Contact: Bob Fu, President, Bob@ChinaAid.org; Mark Shan, Spokesperson, Mark@ChinaAid.org; both with ChinaAid, 888-889-7757, 267-205-5210; www.ChinaAid.org; www.MonitorChina.org
MIDLAND, Texas, Oct. 13, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- China Aid Association released a commentary on Thursday showing how a Chinese-government organized exhibit of Chinese Bibles currently touring the United States is a government propaganda ploy to deflect attention from reports of growing religious persecution in China.
Photo: Beijing house church leader Shi Weihan during a prison visit. He was arrested and sentenced to 3-1/2 years in prison for printing and transporting Bibles and other Christian materials. Photo credit: China Aid Association
The aim of the bi-lingual commentary, entitled in English "Chinese Bible Exhibition is Political Propaganda Disguised as Religious Outreach: A case of praying loudly on the street corners," is to "provide some analysis of the deceptive and misleading nature of this political propaganda show," ChinaAid said.
The exhibition, called "Thy Word is Truth," has just completed its first stop, in Washington, D.C., where it was on display from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. It is in Chicago from Oct. 12 to 16, then in Dallas from Oct. 30 to Nov. 3. Its final stop is in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the exhibit will be hosted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association from Nov. 8 to 19. It is the second such Chinese Bible exhibition to tour the United States. The first was in 2006 and went to Atlanta, New York City and Los Angeles.
Quoting the Chinese company handling the logistics of the exhibition and tour that proudly announced its role on its website and described the Bible exhibition as an event of "great political and propaganda significance," the ChinaAid commentary said, this "Bible exhibition is a political propaganda show, the intent of which is to mislead members of the public, politicians, and church leaders overseas who are unaware of the realities in China and to cover up the Chinese government's persecution of house churches and any government-approved church that dares to adhere to the principles of the Christian faith and refuse to submit to the government's political control and go against those principles."
The ChinaAid commentary contrasted the picture presented by the exhibit of Bibles being printed and distributed throughout China with cases of house church Christians being arrested and sentenced to prison terms for doing precisely the same thing.
The commentary also noted that some American churches and Christian organizations and Christian leaders had actively participated in and supported the Bible exhibition tour and expressed its regret that these groups and individuals had "been misled and hoodwinked by this use of religion to engage in political and diplomatic trickery." ChinaAid said it had written privately to these groups and individuals to explain the political and propaganda nature of the Bible exhibit, but received no reply from any of them.
ChinaAid founder and president Pastor Bob Fu said, quoting Martin Luther King, "In the end, what those persecuted and imprisoned brothers and sisters in China 'will remember is not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.'"
The full text of the ChinaAid commentary is available here:
www.chinaaid.org/2011/10/chinese-bible-exhibition-is-political.html
Audio of remarks by ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu is here.
