China's Ruling Communist Party Bans Christmas, Calling it 'Spiritual Opium'

The disciplinary arm of the ruling Chinese Communist Party has banned its members and government officials from celebrating Christmas, likening the practice to "spiritual opium" for members of the atheist party.

A notice issued by the Commission for Discipline Inspection of Hengyang city in the central province of Hunan warned city officials not to engage in meals and gatherings on Christmas Eve, warning that those caught violating the rules would have to "bear responsibility."

The wording of the notice suggests it has been sent to officials nationwide.

"With the approach of Christmas, leaders and officials of all ranks must promote traditional Chinese culture and take on the task of building a spiritual home for the Chinese people," the notice, a copy of which was seen by RFA, says.

"They must earnestly study the doctrine of cultural self-confidence introduced at the 19th Party Congress, and refrain from blindly celebrating foreign festivals or engaging in Western religions," it said.

"They must not attend any celebrations of a Western origin, and carry out good security work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day," it said.

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/xmas-12202017113540.html

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:12

The problem that the Chinese Communist Party is having is that they cannot put out the fire that burns brightly in the hearts of those millions of Chinese believers in the Underground Church.

While that may be the official position, I happen to be visiting China right now, and Christmas (without the Christ) is everywhere. Stores everywhere have Santa Claus on their windows, and even my non-Christian family who has an English school here had a Christmas tree, Christmas party, tree-decorating event for the kids (full of Santa, and reindeer, and snowmen, of course).

Christmas is huge in China. The Chinese government of course will see that as a walking away from tradition, but as celebrated in China Christmas here has nothing to do with the gospel.

Thanks to dozens and dozens of movies put out by hallmark channel their emphasis is strictly humanist with a religious gloss. Family, friends, love, tradition, santa, do-gooding can be had in any atheist home without disrupting Christmas traditions in the slightest.

In a way, what would you expect from China? If it were to endorse the Birth of a redeemer, the sinfulness of human nature and the irredeemability of past human failures, and the judgment of God; atheistic communism could count their last days on one hand. It would open the floodgates of one important question for every china-man to ask. "What is this Jesus to me?

It is this very thing in America the principalities and powers that rule here do not want arising in the hearts of men.