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Thread: Chinese authorities blow up Christian megachurch with dynamite

  1. #1

    Chinese authorities blow up Christian megachurch with dynamite


    Chinese authorities blow up Christian megachurch with dynamite
    'The repeated persecution... demonstrates that the Chinese government has no respect for religious freedom or human rights,' says Christian group
    Chris Baynes

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...-a8156031.html

    Chinese authorities have demolished a well-known Christian megachurch, inflaming long-standing tensions between religious groups and the Communist Party.

    Witnesses and overseas activists said the paramilitary People's Armed Police used dynamite and excavators to destroy the Golden Lampstand Church, which has a congregation of more than 50,000, in the city of Linfen in Shaanxi province.

    ChinaAid, a US-based Christian advocacy group, said local authorities planted explosives in an underground worship hall to demolish the building following, constructed with nearly $2.6m (£1.9m) in contributions from local worshippers in one of China's poorest regions.

    The church had faced "repeated persecution" by the Chinese government, said ChinaAid. Hundreds of police and hired thugs smashed the building and seized Bibles in an earlier crackdown in 2009 that ended with the arrest of church leaders.

    Those church leaders were given prison sentences of up to seven years for charges of illegally occupying farmland and disturbing traffic order, according to state media.

    There are an estimated 60 million Christians in China, many of whom worship in independent congregations like the Golden Lampstand. Millions of Christians, Buddhists and Muslims also worship in state-sanctioned assemblies.

    But the surging popularity of non-state-approved churches has raised the ire of authorities, wary of any threats to the officially atheist Communist Party's rigid political and social control.

    Freedom of religion is guaranteed under China's constitution, so local authorities are often seen as using technicalities to attack unregistered churches. Charges of land or building violations and disturbing the peace are among the most common.

    The state-run Global Times newspaper reported the official reason for the demolition was the building did not hold the necessary permits.

    "A Christian offered his farmland to a local Christian association and they secretly built a church using the cover of building a warehouse," a government department official was quoted as saying.

    Religious groups must register with local religious affairs authorities under Chinese law, the report said, adding the church was illegally constructed nearly a decade ago in violation of building codes.

    Pictures distributed by ChinaAid showed the church's steeple and cross toppled in a large pile of rubble.

    "The repeated persecution of Golden Lampstand Church demonstrates that the Chinese government has no respect for religious freedom or human rights," said ChinaAid president and founder Bob Fu.

    He added: "ChinaAid calls on the international community to openly condemn the bombing of this church building and urge the Chinese government to fairly compensate the Christians who paid for it and immediately cease these alarming demolitions of churches."......





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  2. #2
    While CHRISTIANS are sitting around complaining about the president allegedly using curse words that describe other countries as toilets, our brothers in sisters around the world don don't even have the freedom to go to church and serve the Lord. I think we need to get our priorities straight.
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  4. #3
    Senior Member Colonel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by victoryword View Post
    While CHRISTIANS are sitting around complaining about the president allegedly using curse words that describe other countries as toilets, our brothers in sisters around the world don don't even have the freedom to go to church and serve the Lord. I think we need to get our priorities straight.
    So now you're all going to spend far less time debating small details pertaining to various American celebrities and politicians that are found at the opposite end of the political spectrum from you ? Yeah, that would be a welcome change around here. Go for it.

  5. #4
    I heard Brother Yun speak at IHOP ATL Oct 2017. A pretty dramatic story of persecution and prison. SOME say things have gotten better, some have elected to work with the state-controlled 3-Self church. But we can see that there is still a lot of persecution. Yet the gov't cannot stop the growth of Christianity there.

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    Administrator fuego's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonathan david View Post
    I heard Brother Yun speak at IHOP ATL Oct 2017. A pretty dramatic story of persecution and prison. SOME say things have gotten better, some have elected to work with the state-controlled 3-Self church. But we can see that there is still a lot of persecution. Yet the gov't cannot stop the growth of Christianity there.
    I think he came to our church when I was in Charlotte. Aren't there a lot of supernatural aspects to his testimony too? Like Jesus visiting him in prison, etc? Doesn't he have a nickname like 'the heavenly man' or something like that? Or am I thinking about a totally different person?

    Edit: Just looked him up. That's him.

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    Senior Member Nikos's Avatar
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    --------------------I never heard of him.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by fuego View Post
    I think he came to our church when I was in Charlotte. Aren't there a lot of supernatural aspects to his testimony too? Like Jesus visiting him in prison, etc? Doesn't he have a nickname like 'the heavenly man' or something like that? Or am I thinking about a totally different person?

    Edit: Just looked him up. That's him.
    Yup, he told the story of having his feet broken so he would not escape. Then an angel came and told him to get up and escape. Miraculously, door opened and the guards could not see him as he passed by, being able to walk.

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