Chinese province’s new ‘Smart Religion' app makes Christians register to attend worship services

From Christian Post.com (Mar. 11, 2023):

Christians in China's populous Henan province are now reportedly required to register on a government app to attend worship services and must make online reservations before taking part in worship, according to a report from a U.S.-based human rights group.

The app, called "Smart Religion" and developed by the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission of Henan Province, asks believers to give personal information, including their name, phone number, government ID number, permanent residence, occupation and date of birth to receive approval to attend a service, ChinaAid reported this week.

It's a requirement not only for churches but also mosques and Buddhist temples, states the group, which documents religious persecution in China and supports Chinese prisoners of conscience.

Henan has one of the largest Christian populations in China. Local Christians say the cumbersome application procedures have reduced the number of believers attending churches. According to the Texas-based nongovernmental organization, many elderly people and those less tech-savvy may find it challenging to access the app. However, officials say such people will be assisted.

Once allowed into a place of worship, believers must also have their temperature taken, the group said, commenting that the app may be related in some way to COVID-19 restrictions.

ChinaAid contends these management measures were not implemented to protect people's religious rights but rather as a means to achieve political purposes.

"This so-called 'Smart Religion' online application has been officially launched in some parts of Henan. In August 2022, the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Puyang County in Henan and the Henan Billion Second Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. signed a project contract for the 'Construction of an Independent Command Platform for the Management of Smart Religion,'" China Aid Special Correspondent Gao Zhensaithe wrote.

"According to the official website of the Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs of China, as early as July 2020, at the symposium on the construction of a religious big data management platform held in Henan, several platform projects, such as the construction of 'Smart Religion,' were inspected. The digital platform is the foundation of the religious affairs management improvement project, and the China Construction Bank of the Henan Branch provided technical support."

China only recognizes five religious groups that submit to the government's influence. Christians from unregistered churches bear the brunt of the persecution.

In a report released last month, ChinaAid said the Chinese Communist Party intensified the persecution of churches and Christians leading up to the 20th Party Congress in 2022.

"Fraud" charges being brought against house church pastors and leaders in mainland China had increased, with the traditional practice of tithing and offering in churches being seen as an illegal activity, the report said.

The authorities allegedly used the updated "Measures for the Financial Management of Religious Activity Venues," implemented last June, to fabricate charges against house churches.

"We are gravely concerned about how the Communist regime also treats the State-sanctioned church," ChinaAid's President and Founder Bob Fu said in a statement. "Previously, they asked for sole allegiance to the Communist Party, but since the 20th National Party Congress, they shifted their emphasis to aligning with Xi Jinping."

"Their goal," he added, "is not only to curate a 'socialist-friendly' church; they hope to erase it. The international community needs to know about these trends and developments as China continues to rise on the global stage."

The Chinese Communist Party remains focused on religious sinicization.

"Before, during, and after the opening of the Congress, China's state-run religious groups lavished compliments and praise on Xi with more extravagant words and phrases than China's state-run media, showing that religious Sinicization is evolving from supporting the CCP to worship and allegiance to Xi Jinping," the report added.

The Chinese government also implemented strict regulations against religious content on the internet, which ChinaAid contends was aimed at "removing Christianity from cyberspace." The group stresses that Christians have faced "unprecedented" online censorship since the implementation of the "Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information and Services" in 2022.

China is ranked as the 16th worst country when it comes to Christian persecution, according to the 2023 Open Doors World Watch List.

"Tightening restrictions and increasing surveillance are putting Christians in China under intensifying pressure, as the Communist Party seeks to limits all threats to its power," Open Doors, which monitors persecution in over 60 countries, states in a factsheet. [source]

Just terrible, then that’s the Chi-Coms for you. Always persecuting.

Romans 13 and the American Revolution

From The Public Discourse.com (May 14):

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Christians are once again debating the moral significance of the American Founding. Was the American Revolution an act of justified resistance, or a failure of obedience?

On a first reading, Scripture seems to leave little room for ambiguity; Romans chapter 13 declares, in no uncertain terms: “be subject to the governing authorities.” This came at a time of Roman oppression and persecution of Christians, yet Paul still describes Caesar and the government as a magistrate intended to maintain order, “the one in authority … God’s servant for your good.”

