.....there am I with them." Matthew 20:18
CHINESE FAITH From the Wall St. Journal
August 12, 2008
President Bush attended church in Beijing on Sunday, worshipping with Chinese Christians and singing "Amazing Grace." But what happened outside the church says more about the state of religion in China. (Z: kind of a metaphor for most of the Olympics?)
Earlier that morning, Hua Huiqi, the pastor of an illegal underground Christian church, was detained by police as he was biking to the service that Mr. Bush was to attend. His whereabouts are still unknown. Mr. Hua's brother, who was briefly detained, said Mr. Hua only wanted to worship at the church where he was baptized. (Z: could poor Pastor Hua be in the cycling race? ya, sure. Pray for him)
China's constitution allows freedom of religion, but in practice religion is tolerated only insofar as it is controlled by the state. The only legal churches are those run by the State Administration of Religious Affairs. Those who choose to attend "house" churches -- roughly half of China's Christians -- face harassment or detention. That reality contrasts with the better face Beijing has put on its religious tolerance at the Olympics, where athletes have been provided with everything they might need to practice their faith. (Z: care to guess which ones?)
China's leaders are afraid of religion because they see it as a political threat. Citizens with faith and a moral compass are harder for the Communist Party to control. Mr. Bush gently rebuked China's religious restrictions as he left the church. "God is universal, and God is love, and no state, man or woman should fear the influence of loving religion." (Z: no comment)
z (and thanks, Ronnie!)
24 comments:
I have read about the religious persecution in China from many books. The one which touched me most was the book 'The Heavenly Man' which is an autobiography of Brother Yun.
I've written a review on that. Please check. http://mychristianbooksreview.blogspot.com/2008/07/heavenly-man-triumph-under-persecution.html
I have heard about similar things from the life of Watchman Nee.
But the power of God cannot be suppressed by human strength.
"Citizens with faith and a moral compass are harder for the Communist Party to control."
Exactly, when you take people away from God, then there is no life after death, no judgment, no one to answer to. That is the key to rationalize and justify any evil you can think of. We all know how many the Communists butchered to achieve their utopia that never was.
Anyone else notice how the opening ceremony contained no reference to Mao, he who gave the communists their lifelong positions ruling over the peasants. They are whitewashing their bloody history without a scintilla of remorse. Unfortunately for the communists there is a God and he doesn't need us to believe in him to exist.
good one Z.
Good for the President! I HOPE the Chinks repress the Muslims, and HARD! Christianity is seen as a threat because the Chinese remember the Pope and the Soviets. They HATE the idea of someone believing in something bigger than the state, what a wretched lot. The world would be a better place with more Christians.
Morgan
But when the President does something like that we hardly hear it.
If he tripped on the steps of the great wall, it would be on every papers front page.
Mr. Bush gently rebuked China's religious restrictions as he left the church. ..note the word "gently"!..pffftt!..great find but disheartening........ack!
Well he didn't have much of an opportunity.
He and "Brown Sugar" Rice were forcefully rebuking the Russians and Putin flipped him the digit.
Isn't Condominium Rice our "Russia expert"? Man, is she useless or what. Worst affirmative action hire in history.
Well, maybe President Chuck L. Nuts is having success convincing China to stop arms shipments to Zimbabwe and Sudan. Or maybe he was expressing his displeasure with the oil drilling deal they signed with Iraq the other day.
Why doesn't he just take a page from St. Ronnie Raygun's book and invade Grenada to prove we're moy mucho macho.
Thanks to my conservative fellow citizens for electing these losers.
Ducky, it's so obvious we have far less credibility in the world today and will probably never be calling the shots again. And you blame BUSH?
I'm SO sorry that Bush (and our senate) felt it necessary to finally go into Iraq after Saddam had gone against the UN 17 times. SHould have just kept going, huh? Show the world nobody cares WHAT they do?
I'm SO sorry that the left has disrespected everything we've tried to do against radical is lam here and over there, making US look like the bad days in our newspapers and Europe and Asia's for about 7 years now.
I'm sorry that the Left in America (I HOPE?) didn't realize the damage THEY were doing by not supporting OUR causes, and not understanding a president has more information from behind the scenes and maybe he knows more than Keith Olbermann about what to do next on the international scene based on that knowledge?
i'm sorry world leaders now scoff us because of our Left's lead.
And I'm sorry that people like you still don't understand that most of what's going wrong HERE is due to our congress, not Bush. I blame Bush because he caved on so many issues that Conservatives would have liked for him to have remained strong on...things which should have been better for our country.
Blame Bush? You probably think Bush has also kidnapped little Caylee Anthony, too, huh?
