August 15, 1997
China Cracks Down On Religious Freedom
Letters Index To the Editor:
Jimmy Carter (Op-Ed, Aug. 10) is silent about intensified persecution against the independent Christian house church movement in China. The State Department, in a report last month, examined China and found that there has been a Government "crackdown on the activities of unregistered Catholic and Protestant movements in 1996-1997."
Mr. Carter states without elaboration that "congregations must still register with the Government," leaving the impression that registration is a mere bureaucratic formality. In fact, once a church registers, it comes under the control of the Religious Affairs Bureau, headed by an atheist hard-liner, Ye Xiaowen.
Tens of millions of Christians stay underground because they want to worship according to the dictates of conscience. For this they gather clandestinely and brave persecution in labor camps and detention centers.
Yes, the church is experiencing explosive growth in China despite, or perhaps because of, persecution. However, Mr. Carter's failure even to mention the serious deterioration of religious freedom for independent Christians seems to be a sad departure from his commitment to hold all governments accountable to human rights norms.
GARY L. BAUER
NINA SHEA
Washington, Aug. 14, 1997The writers are, respectively, president of the Family Research Council and director of Freedom House's Center on Religious Freedom. The letter was also signed by 24 academic, family, religious and human rights leaders.
Copyright 1997 The New York Times Company
