Chinese Communist Party Cracks Down on Christianity, Removes Bible Apps and WeChat Accounts
By Movieguide® Staff
Christians in China already face persecution for their belief in God’s Word. However, recently, the Chinese government removed religious materials and online faith community chats in their efforts to stifle the Christian Church.
According to International Christian Concern (ICC), Father Francis Liu from the Chinese Christian Fellowship of Righteousness noted that various Christian WeChat accounts, including “Gospel League” and “Life Quarterly” are no longer offered online.
Those on the social chat platforms received a message that reads:
“(We) received report that (this account) violates the ‘Internet User Public Account Information Services Management Provisions’ and its account has been blocked and suspended.”
China’s App Store also removed Bible Apps, meaning that the only way that Christians in China can buy a digital Bible is by using a VPN service.
In their stead, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) sells books that promote communism and the teachings of President Xi Jinping in their state-sanctioned churches.
ICC reported:
In the meantime, Bible Apps have been removed from App Store in China, while Bibles in hard copy are not available for sale online. Those who want to download Bible Apps have to use VPN to circumvent the Firewall.
For bookstores owned by the state-sanctioned Three-self churches, they are increasingly selling books that promote President Xi Jinping’s thoughts or the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ideology. Even their WeChat accounts are turning into propaganda channels for CCP.
The new restrictions add to the long history of the Chinese Government’s persecution of the church.
#Christian WeChat public accounts and Bible Apps are disappearing thanks to #China's crackdown on Christianity. https://t.co/P93hJCgX3A
— International Christian Concern (@persecutionnews) May 1, 2021
Movieguide® recently reported on another measure that the CCP is taking to indoctrinate their citizens:
China’s regulation of citizens’ online activity is nothing new. However, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) recently launched a hotline that will allow other citizens to report internet comments that discredit or disagree with the Communist Party and its history.
As the nation gears up to celebrate the Party’s 100th anniversary, CAC claims the new hotline will help stop “mistaken opinions” and encourage a “good public opinion atmosphere.”
“For a while now, some people with ulterior motives…have spread historically nihilistic false statements online, maliciously distorting, slandering and denying Party, national and military history in an attempt to confuse people’s thinking,” a CAC notice said. “We hope that most internet users will play an active role in supervising society…and enthusiastically report harmful information.”
China’s detrimental downfall into communism is further proof that the United States of America must shun marxist principles and embrace a free society that promotes freedom of speech and religion.