Ultimate allegiance
Thank you to Saint Charles Nelson Chuckles for the first link.
This article references the following link:
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China reportedly imprisoning Christians in mobile torture and brainwashing facilities
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Chinese Christians Held in Secretive Brainwashing Camps: Sources
Authorities in China are detaining Christians in secretive, mobile "transformation" facilities to make them renounce their faith, RFA has
learned.
A member of a Christian "house church" in the southwestern province of Sichuan who asked to be identified by a pseudonym Li Yuese said he was held in a facility run by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s United Front Work Department, working in tandem with the state security police, for 10 months after a raid on his church in 2018.
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"It was a mobile facility, that could just set up in some basement somewhere," Li said. "It was staffed by people from several different government departments."
"It had its own (CCP) political and legal affairs committee working group, and they mainly target Christians who are members of house churches," he said.
The Chinese Communist Party, which embraces atheism, exercises tight controls over any form of religious practice among its citizens.
State security police and religious affairs bureau officials frequently raid unofficial "house churches" that aren't members of the CCP-backed Three-Self Patriotic Association, although member churches have also been targeted at times.
The CCP under Xi Jinping regards Christianity as a dangerous foreign import, with party documents warning against the "infiltration of Western hostile forces" in the form of religion.
'You have to accept the statement they prepare for you," he said. "If you refuse, you will be seen as having a bad attitude and they will keep you in detention and keep on beating you."
Basement brainwashing sessions
Li said most of his fellow inmates were also people who had been released on bail during criminal detention for taking part in church-related activities.
Inmates who refused to "admit their mistakes" were held in solitary confinement for prolonged periods.
"After the religious affairs officials had arrested the bishops and priests, they didn't pursue criminal charges -- they just disappeared them, sometimes for five, six or even 10 years at a stretch."
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China is home to an estimated 68 million Protestants, of whom 23 million worship in state-affiliated churches under the aegis of the Three-Self Patriotic Association, and some nine million Catholics, the majority of whom are in state-sponsored organizations.
Reported by Li Nuo for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
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The Chinese Communist Party, which embraces atheism, exercises tight controls over any form of religious practice among its citizens.
British philosopher, Blackburn, describes communism as 'A socioeconomic system based on communal ownership and production of goods, communal and self-government....' (70). The entry under Marxism includes that its aims 'toward a revolution of the proletarian' (232). This being working class people.
2003 The Problem of Evil: Anglican and Baptist Perspectives: MPhil thesis, Bangor University
In my MPhil I stated:
Communism is faulty in that it depends on the state forcing equality among people. This, however, does not end the evil of poverty, for example, but simply takes away initiative from people to advance themselves economically, and gives economic and political power to a select few government and military officials. At the same time, tyranny takes place as these select few must strongly enforce the equality that they see as necessary in order for the communist state to advance.
Christianity, on the other hand, favours shared equality. By this I mean people willingly sharing some, and sometimes all, of what they possess. But the idea is not that a state or ruling counsel should dictate this, but that it should be done willingly in love. With this world-view, people have the freedom to willingly help others.
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Opinion
Contrary to classic communism which I was describing in 2003 within acceptable, British academia, this would better describe communism within the former Soviet Union and its former satellite nations in the era of the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact than communism in modern China. I reason that modern communism of the Chinese Communist Party, actually embraces a form of capitalism that does provide many citizens economic initiative to advance economically.
However, like the former Soviet Union and its satellite nations, the totalitarian, communistic, political system is enforced. A Chinese citizen is to have his/her ultimate allegiance to the People's Republic of China. Whereas a biblical Christian views Jesus as Lord and is to give to 'Caesar' (in some translations or the emperor in some others) what belongs to the state, and to God what belongs to God. (Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, Luke 20:20–26)
From a New Testament perspective, God is the creator of all (finite) things and sustainer of everlasting life for those that are within the gospel by grace through faith (Ephesians 1-2). God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28) as Lord, requires ultimate allegiance over any government and any political system.
Example
2 Corinthians 4:5 New American Standard Bible 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants [a]on account of Jesus.
Footnotes 2 Corinthians 4:5 Two early mss through Jesus
China's communism is an example of a totalitarian state, political system and connected worldview that demands ultimate allegiance from its citizens and unfortunately, any other worldview that requires an ultimate allegiance is viewed as an enemy, it seems to me. Based on this idea, Jesus as Lord, within the biblical Christian Church is considered an enemy and this explains the persecution of biblical Christians as described in the article referenced.
The biblical Christian is actually to not seek a Kingdom within this present realm, as the culminated Kingdom of God is not of this world (system) according to Jesus Christ (John 18:36). The transformation of this present sinful realm to divine restoration is entirely a work of God (2 Peter 3, Revelation 20-22 as examples), and not brought about by human political and military revolution, whatsoever.
The Christian is to submit to government authorities in the context of maintaining law and order...
Romans 13: 1-2 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 13 Every [a]person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except [b]from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore [c]whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. a Romans 13:1 Or soul b Romans 13:1 Lit by c Romans 13:2 Lit he who
1 Peter 2:17 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 17 Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the [a]king. Footnotes: a 1 Peter 2:17 Or emperor
But ultimate allegiance is still to the Lord.
BARCLAY, WILLIAM (1976) The Letters of James and Peter, Philadelphia, The Westminster Press.
BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
CRANFIELD, C.E.B. (1992) Romans: A Shorter Commentary, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
MOUNCE, ROBERT H. (1995) The New American Commentary: Romans, Nashville, Broadman & Holman Publishers.