Many American Christians nevertheless have long believed the Revolution, the ultimate act of resistance to the crown’s authority, was not only permissible, but righteous. But the Revolution, and in connection, the Founding, did not conform to one single theological vision. It produced competing views, some grounded in rights, others in order, and still others in providence. The tension between these three approaches creates downstream questions, like the role of faith in public life. How should Christians engage in public life, and to what extent is the American experiment a godly enterprise? Revisiting the Founding’s approaches can clarify what faithful political judgment requires today.

Rights First

The rights-first approach aligns most closely with the political philosophy of John Locke. This approach views liberty as a birthright and upholds the concept of government by consent. This approach is exemplified by John Allen’s Oration Upon the Beauties of Liberty, which was delivered from a distinctively Baptist-separatist standpoint. Allen stresses the right of everyone to freedom, “according to their own sphere of life,” and the crown’s actions taking away the birthright of its citizens as being “contrary to the spirit of the law and the rights of an Englishman.” For Allen, monarchy is legitimate only insofar as it rests on the will and consent of the people; for him, it exists primarily to secure individual freedoms.

Allen invokes Scripture in suggesting law as the prerequisite and standard for government, arguing that “where there is no Law, there is no transgression.” Though framed in biblical language, Allen’s argument is unmistakably Lockean: liberty grounded in rights, consent as the basis of authority, and resistance justified by arbitrary power, with tyranny constituting an effective dissolution of political obligation. Instead of submitting Scripture to sustained exegesis, Allen isolates particular themes to the detriment of Romans 13:5’s insistence that subjection is owed “not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.”

In America’s Appeal to the Impartial World, congregational minister Moses Mather uses similarly Lockean language of God-given natural rights, stating: “Free agency, or a rational existence, with its powers and faculties … is the gift of God to man … hence man hath an absolute property in, and right of dominion over himself.” This leads to an argument for government based on consent and a general principle of non-coercion, whereby “whatever is absolutely the property of a man, he cannot be divested of, but by his own voluntary act, or consent, either expressed, or implied.” This lays the groundwork for civil authority as by the “voice and consent” of the people.

This view sits uneasily with Romans 13, placing ultimate authority in the people’s consent alone. Mather ultimately urges colonists to “withstand and repel the attacks of tyranny,” once again baptizing Lockean categories more than offering a distinctively Christian account of political resistance. [read more]

Happy 250th Birthday, America! 😊💓🎆

10 Life Lessons From the Book “Trump Your Life”

1. Refuse to let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough to work toward any goal you’ve identified for yourself, your family, your business, or your community. But do the work.
2. You are an original. Be courageous enough to be your authentic self.
3. Do what you love. It’s very hard to compete with someone who truly loves his or her work. You might have more intelligence or more drive, but harnessing those qualities when you’re really not committed to your craft or business will always be cumbersome instead of natural—a chore, rather than a pleasure.
4. Let NO ONE take you for a weakling, a fool, or a fraud.
5. Assume you will encounter increasing resistance as you pursue bigger goals.
• Now, we want to caution you not to believe that resistance lessens as you achieve more or say more of what you think or institute a change in your family, company, or country that matters. Resistance often increases as you move forward.
• Small minds, intent on stalling or frustrating real change or creativity, become increasingly obstructive in the face of bold momentum. Unfortunately, people who don’t know how to achieve great things often derive feelings of power by standing in the way of them.
6. Don’t be afraid to speak frankly and openly about things like friendship and love. Among strong people, connections of the heart are very powerful.
7. After hard-fought battles, whether you win or lose, don’t assume your competitors can’t become your partners.
8. Don’t be afraid to let your position on an issue evolve with more data. President Trump isn’t afraid to negotiate by first stating the facts, as they exist, and putting forth a clear and strong position based on those facts, but then continuing to pay close attention to the way circumstances change while he negotiates.
9. Making a deal doesn’t mean the deal-making is over forever.
• Donald Trump knows deals are living documents. That doesn’t mean they’re not to be honored; of course, they are. It means that deals can be revisited and perfected over time.
• That’s why Trump sometimes makes the best possible deal he can make (whether for a business or for America), knowing there will likely be another opportunity to sit down and achieve even better terms. Like Voltaire, Trump would likely say the perfect is the enemy of good. You can ask for perfect terms. You can argue for perfect terms. But if you insist on them, you might never get to “yes.”
10. Remember that you’re the real masterpiece; the universe has a plan for you.
• God or the universe will see to it that you walk through a very complex labyrinth of events in your life—including victories and defeats and lots of soul-searching—before your purpose is made clear.
• Walking the labyrinth makes you a kind of living canvas (see Lesson #9) onto which layers of paint are being applied, again and again. Sometimes, paint has to be scraped away, too. And that can be painful. You should never forget there’s a reason behind all of it.

