China: Christians arrested for religious materials
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Last month local police detained three Christians in China’s Guangdong province for possessing religious materials, including a Bible.
According to China Aid, authorities apprehended two Christians at their workplaces and one from a private residence for possessing the materials. Officials later released one Christian, but the two taken into custody for receiving a Bible remain in detention.
The three arrests were part of the ongoing harassment of the members of the Zhongfu Tongxin Church. The harassment began last August after the congregation refused to join the government-sanctioned “Three-Self Patriotic Movement.” As a result, government officials imposed a ban on the congregation for “conducting illegal religious activities” and sealed the building’s door. Officials later removed the seal on appeal, but urged the landlord to abruptly end his rental contract with the Tongxin Church congregation.
China Aid exposes official abuse against Christian congregations in order to promote religious freedom and the rule of law in China.