China Rejects US criticisms on religious freedom
China says the US Congress should tend to their own problems and settle their own human rights issues. They say that the US resolutions that criticizes China for religous persecution is ungrounded, and also is interfering with their affairs. It also has thousands of Christian "house churches" springing up in the countryside in the shadows of official tolerance.Chinese citizens enjoy full and broad freedom of religious belief in accordance with the law," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a news conference, adding that China expressed its "strong dissatisfaction" with the resolutions.
Since President Bush's visit to China and attending a Christian service in Beiijing, the US has taken a bigger interest in China's religious affairs. This also followed on the hills of Pope Benedict's public censure of China for installing bishops without the approval of the Holy See.China has some 10 million Catholics who are split between an underground church loyal to the Holy See and the official church, whose members lack formal ties to the Vatican.
Technorati Tags: China, Religious Persecution, Catholics
5 Comments:
Hi, I came across your blog while browsing through Technorati. I just wanted to say that it doesn't surprise me one bit that the Chinese government believes its citizens enjoy "broad" religious freedoms. It's going to take a lot more than criticisms from other countries to change anything over there.
Bill, I just went over to browse on your site and found you had lived in China for 20 years, so I'm sure you are more of an authority on this than me or our government. I doubt any of them have lived in China.
Thanks for coming over, and also giving me a chance to check out your site.
Marvin Olasky has just written on Christian Chinese businessmen he met on a recent trip here.
Our best hope is that enough Christians rise to positions of power and influence over there (which God may be working on right now). Drawing attention to the plight of Chinese Christians can help. An international spotlight on dissidents has saved lives before.
Take care
Jim, thanks for that link. I just went and read it. That is wonderful news! I loved the one statement I think it was Han (the businessman) made - "that by myself, I don't know where I'm from and where I'm going." Looks like God is really working in China. He can work in lives where we may never get a chance.
Chinalawblog, isn't Taoism their official religion? Are they afraid that the Christians might get a hold in China, or perhaps the Muslims will become more influential there?
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