China will create own Christian belief system amid tensions with church, says official

[Edison Chen]

China will construct a "Chinese Christian theology" suitable for the country, state media reported on Thursday, as both the number of believers and tensions with the authorities are on the rise.

China has between 23 million and 40 million Protestants, accounting for 1.7 to 2.9 per cent of the total population, the state-run China Daily said, citing figures given at a seminar in Shanghai.

About 500,000 people are baptised as Protestants every year, it added.

"Over the past decades, the Protestant churches in China have developed very quickly with the implementation of the country's religious policy," the paper quoted Wang Zuoan, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, as saying.

"The construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national condition and integrate with Chinese culture."

China's ruling Communist Party is officially atheistic and keeps a tight grip on religion for fear it could challenge its grip on power. It requires believers to worship in places approved by the state and under government supervision.

Besides officially sanctioned churches, China also has "underground" or "house" churches which seek to exist outside government control and are occasionally raided and shut down.

In April, authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, known as China's Jerusalem, with more than a million Christians, demolished a church following government claims it was an illegal structure.

Though a registered church, state media reported that the building was far larger than originally approved.

"Over the past years, China's Protestantism has become one of the fastest growing universal churches," Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council, was quoted as saying in the China Daily report.

It did not include a number for Catholics in China, who must also worship only in officially sanctioned churches which reject the Vatican's authority, though an "underground" church loyal to the Holy See also exists.

Experts estimate that there are as many as 12 million Catholics in China, split roughly evenly between the two churches.

As of the end of last year, China had published 65 million copies of the Bible, the report said, including minority-language editions.

 

[Raphael]

It's especially important to stamp out and purge catholicism, which requires adherents to worship and submit to a foreign white master living on another continent. If catholicism ever gains a serious foothood in China, the country will resemble the Philippines .

 

[HariPrasad]

China will construct a "Chinese Christian theology" suitable for the country, state media reported on Thursday, as both the number of believers and tensions with the authorities are on the rise.

China has between 23 million and 40 million Protestants, accounting for 1.7 to 2.9 per cent of the total population, the state-run China Daily said, citing figures given at a seminar in Shanghai.

About 500,000 people are baptised as Protestants every year, it added.

"Over the past decades, the Protestant churches in China have developed very quickly with the implementation of the country's religious policy," the paper quoted Wang Zuoan, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, as saying.

"The construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national condition and integrate with Chinese culture."

China's ruling Communist Party is officially atheistic and keeps a tight grip on religion for fear it could challenge its grip on power. It requires believers to worship in places approved by the state and under government supervision.

Besides officially sanctioned churches, China also has "underground" or "house" churches which seek to exist outside government control and are occasionally raided and shut down.

In April, authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, known as China's Jerusalem, with more than a million Christians, demolished a church following government claims it was an illegal structure.

Though a registered church, state media reported that the building was far larger than originally approved.

"Over the past years, China's Protestantism has become one of the fastest growing universal churches," Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council, was quoted as saying in the China Daily report.

It did not include a number for Catholics in China, who must also worship only in officially sanctioned churches which reject the Vatican's authority, though an "underground" church loyal to the Holy See also exists.

Experts estimate that there are as many as 12 million Catholics in China, split roughly evenly between the two churches.

As of the end of last year, China had published 65 million copies of the Bible, the report said, including minority-language editions.

This is a pure interference in the religious matter of Christians.

 

[Raphael]

This is a pure interference in the religious matter of Christians.

As a Hindu, you are obviously not well-versed with Chinese history, so be careful before offering up your uninformed opinion. Christians have long caused trouble for China. The Taiping rebellion, started by an extremist self-professed Christian, killed 20 million people in a civil war. Christians have a notorious and proven reputation of being foreign agents looking to destabilize China. More recently, they have exploited the tragic circumstances of North Korean refugees in China to convert them to Christianity. There's needs to be an appropriate level of state oversight to ensure this troublesome cult learns its place and doesn't provoke trouble.

 

[William Hung]

This is a pure interference in the religious matter of Christians.

No. Every beliefs, including religious beliefs, are culturally embedded. Meaning, parts of these religious beliefs are shaped and influenced by the surrounding culture of the believers.

