Chinese Authorities Ban Children From Church So They ‘Develop a Correct Worldview’ About Religion

Nancy Flory
Chinese Communist authorities want children to “develop a ‘correct’ worldview and set of values.” So they have begun banning children from church and other religious events. At least four regional governments in China have issued notices barring children from “joining Christian groups and attending religious activities,” reported UCAnews.com.

Chinese officials stated that they will investigate both state-run churches and underground churches to ensure compliance.

The ban is just the latest in the government’s crackdown on religion. Since 2014, the government has been removing all crosses in the mostly-Christian area of Zhejiang. The attempts to remove Christianity from China became official in 2016. Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched formal plans to bring Christians under the rule of the Communist Party. The Communist Party is atheist and forbids members from practicing a religion.

The Communist Party and President Xi Jinping fear that if children go to church, they will not have strict Marxist atheists to join their ranks.

They are also concerned that religions will “infiltrate” education. Liang Guochao, head of the Education Bureau, wants to make a “decisive effort to prevent religions infiltrating into schools and to guide students to consciously resist religious cults.”

Some school districts have been sending notes about the ban to schools. Yonglin school district in Wenzhou, eastern Zhejiang wrote in a letter to its schools that “an emergency notice from the higher authorities strictly forbids all secondary and primary school teachers, students and toddlers to join Catholic or Protestant churches.”

Teachers have also sent notes home with students. One mother said she received notice of the ban from her daughter’s teacher in both audio and written form. In it, she said she was asked “not to bring children to church.” The teacher also noted that an inspection team would “launch open and undercover investigations” on Sundays to find how many children attended church.

The government does not want children to attend other religious events, either. One church-run summer camp was closed down because two Christian children attended the camp.

Even if an activity isn’t inherently religious the Communist Party doesn’t want Christians teaching anything. A priest called Father Lu said he was warned to stop offering free English and music classes for children.

One mother said it doesn’t matter whether the Communist Party bans children from church. Parents will still teach their children religious values. “The move by the authorities is unnecessary. Even if they are not allowed to go to church, we parents can pass on our religious belief to our kids at home.” https://stream.org/chinese-authorities-ban-children-from-church-so-they-develop-a-correct-worldview-about-religion/