[[File:Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing China.jpg|thumb|right|200px250px|In front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing.]]The current [[Atheist Population|atheist population]] mostly resides in [[East Asia ]] (particularly [[China]]) and in [[secular Europe]]/Australia among whites.<ref>[httphttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey, ''Washington Post'', May 23, 2013</ref> See: [[Western atheism and race]]
According to ''Slate'', "[[Protestantism|Protestant]] Christianity has been the fastest growing religion in China."<ref>[http://www.slate.com/bigideas/what-is-the-future-of-religion/essays-and-opinions/fenggang-yang-opinion When Will China Become the World’s Largest Christian Country?], Slate</ref> [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Christianity]] is especially growing sharply in China.<ref>[httphttps://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2015/0111/In-China-a-church-state-showdown-of-biblical-proportions In China, a church-state showdown of biblical proportions]</ref> See also: [[Asian atheism]] In 2020, ''The Economist'' published an article entitled ''Protestant Christianity is booming in China'' which indicated:{{Cquote|As for China’s Christians, their numbers continue to grow. The government reckons that about 200m of China’s 1.4bn people are religious. Although most practice traditional Chinese religions such as Taoism, and longer-standing foreign imports such as Buddhism, Protestant Christianity is probably the fastest-growing faith, with at least 38m adherents today (about 3% of the population), up from 22m a decade ago, according to the government’s count. The true number is probably much higher: perhaps as many as 22m more Chinese Protestants worship in unregistered “underground” churches, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame. As China also has 10m-12m Catholics, there are more Christians in China today than in France (38m) or Germany (43m). Combined, Christians and the country’s estimated 23m Muslims may now outnumber the membership of the Communist Party (92m). Indeed, an unknown number of party members go to church as well as local committee meetings.<ref>[https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/09/15/protestant-christianity-is-booming-in-china ''Protestant Christianity is booming in China''], ''The Economist'', Sep 15th 2020</ref>}}
On November 1, 2014, an article in ''The Economist'' entitled ''Cracks in the atheist edifice'' declared:
{{cquote|Officials are untroubled by the clash between the city’s famously freewheeling capitalism and the [[Communism|Communist]] Party’s ideology, yet still see religion and its symbols as affronts to the party’s [[atheism]]...
Yang Fenggang of Purdue University, in Indiana, says the Christian church in China has grown by an average of 10% a year since 1980. He reckons that on current trends there will be 250m Christians by around 2030, making China’s Christian population the largest in the world. Mr. Yang says this speed of growth is similar to that seen in fourth-century Rome just before the conversion of [[Constantine]], which paved the way for Christianity to become the religion of his empire.<ref>[httphttps://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21629218-rapid-spread-christianity-forcing-official-rethink-religion-cracks ''Cracks in the atheist edifice''], ''The Economist'', November 1, 2014</ref>}}
On April 19, 2014 ''The Telegraph'' published a story on the growth of [[Christianity]] in [[China]] which stated:
By 2030, China's total Christian population, including Catholics, would exceed 247 million, placing it above Mexico, Brazil and the United States as the largest Christian congregation in the world, he predicted.
"[[Mao Zedong|Mao]] thought he could eliminate [[religion]]. He thought he had accomplished this," Prof Yang said. "It's ironic – they didn't. They actually failed completely."<ref>[httphttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10776023/China-on-course-to-become-worlds-most-Christian-nation-within-15-years.html China on course to become 'world's most Christian nation' within 15 years]</ref>}} In 2019, the ''Financial Times'' reported: "Chinese tourism to [[Israel]] grew 1,600 per cent from 2009 to 2017, according to the tourism ministry, and many are believed to be Christians."<ref>[https://www.ft.com/content/e1b58738-61ed-11e9-b285-3acd5d43599e Christian pilgrims fuel Holy Land tourism boom], Financial Times, 2019</ref>
''The Telegraph'' reported on December 19, 2012:
An official from the propaganda department of the State Council said they were unable to immediately comment on whether the document was genuine. But posts on the websites of several Chinese universities appear to confirm the leaked document's existence....
