An online video of a Chinese mother of eight outside in winter in China's Jiangsu Province caused massive outrage on the Internet. In the video released on January 28, a woman was chained to a hut in the cold weather near zero degrees Celsius, wearing only light clothes and speaking with a lisp. Netizens said that the woman was insane and gave birth to eight children in Xuzhou. It is said that the woman was picked up by the grandfather of eight children in 1998, and the father of the children said in the video that he wanted to find the woman's family.
The woman who was claimed to be a beggar on the streets in 1998, was trafficked from her hometown of Yagu Village in Fugong County in Yunnan Province to marry the then 30-something husband surnamed Dong in Fenghua County, according to local authorities.
An official statement issued Thursday night said the husband of the woman who name is Xiao Huamei, had been detained along with other two persons, suspected of illegally detaining and trafficking a woman after posting the video on China's social media.
Many Christians have commented on this controversial event.
A Christian from Heze, Shandong Province said, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province is adjacent to his hometown of Heze. It was inconceivable that there was such a dark evil hidden just one step away from his hometown.
Another Christian was full of worries about the eight children. "It is easy for the bad guys to be punished, and I believe the government will tell us the truth, but who will raise these eight poor children in the end?"
Some commented that the church often emphasized mission, but seldom faced the spirituality of an ethnic group and survival or death, which was worthy of the church's deliberation and attention.
Another Christian shared, "I have found that this is not an individual case, but a common phenomenon in many places. The case happened in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, which is already a relatively developed place. There are similar things in the remote and poor northwest China and the economically developed east coast, the backward villages and the civilized and affluent cities. Therefore, this is a chronic problem in a society. This problem includes polarization between the rich and the poor, extreme values, vulgarization of morality and complete degradation of human nature. Therefore, I thought that it is not just a single social problem, but a spiritual problem of the whole ethnic group related to people's faith and spirituality, which includes the social aspect. As such, only Christians and churches can face it correctly and put forward some real solutions."
“When we condemn the inhumanity suffered by the mother of eight in Fengxian, Xuzhou, we as Christians should also examine our responsibilities in these matters. Many Christians live their own lives and mistakenly think that the Christian faith has nothing to do with everyday life and does not have the warmth and concern for life. We tend to only care about personal salvation, regardless of the heinous crimes in the world. Therefore, in Feng County, Xuzhou, where churches are said to be all over the county, the chained mother emerged under the eyes of the church and was swallowed up by the darkness. The church had no voice, no condemnation, no protest, no sigh, no rescue, and no cry. It's not just the church in Fengxian county, but all cities in China. If the China churches are still silent in the face of countless chained mothers, still wise as serpents, still afraid to carry their own cross and follow the Lord Jesus, then they will spit out from the Lord's mouth," said a Christian.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
1月28日，一条网络视频引起了网友们热议，在该视频中，一名女子在接近零度的寒冷天气里却被用铁链拴在一间小屋里面，身上只穿着单衣，口齿不清。网友称这名女子精神失常，先后生下了八个孩子。据称该女子是在1998年的时候被八个孩子的爷爷捡回家里的，孩子们的父亲在视频中称想要找到该女子的家人。
有许多基督徒关注了这一热点事件。
一名老家山东菏泽的基督徒说：江苏徐州毗邻我的老家山东菏泽，无法想象，仅仅一步之遥（的地方），竟然隐藏着这么黑暗的罪恶。
另一名基督徒则充满了对八个孩子的担忧：让坏人受到惩罚容易，相信政府会还大家一个真相，但是最后这八个可怜的孩子由谁来养啊？
有基督徒表示：今天教会我们常常强调对外宣教，但是却很少站在如何面对一个族群的灵性，如何面对生死存留这样的角度看待宣教问题，这是非常值得教会去思考和关注的。
另有一名基督徒则分享：我发现这并不是个别现象，而是在多地普遍存在的。这个事情发生在江苏徐州，已经算是经济比较发达的地方了。而从比较边远贫困的西北，到经济发达的东部沿海，从落后的乡村到文明富裕的城市，都存在着类似的事情。因此这是一个社会中长期存在的顽疾。这包括贫富两极分化、价值观极端化、道德粗鄙化和人性的完全堕落化。所以我认为，这样的事情并不仅仅是一个单独地社会问题，而是包括一个社会问题在内的整个族群的灵性问题，事关人们的信仰和灵性。因此这样的事情只有基督徒和教会才能去面对和提出一些真正意义上的解决方案。
