Religious freedom in China could be about to dramatically worsen, campaigners have warned.
Tomorrow, the consultation closes for the Chinese public to respond to 26 new laws that would further restrict religious freedom in the country.
The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
The new rules have been drafted by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) and will – according to an expert who spoke to ChinaSource – “in effect leave no space for the house or unregistered Church in China, and will significantly curtail many of the activities of the TSPM [Three-Self-Patriotic Movement, the state-controlled Protestant Church] as well”.
Russia has passed laws to clamp down on religion as well. Depending on who you ask, the outlook for people of faith in the so-called Western world is bleak as well.
Brent Fulton, president of ChinaSource, told Christianity Today that should all go ahead, the new restrictions could come into law as early as the beginning of 2017.
“The threat at this point is real,” he said. “But the process is by no means straightforward, and it’s not clear where all this will end up.”
