Religious freedom has been in Chinese history, one of those “freedoms” which the
government has always dictated and monitored
very closely. From the growth of Buddhism in the Tang and Song dynasties to the Taiping uprising in the Qing, China has been wary of religion and has always done its best to keep it in check. As China grows both economically and politically, the international community has turned its attention to China’s treatment of religious rights. Unlike most other modernized nations, China has been particularly fickle about religious freedoms- especially those of the Chinese Christians.
According to the PRC’s constitution, Christianity is not outlawed- in fact religious freedom is something that is given in the constitution. However, worshippers are required to worship in state owned churches. Much like in China’s “state owned enterprises”, the Community party carefully monitors these churches. Most of these churches are propaganda machines for the party- required to hold sermons on the excellent values of good communist Christians. Unfortunately for the communist party, most Chinese Christians do not like such blatant
violations of their right to privacy infiltrating their spiritual lives. So instead of attending state owned churches, most Christians choose to worship in underground churches or “house churches”. These illegal churches gather in secrecy, risking persecution, death, and torture.
Chinese Christians have never been strangers to persecution however. Several human rights agencies have repeatedly reported horrific abuses of Christian prisoners in Chinese jails. One prisoner, in the middle of praying, was picked up and dropped from the roof of a prison several times until death. Pastor Peter Xu Yongze was strapped to a metal fence and his chest pulled until near collapse in one of his five prison sentences. Even today, distributing Bibles can lead to beatings, as the PRC adamantly cracks down on what it views as “cults”.
Western analysts observe these egregious human rights violations and note that these violations represent the Communist party’s historically indefatigable unwillingness to allow in doctrine subversive or even just different from its own. Many observe that the requirement for Christians to worship in state monitored churches is a tactic that appeases an unhappy West while at the same time, prevents active evangelism- an integral part of the Christian faith. By doing so, China may seem to look enticing from the outside, but on the inside, Christians continue to suffer for their faith.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3993857.stm