As the Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services will be fully implemented on September 1, let’s take a look at the past months what the church in China has achieved from the legal aspect to cope with the challenge of obtaining governmental approval to share religious information online.
Released by the State Administration for Religious Affairs on December 3, 2021, the "Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services" came into force on March 1. Article 34 in Chapter V “Supplementary Provisions” says, “Those engaged in Internet Religious Information Services before these measures take effect shall follow these Measures to complete the permit formalities within 6 months of these measures taking effect.” All the registered and underground churches and Christian organizations across China are waiting to see how the rules will be thoroughly carried out from September 1.
The registered church has been attempting to pass relevant exams and obtain the permits and some of them succeed, while the house church has suffered WeChat account demolition, website shutdown, and restrictions, trying to explore any alternative to release Christian material online.
At the end of February, the State Administration for Religious Affairs released the application form to complete the permit formalities. The applicants should be a religious body, school, premise, or other organization. It also notes that they must have an Internet religious information reviewer each. Henan and Jiangsu Provinces also published application notices.
In March, many provinces successively issued the enforcement bylaws of the new internet regulations, including Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, and Shandong. On March 16, the first Internet religious information service license examination was announced by Jiangsu Province to be put off due to COVID-19.
A temple obtained the first-ever license in Zhejiang Province in April, while four candidates from Nanjing attended the exam for Internet religious information auditors which was conducted first in Jiangsu Province.
Some official churches and seminaries in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Guangdong had obtained the licenses in May. Relevant training programs or exams took place in Inner Mongolia and Shandong. During the month, Gansu, Qinghai, and Guangdong released the notices of applying for the licenses.
One month later, Beijing, Heilongjiang, and Hunan announced the first licensed religious bodies. Shanghai released a notice on the future examiner’s exam and started the registration, while Guangdong published the list of those who were qualified to become religious information examiners and Guangxi conducted the training program.
Some churches succeeded in receiving the permits in July. Applicants enrolled in the exams to be unfolded in Shanxi, Henan, and Liaoning. Religious schools in Shanghai held specific training meetings on how to conduct religious information services. The second list of qualifiers was announced in Guangdong and Qinghai released the first batch of licenses. A total of 31 permits were distributed to religious bodies in Shandong as of the end of July.
Beijing saw the approval licenses released to many Catholic churches and some Protestant churches in August, according to Beijing Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission. The first exam for Internet religious information auditors conducted in Shanxi disappointed many grassroots pastors as only 24 applicants out of 150 passed, thus many candidates were absent in the second exam held on August 22. Similar exams also took place in Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi. Two churches in Liaoning were among the first batch of public permit recipients in the province. Guangdong issued permits to 38 Catholic churches and organizations.
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6月 北京、黑龙江、湖南、公布首批互联网宗教信息服务资质主体
上海发关于开展互联网宗教信息审核人员考试工作的通知；并开始信息审核员报名
广东公示信息审核员资质获得者
广西开展信息审核员培训测试工作
7月 北京一些教堂获得了互联网宗教信息服务资质，山西、河南、辽宁互联网宗教信息服务审核员开始报名，吉林市举办第一期互联网宗教信息服务单位审核人员培训班并开始受理互联网宗教信息服务许可，上海宗教院校开展互联网宗教信息服务专题培训会。广东公示第二批信息审核员资质获得者，青海省发放首批《互联网宗教信息服务许可证》，有基督徒个人平台发布《互联网宗教信息审核员模拟考试题库》。
2月 提前陆续推出相关申请细则、互联网信息服务许可申请表 --国家、江苏
3月 各省市陆续发布互联网宗教信息许可服务证的执行细则
4月 浙江省出现第一例成功办理《互联网宗教信息服务证》的佛教网站-三学藏
江苏省互联网宗教信息审核员考场投入运行并成功举办首场考试。
5月 浙江、江苏、广东等地体制内教会机构陆续取得《互联网宗教信息服务许可 证》
北方城市：内蒙古、山东等地举办互联网宗教信息审核人员资格培训班或考试
甘肃、青海、广西等省份发布《关于开展互联网宗教信息服务许可工作的通告》
北京新浪互联信息服务有限公司、北京微播视界科技有限公司等10家公司获得互联网宗教信息服务许可证。山东组织第二期互联网宗教信息审核人员培训班暨第三批能力测试，截至7月底，全省已累计发出《互联网宗教信息服务许可证》31张。山西、河南、江西启动信息审核员考试，其中山西反应考试过难，通过率低。辽宁发放首批互联网宗教信息服务许可证，只有两家教会获得。天主教小助手因无法获取《互联网宗教信息服务许可证》而无限期暂停运营。
As the Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services will be fully implemented on September 1, let’s take a look at the past months what the church in China has achieved from the legal aspect to cope with the challenge of obtaining governmental approval to share religious information online.
Released by the State Administration for Religious Affairs on December 3, 2021, the "Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services" came into force on March 1. Article 34 in Chapter V “Supplementary Provisions” says, “Those engaged in Internet Religious Information Services before these measures take effect shall follow these Measures to complete the permit formalities within 6 months of these measures taking effect.” All the registered and underground churches and Christian organizations across China are waiting to see how the rules will be thoroughly carried out from September 1.
The registered church has been attempting to pass relevant exams and obtain the permits and some of them succeed, while the house church has suffered WeChat account demolition, website shutdown, and restrictions, trying to explore any alternative to release Christian material online.
At the end of February, the State Administration for Religious Affairs released the application form to complete the permit formalities. The applicants should be a religious body, school, premise, or other organization. It also notes that they must have an Internet religious information reviewer each. Henan and Jiangsu Provinces also published application notices.
In March, many provinces successively issued the enforcement bylaws of the new internet regulations, including Beijing, Shanghai, Fujian, and Shandong. On March 16, the first Internet religious information service license examination was announced by Jiangsu Province to be put off due to COVID-19.
A temple obtained the first-ever license in Zhejiang Province in April, while four candidates from Nanjing attended the exam for Internet religious information auditors which was conducted first in Jiangsu Province.
Some official churches and seminaries in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Guangdong had obtained the licenses in May. Relevant training programs or exams took place in Inner Mongolia and Shandong. During the month, Gansu, Qinghai, and Guangdong released the notices of applying for the licenses.
One month later, Beijing, Heilongjiang, and Hunan announced the first licensed religious bodies. Shanghai released a notice on the future examiner’s exam and started the registration, while Guangdong published the list of those who were qualified to become religious information examiners and Guangxi conducted the training program.
Some churches succeeded in receiving the permits in July. Applicants enrolled in the exams to be unfolded in Shanxi, Henan, and Liaoning. Religious schools in Shanghai held specific training meetings on how to conduct religious information services. The second list of qualifiers was announced in Guangdong and Qinghai released the first batch of licenses. A total of 31 permits were distributed to religious bodies in Shandong as of the end of July.
Beijing saw the approval licenses released to many Catholic churches and some Protestant churches in August, according to Beijing Ethnic and Religious Affairs Commission. The first exam for Internet religious information auditors conducted in Shanxi disappointed many grassroots pastors as only 24 applicants out of 150 passed, thus many candidates were absent in the second exam held on August 22. Similar exams also took place in Shandong, Henan, and Jiangxi. Two churches in Liaoning were among the first batch of public permit recipients in the province. Guangdong issued permits to 38 Catholic churches and organizations.
Reviewing How the Administrative Measures for Internet Religious Information Services Carried out in Past Months Before September 1
