Christians in China’s populous Henan province are now reportedly required to register on a government app to attend worship services and must make online reservations before taking part in worship, according to a report from a U.S.-based human rights group.
The app, which is called “Smart Religion” and was made by the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Henan Province, requires believers to give personal information like their name, phone number, government ID number, permanent residence, job, and date of birth in order to get permission to attend a service, ChinaAid reported this week.
The group, which keeps track of religious persecution in China and helps Chinese prisoners of conscience, says that this is a requirement not only for churches but also for mosques and Buddhist temples.
Henan is one of the places in China with the most Christians. Christians in the area say that the complicated application process has made fewer people want to go to church. The non-profit group in Texas says that many older people and people who aren’t as good with technology may find it hard to use the app. But officials say that these people will be helped.
Once a believer is let into a place of worship, their temperature must also be taken, the group said, adding that the app may have something to do with COVID-19 restrictions.
ChinaAid says that these management measures weren’t put in place to protect people’s religious rights, but to achieve political goals.
“In some parts of Henan, this online app called “Smart Religion” has been officially launched. In August 2022, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Puyang County, Henan, and the Henan Billion Second Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. signed a project contract for the “Construction of an Independent Command Platform for the Management of Smart Religion.” “Gao Zhensaithe, who is a special correspondent for China Aid, wrote.
“According to the official website of China’s Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, a symposium on the building of a religious big data management platform will be held in Henan as early as July 2020. During the symposium, several platform projects, such as the building of “Smart Religion,” will be looked at. The religious affairs management improvement project is based on the digital platform, and the China Construction Bank of the Henan Branch helped with the technical side of things.”
China only recognizes five religions that follow the rules of the government. Christians from churches that haven’t been registered get most of the trouble.
ChinaAid said in a report that came out last month that the Chinese Communist Party made it harder for churches and Christians before the 20th Party Congress in 2022.
The report said that more “fraud” charges were being brought against pastors and leaders of house churches in mainland China. This was because the traditional practice of tithing and giving in churches was seen as illegal.
The updated “Measures for the Financial Management of Religious Activity Venues,” which went into effect last June, are said to have been used by the government to make up charges against house churches.
In a statement, ChinaAid’s President and Founder Bob Fu said, “We are very worried about how the Communist regime treats the State-approved church.” “Before the 20th National Party Congress, they only wanted to be loyal to the Communist Party. Since then, however, they have put more emphasis on being loyal to Xi Jinping.”
“He also said, “Their goal is not just to make a “socialist-friendly” church, but to get rid of it. As China continues to rise on the world stage, the rest of the world needs to know about these changes and trends.”
The Chinese Communist Party still wants to make religion more Chinese.
“Before, during, and after the opening of the Congress, China’s state-run religious groups gave Xi more compliments and praise than China’s state-run media. This shows that religious Sinicization is changing from supporting the CCP to worshiping and being loyal to Xi Jinping,” the report said.
The Chinese government also put in place strict rules about religious content on the internet. According to ChinaAid, this was done to “get rid of Christianity from cyberspace.” Since the “Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information and Services” were put into place in 2022, the group says, Christians have had to deal with “unprecedented” online censorship.
According to the 2023 Open Doors World Watch List, China is the 16th worst country for persecuting Christians.
In a fact sheet, Open Doors, an organization that tracks persecution in over 60 countries, says, “Tightening restrictions and increasing surveillance are putting more pressure on Christians in China.” This is because the Communist Party wants to limit any threats to its power.
