China Confiscates Bibles From American Christians

[White Knight]

[url="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,405187,00.html"]China confiscates more than 300 Bibles from American Christians.[/url]


[b][quote][i]BEIJING — A group of American Christians who had more than 300 Bibles confiscated by Chinese officials when they arrived in China is refusing to leave the airport until they get the books back, their leader said Monday.

Pat Klein said he and three others from his Vision Beyond Borders group spent Sunday night at the airport in the southwestern city of Kunming after customs officers took the Bibles from their checked luggage.

"I heard that there's freedom of religion in China, so why is there a problem for us to bring Bibles?" said Klein, whose Sheridan, Wyoming-based group distributes Bibles and Christian teaching materials around the world.

The Bibles were printed in Chinese, he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The move comes as China hosts the Olympics in Beijing, where false media reports last year claimed Bibles would be banned from the games. The state-run China Daily reported last month that 10,000 bilingual copies of the Bible would be distributed in the Olympic Village, which houses athletes and media.

In China, Bibles are legally printed at just one plant — the world's largest — run by a communist government-backed Christian association, and are available in many bookstores. But the officially atheistic government prohibits proselytizing and is worried that if the spread of religion goes unchecked, believers might ultimately challenge the Communist Party's authority.

A woman on duty at Kunming airport's customs office confirmed over the telephone late Sunday that 315 Bibles were found in the passengers' checked baggage.

The officer, who would only give her last name, Xiao, denied confiscating the Bibles. She said authorities were just "taking care" of them and provided no further details. She later said she was not authorized to speak to the media and referred questions to the national customs headquarters in Beijing, which did not answer phones on Sunday.

On Monday morning, Klein said Chinese officials had shown the group what they said were regulations that banned bringing Bibles into China, but that the documents were in Chinese. "We are waiting for them to come back with the law in English," he said.

Chinese officials had asked the Christians to leave the room at the airport where they spent the night, but Klein told the officials they did not want to go without the Bibles.

Klein said the customs officers had told him that they could each have one Bible for personal use, but no more than that. He said the officers had videotaped them and were insisting that they leave the airport.

"We don't want to go without taking those books. It cost us a lot of money to bring them here," Klein said. "They're saying that it's illegal to bring the Bibles in and that if we wanted to, we had to apply ahead of time for permission."

China faces routine criticism for human rights violations and repression of religious freedom. Religious practice is heavily regulated by the Communist Party, with worship allowed only in party-controlled churches, temples and mosques, while those gathering outside risk harassment, arrest and terms in labor camps or prison.

A Chinese Christian activist was detained Aug. 10, the opening weekend of the Olympics, on his way to a church service attended by U.S. President George W. Bush in Beijing. A rights group said later that the activist, Hua Huiqi, a leader of the unofficial Protestant church in Beijing, had escaped from police and was in hiding.

Police have denied any involvement in Hua's disappearance.[/i][/quote][/b]


Prayers for the Chinese, and Americans.

Edited August 18, 2008 by White Knight

[homeschoolmom]

prayers for all the oppressed Christians everywhere...

[Justin86]

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Human rights still aren't in China as we can all see despite their government claims.

[Farsight one]

While there is freedom of religion there, it is very obvious that they were planning to use those bibles as an evangelization attempt and pass them out to people, which is definitely a no-no in China. It's unfortunate that spreading the word in such a way is forbidden in China, but it's the rule and we're supposed to follow the rules when able.

I do hope that the people are able to get them back when they leave though.

[Justin86]

I don't recall the Church ever saying that if the state outlaws evangelization we [i]have[/i] to follow it. I mean, that's ridiculous.

[Farsight one]

[quote name='Justin86' post='1630385' date='Aug 18 2008, 08:54 AM']I don't recall the Church ever saying that if the state outlaws evangelization we [i]have[/i] to follow it. I mean, that's ridiculous.[/quote]We have to follow all laws, no matter where we are, provided they don't force us to break God's laws. So the mandatory abortion laws they have would have to be broken to follow God's laws. But the laws against that kind of evangelization should be followed.

[Justin86]

Christ commanded the Apostles to go out and baptize all nations. Last time I checked China can't overrule Christ.

[Winchester]

We are obliged to follow laws that have the character of justice. Following unjust laws isn't Christian.

It's idiocy.

