[Today’s Prayer] Chinese government promises rewards to citizens who report underground believers

Last month, the Guangzhou Municipal Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau in Guangdong Province, China, released a video titled “How to Report Illegal Religious Activities,” promising a reward to citizens who report underground Christian activities.

This video shows a woman reporting a man who was secretly engaging in Christian activities to the Public Security Bureau.

Hyun Sook Foley, President of Voice of the Martyrs Korea (VOM Korea), said, “Guangdong authorities have been urging citizens to report underground Christian activities for several years and since 2019, they have been implementing a policy of paying rewards to citizens who provide information on illegal religious activities and help with investigation.”

She explained that “the reward amount is higher when reporting religious activities related to foreign Christian organizations.”

(Omitted)

In the video, a woman watches a christian activity and reports it to the ‘Guangzhou City Ethnic and Religious Affairs Office’. Hyun Sook Foley described, “after the woman receives her reward, she smiles, saying that it’s her funding for her own relationship. This especially means the money she has been saving up to spend on her date expenses.”

The video contains a scene where an employee of the Religious Affairs Bureau explains that if illegal religious activities are suspected, they can receive a reward by reporting in person to the government office or by phone or mail.

According to the “Measures to Reward Members of the Public for Reporting Illegal Religious Activities” issued by the Guangzhou City Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, one can receive a reward if he or she reports on any activities related to religious extremism, threats to national security, participation in terrorist activities, disruption of social order, the establishment of unlicensed religious activity venues and unauthorized religious education and training activities.

(Omitted)

President Hyun Sook Foley said, “If this policy was as effective as the government hoped, why bother advertising it? I believe the reason why the Chinese government did not achieve the desired effect with this policy was because the general public is well aware that Christian activities do not pose a threat to China's national security or culture. Citizens cannot have their Christian neighbors treated as criminals just to be rewarded with money.”

Source: Christian Today

24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:24-25, 30-31)

We praise the name of God who created all things in the universe. Only God is worthy of praise for all things.

God, the Chinese government rules the country under the ideology of atheism. Because of this, the law is blocking the path for those who want to have religion or for those who want to believe in God.

In particular, they are urging the public to report religious activities, saying that larger rewards will be given for reporting Christianity. And we are becoming a society where people monitor each other, profiting from the rewards they receive from reporting their fellow countrymen.

Lord, please take away the sins of those who, in order to maintain human ideology, prevent others from trusting one another and believing in God by instigating fear.

Please help them to come to know God, who is the ruler of heaven and earth and the creator of all things. Every breath and life belongs to you, Lord.

May they fear God, and may you guide the hearts of those who reject you even though they have understanding, so that they repent of their sins of opposing God.

May they now turn their hearts to the Lord and lead many people to come before the throne of God.

May you give them another chance today so they can also see God who shares with them the same love of the cross.

May you appear to those who seek you with a thirsty heart, and may the Holy Spirit work in them so that they may be able to see Jesus Christ, our true hope, who gives us the joy that the world cannot give!