• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • ABOUT CHINA
    • NEWS
    • TESTIMONIES
    • OP-EDS
    • FEATURED
    • GLOSSARY
    • CHINA PERSECUTION MAP
  • FROM THE WORLD
    • NEWS GLOBAL
    • TESTIMONIES GLOBAL
    • OP-EDS GLOBAL
    • FEATURED GLOBAL
  • INTERVIEWS
  • DOCUMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS
    • DOCUMENTS
    • THE TAI JI MEN CASE
    • TRANSLATIONS
    • EVENTS
  • ABOUT
  • EDITORIAL BOARD
  • TOPICS

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

three friends of winter
Home / China / News China

CCP Advances ‘Sinicization’ of Religion Amid the Pandemic

05/13/2020Li Mingxuan |

Authorities throughout China adopt new measures demanding the clergy of state-run churches to promote the Party doctrine and indoctrinate believers.

by Li Mingxuan 

Along with orders banning religious gatherings to stop the spread of COVID-19, the Chinese government also increased censorship of religious information on the internet, banning preaching and other services online. Along these measures, the CCP demands the clergy of state-run churches to study President Xi Jinping’s religion “sinicization” policy, integrate it into their sermons, and prove their loyalty to the government.

Patriotic indoctrination replaces Christian teachings

On April 13, the United Front Work Department of Huantai county in Zibo, a prefecture-level city in the eastern province of Shandong, issued an order calling religious groups and clergy members in the county to express their “love for the country and the Community Party” by writing essays. The campaign, entitled “Dream in the new era to strive together for a well-off society,” encourages people of faith to express their support to the government in texts no shorter than 2,000 Chinese characters, “keeping the core socialist values and religion ‘sinicization’ policy as guidance.”

The notice on the campaign “Dream in the new era to strive together for a well-off society,” issued by the United Front Work Department of Huantai county.

According to a Catholic dean from the county, a Religious Affairs Bureau official approached him on April 16, demanding him to study Xi Jinping Thought and the spirit of the 19th People’s Congress for an exam that he would have to take later. If he failed, the priest could be dismissed, the official threatened.

The government has been applying Communist Party membership standards for state-run churches for the past few years, aiming to form a group of “red” clergy loyal to the regime.

On February 18, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Shenyang, the capital of the northeastern province of Liaoning, issued a notice demanding the city’s religious groups to carry out events promoting Xi Jinping Thought. The document asks to advance the four requirements—a nationwide campaign launched in 2018 to promote the “sinicization” of religion—in places of worship by reading books on the president’s policies and writing essays about them. The acquired knowledge should be integrated into sermons to deepen believers’ understandings of the ‘sinicization’ policy.

On April 14, the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the southeastern province of Fujian also issued a document aimed at advocating the four requirements. It demands that “posters promoting the core socialist values shall be posted in prominent positions in all church venues. Clergy members should highlight the core socialist values in their sermons, use important festivals, major events, and other occasions to interpret and publicize the core socialist values so that they are inserted into believers’ minds, their Sunday worship services, and daily lives.”

The document demanding to promote the four requirements, issued on April 14 by the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of Fujian Province.

On April 16, Fujian’s Two Chinese Christian Councils announced plans to organize a speech contest for Three-Self clergy members in September. The speeches are required to emphasize “the direction of religion ‘sinicization’ and adoption of socialism.”
The notice about a speech contest, issued by the Two Chinese Christian Councils of Fujian Province on April 16.
The notice about a speech contest, issued by the Two Chinese Christian Councils of Fujian Province on April 16.

Churches turned into Party propaganda bases

The CCP continues to forcibly demolish crosses and “sinicize” the architectural style of churches. On April 11, crosses and all other religious elements were removed from two Three-Self churches in Qiu county in Handan, a prefecture-level city in the northern province of Hebei.

A Three-Self church in Qiu county before and after its cross was forcibly removed.
A Three-Self church in Qiu county before and after its cross was forcibly removed.

In mid-April, after a Three-Self church was rectified in the Zhen’an district of Liaoning’s Dandong city, slogans “Do not forget the original intention; keep the mission in mind” were displayed by the church entrance, and other propaganda materials and flags were posted on its outer walls. A church member commented that “the church now looks like a Party school.”

Propaganda slogans and flags on the outer walls of a Zhen’an district church.
Propaganda slogans and flags on the outer walls of a Zhen’an district church.

