(Image Telegraph)
While Christianity is suffering setbacks in the United States, in China it’s growing at a rapid pace. That fact hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Chinese Communist Party, and it terrifies them.
The South China Morning Post reports that the main Chinese anti-corruption government agency is warning of the dangers of people turning from the Marxist-Leninist ideology to Christianity and religion. Even calling it a “serious disease”:
China’s top graft watchdog on Monday warned that stricter disciplinary measures must be enforced to prevent cases of abuse in which local cadres carry out anti-corruption operations without higher authorities’ permission.
The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection also said a “lapse in ideology” had become a “serious disease”. Cadres abandoning communist ideology and turning to religion was a problem for the party, it said.
…the CCDI reiterated the importance of cadres adhering to the “iron rule” of not following any religious beliefs.
It mentioned the recent work progress of the party’s branch in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, in tackling the problem of cadres joining religious activities.
The authorities in Wenzhou – known as “China’s Jerusalem” because of its large Christian population – had for years turned a blind eye to the proliferation of Christian churches in the area, but have since late 2013 ordered the removal of hundreds of crosses from church spires, on the pretext that the crosses breached building codes.
…some cadres had abandoned communism’s core doctrine of “dialectic materialism” and turned to religion instead. Getting rid of such cadres “whose thoughts are not on the party”, and bolstering party ideology had become important issues, it stressed.
“A lapse in ideology is the most serious disease,” the article said. ‘Some party members do not believe in Marxism-Leninism; their minds are not on their work [and] they busy themselves with religious activities. Some cadres even take the lead in becoming believers.”
If the trend was not stopped, it would “lead to disastrous consequences”
The fact which concerns the Chinese Communists, and should be of concern to freedom loving Americans, is the direct link between Christianity and individual liberty.
