There's been much talk recently about how the Christian churches in mainland China are persecuted by the Communist government there, and hwo the US Government should apply sanctions to other governments that persecute religionists.

     Meanwhile, almost forgotten are the Falug Gong sect that suddenly made itself known by 1 million people peacably congregating in Red Square to protest China's religious policies. The only organization in China is handed down by the Communist Party, and having a private sect of any power is an outright challenge to the Way Things Are Done. Needless to say, the Chinese Government passed the most draconian laws they could come up with to control or destroy errant religious "cults". Most of the Falug Gong leaders and many followers are in re-education cames, its meetings are constantly raided, and its "former" members are watched closely by police.

     Meanwhile the 'baaad' Communist Chinese government is also doing awful things to Christians like closing home churches or forcing them to register ! "Shame, shame !", sez the 'Mercan xtians, as they ignore not only the Falug Gong, but that some US cities have had to be sued to allow alternative groups, like the Wiccan Iron Oak Coven, to regularly meet in private homes (and generally ignored those same zoning ordinances when more mainstream Christian denominations did it). It really would be nice to be able to routinely assume and expect the same religious liberties that one's their xtian neighbors take for granted. Other churches (The Church of Man) that aren't mainstream xtian have had their activities curtailed because of similar zoning regulations, which are awfully convient when government wants to intrude or stop religious activities because "there's just too @*&^#$% many of you, or you're just too noisy..."

     The Chinese government also wants to name Bishops and other church officers, and refuses to allow any kind of Catholic Church that recognises the Pope as its supreme Head to officially exist or worship openly. In the past, many Protestant European countries did the same thing, and some still do. Who knows what ancient laws are still on the books there just waiting to be noticed by an zealous persecutor of the future ? Other churches that are not exactly mainstream have had their activities curtailed by city or county government's zoning regulations, which can be awfully useful to the governmental 'local yokels' want to intrude or contain religious groups who annoy them.

     Mebbe the World Council of Churches overlooks, excuses or ignores the problem of persecution of their co-religionists in Socialist countries because they accept the Potemkin Villages their representatives visit to be spoon fed disinformation bullsh!t instead of finding out the true situation in these hellholes - mebbe it because they have heavy socialist leanings themselves. What does this have to with Paganism ?

'They came for the Jews.
But I was not a Jew,
so I said nothing...

Then They came for the Communists and the Dissidents.
but, I was not a Communist or a Dissident,
so I said nothing...

Then They came for the Labor Unionists.
but, I was not a unionist,
so I said nothing...

Then They came for the Gays, and the Bohemians,
the Jehovah's Witnessses, and the Lutherans,
the Poor and others They deemed Untermench.
but, I was none of those,
so I said nothing...

Then, one day, They came for me.
No one said a word against Them.
and it was too late,
because no one said anything...'