Churches approved to function in China but closed down in the wake of the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, are being forced to use their sermons to support Communist Party, Christian Headlines reports.
Also, pastors of the churches are also required to slander the United States and praise President Xi Jinping for “the right way to lead people in defeating the epidemic.”
Quoting Bitter Winter, a watchdog that monitors religious liberty and violation in China, Christian Headlines said the tele-guided the sermons are regarded as “patriotic education.”
The Religious Affairs Bureau of Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province, unveiled a list of 42 prerequisites for churches that planned to open.
Among the prerequisites, are “intensify patriotic education” and study China’s religious policies.”
Besides, churches are also expected to promote “four requirements” which started seven years ago.
The requirements are: requiring religious communities to ritually raise the national flag; promoting the Chinese constitution and laws; promoting “core socialist values”; and promoting “China’s excellent traditional culture.”
The newspaper also reported that one church in Henan did not reopen because the pastor’s sermon did not receive the approval of the province’s officials.
A deacon said, “None of the 11 places of worship in our area was approved for reopening. We were busy preparing to meet the requirements for reopening, but the government made things difficult for us in every respect.”
It was also reported that because of the directive members of the churches that reopened were not happy about the content of the sermons.
As a member of a Three-Self church told Bitter Writer, “Instead of a normal sermon, the preacher talked about the patriotism of medical workers during the epidemic, and their sacrifice to the state.
“These things are important but political things were discussed for half of the time. Many believers complained afterward.”