GUANGYUAN, Sichuan, China (WordNews.org) Sept. 21, 2011 — Christians who saw their house church banned by the government are now petitioning the government to reverse the decision, ChinaAid said.
The Religious Affairs Bureau of Guangyuan’s Lizhou District issued the ban on June 24, saying that the church leader was “not a clergyman and was engaged in religious activities at a venue not designated for religious activities.”
Before implementing the ban, government officials repeatedly persecuted the church and ordered it to join the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement church, ChinaAid said.
But, like many other believers, members of this house church refused.
On Sept. 13, the church petitioned the government, outlining examples of persecution.
“In April this year, dozens of people from the Religious Affairs Bureau and the Public Security Bureau on numerous occasions suddenly showed up in the hallway while we were holding meetings, forcing believers to register their names, ID card numbers, addresses and phone numbers. They also repeatedly forcibly took believers to the police station for interrogation. A woman police officer threatened the believers, saying the police had the authority to lock up the believers for two months.” (See photo above)
The petition stated the church is in compliance with the law.
“What we do is simply for the faith. We want to meet together.”