had to appear before the Lushan County Religious Affairs Bureau, and was fined 160,000 yuan (i.e., US $ 24,693, or Euro 20,282), an astronomical sum for a villager….
