Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

I went to church in China and nobody arrested me, what gives? Could it be that I, as a guest to their country, show the curtisey of not breaking their laws?

http://chruchinchina.blogspot.com/

Let’s for the moment put aside the argument weither China’s laws are right or wrong according to our senstivity. The fact remains their laws exist according to their sensitivity, and they have effects in their land.

Rule of law dictates laws are to be observed - else it’s anarchy. Unjust law should be changed within the existing reality and current states - else pay the price of civil disobidience (or revolution.)

I’m sure by now you are bored of these obvious principles of our proud western tradition, which many neglects while indicting China.

Let’s talk about weither the law that’s involved is just.

The reason churches go underground IMHO isn’t because they are “unauthorized” Catholics or Protestants. The Church I attended in Zhengzhou was a Protestant church.

My understanding of the reason chruches go “underground” is because they refuse to observe China’s law protecting children’s right to religious freedom that bars adults from indoctrinating children until the age of 16 (with flexibility).

Reailty is there ain’t enough GongAn to kick down the doors and arrest every parent that reads the Bible to their kids, or grandmothers who BaiBai the Kitchen God with little MeiMei.

But when pastors encouraged by foreign missionaries to break China’s laws and hold bible school, advertise to the whole village, invite the policeman’s kid to come every sunday for the brainswashing session - what do you think happens?