China has implemented new rules that will further control religious groups and limit their freedom.
The new rules, announced by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, came into effect in September and are intended to limit all religious activities to official venues only and prevent the display of religious symbols outdoors.
As of 1 September, all religious activity must be supervised by the state to make sure churches and places of worship support the leadership of China’s Communist Party.
The rules will also restrict setting up new state-controlled churches and further regulate the way churches are managed.
Churches and places of worship must not have biblical or Christian-sounding names. The content of Christian sermons must reflect China’s politics and the core values advocated by Chairman Xi Jinping, rather than religious doctrines.
‘The only correct perspective in the eyes of the communist government is worship of the state.’
