作者：李延龙
编辑：程伟 责任编辑：罗志飞
翻译:何兴强
我想谈一个既关乎信仰，也关乎人类尊严的话题——中国共产党关于宗教信仰自由的“双重标准”。
在宪法中，中国政府宣称公民“有宗教信仰自由”。在国际场合，他们反复强调中国宗教政策“宽容、开放”，甚至引用《世界人权宣言》的内容来证明自己尊重信仰自由。表面上看，这似乎是一个信仰多元、互相尊重的社会，但现实却完全与之相反。
在中国，宗教信仰被严密管控——不是因为信徒违法犯罪，而是因为他们的信仰不受政府完全控制。圣经、古兰经等经典被篡改、删减，讲道必须事先报批，教堂、清真寺、寺庙的讲坛上必须悬挂国旗、张贴政治宣传。宗教领袖必须接受思想审查和政治培训，甚至要在讲道中夹带政治口号。
对地下教会、家庭聚会、未经批准的宗教活动，政府采取的不是对话，而是打压。无数信徒被传唤、拘留，教堂被强拆，十字架被连根拔起。中国共产党口口声声说“宗教与社会主义社会相适应”，但真正的意思是——宗教必须服从党，必须改造信仰的核心教义，让它变成政治工具。
这就是“说一套做一套”的真相：
在文件上，他们允许你信仰；
在现实中，他们限制你、改造你，直到你的信仰不再是你的信仰。
信仰自由并不是政府的恩赐，而是基本人权。剥夺信仰自由，就是在剥夺人的良心与灵魂的自由。一个真正尊重信仰的政府，不会去篡改经文，不会去拆毁礼拜堂，更不会用监控与威胁来取代祷告与敬拜。
我呼吁国际社会，不要只听中国政府在国际场合的漂亮话，而要看到背后的真实处境。不要被“纸面自由”蒙蔽，而要关注那些因为信仰而被沉默、被迫害的人们。因为今天在中国失去的，不只是信徒的礼拜场所，不只是一本原本完整的圣经，而是一个民族最宝贵的信仰自由与灵魂自由。
———中国天主教信徒、中国民主党员 李延龙
2025年8月8日 于美国洛杉矶
Religious Freedom Should Not Be Just a Slogan
— Exposing the CCP’s Hypocrisy
Abstract: In its Constitution, the Chinese government claims that citizens “enjoy freedom of religious belief.” On the international stage, it repeatedly stresses that China’s religious policy is “tolerant and open,” even citing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to prove it respects freedom of belief.
Author: Li Yanliang
Editor: Cheng Wei Chief Editor: Luo Zhifei
Translator:He XingQiang
I want to discuss an issue that concerns not only faith but also human dignity — the Chinese Communist Party’s “double standards” regarding religious freedom.
In the Constitution, the Chinese government claims that citizens “enjoy freedom of religious belief.” On the international stage, it repeatedly emphasizes that China’s religious policy is “tolerant and open,” even quoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to show it respects freedom of belief. On the surface, this may look like a pluralistic, respectful society. In reality, it is entirely the opposite.
In China, religious belief is strictly controlled — not because believers commit crimes, but because their faith is not fully under government control. The Bible, the Quran, and other scriptures are altered or censored. Sermons must be pre-approved. In churches, mosques, and temples, the national flag must be displayed and political propaganda posted. Religious leaders must undergo ideological review and political training, and are even required to insert political slogans into their sermons.
For underground churches, home gatherings, and unapproved religious activities, the government’s response is not dialogue but suppression. Countless believers have been summoned, detained; churches have been demolished; crosses torn down. The CCP repeatedly says that “religion must adapt to socialist society,” but what it truly means is that religion must submit to the Party, and the core doctrines of faith must be remolded into political tools.
This is the truth behind “saying one thing, doing another”:
On paper, they allow you to believe;
In reality, they restrict you, reshape you — until your faith is no longer your faith.
Freedom of belief is not a gift from the government; it is a fundamental human right. To deprive people of freedom of belief is to strip away the freedom of conscience and the soul. A government that truly respects faith would not alter scriptures, would not demolish places of worship, and would not replace prayer and worship with surveillance and threats.
I call on the international community not to be swayed by the Chinese government’s fine words in global forums, but to see the reality behind them. Do not be deceived by “freedom on paper,” but pay attention to those who are silenced and persecuted because of their faith. What is being lost in China today is not only believers’ places of worship, not only a once-complete Bible, but the nation’s most precious freedom of belief and freedom of the soul.
— Li Yanlong, Chinese Catholic Believer and Member of the China Democracy Party
August 8, 2025 Los Angeles, USA
