As we have unfortunately learned through the history of China and religion, a decrease in the freedom of religion isn’t a surprise.

“I will adhere to the correct political direction, advocate science, promote atheism, and oppose theism.”

These are the words that the Communist Party are requiring students to sign in a further attempt to push all traces of religion out of the country.

This isn’t the first case of China pushing anti-religious commitments on students. Last August, the Education Bureau of Lishan district issued a plan to resist religious beliefs in kindergartens.

Teachers and students are both currently required to sign a statement that they won’t visit any religious websites or participate in religious forums.

On October 24, the Education and Sports Bureau of Pingdu city issued a document aimed at prohibiting students from participating in religious activities. Other religious boycotts have followed in schools in the cities of Dalian, Jinzhou, and Liaoning Province.

Students who do not sign face punishment. On September, 2018, student Li Nam (pseudonym) was threatened by his teacher. “If you don’t sign the notices, you needn’t take exams. If you still haven’t submitted the notices, you will be expelled,” the teacher told him before whipping his hands three times with a teacher’s pointer.

Piao Junying is the writer’s pseudonym, which he uses for security reasons.

Source: Bitter Winter