Posted on 08/18/2008 6:26:03 AM PDT by Abathar
BEIJING, China (CNN) -- Four members of a Christian group from the United States are refusing to leave an airport in China after authorities confiscated their 300 Bibles, the group's director said Monday.
The four members of Vision Beyond Borders -- based in Sheridan, Wyoming -- arrived in the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming on Sunday. Customs officials discovered the Bibles during an X-ray scan of their luggage, said Pat Klein, director of the group, which supplies Bibles and other Christian material to people in China and other countries.
Under Chinese law, it is illegal to bring printed religious material into the country if it exceeds the amount for personal use. The group distributes the Bibles through a local shop owner in Kunming, according to Klein.
Klein said he's been bringing Bibles into China for 21 years and had no idea he was breaking Chinese law.
The group spent the night at the airport, and Chinese customs officials told them they had broken the law and repeatedly asked them to leave the airport, Klein said. He said the customs agents have not be antagonistic.
China says Christians are free to worship in China -- as long as they worship in a church that registers with the government.
People in China can buy Bibles, but some members of underground or unregistered churches in China say Bibles are in short supply in some locations, especially rural areas, according to a 2007 report from the U.S. State Department.
The Report on International Religious Freedom warned that the distribution of religious publications in China is closely watched. All publication in China is controlled by the government, whether religious or otherwise.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
This is the 21st century. I don't think it's too much to expect a supposedly "modern, progressive" nation to behave differently than the Roman Empire, or cavemen, for that matter.
BTW it's not about Christianity. This is about Freedom of Religion in general, a most basic freedom (beside all the other) China denies. Resistance should be commended.
“God commands that we spread the Word.”
So therefor any law forbidding the spread of the word of God is not something we are bound by faith to follow.
“They isolate groups and give people just enough freedom to keep them placated.”
Hmmmm. Sounds a little like another country I know of... maybe not quite so far along in the process, but just wait until the “chosen one” becomes Chancellor and THEN you’ll see something!
He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions.
[Ah! Divisions - things that make cultures different, ie, you must give up the values that you deem important.]
That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones.
[Again, no individualism for you, you're required to join the collective.]
That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."
[More of the "allow" and force to make you join the collective.]
I was going through immigration/customs about 10 years ago after flying into Saigon. There were some idiots, just like these guys, who had been detained and were making a huge fuss about it. The officials at the airport were being incredibly polite to them in explaining the situation but the ‘Christians’ were being incredibly rude and obnoxious. They saw me and started screaming about how they were being persecuted. I don’t know what happened to them but hopefully they spent a few nights in jail before being sent home.
Just protecting the bitter people from themselves.
“Klein said he’s been bringing Bibles into China for 21 years and had no idea he was breaking Chinese law.”
Seems to me the rub here is the lie. Sneaking bibles into a country that deems it illegal does not break God’s laws. Lying does and even Abraham was chastised for this. They are commandments, not suggestions, and God’s purposes will not be achieved by breaking one. Taking things into our own hands rather than obeying God often gets Christians into trouble. He should have kept his mouth shut.
Without the Olympics, this would not be a story CNN would be covering.
Exactly. I don’t think them acting like this is helping their cause at all, either for sympathy here of their plight or from the authorities there.
Had they be gracious and not tried to put themselves above the Chinese law, not try to turn the situation into a media fiasco then they probably would have gotten a lot further toward getting their bibles back by now.
There isn’t a culture on earth who likes a foreigner coming in and acting like they are above your laws or are better than you.
Why has congress (yeah, I know why, but i'm asking it anyway) not passed legislation making it illegal to import anything from countries that make it "illegal to bring printed religious material into th[at] country?"
Kind of like a mirror or shadow law, we just mirror their laws on tariffs and customs.
I kind of like that idea!
Software. Free. Multiple versions of the Bible, lots of commentaries, dictionaries and everything a scholar could want. No need for confrontation. I had a friend take multiple copies in and no one was in the least disturbed, because it was not recognized as a Bible.
Are we to deny millions of people the knowledge of Jesus and His salvation because of the wishes of a dictator?
Seems pretty selfish to want to keep everlasting life to ourselves.
Maybe God is behind the effort to get His Word into China. Afterall, there are underground churches.
That’s not the point. Submitting to civil authority is appropriate in as much as civil authority doesn’t exceed its limits. Government is not God... even if legislation says so.
People make mistakes even doing the Lord’s work. That does not mean that the Lord’s work is to be stopped because it was not handled perfectly.
If you read the Old Testament, you will find that God had little respect for the cultures of men and the wishes of those worshipping other gods or no god.
It is interesting that some here would prefer a dictator to be honored rather than God’s work.
People make choices and those choices often determine where they will spend eternity.
Really?
Romans Ch 13 vv 1-7
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour."
Consider trying to govern 1/5th the earth's population as America does. It cannot be done.
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