As for Condi Rice, she's a disaster, in my opinion...but she's no affirmative action hire.
TYPICAL lefty to put the Black woman down, say she's a political hire because she doesn't agree with you.
In the interest of stirring the pot … are we as Christians being foolishly shortsighted? Would we argue that China’s suppression of the Islamic faith is justified, but dispute repression of our own unique beliefs? If we claim to admire the concept of freedom of religion, then doesn’t that include all religion … particularly and especially those beliefs that we do not agree with? I don’t know how many Christians there are living in China … but I know the estimated number of Muslims living in the western provinces is around 30 to 40 million. Can we really blame China for not wanting to deal with another Chechnya? It seems to me that China doesn’t repress “religion” per se … until religious groups begin to engage in political demonstrations. “Give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar …” comes to mind.
z, what most determines what we “see”? The reality of what we’re looking at or our imagination? Right wing America’s refusal to answer this question has pressed us into a murderous failed rampage.
It has brought us shame that we acted like such a cowardly people.
Well, mustang...there are quite a few mosques throughout China (i have a photo of just one I should post, maybe I will but it gives me the willies).
And there are hundreds of Christian missionaries hiding as much as they can, but bringing thousands 'a day' to their faith, if the missionaries I've heard are to be believed. That number has to be an exaggeration but it's all I ever hear.
I'm hoping that a religion that's peaceful and less oppressive, like Christianity, might get more respect and be more welcome than islam is in any country. Perhaps the islamists are fighting harder, more threatening, and that's why they're in such large number.
Ducky....the reality would have been VERY VERY different had the Left been pro America FIRST and not pro liberal agenda. MANY in this country support this war; this isn't just something we imagined.
When you can show we've acted as 'cowards', let me know.
I agree with you, Z. We have not acted as cowards! People who say such things should not say them without proof.
I have also blogged about the persecution of the Falun Gong by the Chinese Government. It's despicable!
allowing a person to worship is the truest sign of freedom, and the communists know it!!!
"Brown Sugar" Rice?
Damn, Ducky. And you say the right is racist.
Bad news about Mr. Hua. We often forget how easy it is here in America to worship as we please without fearing reprisal.
Brooke, according to Ducky, Rice is also AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.
That's open minded, right? A woman with real credentials, with amazing experience, and she's an affirmative action hire because she doesn't agree with his opinions?
As I always say, Betty was Clinton's SECRETARY behind his door and he was lauded ....Rice is a SECRETARY OF STATE and she's slammed by the left.
Typical. "Brown Sugar", indeed..
Here in the United States, we take for granted our freedoms and many churches largely exist as social clubs.
In China any church that goes against government standards and proclaims the truth is persecuted.
In the book of Acts we see when the church is persecuted, that's when it flourshes and does the most in the building of the Kingdom.
We can rejoice when our brothers and sisters are being persecuted because it shows that the Word still has power.
But as we rejoice, we also need to pray for those who suffer for Christ.
Cliff Note: I did answer the question you left in the comments at Seek Him First.
The ChiComs need to be brought into the capitalist (light) side. I'd rather do it with their help
rather than via force. I think economics is the key.
Z,
It is not for naught that the LEFT HAND is called MANO SINESTRA in Latin.
"Left" has been equated with dark and sinister qualities since ancient times.
Perhaps there is more to that than mere superstition? ;-)
~ FreeThinke
Mustang wrote:
"If we claim to admire the concept of freedom of religion, then doesn’t that include all religion … particularly and especially those beliefs that we do not agree with?"
To me, this doesn't include Islam. They don't "play well" with other religions. So they don't get to play. IOW you don't invite a hungry bear into the house to prove that you're an animal lover. Of course I know that you know this... :-)
Morgan
One thing you know for certain, the house Christians in China are the real thing.
shoprat, those who have to hide and worship ARE the real thing, aren't they.
Let's hope that never happens to us...it could very well happen.
Our leftist secularists/ACLU will revel in it, just before islam cuts their heads off for their liberal ways.
Good News Bearer, the Heavenly Man is an excellent book (though upsetting in parts).
I have my own private theory that because the church in China has suffered so much, and has grown so much, perhaps their prayers are breaking down the Communist regime and that's why even the lefties and peoples of the nations are protesting against their abuses. They might not protest for Christians but they'll protest for the Tibetans and Muslims under the iron fist of this repressive regime.
Aurora, my gosh! Why didn't more people think of that?
Yes, the lefties LOVE to fight for Tibetan religious oppression, and there are muslims all over China, but LET A CHRISTIAN DISAPPEAR and ZILCH.
Where's the outrage? nowhere
Post a Comment