The Chinese government is serious about implementing their recently announced religious guidelines. This past week, Chinese authorities mass issued forms for citizens to report their participation in all religious activities. See the form below.
So far, I’m only aware of two groups receiving the forms–– college professors and the parents of school children. I presume all teachers will be required to fill out forms. Professors are told to fill them out or else find new jobs. I suspect that consequences for parents will be comparable, e.g., children could be prevented from attending school.
The form asks specific questions, including addresses and identification numbers of group leaders and participants.
In the past, policies have been enforced inconsistently and unevenly. In this case, everyone––both Christians and non-Christians––are required to complete the registration form.
Chinese Christians have tough decisions to make. If they don’t report their meetings, they could face consequences for withholding information. For this strategy to be effective, the government does not need everyone to answer the form entirely and truthfully. Even if one person reports their meeting, authorities will have the information they need to follow up.
** I write this to give you a heads up. I urge brother and sisters prayerfully discuss how to respond to this situation.
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