Quote of the day
posted at 10:00 pm on December 8, 2007 by Allahpundit
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“Then they are finding that they need to satisfy their spiritual needs, to look for happiness for the soul. In addition, they are seeing a breakdown in the moral order as money takes over. Thus, more and more people are turning to Christianity.”
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Having been to China six times in the last ten years, I can confirm that Christianity is growing rapidly in the land of communists. This can be a good news counterbalance to the spread of Islam in Asia, and a measure of domestic security against a powerful military.
liberty on December 8, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Nice story, AP. Thanks for posting it.
Slublog on December 8, 2007 at 10:09 PM
Merry Christmas China.
Guardian on December 8, 2007 at 10:13 PM
Wow, 50 million Bibles. Not a bad start to the next chapter in Chinese history.
Zorro on December 8, 2007 at 10:14 PM
“40 million Christians” is what I’m fascinated by. Anybody know the rate of growth?
Vizzini on December 8, 2007 at 10:18 PM
from Mitt’s speech:
“In John Adams’ words: ‘We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion… Our constitution was made for a moral and religious people. Freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom.”
Ropera on December 8, 2007 at 10:23 PM
Whoops.
The left isn’t anti-Christian, is it?
The left wouldn’t burn books, would it?
billy on December 8, 2007 at 10:27 PM
Hah hah hah books??? he11 the left would burn Christians if they thought they could get away with it.
doriangrey on December 8, 2007 at 10:44 PM
I’m really surprised that timesonline let that line through.
billy on December 8, 2007 at 10:46 PM
Well, if they have a problem printing the bible up in China,
I recommend a good old Berlin style airdrop.(haha)Now,
doesn’t this speak volumes. So, now we have China as the fastest growing country of Christianity.
So,I would love to know how,the Lib media is going to
spin this one.
canopfor on December 8, 2007 at 10:50 PM
Hah hah hah …
Doriangrey on December 8,2007 at 10;44PM.
Doriangrey:You mean the books and Christians getting
warm together,eh!
canopfor on December 8, 2007 at 10:55 PM
I don’t believe in man-made doctrines. If it is not in the Bible, then it is man-made, subject to error and fallable. Of course, I assume these to be the various denominations who have, say, as a way of example, different forms of baptism (sprinkling, infant, etc.) in opposition to what the Bible says in Acts 2:38. They want to let the Chinese know that even though the Bible says that one must “repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38), that that doesn’t really mean that at all and that an infant can be baptised or that the Greek word “baptismo” which means immersion, a burying, (i.e., “being buried in baptism” means to be immersed) can also be accomplished by just sprinkling. These are man-made doctrines. There are no Biblical authorizations for such and you will not find them in the Bible. God says in the last chapter of Revelations not to take away from what the Bible says, nor do you add to what it says.
Neocon Peg on December 8, 2007 at 11:00 PM
That’s bogus. Religion doesn’t require freedom. Religion can flourish in a tyrannical state
bnelson44 on December 8, 2007 at 11:05 PM
Spin it? They won’t even report it. If they aren’t reporting about some bigoted Christian, it’s not worth reporting. For the liberal media: People reading the Bible = boring.
terryannonline on December 8, 2007 at 11:06 PM
After decades of atheistic indoctrination, the “opiate of the masses” is being embraced by the Chinese masses.
Voltaire’s home was turned into a Bible publishing factory after his death.
jgapinoy on December 8, 2007 at 11:06 PM
Christ. I hope not. The last thing we need is more people believing in ghosts, miracles, and fairies.
c6gunner on December 8, 2007 at 11:06 PM
I am glad that the Chinese are taking to it. I imagine it gives them hope and purpose. Most Chinese live in pretty dire conditions. Christianity is just the gerin oil they need.
TheSitRep on December 8, 2007 at 11:07 PM
He11 yeah.
billy on December 8, 2007 at 11:08 PM
What would you rather people believe in? That are just matter in the world and are limited by what we can see, touch, hear, and test in laboratory. Happy, happy, joy, joy!
terryannonline on December 8, 2007 at 11:11 PM
For those who are bitching about Christianity being embrased by the Chinese, I have a question. Would you rather they were embrasing radical Islam? Hmmm?
