China on Monday (September 15) published regulations banning online religious content on unapproved platforms, banning internet use, and guiding children and forming youth groups.
The article published by the National Religious Affairs Administration, based on previous laws and regulations, significantly restricts the content of faith online, reported Bitter Winter in the Religious Rights Magazine.
“This is not the first time China has held onto religious life, but it may be one of the most technically invasive,” the group reported. “In the age of the Digital Ministry, with sermons flowing and prayerful, this regulation feels like a deliberate attempt to release the sacred thing from society.”
The Bitter Winter Regulation Translation states that clergy merely preach or provide religious education and online training through the websites, applications, forums and platforms of registered religious organizations with the “Internet Religious Information Services License.”
“Personal social media accounts, live streams, WeChat groups, or informal forums are strictly off limits for religious instruction,” the online magazine says. “Self-promotion is prohibited, clergy cannot use their religious identity to attract followers or traffic, and foreign entanglements are prohibited.
Article 10 prohibits clergy from spreading religious ideas to minors or “inducing beliefs” to them through the Internet, and prohibits organizing children to participate in religious education, training, and camps.
“The clergy may not be able to evangelize minor users or organize religious camps and training for young people,” reported Bitter Winter. “Commercialization is no go. We should not raise funds, sell religious goods, or monetize religious activities online. AI evangelism is also off the table. Clergy may not use generative AI to generate or disseminate religious content.”
Violators could face administrative penalties, including suspension of religious qualifications, closure of online accounts, and criminal investigations, Bitter Winter noted.
“Platforms that host non-compliant content may be ordered to limit, warn or close off any problematic accounts,” it said.
Just like the “sinicizing” regulations for personal religious education, regulations for online teaching require ideological integrity. Article 7 of the regulations states that “all information produced, copied, stored, published or shared by religious staff via the Internet should not contain content that prevents the subversion of state power, leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, national unity, ethnic harmony, social stability, or the enforcement of the citizens’ trial, education, and social management systems.”
“The clergy must maintain Communist leadership, promote socialist values, and support the “sinicization” of religion. In fact, it means coordinating religious doctrine with national ideology,” Bitter Winter said. “In other words, religious expression should be patriotic, party-friendly, culturally sanitized, “sermons with core characteristics.” ”
The regulations effectively criminalize voluntary religious expression online, seclude clergy from international religious discourse, and segregate the thematic faith speeches to state censorship, the rights magazine argued.
According to Bitter Winter, the regulations apply to all domestic and international clergy that reach China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. According to Article 8, clergymen “should not conspire with foreign military forces on the Internet, or support or participate in foreign religious penetration activities.”
Article 6 requires clergy to resist online negativity and prohibits self-promotion and use religious topics and content to attract attention and traffic. Also, religious leaders should not say anything that can make another person angry. Under the prohibition of false information in Article 12, clergy “should not incite discord” or “create conflict.”
“They should avoid destroying harmonious coexistence within the same religion as the different religions, and do not discriminate or disgrace religious or secular citizens,” Article 12 states.
Article 13 states that, except for the registered channels designated in Article 5, clergy must not preach through live broadcasts, short videos, online meetings, WeChat groups, WeChat moments, etc., and “will not organize or participate in online religious activities such as rituals, worship services, the masses, and other online religious activities such as Buddhist burning, burning burning bibles.”
The article also prohibits online learning and training with religious overtones and content such as “meditation,” “purification,” and “healing.”
The prohibition on funding is listed in Article 14. It says religious leaders should not generate income online, build religious sites, engage in religious activities and seek digital donations. They will also not be able to organize or engage in business activities such as product marketing, live streaming, providing compensation, or participating in “commercial performance, performing arts activities.”
A blunt prohibition against clergy who distribute or share internal religious or “illegal publications” via the Internet occurs in Article 15.
In the event of violation of regulations, Article 17 provides for the Religion Bureau to order that the conduct be amended within a designated period of time. If they refuse, the department, together with the Internet Information Bureau, Telecommunications Division, Public Security Agency, National Security Organs and other relevant departments, shall impose penalties in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
“In severe cases, the department shall encourage the relevant religious organization, religious school or venue to suspend religious activities or revoke the position of clergy and hold the responsible person responsible,” Article 17 states. “If a user is registered with a clergyman on an online religious information platform, the department shall require the platform provider to work with the Internet Information Bureau and public safety agencies to take measures such as warnings, modifications, restrictions or account closures in accordance with laws and contracts.”
“Even religious clergy engaged in online activities through overseas website platforms must comply with these regulations,” Article 18 states. “Religious clergy in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as foreign clergy institutions, should refer to these regulations when conducting online activities within the country.”
China ranked 15th on the 2025 Open Doors World Watchlist of 50 countries where it is the hardest to become a Christian.
