And the largest cult in China today is....

Women pray near the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue at the shrine dedicated to Our Lady of Sheshan outside Shanghai in 2007. (CNS photo/Nancy Wiechec)

by Carl E. Olson | CWR blog

Murong Xuecun, a Chinese novelist, writes of recent measures taken by the Chinese government to intimidate Christians and repress the growth of Christianity:

On June 1, my friend Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Reformed Church in Chengdu was arrested while distributing anti-forced-abortion leaflets. The stated grounds for detaining him were “illegal advertising.” He was let go after half an hour. Three days later, Mr. Wang was detained again. This time the arresting officers produced no identification and gave no reason for taking him in. After 12 hours of interrogation, he was finally released at midnight.

Xuecun notes when he posted about the arrest, several readers protested the injustice—but many supported the government's actions, with one stating, “The cops have done a beautiful job!” He points out that some of the hostile reactions may come from those being paid to mouth the Party line: "The government employs a cyberpolice force of propagandists known as the 50-Cent Party. But given other recent events, and China's agonizing history with organized religion, I believe that a good number of the pro-government comments reflected genuine opinion."

Xuecun reports that the government recently released a list of twenty active "cults", instigating an anti-cult campaign that has led to more overt attacks on mainstream religions such Christianity, with talk of how Christians undermine "national security." He writes:

The government’s anti-religion campaign is not borne of concern for public security stemming from a horrific murder. This is a concerted effort to bring independent churches and their followers into line. The clampdown is simply the government’s way of strengthening its control of society.

As the government has cracked down on Christian groups and churches, it has pinpointed not only the legal churches, but also the "underground" or "home" churches, culminating (so far) in the demolishing of the new Sanjiang Church—"the crown jewel of the city of Wenzhou." Afterward, the pastor of that Protestant church reportedly said, "Pray for the Christians in China. The Communist Party sometimes begins with a small act, like tearing down one church, and it becomes a trend that could spread throughout China.”

Xuecun concludes with this fascinating observation:

Continue reading in the CWR blog.