还有一名基督徒则沉重地表示：当我们谴责对于徐州丰县八孩母亲的惨无人道的恶行时，作为基督徒，我们也应当省察我们在这些事情上的责任。很多基督徒，他所活出来的生命，使人们错误地认为基督信仰无关生活的痛痒，不具有对于生命真切关怀的温度。我们常常只关心个人的得救，哪管世界上罪恶滔天。因此，在据说教会遍布的徐州丰县，狗链母亲在教会眼皮底下浮现而又被黑暗吞没，教会没有声音，没有谴责，没有抗议，没有叹息，更没有拯救与呼喊。不仅仅是丰县的教会，其实我们都差不多是这个样子。如果中国教会面对无数的八孩母亲依然沉默不语，依然灵巧象蛇，依然不敢背起自己的十字架跟随主耶稣，那么，他们将会从主口中被吐出去。
https://www.christiantimes.cn/news/36472/%E5%BE%90%E5%B7%9E%E2%80%9C%E7%94%9F%E8%82%B2%E5%85%AB%E5%AD%A9%E5%A5%B3%E5%AD%90%E2%80%9D%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6%E5%BC%95%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3%E5%BE%92%E5%85%B3%E6%B3%A8-%E5%9F%BA%E7%9D%A3%E5%BE%92%E5%BA%94%E5%85%B3%E5%BF%83%E7%A4%BE%E4%BC%9A%E5%85%AC%E4%B9%89%E6%9B%B4%E5%BD%93%E6%82%94%E6%94%B9%E8%87%AA%E5%B7%B1
徐州“生育八孩女子”事件引基督徒关注 基督徒应关心社会公义更当悔改自己
An online video of a Chinese mother of eight outside in winter in China's Jiangsu Province caused massive outrage on the Internet. In the video released on January 28, a woman was chained to a hut in the cold weather near zero degrees Celsius, wearing only light clothes and speaking with a lisp. Netizens said that the woman was insane and gave birth to eight children in Xuzhou. It is said that the woman was picked up by the grandfather of eight children in 1998, and the father of the children said in the video that he wanted to find the woman's family.
The woman who was claimed to be a beggar on the streets in 1998, was trafficked from her hometown of Yagu Village in Fugong County in Yunnan Province to marry the then 30-something husband surnamed Dong in Fenghua County, according to local authorities.
An official statement issued Thursday night said the husband of the woman who name is Xiao Huamei, had been detained along with other two persons, suspected of illegally detaining and trafficking a woman after posting the video on China's social media.
Many Christians have commented on this controversial event.
A Christian from Heze, Shandong Province said, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province is adjacent to his hometown of Heze. It was inconceivable that there was such a dark evil hidden just one step away from his hometown.
Another Christian was full of worries about the eight children. "It is easy for the bad guys to be punished, and I believe the government will tell us the truth, but who will raise these eight poor children in the end?"
Some commented that the church often emphasized mission, but seldom faced the spirituality of an ethnic group and survival or death, which was worthy of the church's deliberation and attention.
Another Christian shared, "I have found that this is not an individual case, but a common phenomenon in many places. The case happened in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, which is already a relatively developed place. There are similar things in the remote and poor northwest China and the economically developed east coast, the backward villages and the civilized and affluent cities. Therefore, this is a chronic problem in a society. This problem includes polarization between the rich and the poor, extreme values, vulgarization of morality and complete degradation of human nature. Therefore, I thought that it is not just a single social problem, but a spiritual problem of the whole ethnic group related to people's faith and spirituality, which includes the social aspect. As such, only Christians and churches can face it correctly and put forward some real solutions."
“When we condemn the inhumanity suffered by the mother of eight in Fengxian, Xuzhou, we as Christians should also examine our responsibilities in these matters. Many Christians live their own lives and mistakenly think that the Christian faith has nothing to do with everyday life and does not have the warmth and concern for life. We tend to only care about personal salvation, regardless of the heinous crimes in the world. Therefore, in Feng County, Xuzhou, where churches are said to be all over the county, the chained mother emerged under the eyes of the church and was swallowed up by the darkness. The church had no voice, no condemnation, no protest, no sigh, no rescue, and no cry. It's not just the church in Fengxian county, but all cities in China. If the China churches are still silent in the face of countless chained mothers, still wise as serpents, still afraid to carry their own cross and follow the Lord Jesus, then they will spit out from the Lord's mouth," said a Christian.
- Translated by Oliver Zuo
Chained Mother of Eight in Xuzhou Draws Chinese Christians' Attention
