Chinese Security Forces Raid Bible Study
Chinese security forces have raided a Bible study gathering in South China and detained several Christians as part of a government-crackdown on faith, Worthy News learned Saturday.
religion
Christians in Indian state of Haryana facing fears of proposed anti-conversion law
The Chief Minister of India’s Haryana state has announced he proposes to add a Freedom of Religion Act that would criminalize forced conversions, Persecution.org reports. Commonly referred to as anti-conversion laws, such legislation has already been enacted in eight other Indian states. The announcement on June 16 by Manohar Lal Khattar has reportedly caused serious concerns to Haryana Christians: radical Hindus have used this law in other states to justify attacks on Christians and their places of worship.
China’s Government ‘Bans Believing in God’ Amid Church Crackdown
China’s Communist leadership has ordered devoted Christians not to believe in God, well-informed activists, and local believers say. “Attacks on house churches have intensified across China. Police and government officials raid places of worship and intimidate congregations,” added Shen Xiang, who writes for Bitter Winter, a respected religious rights magazine on China.
China threatens to forcibly take children from Christian families to re-education camps
The International Christian Concern (ICC) non-governmental organization has received a new report that Chinese authorities threatened to send children from a church in Chengdu to re-education camps, Christian Today reports. ICC has previously reported that Chinese authorities had removed children from Christian families on the grounds that they were “trapped by an evil religion.”
Pew Poll: 72% of Americans Say God Plays an Important Role in Their Life
In a new survey, the Pew Research Center found that 72% of Americans said God plays an important role in their life, and 67% said prayer also plays an important role. Worldwide, the poll showed that 61% of people say God plays an important role in their life.
Chinese Christians Injured While Protesting Removal of Crosses
Christians in eastern China were recovering of their injuries Thursday after trying to prevent the removal of crosses from churches by Chinese government forces.
Supreme Court expands protections for religious schools from nondiscrimination laws
The Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that religious schools are allowed to fire religion teachers for any reason they wish, a major expansion of protections for religious institutions against nondiscrimination laws.
Doubts Over Hungary‘s Support For Persecuted Christians
Hungary’s right-wing government has come under pressure amid reports that it spends more on anti-migration propaganda than on support for persecuted Christians.
New York Leadership Ordered To End’ Church Discrimination’
More devoted Christians could legally worship in the U.S. State of New York on Sunday after a federal judge told Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to stop discriminating churches while allowing “black lives matter” protests against police abuse.
Supreme Court decision ignites religious liberty battle
Justice Neil Gorsuch’s majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County, a Supreme Court decision extending employment protections to gay and transgender people, kicks off a new religious liberty battle.
UK Parliamentary Report Warns of Christian Genocide in Nigeria
Thousands of Christians in Nigeria have been murdered by Muslim militants in recent years, and now a UK parliamentary report has warned of an “unfolding genocide” in the African state, Christian Today reports. The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief (APPG-FoRB) said in its report that armed Muslim Fulani herdsmen have caused “untold human and economic devastation” for Christian farming communities.
Missouri Federal Court Upholds Pro-Life Law
On Wednesday a federal appeals court in Missouri upheld a state law requiring abortion clinics to give their clients a booklet stating that abortion will end the life of a separate human being, Christian Headlines (CH) reports. The case was originally brought by a member of “The Satanic Temple” who said the law violated her religious beliefs and Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment.
Washington Outraged Over Beheading of Christians And Other Religious Rights Abuses
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed concern Wednesday about ongoing beheadings and other abuses of Christians and other faith groups in several nations.
US Condemns China Over ‘Repression’ of Christians and other Minorities
The United States accused China’s leadership on Wednesday of increasing repression of Christians and other minorities while forcing religious groups to adopt its communist ideology. In remarks obtained by Worthy News, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that “In China, state-sponsored repression against all religions continues to intensify.”
India Christian Families Injured and Hiding after Hindu Attacks
Three Christian families were hiding in India’s Chhattisgarh state on Sunday after they were attacked by Hindu nationalists while sleeping in their homes, rights investigators confirmed.
Christian Families in India Threatened with Death if They do not Reconvert to Animism
Sixteen Christian families from a church in India’s Jharkhand were physically threatened every night for nearly three weeks by gangs of animist worshippers demanding they reconvert to the Sarna religion, Morning Star News reported on May 26. The families (around 130 people) have ancestral connections to the religion, whose followers worship a god called Dharmes.
Eritrea Online Protest Targets Massive Detention of Christians (Worthy News In-depth)
Leading rights groups and church officials will hold Thursday their annual protest and prayer vigil against the reported massive persecution of Christians in Eritrea for the first time online, amid ongoing coronavirus lockdown restrictions in Britain.
Jerusalem Is ‘Red Line’ for Muslims, Turkey’s Erdogan Declares in Eid Message Attacking Israel
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has attacked the Israeli government’s plan to annex parts of the West Bank and declared that the issue of Jerusalem was a “red line” for Muslims around the world.
Chechen Leader Hospitalized With COVID-19
There was mounting uncertainty Saturday over the health of Chechen autocratic leader Ramzan Kadyrov after conflicting reports over whether he suffers from the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
Iran Frees Four Converts From Jail
Four former Muslims who became Christians and part of Iran’s leading house church movements have been freed from an Iranian jail, Christian activists confirmed Thursday. Kathrin Sajadpour, Moslem Rahimi, and another Christian, of the ‘Church of Iran,’ were reportedly freed on a reduced bail of 200 million tomans ($11,500) this week, Wednesday.