Thursday, February 19, 2009

A Temple In Shenzhen

A while back on a trip to Shenzhen, noticed a temple on the hill behind the factory I was visiting. Out of curiosity I hiked up there to check it out.



Turns out it belongs to a devotee, who built the temple next to his house with local community's help. The wall next to the temple has list of donors.

If there's no freedom of religion, would these people be so willing to publicly support this temple?






(Out of respect no photo of the temple hall was taken.)

Saturday, November 20, 2004

Sunday service in China

I just got back from an extended trip to Zhengzhou last month, and when a lady in a village I visited asked if I was saved, I noticed her Christian spring poster(Tsun Lian) that said "God loves people"(Shen Ai Se Ren) proudly displayed on her door. Matter of fact I saw serveral of these Christian spring posters thruought the village. I asked if I can go to chruch with her on Sunday(Zuo Li Bai) and she agreed. When she took me there, to my suprise it was not an underground church I heard in US media, but a 15-20 year old large church building with a big cross on top (just like a church in US, started by American teachers at SIAS business school in town.)

We attended sunday service with over 500 hundred people. The topic of surman was about the same as what I would expect in US chruch, and the only Gon An I saw was an old man (retired police?) wearing ragged uniform attending Sunday service.

I was there and I saw it with my own eyes that religious freedom does exist in China. All one has to do is go to China and see for themselves. To those who would still insist that religion in China isn't completely free, I would submit that:

1) Christianity is outright illegal in many countries. The Mormans and Baptists can only go into Iraq armed with guns and Bibles, after we dropped 1000 tons of dirty bombs and two WWII worth of conventional munitions on these poor souls. In another word the "liberated" "free" Iraqi muslins can either die by the depleted uranium or die (spiritually) by the Bible.

2) Many 1st world countries regulate religion: France, Germany both have anit-cult laws, and we all still remember what happened to the Davidian's "complete religious freedom" some whould self-righteousely hold China to.
Photo 6 - main entreance of the church


Photo 5 - church building


Photo 4 - back half of the attendees


Photo 3 - singing of hymn


Photo 2 - front half of the attendees


Friday, November 19, 2004

Photo 1 - waiting for service to begin