Neocon Peg on December 8, 2007 at 11:12 PM
Unfortunately, I know you are right. I wish you weren’t.
Neocon Peg on December 8, 2007 at 11:16 PM
At their stage, it is good they have that. Was it Daniel Dennett that said it is part of out evolution?
mms://realserver.bu.edu:554/w/b/wbur/onpoint/2006/08/op_0830b.wma
( and I ain’t no Dennett fan he’s a lib)
I think it is better for the world if they all become Christians. Not every body is ready for enlightenment.
TheSitRep on December 8, 2007 at 11:16 PM
Sorry, and I have a degree in English! Getting late, I guess. ;)
Neocon Peg on December 8, 2007 at 11:19 PM
They have a religion NOW and it is called Maoism. I hope Christianity will supplant that.
First and formost I am an anti-communist. My non-believerhood comes way second to that.
TheSitRep on December 8, 2007 at 11:24 PM
Well good G-d yes!
I don’t want to be classified as a slanty eye for one & for two we good descent Christian folk aint ever going to be lumped in with them Moslem folk, because well you know we don’t praise that moon god and all that.
So folks be very, very careful, we’re chasin’ Muslims…
billy on December 8, 2007 at 11:26 PM
Spin it?
People reading the Bible=boring.
Terryannonline on December 8,2007 at 11:06PM.
Terryannonline:You mean,”People reading the Bible”
=are a dangerous threat,from the lib
perspective.haha
canopfor on December 8, 2007 at 11:30 PM
What more appropriate way to burn a Christian could there possible be?
doriangrey on December 8, 2007 at 11:42 PM
This makes me have new hope for the people of China. Of course, that many bibles only account for what? 1% of China’s population? But still, a good sign.
conservnut on December 9, 2007 at 12:04 AM
When I was in China last January, I saw far more Christmas (not “holiday” or “seasons greetings”) decorations than I did in Los Angeles in December. And met a surprising number of Christians, in several provinces.
And more expatriate hippies than I care to count.
sulla on December 9, 2007 at 12:16 AM
I should also add that the Muslims we met in Xi’an (central China) were wonderful hosts. Further west…not so much.
sulla on December 9, 2007 at 12:18 AM
What the Times didn’t report is that you get a free iPhone with each Bible.
Dusty on December 9, 2007 at 12:21 AM
The Meizu M8, actually.
JUST LIKE the iPhone. Promise. (blatant theft is the sincerest form of flattery.)
sulla on December 9, 2007 at 12:26 AM
O o good ole bin is going to have to attack China now!! Will Iran attack China along side good ole bin???
allrsn on December 9, 2007 at 12:54 AM
Confucianism and Buddhism are abstract and dry compared to the human passion of Christ and the Holy Family drama which demonstrates that love is the central meaning of this life.
And that a devoted and humble sacrifice to the flowing Truth trumps any bowing to rigid orthodoxies, whether religious (pharisee) or political (communist).
Christ’s message is personal and uplifting and individualistic and compassionate.
Superior to Marx or Mohammad’s collectivism and anti-individualism and fealty to any undoubtable dogma.
Plus, Jesus is one of the wittiest guys who ever lived.
His sayings outshine those of any pedestrian dictator or politician or warlord.
The Chinese will only gain from contact with his spirit.
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
destroys fanaticism at the root.
“Blessed are the merciful.” is the seed of a more decent species.
A Merry Christmas to 1 billion souls.
(Lao Tzu would like that he was a carpenter, too.)
profitsbeard on December 9, 2007 at 1:05 AM
Another great comment, profitsbeard.
You know, you could screw up every now and then, in order to avoid embarrassing the rest of us. :)
By the way, there’s an interesting link from the Times Online article cited above here.
hillbillyjim on December 9, 2007 at 2:19 AM
…but are the knock offs?
liquidflorian on December 9, 2007 at 2:27 AM
-
Ghosts?
-
But that is pretty much what the science of quantum theory suggests, that we are all ghosts.