For example, American evangelical Christians find it wrong when they see German Christians drink beer. On the other hand, German Christians find it wrong when American Christian women put make up on and dress like hookers.

Some elements of Christian beliefs are shaped by the believers culture. Christianity is a foreign religion to China. So when these Chinese Christians adopt Christianity into China, they need to identify these elements that are shaped by foreign culture that are not suitable in Chinese culture or society. After they identify and delete these unsuitable foreign elements, they then need to find ways how Christianity can integrate with Chinese culture and context.

 

[pher]

Any religion only has limited space in China, no matter it is muslim, christian or buddhism.

In our long history, we had 3 large-scale national campaigns to destroy buddhism when it was out of hand. We don't hesitate to do it again to any religion in the future if neccessary.

 

[eazzy]

Only education can stop that.

 

[Echo_419]

China will construct a "Chinese Christian theology" suitable for the country, state media reported on Thursday, as both the number of believers and tensions with the authorities are on the rise.

China has between 23 million and 40 million Protestants, accounting for 1.7 to 2.9 per cent of the total population, the state-run China Daily said, citing figures given at a seminar in Shanghai.

About 500,000 people are baptised as Protestants every year, it added.

"Over the past decades, the Protestant churches in China have developed very quickly with the implementation of the country's religious policy," the paper quoted Wang Zuoan, director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, as saying.

"The construction of Chinese Christian theology should adapt to China's national condition and integrate with Chinese culture."

China's ruling Communist Party is officially atheistic and keeps a tight grip on religion for fear it could challenge its grip on power. It requires believers to worship in places approved by the state and under government supervision.

Besides officially sanctioned churches, China also has "underground" or "house" churches which seek to exist outside government control and are occasionally raided and shut down.

In April, authorities in the eastern Chinese city of Wenzhou, known as China's Jerusalem, with more than a million Christians, demolished a church following government claims it was an illegal structure.

Though a registered church, state media reported that the building was far larger than originally approved.

"Over the past years, China's Protestantism has become one of the fastest growing universal churches," Gao Feng, president of the China Christian Council, was quoted as saying in the China Daily report.

It did not include a number for Catholics in China, who must also worship only in officially sanctioned churches which reject the Vatican's authority, though an "underground" church loyal to the Holy See also exists.

Experts estimate that there are as many as 12 million Catholics in China, split roughly evenly between the two churches.

As of the end of last year, China had published 65 million copies of the Bible, the report said, including minority-language editions.

We also need to do this,why should Indians worship a foreign white man

 

[William Hung]

We also need to do this,why should Indians worship a foreign white man

I don't know what's worse, worshipping a white man or a man with a blue elephant head?

 

[Raphael]

I don't know what's worse, worshipping a white man or a man with a blue elephant head?

Worshiping a white man is infinitely worse, because it categorically puts you below another race.

 

[William Hung]

Worshiping a white man is infinitely worse, because it categorically puts you below another race.

How about this man?

The Koreans got this:

The African American got this:

The Hindus got this:

 

[Kolaps]

IS there Christian Chinese here?

 

[Nan Yang]

No. Every beliefs, including religious beliefs, are culturally embedded. Meaning, parts of these religious beliefs are shaped and influenced by the surrounding culture of the believers.

For example, American evangelical Christians find it wrong when they see German Christians drink beer. On the other hand, German Christians find it wrong when American Christian women put make up on and dress like hookers.

Some elements of Christian beliefs are shaped by the believers culture. Christianity is a foreign religion to China. So when these Chinese Christians adopt Christianity into China, they need to identify these elements that are shaped by foreign culture that are not suitable in Chinese culture or society. After they identify and delete these unsuitable foreign elements, they then need to find ways how Christianity can integrate with Chinese culture and context.

All religions are created by man to search for the meaning of life and to find happiness. There are thousands of civilizations in this world and that is why there are thousands of religions in this world.

There is but one heaven !

 

[Jlaw]

Believing the bible BS is ridiculous.

 

[cnleio]

Who care ? I only believe the SCIENCE, only science can save China & Chinese ppl !

I think Chinese has the GOD in tranditional Chinese culture.