Vatican Signs “Provisional Agreement” with China
Contrary to exaggerated expectations, the Vatican-China agreement has a limited scope—but is described as “the first step in a process”
The McDonald’s Murder of 2014: The Crime The Church of Almighty God Did Not Commit
Chinese propaganda still claims The Church of Almighty God was responsible for the murder of a woman in a McDonald’s diner in Zhaoyuan in 2014. Scholarly studies have demonstrated that the crime was committed by a different religious movement and The Church of Almighty God had nothing to do with it.
Brand New Draft Regulation: More Restriction on Religions in China
A new regulation confines mention of religion on any Internet platform to a few government-controlled organizations that will receive a special license for very limited Web activity.
You Have Got Mail: Massimo Introvigne Writes to Korean Christian Anticult Media
Three Korean Christian media, CBS, CTS, and Kukmin Ilbo, reported on the false demonstrations against The Church of Almighty God in Korea. In a frenzy to attack “cults” with whose theology they disagree, they took the side of the persecutors and the Chinese Communist Party against harmless refugees. We publish the letter our editor-in-chief wrote […]
The New Religious Affairs Regulation Came into Force in 2018: What Exactly Happened?
Some hoped that with the new religious law, which was finally signed on August 26, 2017 and came into force on February 1, 2018, there would have been less control on religion. In fact, things went from bad to worse.
“The Magic Weapon”: How China Tries to Control Information Abroad
An official U.S. report details the massive efforts deployed by the United Front, under the personal guidance of President Xi Jinping, to manipulate information about China abroad and contain criticism on the issues of religious freedom and human rights.
“Gray Market”: The Largest Segment of Chinese Religion
Between the government-controlled “red market” of religion and the banned and persecuted groups of the “black market,” lies the vast area of the religious “gray market,” including churches and temples that are neither legal nor explicitly banned as xie jiao and a number of other religious and spiritual activities. Massimo Introvigne
The Red Market: The “Official” Religions in China
“Official” or “government-controlled” religions are often mentioned in China. Five religious bodies are indeed authorized by the regime, although even their liberty is limited. Massimo Introvigne
If Your Religion is a Xie Jiao, You Go to Jail – But What Is A Xie Jiao?
Since the late Ming era, China has used xie jiao to designate religious movements the government does not like. Their repression has always been brutal, but what a xie jiao is, is far from being clear.