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China – Christians – Local Church – Easter

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China – Christians – Local Church – Easter Country Advice China China – CHN36547 – Christians – Local Church – Easter 27 April 2010 1. Is there any evidence for the belief that Jesus died on 2 October and rose on 4 October? No information was located regarding any religious group commemorating the death of Jesus on 2 October or his resurrection on 4 October. All information located regarding religious beliefs and the timing of Jesus’ death indicates that Jesus was crucified at the time of Passover, which occurs in the March - April timeframe. A 1985 paper by Humphreys, C. & Waddington entitled The Date of Crucifixion, published by Oxford University1 examining a body of Biblical, historical, and astronomical analysis from various sources concludes that all information points to Jesus being crucified in the March – April timeframe when Passover occurred, in either the year AD 30 or AD 33. Members of the ‘Shouters’ or Local Church use the Recovery Bible for religious study and guidance, which contains the passage Mathew 26:2 stating: ‘You know that after two days the Passover takes place, and the Son of Man is being delivered up to be crucified’.2 It is therefore logical to conclude that a Local Church member would believe that Christ died during a period of Passover, again falling in the March - April timeframe, when other Christian traditions celebrate Easter. No information was located indicating that the Local Church beliefs include the belief that Jesus died in the October timeframe. Members of the Local Church do not necessarily recognise Easter in their practices. A Local Church representative in Melbourne was contacted in February 2009 and confirmed that some Local Church members individually choose to celebrate Easter, but it is not a practice or tenet of the Local Church. According to the Local Church representative, Easter festivals have a pagan basis, considered to be historically separate from the resurrection of Christ and therefore there is no obligation to commemorate Jesus’ death on this particular religious holiday.3 Only one source of information was located discussing Local Church member observations of Easter in China. A 2002 article in the Orange County Register, entitled Secret Passages Bible smugglers and hosts of illegal churches risk freedom for God, reported that Local Church members met clandestinely in Fuqing, Fujian Province and remarked that on Easter and Christmas up to 200 members crowd together in a small basement room to worship.4 The month is not specified. 1Humphreys, C. & Waddington, G. 1985, The Date of Crucifixion, The American Scientific Affiliation website, March http://www.asa3.org/aSA/PSCF/1985/JASA3-85Humphreys.html - Accessed 23 April 2010 – Attachment 1 2 The New Testament Recovery Version Online website http://online.recoveryversion.org/search.asp?all_q=passover+crucified&one_q=_&no_q=_&phr_q=_&ord_q=_ &near_q=_&case=off&stem=off&cont=all&rb=40&re=66&ps=10&st=v - Accessed 23 April 2010 – Attachment 2 3 Yee, P. 2009, Email to RRT Country Advice Service ‘Re Local Church Practices’, 9 February – Attachment 4. 4Gittelsohn, J. 2002 ‘Living Stream Secret Passages Bible smugglers and hosts of illegal churches risk freedom for God Series Part 2’, Orange County Register 13 October – Attachment 5. Page 1 of 2 2. Is there any evidence that Easter in China is celebrated in October, including in the Local Church? Several media sources were located indicating that Easter is celebrated by Christians in China in the March – April timeframe each year.5 No information was found indicating that any religious group celebrates Easter in October. Attachments 1. Humphreys, C. & Waddington, G. 1985, The Date of Crucifixion, The American Scientific Affiliation website, March http://www.asa3.org/aSA/PSCF/1985/JASA3- 85Humphreys.html - Accessed 23 April 2010. 2. The New Testament Recovery Version Online website http://online.recoveryversion.org/search.asp?all_q=passover+crucified&one_q=_&no_q= _&phr_q=_&ord_q=_&near_q=_&case=off&stem=off&cont=all&rb=40&re=66&ps=10 &st=v - Accessed 23 April 2010. 3. [Deleted.] 4. Yee, P. 2009, Email to RRT Country Advice Service ‘Re Local Church Practices’, 9 February. 5. Gittelsohn, J. 2002 ‘Living Stream Secret Passages Bible smugglers and hosts of illegal churches risk freedom for God Series Part 2’, Orange County Register 13 October. 6. ‘Record Easter baptisms for China’ 2010 CathNews Asia 9 April http://www.cathnewsasia.com/2010/04/09/record-easter-baptisms-for-china/ - Accessed 23 April 2010. 7. Wong, A. 2009, ‘A child looks around while Chinese Catholics participate in an Easter mass at the Nantang church in Beijing, China’ 2009 Associated Press Photo on Boston.com website 12 April http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/easter_2009.html - Accessed 27 April 2010. 8. ‘Easter liturgy celebrated in Harbin after long interruption’, 2010, Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church website 5 April http://www.mospat.ru/en/2010/04/05/news15957/print/ - Accessed 27 April 2010. 9. ‘How to Celebrate Easter 2010 in Beijing’ 2010, echinacities.com website, 24 March http://www.echinacities.com/cityguide/Beijing/news/cityspecial.aspx?n=5092# - Accessed 27 April 2010. 5 ‘Record Easter baptisms for China’ 2010 CathNews Asia 9 April http://www.cathnewsasia.com/2010/04/09/record-easter-baptisms-for-china/ - Accessed 23 April 2010 – Attachment 6 & Wong, A. 2009, ‘A child looks around while Chinese Catholics participate in an Easter mass at the Nantang church in Beijing, China’ 2009 Associated Press Photo on Boston.com website 12 April http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/04/easter_2009.html - Accessed 27 April 2010 – Attachment 7 & ‘Easter liturgy celebrated in Harbin after long interruption’, 2010, Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church website 5 April http://www.mospat.ru/en/2010/04/05/news15957/print/ - Accessed 27 April 2010 – Attachment 8 & ‘How to Celebrate Easter 2010 in Beijing’ 2010, echinacities.com website, 24 March http://www.echinacities.com/cityguide/Beijing/news/cityspecial.aspx?n=5092# - Accessed 27 April 2010 – Attachment 9. 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