The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has urged the U.S. government to intercede for the American families and Chinese orphans caught in limbo by the end of China’s international adoption program.
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China has tightened its control of religion, creating such crimes as genocide, mass arrests and enforced disappearances, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a new fact sheet, days after China released long-imprisoned American Protestant pastor David Lin.
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Government-fostered misinformation and disinformation are hindering religious liberty in several places globally, USCIRF said in an August factsheet, and spreading societal religious persecution including violence. USCIRF defined misinformation as a claim that is false or inaccurate, and disinformation as a false or inaccurate claim that the government deliberately disseminates.
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(ANALYSIS) On July 11, 2024, the Argentine Federal Court of Criminal Cassation handed down its decision in a case concerning the issue of Uyghur genocide ordering the prosecutor to open an investigation. The decision follows a criminal complaint setting out the international crimes committed against the Uyghur and other Turkic people in Xinjiang, China, and the identity of those most responsible for these crimes.
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(ANALYSIS) Spirituality and religion, while often overlapping, have distinct differences. Spirituality is primarily about an individual's personal connection to a higher power, the universe or a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in life. It is flexible and subjective, allowing for a wide range of beliefs and practices tailored to personal needs and experiences. In contrast, religion typically involves organized institutions with established doctrines.
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(REVIEW) The new series “3 Body Problem” is a secular show that wrestles with how the failures of the secular project have threatened the modern world and wrestles compellingly with nonreligious answers on how to solve them. Hollywood has recently begun to spotlight the evils of overtly atheist regimes. This year, “3 Body Problem” takes on Maoist China.
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You’ve seen the train ads and massive billboards for years featuring colorful performers posing with pastel-colored ribbons. You might have even considered buying a ticket to see this dance troupe as they move from one to city to the next. So what exactly is Shen Yun, how do they define their religious ties and why do some even call the group a cult?
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(EXPLAINER) Cherry blossoms hold a profound significance in various cultures around the world, often intertwined with religious and spiritual symbolism. Both their beauty and delicate nature have inspired poets, artists and thinkers. Here’s a look at how different cultures — from Japan to India to the United States — feel about at these dazzling flowers that bloom each April.
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In his new book, Ian Johnson features Chinese historians who record the darkest episodes of Communist Party rule. The current president of China, Xi Jinping, calls alternatives to the state-sponsored narrative of Communist rule “historical nihilism.” For Xi, Chinese Communism is “the conclusion of history.”
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In China, people celebrate Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14, but there are at least three holidays and cultural traditions centered on romantic love. A figure that ties together these other holidays is the Old Man Under the Moon — Yuexia Laoren in Mandarin, or Yuelao for short — who is believed to be a divine matchmaker.
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Among China’s traditional holidays and celebrations, none ranks higher in importance than the Lunar New Year (農曆新年). Also known as the Spring Festival (春節), or simply Chinese New Year, it marks the beginning of the year according to the traditional lunar calendar.
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(ANALYSIS) The upshot, according to Pew demographer Conrad Hackett, is that by available measures, China is — on the surface — “the least religious country in the world.” That’s not surprising when media and public meetings are restricted and the government forbids religious education while subjecting children to intensive atheistic propaganda at school.
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The growth of Christianity in China has stagnated over the past decade, while one-third of the country’s adult population identifies as Buddhist. A new Pew Research Center report found that only 10% of Chinese adults identified with any religious group — but the number rose significantly when survey questions focused on spirituality, customs and superstitions.
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(ANALYSIS) On July 11, the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise — the human rights watchdog reviewing complaints about possible human rights abuses by Canadian companies working outside Canada in the garment, mining, and oil and gas sectors — announced the launch of two separate investigations into allegations of Uyghur forced labor in the supply chains and operations of two Canadian companies.
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(REVIEW) Jimmy Lai wasn’t terribly interested in Christianity for most of his life, but his wife was passionate about it, so he went to church for her. Yet, when he embraced it, he found its ability to give comfort and meaning in his fight against the evil in the world to be something he valued.
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(ANALYSIS) The current and 14th dalai lama, Tenzin Gyatso, will be 88 in July 2023, and the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa in Mongolia is traditionally one of the Buddhist leaders who recognizes the dalai lama’s successor.
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(ANALYSIS) There has been surprisingly little engagement among religious groups in China, and Christians could point to ways that shared efforts by religious groups — care for the aging, improving schools in rural areas, marriage counseling and the like — can benefit Chinese society.
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Ying Zhang, associate professor of history at Ohio State University, is exploring the connections among prison, art and religion in a unique and meaningful way. Her lecture at The American Academy in Berlin accompanies her new book and discusses the way incarceration limits religious freedom.
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Cardinal Joseph Zen, a humanitarian and the outspoken critic of China’s Communist Party, was found guilty on charges relating to his role in a relief fund used by members of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protest movement. The 90-year-old and five others were found guilty for failing to register the now-defunct 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund” used to pay protesters’ legal fees.
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(OPINION) On Aug. 31, the U.N. concluded that “serious human rights violations” against the Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim communities have been committed in Xinjiang. China continues to deny the allegations and brands them as propaganda.
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