(Zhumadian, Henan province) On the morning of July 30, 2023, authorities raided Muxuan House Church during its Sunday service. Since then, Pastor Yang Jianxun has faced several administrative penalties.
Harsh investigation
After the raid in July, Pastor Yang and several other co-workers were taken to the local police station. Officers interrogated Pastor Yang the whole night and searched his home the next day. They confiscated all his books that did not have an ISBN.
Notice
The next day, the Zhumadian Religious Affairs Bureau posted a “notice of order of correction” at his address. Authorities claimed he violated Article 41 of the Regulations on Religious Affairs, meaning he held religious activities in an improper venue.
Appeals for freedom
On September 11, Pastor Yang filed an “Application of Administrative Reconsideration”. According to him, the Zhumadian Religious Affairs Bureau made severe mistakes in the investigation. Officials misapplied the law and issued an unfair penalty.
Lessons from history
After the Cultural Revolution, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) learned a lesson and made religious freedom a national policy. They recognized the existence of Christian house churches and made several explicit statements that no organization shall interfere with citizen’s normal religious activities.
Religious Freedom in China
On March 31, 1982, the CCP issued document No. 19 The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Question during Our Country’s Socialist Period. The document states:
“All normal religious activities that take place in believers’ homes–Buddha worship, scripture chanting, incense burning, prayer, Bible study, preaching, Mass, baptism, initiation as a monk or nun, fasting, celebration of religious festivals, extreme unction, funerals, etc.–are all to be conducted by religious organizations and religious believers themselves, under the protection of the law and without interference from anyone.”
Pastor Yang
According to Pastor Yang, the Zhumadian Religious Affairs Bureau’s penalty hurt the feelings of all citizens with religious beliefs. This pastor holds devout Christian faith. He has never done any social harm. Instead, he has helped many people. The value of law is to punish the evil and promote the good. Should administrative penalties punish any citizen’s unharmful behavior?
~Ningmeng, ChinaAid Special Reporter
