Communist authorities destroyed a 3,000-seat megachurch in November, using a large excavator to tear apart the building as mem-bers and citizens watched helplessly.
The huge building was located in the province of Anhui, which is situated in the eastern part of the country and has about 60 million residents. The congregation was part of China’s officially recognised network of churches. It was reported that communist officials lacked the proper legal paperwork to order the destruction.
A video shows the excavator pulling the building apart, as pieces of concrete tumble into a pile of rubble on the ground.
‘This is yet another clear example showing the escalation of religious persecution today by the Chinese Communist regime,’ said Bob Fu, president of China Aid. ‘The total disregard of religious freedom’s protection as enshrined in the Communist Party’s own Constitution tells the whole world President Xi is determined to continue his war against the peaceful Christian faithful. This campaign will surely fail in the end.’
The officials also detained the church’s pastors, Geng Yimin and Sun Yongyao, on suspicion of ‘gathering a crowd to disturb social order’.
Lack of religious freedom is one reason why millions of Christians have gone underground to worship in illegal house churches.
Earlier this year a Three-Self pastor told a religious watchdog that the Government was ‘subtly changing our faith’ by forcing pastors to follow unbiblical requirements. That pastor was ordered to preach about the teachings of Confucius.
