The Chinese government has been enforcing sinicization, a program the government started in efforts to form the assimilation of minority religions to Chinese culture. Sinicization includes submission to the Chinese Communist Party. Yet, it has turned into less submission and more worship towards Xi Jinping, the president of China.
The theme of sinicization was introduced by Xi Jinping in 2015, when he stated that if religions want to stay in China, they must “sinicize.” At the time it was introduced, it brought with it great fear for religious minorities, yet now as it is further being implemented it is causing more strife.
There have been numerous reports throughout the year of the communist party attempting to replace crosses, pictures of Jesus, and other symbols of Christian faith, with images of Xi Jinping. The party is now requiring churches to place his picture inside the walls of the church and hang Chinese flags inside both their homes and churches.
Church leaders claim that the process of sinicization is not simply a political issue or policy, but rather a war on religion, particularly the Christian faith, replacing God with Xi Jinping.
A commentator stated that they want to replace religious faith with faith in the party.
International Christian Concern, persecution.org