Yet despite government controls, the number of Christians in China has rocketed since the 1980s with many worshipping in illegal "house churches" which are subject to sporadic crackdowns. Some estimates suggest there are now as many as 130 million practicing Christians in China.<ref>[httphttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/9756093/Chinese-universities-urged-to-fight-back-against-foreign-religion.html Chinese universities urged to fight back against foreign religion], ''The Telegraph'', 2012</ref>}}
A January 2011 news article entitled ''Third Church' China's New Face of Christianity'' indicated:
<ref>[https://soundfaith.com/sermons/24469-christianity-finds-a-fulcrum-in-asia Christianity Finds a Fulcrum in Asia] by Justin Wood</ref>}}
To see the magnitude of the explosive growth of Christianity in China, examine [https://www.dw.com/en/in-xi-we-trust-is-china-cracking-down-on-christianity/a-42224752 this graph about the growth of Christianity in China] in a DW news story about Chinese Christianity (DW is a mainstream news outlet in Germany). There are now more Christians in China than Chinese who belong to the [[Communist Party of China]] (see also: [[East Asia and global desecularization]]).<ref>[https://www.dw.com/en/in-xi-we-trust-is-china-cracking-down-on-christianity/a-42224752 In Xi we trust - Is China cracking down on Christianity?], DW News</ref> == Tiananmen Square massacre help helped fuel an explosive growth of Christianity in China ==
''See also:'' [[East Asia and global desecularization]]
''See also:'' [[Persecution of Christians in the People's Republic of China]], [[Atheism and communism]] and [[Communism and religious persecution]]
China has the world's largest [[atheism|atheist]] population.<ref>[http://www.thechapmans.nl/news/Atheist.pdf Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics (Zuckerman, 2005)]</ref><ref>[httphttps://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], ''Washington Post'' By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey May 23, 2013</ref> See also: [[China and atheism]][[File:Flag of the PRC.png|thumbnail|200px|right|In 1955, [[China|Chinese]] communist leader Zhou Enlai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref> In 2015, the Communist Party of China reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/china-communist-party-atheism-zhejiang-ban-religious-members-christianity_n_6599722.html China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism]</ref>]]
[[Communism|Communist]] countries practice [[state atheism]] (See: [[Atheism and communism]]).
[[File:Flag of the PRC.png|thumbnail|200px|left|In 1955, [[China|Chinese]] communist leader Zhou Enlai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref> In 2015, the Communist Party of China reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.<ref>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/china-communist-party-atheism-zhejiang-ban-religious-members-christianity_n_6599722.html China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism]</ref>]]
In 1955, [[China|Chinese]] communist leader Zhou Enlai declared, "We Communists are atheists".<ref>Noebel, David, The Battle for Truth, Harvest House, 2001.</ref> In 2014, the Communist Party of China reaffirmed that members of their party must be atheists.<ref>
*[httphttps://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/asia/item/19567-china-s-communist-party-reaffirms-marxism-maoism-atheism China’s Communist Party Reaffirms Marxism, Maoism, Atheism], ''New American'', 2014*[httphttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/02/china-communist-party-atheism-zhejiang-ban-religious-members-christianity_n_6599722.html China's Communist Party Bans Believers, Doubles Down On Atheism]</ref>
In 2016, the ''International Business Times'' reported:
''See also:'' [[East Asia and global desecularization]]
Professor Fenggang Yang indicates:{{Cquote|"One sign of the advancing state of Christianity in China is that it is reaching out to the larger world. Nine hundred Chinese pastors gathered in Hong Kong this fall for the Mission 2030 Conference. Their goal: To send out 20,000 missionaries from mainland China by 2030."<ref>[http://globalplus.thearda.com/globalplus-religion-in-china/ GlobalPlus: Religion in China] By Fenggang Yang</ref>}} == Future of atheism in China == See: [[Future of atheism in China]]
== Chinese Christianity and anti-evolution free speech ==
