CHRISTIANNEWS.COM.- China is tightening its religious regulations around online meetings. A new law will come into force on March 1 that will make online gatherings illegal for unregistered churches.
The law will also make it illegal to share religious content on social media. The two state-controlled denominations, the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement, are exempt from the new regulations.
However, Thomas Muller, Asia analyst for Christian anti-persecution charity Open Doors, said even state-controlled churches will be affected by the law, Christian Today reports.
“In order to post or share anything online you need a ‘Religious Internet Information Service Permit.’ In practice, these will only be available to already ‘legally established’ churches,” he explained.
Furthermore, he added: “Even the content of these churches will be closely scrutinized. To ensure that the message is properly ‘sinicized’ and in accordance with the teachings of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Lastly, he noted, “All other ‘underground’ churches are effectively being kicked off the internet.”
China ranks 17th on the World Open Doors Watch List of countries where Christians face the worst persecution.
Christian sources in China told Open Doors that they have already removed religious content from social media before the new law comes into force.
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