[Farsight one]

[quote name='Justin86' post='1630393' date='Aug 18 2008, 09:17 AM']Christ commanded the Apostles to go out and baptize all nations. Last time I checked China can't overrule Christ.[/quote]True. But there are ways to spread the word in China without breaking their laws. Lead by example for one. Tell anyone who asks about God. Even identify yourself as a Christian by the shirt you wear(this might actually be illegal too. I don't know) in hopes that someone will stop to ask you about it. Anonymously placing bibles on front porches and standing on a street corner preaching and handing them out can be done without.

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Farsight one' post='1630388' date='Aug 18 2008, 07:01 AM']But the laws against that kind of evangelization should be followed.[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
uh no. like winchester said, that's idiocy.

[havok579257]

[quote name='Farsight one' post='1630388' date='Aug 18 2008, 09:01 AM']We have to follow all laws, no matter where we are, provided they don't force us to break God's laws. So the mandatory abortion laws they have would have to be broken to follow God's laws. But the laws against that kind of evangelization should be followed.[/quote]


Actually that is NOT what the church says, don't know where you got that from. The church tells us to follow all MORALLY acceptable laws. Any laws that are deemed MORALLY unjust, we are not called to follow. This law is morally unjust. Its is persecution of ones religion. It is in place so christianity will not be spread to the people of the land. This is anything but morally acceptable.

Its the same thing if the government mandated church's to marry gay/lesbians. Its morally unjust and the church would NOT comply.

[Farsight one]

Apparently no one read my next post...

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Farsight one' post='1631983' date='Aug 19 2008, 06:16 PM']Apparently no one read my next post...[/quote]

[princessgianna]

[quote name='Farsight one' post='1631439' date='Aug 19 2008, 05:40 AM']Even identify yourself as a Christian by the shirt you wear(this might actually be illegal too. I don't know)[/quote]
In 52 country's! I read in on a shirt.
The shirt was black and had a red cross on it!
And the shirt said "this shirt is illegal in 52 country's because of the cross" or something to that effect!
So assuming that the shirt is accurate...

[Socrates]

[quote name='Farsight one' post='1630388' date='Aug 18 2008, 08:01 AM']We have to follow all laws, no matter where we are, provided they don't force us to break God's laws. So the mandatory abortion laws they have would have to be broken to follow God's laws. But the laws against that kind of evangelization should be followed.[/quote]
I honestly don't know where on earth you got that idea.
It certainly didn't come from the teaching of the Catholic Church.

From the [url="http://www.vatican.va/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a2.htm"][i]Catechism of the Catholic Church[/i][/url]:
[quote]1902 [b]Authority does not derive its moral legitimacy from itself. It must not behave in a despotic manner, but must act for the common good as a "moral force based on freedom and a sense of responsibility"[/b]:21

A human law has the character of law to the extent that it accords with right reason, and thus derives from the eternal law. [b]Insofar as it falls short of right reason it is said to be an unjust law, and thus has not so much the nature of law as of a kind of violence.[/b]22

1903 Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. [b]If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience. In such a case, "authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse."[/b]23[/quote]
Laws banning the possession and spreading of God's Word as found in the Bible are clearly unjust laws by any Christian standard. Such laws most certainly do[i] not[/i] seek the common good, and are [i]not[/i] in accord with right reason or derived from the eternal law. They are obviously an example of the Chinese government authority behaving in a despotic manner.
Thus, such unjust laws, which are contrary to the [i]mandate[/i] of Christ to spread the Gospel, are clearly not binding in conscience, and should be resisted by Christians.


[quote name='Farsight one' post='1631439' date='Aug 19 2008, 04:40 AM']True. But there are ways to spread the word in China without breaking their laws. Lead by example for one. Tell anyone who asks about God. Even identify yourself as a Christian by the shirt you wear(this might actually be illegal too. I don't know) in hopes that someone will stop to ask you about it. Anonymously placing bibles on front porches and standing on a street corner preaching and handing them out can be done without.[/quote]
All but one of Christ's Apostles died martyrs' deaths, as did countless other martyrs around the world through the centuries, for preaching the Gospel against the will of the secular authorities. I suggest you start by reading the Acts of the Apostles before you spout more of this drivel.
And note that these martyrs preached the Gospel openly and fearlessly - they were not content to merely give good example in their lives or tell people about God who ask them in private.

I'm afraid the Church would not have spread to all ends of the earth (or spread far at all, for that matter) if the apostles of old were to follow the advice of modern pc Catholics like "Farsight."