China Province to Offer Recreational Activities to Prevent Children from Attending Church, According to Activist Group

House church in China
Chinese authorities are cracking down on children's activities in churches in different parts of the country. |

Chinese officials Zhejiang province are trying to prevent Christian children from attending Sunday services and schools by building cultural centers to hold recreational activities for children on weekends, according to a report by Christian Today, citing China Aid sources.

The towns where such a program is being run include Tengqiao, Yangy, and Shanfu among others.

Regulations on Christian children's activities has been reported from other parts of the country as well.

In Guizhou province, house church members were threatened with legal action in July this year for attempting to send their children to church services.

The parents were told that their children would not be allowed attend college or military programs if they attended services.

In Huaqiu town of the same province, a notice was sent to all schools that if the children do not stop going to church services, they will be kept out of college.

This notice was sent to all of the schools in Huaqiu," China Aid quoted a church member in the town as saying. "They (public security) intend to cleanse us and ask us to join the Three-Self Church."

The house church members were also compelled to sign a document which said that they will not take their minor children to church. Apart from that, the members were told that they would be sued if they keep on bringing the children to church.

In August, authorities detained two female Christian camp leaders in Xinjiang province and accused them of brainwashing children.

The detainees were kept in prison for about 15 days. They were arrested when they were about to drive a children's group to a summer camp.

"Both women were accused of indoctrinating minors with superstitious beliefs. Chinese law forbids religious teaching to anyone under the age of 18, believing matters of faith to be dangerous brainwashing from which children must be protected," another report from China Aid explained.