Chinese authorities force children to deny their faith

The latest case of

Reportedly, about 300 schoolchildren in Zhejiang province have been made to denounce their religious beliefs. They were told to write "No religion" while filling out a new questionnaire.

This shocking event was shared by a "trusted source" who gave details to Christian persecution watchdog World Watch Monitor (WWM).

Religious Persecution affects Christian Children in China

According to the anonymous source, these forms are normally by the parents but this time, the children were told to declare that they have no religion.

"In this case, the children were handed a questionnaire in class about faith, which is not normal," the source explained.

"It seems teachers recently were tasked with pressuring children by separating them from the other students to 'counsel' or talk to them sternly about the 'consequences' of talking about being a Christian believer at school, urging them to write "No religion" on their questionnaire."

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The WWM source further explained: "This is for the child's sake and to limit any growth of Christianity amongst young people through evangelism or simply becoming known as the ones who could answer questions other pupils may have about Christianity."

Reportedly, only one child refused to his/her first answer of "Christian," to "no religion" despite numerous warnings.

The source also said that the consequences are very serious as anything involving a child's official religious status is recorded on their "file" and kept by government officials forever. As such, it could hinder the children from becoming a class rep, make things difficult during graduation, gaining admission to a university and even seeking employment.

"Of course these are all hypothetical scenarios and would be determined largely by the level of involvement of the individual school, its teachers and principals. But generally, the sense is one of " the source added.