China is cracking down on churches with reports of pastors being arrested and congregations being shut down.
Release International said the crackdown on the Church is part of a “get-tough policy” on religion ordered by Chinese President Xi Jinping last December.
He is reported to have ordered that churches be forced to “adhere to Marxist religious views”, and called for the stricter enforcement of religion laws.
“His aim is to bring China’s religious minorities under ever-tighter state control,” said Release International.
Release partner, ChinaAid, reports that members of Sunshine Reformed Church in Changchun, Jilin Province, were manhandled during a recent police raid on 21 August.
According to ChinaAid, the pastor, his wife and seven elders were taken away by police, and two women were beaten unconscious during the…