Following an inspection by the local Religious Affairs Bureau, the director of a Christian meeting venue in Dandong’s Zhenxing district had to spend 1,500 RMB (about $ 210) to display slogans promoting the core socialist values and fill bookshelves with books on Xi Jinping’s speeches and the traditional Chinese culture.

Books promoting Xi Jinping’s speeches in a meeting venue in Zhenxing district.
Books promoting Xi Jinping’s speeches in a meeting venue in Zhenxing district.

“The government says that believers are only allowed to go to the churches with permits for gatherings, but this is a trap,” a house church preacher from Shandong’s Jinan city told Bitter Winter. “When you enter such churches, you have to accept the government’s indoctrination of Chinese socialist values. Crosses are replaced with national flags, and you are told to love the Community Party. The situation is dire; it is the greatest challenge for Christians. We should hold on to the pure Christian belief.”

Tagged With: Covid-19, Sinicization of religions

bw-profile
Li Mingxuan

Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.

Related articles

  • A Tale of Two COVIDs: Zero Discrimination, Religious Liberty, and Tai Ji Men

    A Tale of Two COVIDs: Zero Discrimination, Religious Liberty, and Tai Ji Men

  • Tibetans Detained and Submitted to “Cyber Security Reeducation”

    Tibetans Detained and Submitted to “Cyber Security Reeducation”

  • COVID-19 Origins: 43 Top Security Experts Slam Media for Censoring the Laboratory Hypothesis

    COVID-19 Origins: 43 Top Security Experts Slam Media for Censoring the Laboratory Hypothesis

  • Religion at the Chinese Communist Party Congress: Christians Told They Should Become “More Marxist” 

    Religion at the Chinese Communist Party Congress: Christians Told They Should Become “More Marxist” 

Keep Reading

  • Protests Against the Urumqi Fire Extend to Amsterdam
    Protests Against the Urumqi Fire Extend to Amsterdam

    The “lonely Uyghur protester” gathered some 300 Uyghur and Cantonese to demonstrate in Dam Square.

  • New Directives on Sinicization of Religion: “Love the Party, Love Socialism”
    New Directives on Sinicization of Religion: “Love the Party, Love Socialism”

    “Foreign hostile forces and extremist forces use religion to infiltrate and sabotage our country.” The answer: more “scientific” and “Marxist” Sinicization.

  • COVID-19, Ukraine, Protests: Now the Chinese Communist Party Is Really Scared
    COVID-19, Ukraine, Protests: Now the Chinese Communist Party Is Really Scared

    The Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission warns that a Ukraine-style anti-Party “color revolution” may erupt in Chinese cities at all time.

  • The Health Code Scandal: How China Falsifies COVID Records to Hit Dissidents
    The Health Code Scandal: How China Falsifies COVID Records to Hit Dissidents

    It did not happen in Henan only. Citizens who suspected that health codes will be used for political surveillance were not paranoid. They were right.

Primary Sidebar

Support Bitter Winter

Learn More

Follow us

Newsletter

Most Read

  • Blaming the Victims: The Hamburg Shooting and the Jehovah’s Witnesses by Massimo Introvigne
  • More Uyghur Criticism of Donnie Yen: Wasn’t He More Guilty than Will Smith? by Kok Bayraq
  • The Donnie Yen Fiasco: A Uyghur View by Rebiya Kadeer
  • The “Buddhist and Taoist Clergy Database,” Another CCP Imposture by He Yuyan
  • The Suicide of the Pink-Haired Girl: How the CCP Exploited a Tragedy by Zhou Kexin
  • Second-Generation Unification Church Believers Discriminated in Japan. 3. Media Slander Leads to Discrimination by Masumi Fukuda
  • Russia: Pastor Moskvitin Sentenced to 1.5 Years in Penal Colony for “Brainwashing” by Massimo Introvigne

CHINA PERSECUTION MAP -SEARCH NEWS BY REGION

clickable geographical map of china, with regions

Footer

EDITORIAL BOARD

Editor-in-Chief

MASSIMO INTROVIGNE

Director-in-Charge

MARCO RESPINTI

ADDRESS

CESNUR

Via Confienza 19,

10121 Turin, Italy,

Phone: 39-011-541950

E-MAIL

We welcome submission of unpublished contributions, news, and photographs. Each submission implies the authorization for us to edit and publish texts and photographs. We reserve the right to decide which submissions are suitable for publication. Please, write to INFO@BITTERWINTER.ORG Thank you.

Newsletter

LINKS

orlir-logo hrwf-logo cesnur-logo

Copyright © 2023 · Bitter Winter · PRIVACY POLICY· COOKIE POLICY