While visiting American officials, a Chinese government delegation has "clarified" their case against Pastor Gong Shengliang. Using fact sheets and photos of those claimed to be victims of Gong and his followers, Ye Xiaowen, director of China's State Administration for Religious Affairs, laid out their case against Gong and the South China Church. According to a report by the Xinhua News Agency yesterday, Ye claimed that some who had refused to join Gong's church or who disagreed with him were beaten. Gong was also accused of raping some of his followers and is presently serving a life sentence for rape and assault. Ye claimed that Christian leaders in China denounce Gong as "Satan" and "devil." The delegation insists that Gong was sentenced to life imprisonment because of his criminal offenses, not normal religious activities.
As reported in last week's Persecution & Prayer Alert, this Chinese delegation has been meeting with church and government leaders in Canada and USA to dialogue on religious and human rights in China.
The Voice of the Martyrs has been covering the story of Pastor Gong and the South China Church (SCC) for over a year because of several arrests based on misrepresentation and false accusations against Gong and his followers. Responding to this latest round of attacks on the reputation of Pastor Gong and the SCC, Bob Fu, VOM's China analyst, denounced it as "slander" and offered the following rebuttal:
- The SCC is a recognized evangelical group with a sound doctrinal footing. The are not an "evil cult." They have been under brutal persecution because they refuse to come under the control of the Religious Affairs Bureau of the Communist Party.
- Though there have been some cases of emotional response by members against their persecutors, there has never been a case where Pastor Gong has encouraged any type of revenge against persecutors.
- There is undeniable evidence, including affidavits, showing that the women who were supposedly raped by Pastor Gong confessed and signed under severe coercion and torture even to the point of death in the case of sister Zhongju Yu.
- The delegation continued to talk about the SCC as a cult, even though the court in Hubei dropped the charge of "evil cult" against the SCC. To this day, thousands of members are still experiencing daily persecution.
In a related story in the People's Daily Online on February 24, Cao Shengjie, a member of the delegation from China and president of the official China Christian Council, acknowledged the rapid growth of Christianity in China and stressed that there is religious freedom for all Chinese citizens. Speaking in the US, she told people to "go to China and see for yourself" to get a clear picture of the religious situation in China.
Those who have gone to China in recent years have often come back with a significantly different story than presented by this delegation. Fu states that Cao has no credibility, since she is a direct tool of the Chinese Communist Party.
Pray for Pastor Gong and others imprisoned for their faith in China. Pray that American and Canadian officials who have met with the delegation will see through their deception and will continue to push for true religious freedom in China.
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