Good lessons to learn.

Source: Trump Your Life: 25 Life Lessons From the Ups and Downs of the 45th President of the United States (2020) by Keith Ablow, M. D.

Chinese hackers spying on US critical infrastructure, Western intelligence says

From Reuters.com (May 25, 2023):

May 24 (Reuters) - A state-sponsored Chinese hacking group has been spying on a wide range of U.S. critical infrastructure organizations, from telecommunications to transportation hubs, Western intelligence agencies and Microsoft opens new tab said on Wednesday.

The espionage has also targeted the U.S. island territory of Guam, home to strategically important American military bases, Microsoft said in a report, adding that "mitigating this attack could be challenging."

While China and the United States routinely spy on each other, analysts say this is one of the largest known Chinese cyber-espionage campaigns against American critical infrastructure.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Thursday the hacking allegations were a "collective disinformation campaign" from the Five Eyes countries, a reference to the intelligence sharing grouping of countries made up of the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

Mao said the campaign was launched by the U.S. for geopolitical reasons and that the report from Microsoft analysts showed that the U.S. government was expanding its channels of disinformation beyond government agencies.

"But no matter what varied methods are used, none of this can change the fact that the United States is the empire of hacking," she told a regular press briefing in Beijing.

It was not immediately clear how many organizations were affected, but the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) said it was working with partners including Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK, as well as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation to identify breaches. Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand warned they could be targeted by the hackers too.

Microsoft analysts said they had "moderate confidence" this Chinese group, which it dubbed as 'Volt Typhoon', was developing capabilities that could disrupt critical communications infrastructure between the United States and Asia region during future crises.

"It means they are preparing for that possibility," said John Hultquist, who heads threat analysis at Google's Mandiant Intelligence.

The Chinese activity is unique and worrying also because analysts don't yet have enough visibility on what this group might be capable of, he added.

"There is greater interest in this actor because of the geopolitical situation."

As China has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure in its claim to democratically governed Taiwan, U.S. President Joe Biden has said he would be willing to use force to defend Taiwan.

Security analysts expect Chinese hackers could target U.S. military networks and other critical infrastructure if China invades Taiwan.

The NSA and other Western cyber agencies urged companies that operate critical infrastructure to identify malicious activity using the technical guidance they issued.

"It is vital that operators of critical national infrastructure take action to prevent attackers hiding on their systems," Paul Chichester, director at the UK's National Cyber Security Centre said in a joint statement with the NSA. [read more]

Not good, but this is what the Chi-coms do. That's why America has to strengthen its infrastructure.

Trump ATF Targets Biden Gun Rules in Major Rollback

From Newsmax.com (June 5):

The Trump administration is advancing a broad rollback of federal firearms regulations, including proposals that would allow Americans to ship handguns through the mail, rescind Biden-era background check requirements, and make it harder for federal regulators to revoke gun dealers' licenses.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) said the changes are meant to modernize firearms rules and reduce burdens on law-abiding gun owners without undermining law enforcement.

In late April, the agency announced nearly three dozen final and proposed rules following President Donald Trump's directive to reexamine federal regulations affecting gun owners and the firearms industry.

One key proposal would repeal a 2024 Biden administration rule that expanded the definition of who qualifies as a gun dealer under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The rule was aimed at closing the so-called "gun show loophole," but the Trump administration is seeking to scrap it.

Gun control advocates criticized the White House's move.

"This is, to us, absolutely the gun industry's wish list," Kris Brown, the president of Brady: United Against Gun Violence, told Axios.

Brown noted that industry leaders were present when the proposals were announced.

Supporters of the rollback argue Biden-era rules imposed unnecessary restrictions on lawful gun owners and firearms businesses.