A review of his book declares and please note the bold font added for emphasis which indicates the Chinese Christians are generally not Darwinists:
{{Cquote|Who are these Chinese Christians? It would be absurd to say they are an organized body with uniform beliefs and opinions on everything, yet Aikman’s book leads to certain generalisations. They regard themselves as truly patriotic, tending to support their government politically, with the exception, perhaps, of being very pro-American and pro-Israel. Both preferences stem from their religious, rather than their political beliefs. Their theology particularly with the “house church” Protestant Christians, is Biblical and fundamentalist, and the churches with which they are linked in the United States are their equivalents. To some extent the reason for this is that fundamentalists see evangelism as an urgent matter – to save souls from hell – in a way that their “liberal” co-religionists, with their less exclusive attitude to the matter of salvation, do not. Such help, spiritual and material, as does come from foreign Christians, will tend to come from such evangelicals, who are mostly Americans. Part of the fundamentalist package, millenarianism – the belief in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to reign for a thousand years, regarded as probably an imminent event – includes a necessary, though uncertain role for the Jews. Other features widespread amongst Chinese Christians are the “speaking in tongues” and claims of miraculous healing and exorcism. Aikman does not mention it but it seems fair to add that '''such Christians will reject [[Evolution|Darwinism]]'''. If, as seems likely, they adhere to the Christian morality brought to China by the missionaries, they will also preach chastity before marriage and fidelity within it, and abhor homosexuality and abortion. All these are positions that have long been compromised or abandoned in Western Christendom, but in China would be welcomed by any government as desirable virtues, apart from, presumably, the last.<ref>[http://www.samizdata.net/2004/03/christianity-in-china/ Christianity in China]</ref>}}
To see the magnitude of the explosive growth of Christianity in China, look at [https://www.dw.com/en/in-xi-we-trust-is-china-cracking-down-on-christianity/a-42224752 this graph about the growth of Christianity in China] in a DW news story about Chinese Christianity (DW is a mainstream news outlet in Germany).
== See also ==
*[[Collapse of atheism in the former Soviet Union]]
*[[Historical examples of the exponential growth of Christianity]]
== External links ==
*[https://www.christiantoday.com/article/chinese-christians-are-facing-a-new-wave-of-persecution-and-theyre-standing-strongexecute1/129656.htm Chinese Christians are facing a new wave of persecution – and they're standing strong], ''Christianity Today'', 2018
*[http://www.dw.com/en/in-xi-we-trust-is-china-cracking-down-on-christianity/a-42224752 Is China cracking down on Christianity?], DW News, 2017
*[httphttps://religionnews.com/2017/05/17/china-once-officially-atheist-now-booming-with-religion/ China, once officially atheist, now booming with religion], ''Religion News'', 2017*[https://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21629218-rapid-spread-christianity-forcing-official-rethink-religion-cracks Cracks in the atheist edifice], ''The Economist'', November 1, 2014
*[http://www.christianpost.com/news/panel-looks-at-christianitys-rapid-growth-in-china-despite-persecution-120850/ Panel Looks at Christianity's Rapid Growth in China Despite Persecution] - Christian Post, June 4, 2014
*[httphttps://www.nationalreview.com/corner/376329/chinas-exploding-christian-population-still-facing-persecution-bob-fu China’s Exploding Christian Population Still Facing Persecution], ''National Review'', April 22, 2014
*[http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/48858/20130913/significant-growth-numbers-chinese-christians.htm Significant Growth in Numbers of Chinese Christians], ''Gospel Herald'', September 13, 2013
'''Videos:'''
*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-moxGaQp9k China Chafes at Christianity's Growth] - ''The New York Times'', June 1, 2014*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_aTfR8DXKk In China, Christianity Growing Fast] - ''Voice of America'', September. 12, 2014*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEE4FpXBccc Experience the Underground Churches of Chinese Christians]- Bread for China, April 22, 2014
== Notes ==