-
if all the empty space were squeezed out of matter, the human race could easily fit in the volume of a sugar cube
-
How can one not believe in The Almighty God?
abinitioadinfinitum on December 9, 2007 at 3:10 AM
Hopefully, a bible for every hotel nightstands, in the drawer beside the bed. Like the hotels do, or some used to do, in this country.
Unless you consider An Inconvenient Truth a religious book like some do in Napa Valley.
When I was on business in Malaysia, I found a Bible, a Lotus Sutra, and a Quran in my hotel nightstand. Which brings me to Intimacy Kits replacing bibles in hotels. If current trends continue, a police force will prevent that.
Bad enough I already sleep with one eye open in hotels already.
Kini on December 9, 2007 at 4:04 AM
JiangxiDad on December 9, 2007 at 6:53 AM
profitsbeard on December 9, 2007 at 1:05 AM
Thank you, and bravo.
maverick muse on December 9, 2007 at 7:49 AM
Now that I know where to get a statue of Jesus on a chopper complete with a crown of thorns, where can I get one of Mohammad and Joseph Smith to complete the entire Hotair theological collection ?
Who buys that stuff?????
Christians still have it tough in China, so don’t think it’s too comfy. Martyrs and long prison sentences for being a member of the real faith of peace doesn’t come cheap.
Hening on December 9, 2007 at 8:58 AM
Youth With A Mission http://www.ywam.org Denver training center attacked by a gunman, article at Breitbart this morning.
Only the good die young.
RIP
maverick muse on December 9, 2007 at 9:28 AM
This is a great story, although I would disagree that money is in responsible for a “breakdown of the moral order”. Nothing could be more immoral than millions of people dying of starvation thanks to Mao’s glorious Communist revolution.
Buy Danish on December 9, 2007 at 10:41 AM
I’d rather they were acting rationally. Given the choices you’ve listed though, yes, I would rather have them turning Christian. Keep in mind, though, that Christianity isn’t exactly a miracle cure. There are plenty of Christian gangs in Africa who are just as blood-thirsty and violent as their Muslim equivalents.
c6gunner on December 9, 2007 at 11:50 AM
Care to back up that ludicrous claim with some reliable sources? You obviously have zero understanding of Christianity to label it “blood-thirsty and violent.”
infidel4life on December 9, 2007 at 12:20 PM
You’re kidding, right? Have you never heard of Sierra Leone?
Also, your inability to understand basic English is really not my fault, but I’ll be nice and explain that I never called Christianity “blood-thirsty and violent”. It’s adherents certainly have been both blood-thirsty and violent throughout history, and, in some places continue to be, even today.
c6gunner on December 9, 2007 at 1:06 PM
Still waiting for those reliable source links…
infidel4life on December 9, 2007 at 1:17 PM
For those looking for it, there’s your leftist media spin. To them, Maoism was the moral authority, and now that that’s gone, well golly, something has to sweep in to counter the corrupting influence of root-of-all-evil money!
Hannibal Smith on December 9, 2007 at 1:22 PM
lol
If your standard of evidence is “reliable source links”, I’d suggest getting off the Internet and picking up a book.
You can start by reading about the Inquisition, and then going forward in time.
c6gunner on December 9, 2007 at 2:02 PM
So the Inquisition was conducted by blood-thirsty and violent Christian gangs in Africa(!)… Remind me not to bother with whatever books you’ve been reading.
infidel4life on December 9, 2007 at 2:17 PM
This was China’s introduction to Christianity on a large scale:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion
The Chinese have this funny habit of warping foreign ideologies to localize them. This included Communism of course, which Mao changed in some major ways (i.e. replacing the proletariat with the peasantry).
I think in general the spread of Christianity of good in China, provided that it is not merely used as a tool with which to leverage other ideologies, as happened in China 150 years ago.
kaltes on December 9, 2007 at 2:52 PM
You can go to the history books…I can go to the front pages when it comes to the RoP.
Take your rude moral equivalence elsewhere please.
Asher on December 9, 2007 at 11:58 PM
Moral equivalence?
I suggest you go back to English class. Either that or see a psychiatrist about your excess hostility toward even mild criticism.
c6gunner on December 10, 2007 at 5:05 PM
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