A recent investigation by The Trace found prosecutions of people accused of dealing firearms without a license did not significantly increase after the Biden rule took effect.

Other proposals would ease rules for transporting firearms, remove a requirement that licensed dealers provide youth handgun safety notices, and revise standards governing when dealers can lose their federal licenses.

Separately, the U.S. Postal Service is considering allowing individuals to mail handguns under the same rules that apply to lawful shipments of rifles and shotguns.

That proposal follows a Justice Department Office of Legal Counsel opinion concluding the long-standing federal ban on mailing handguns is unconstitutional.

The National Rifle Association's lobbying arm argued the current ban creates "massive and needless headaches for law-abiding gun owners."

Critics say the change could increase risks involving theft, trafficking, and unlawful firearm transfers.

In one proposed rule narrowing who is considered mentally unfit to possess firearms, the ATF noted that the "risk may be minimal, or may be considerably greater (up to and including potential mass casualty events)."

Brown told Axios that the agency knows "it raises the risk of mass shootings."

"They know that violent crime is likely to go up," she added. "They know it's going to hinder law enforcement, and they do it anyway."

Meanwhile, gun rights advocates and industry groups welcomed the proposals.

In a press release, National Sports Shooting Foundation Senior Vice President Lawrence G. Keane called the rollback "the dawning of a new era."

ATF rejected claims that the changes were designed to satisfy the gun lobby.

"The repeal of the regulation has no effect on the scope of the law and signals that ATF will abide by the laws enacted by Congress," an agency spokesperson told Axios in a statement.

Daniel Webster, a professor at Johns Hopkins University's Center for Gun Violence Solutions, disagreed.

"This is a green light to the segment of the gun industry that profits from crime and gun violence," he said.

Brown's prediction was equally grim.

"We think it is going to be the worst delivery of regression in the history of the country in terms of gun violence prevention," she said. [source]

Good!  Call it another win, especially for gun rights. Although, the Left doesn’t think so because they are obsessed with guns and don’t understand what really causes crime.

Trump: US Strike Kills TDA Gang Boss With Venezuela's Help

From Newsmax.com (June 12):

President Donald Trump said Friday that a "swift and lethal kinetic" U.S. strike has killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he called "the infamous leader" of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Tren de Aragua has been labeled by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization. Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said at the time that the gang is responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe. Trump nominated Clayton on Thursday to be director of national intelligence.

The State Department had offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores' arrest.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, "Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong."

Trump has taken a series of extraordinary actions against the gang, including a series of strikes on small boats his administration has accused of smuggling drugs to America.

Trump and administration officials have consistently blamed Tren de Aragua for being at the root of the violence and illicit drug dealing in many U.S. cities. [source]

Good! One less thug in the world.

Trump official reads Iran deal to reporters: Here are the terms

From Just the News.com (June 17):

Trump administration official on Wednesday read the terms of the Iran deal to reporters.

The agreement addresses Iran's nuclear program, ongoing fighting in Lebanon, sanctions relief, and plans for the release of frozen funds.

Here are those terms, as transcribed by ABC News:

Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran has jointly agreed in good faith on such and such a date on the following

1. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this mou declare the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other, and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon and other provisions of this paragraph.

2. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other's internal affairs.

3. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent.

4. Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal,

5. Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles and demining by the Islamic Republic of Iran will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialog with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz in discussion with other Persian Gulf with Oil states in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz

6. The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.

7. The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e.

IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned, and expressed their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

8. The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpile enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in paragraph seven with the minimum methodology to be down blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned, and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

9. Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions, and will not deploy additional forces in the region.

10. The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU, and until the termination of sanctions, the US Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products, and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.

11. The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.

12. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.

13. After signing this MOU and subject to the beginning of the implementation of paragraphs 1,4,5,10, and 11 of this MOU and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

14. The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution, and then there's the signature page. [source]

Not bad. Although, I agree with Greg Kelly on Newsmax TV that the word "reaffirms" in the statement: "The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons." should be "affirms." Sorry, the Mullahs word is no good. I don't trust them. They broke deals before.

More info on the MOU:

• Trump Answers Questions on Controversial MOU – 6.17.26
• Some Real Talk About the Iran Deal