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China, India
From: Religion Today
Copyright © 2004Religion Today
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China, India Religion Today April 23, 2004 In China: Church's Neighbors Come to Believers' Defense,
Get Jail Time in Return
Officials of the Communist Chinese government are continuing their crackdown on unregistered Christian churches. Last month, a 100-year-old building that housed an unregistered Chinese house church was raided by more than 300 public security bureau officers and destroyed. The congregation included about 300 members and had existed for the past 20 years. The pastor and his son were arrested. According to Todd Nettleton with Voice of the Martyrs, four neighbors -- who were not believers -- were also taken into custody when they challenged the authorities and tried to talk them out of tearing down the building. "For neighbors to say anything to stand up for the Christians, I think that probably shows that this pastor who lived in the building had a good reputation [and] had good relationships," Nettleton says. "It's interesting because these four were not Christians," he continues, "and yet when the police came and began tearing down the building, these four protested, [asking] 'How can you destroy someone's home?'" Because of their actions, the four neighbors were jailed for 15 days. The spokesman explains that the "religious freedom" promoted by Chinese government officials applies only to churches that agree to be controlled by the Communist regime. ________________________ Elections Begin: Could be Future of Christianity in
India
Christians were apprehensive as voting began on April 20, the first day of India's general elections. With the nation's recent history of religious oppression, this year's election could prove critical for the future of Christianity in India. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has worked hard in recent months to change its image, promising economic benefits to religious minorities and focusing on development rather than the Hindu nationalist agenda. However, its election manifesto also promises to extend anti-conversion legislation already in force in five Indian states. The opposition Congress Party has accused the BJP of misusing religion for political gain, reminding voters that the BJP was implicated in violent riots against the Christian community in Gujarat in 1999 and further violence against Muslims in Gujarat in 2002. Proving that minorities have become this year's hot election issue, Congress has promised "strict action against those who promote social bigotry." ________________________ April 22, 2004 Jailed Pastor's Injuries Suggest Abuse by Chinese Officials
The imprisoned leader of the South China Church told relatives during a recent prison visit that he fears for his life. Pastor Gong Shengliang has been in prison for several years in connection with his leadership of the underground South China church, a congregation that is 50,000 members strong. Recently Pastor Gong's sisters visited him and found that he was in such a poor physical state that he had to be carried into the visiting hall by four other inmates. According to Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs, Pastor Gong's relatives believe he was beaten and otherwise physically mistreated. They learned that even though officials describe Gong as an exemplary prisoner, he has spent 411 days with his arms and legs chained. And after they saw the state their brother was in, it was clear to the sisters that he had been through a terrible ordeal. "When his sisters learned that he had been injured," Nettleton says, "they protested to the leader of the prison. The leader told them, 'Pastor Gong is a model prisoner in every way except one -- we can't stop him from preaching and praying, and he won't denounce his faith in Christ.'" Chinese government officials claim Gong fell while washing windows, but his family members and others are skeptical about this explanation for his injuries. Nettleton says members of the South China Church are often the victims of persecution by the authorities. "This is a group that probably has over 50,000 members and almost 10,000 of them have been arrested and have spent time in jail. So you're talking about at least one in four people in this particular house church movement has been harassed by the police, arrested, and detained at least for some time," he says. Nettleton says if an American Christian were to sit in church and count the people and realize that every fifth one was going to go to prison, that would give them an inkling of the level of persecution Christians in South China have faced. Voice of the Martyrs serves, raises awareness, and advocates for persecuted Christians around the world. The ministry is urging Christians to write to the Chinese government requesting a transfer for Pastor Gong. Voice of the Martyrs (http://www.persecution.com) ------- Religion Today News Summaries are a compilation of
articles from various
------- Reprinted with permission from Religion Today
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