In what human-rights advocates are calling an unusual move, officials in Yichun, China, have demolished an officially registered church that is part of the communist-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Annee Kahler, an analyst with the nonprofit group China aid says there is no known motive for the Chinese government's actions.

"It's always difficult to tell, especially when a church has been registered with the government. Most of the time, this registration gives them some protection. Since they're registered, some of the time they get government aid. Occasionally and sometimes government direction."

Kahler said the move is "not unheard of."

"There is a sense that if a church is growing too large, or it's becoming too strong in a community, it could be perceived as a threat by the local officials," she said.

"We can't verify for certain what the motivation behind this is; however, it does appear that there was some issues with the land. There is some evidence to suggest that there was some interest in development – contractors who wanted the land for other purposes."

Kahler said it's not uncommon for the government to work with other developers, "but, we cannot say for certain what the motivation behind it was."

The Yichun church had entered into negotiations with the government, but the government stopped talking to the church, according to reports. Without warning, the government brought out the riot police and flattened the building.

"The government had been willing to discuss a new location for the church to preserve their ability to meet together. The church would have been willing to relocate, provided the government helped them find a new location," Kahler stated.

The government knows that most church members in the registered churches aren't violent and are usually unwilling to resist a government-ordered demolition, Kahler said.

Even with that knowledge, she said the riot police are a regular feature of demolitions, so the local government can demonstrate its power.

"Very often riot police, armed guards and plainclothes police are used, and not because the government expects trouble. It's that the government wants to provide a very visual show of force that is very overwhelming and intimidating to the religious community."

The more independent the faith, Kahler added, the more threatening it is to the government.

Government authorities may have feared the Yichun Three-Self church was moving away from the officially sanctioned doctrine, she said.



"In this case it is more likely that there were more political and economic reasons behind the attack," Kahler added.

Kahler says that the Chinese constitution actually includes provisions for religious freedom in Article 36.

"There is nothing in the Chinese constitution that says that a registered church should be under any sort of suspicion. There is no certain reason that this church should be repressed by such force," Kahler said.

"So this is very much contrary to the Chinese constitution for people who have professed faith in Christianity and have taken the step of registering with the government."

Kahler says the church members will petition the government for reparations.

"They'll definitely negotiate for another piece of land," Kahler said.

Southeast Asia analyst and religious-persecution writer Scott Johnson isn't convinced that the Chinese government is dealing with the Three-Self Patriotic Movement churches in good faith. Johnson says that the church demolition is characteristic of all communist governments.

"The Chinese government along with other communist regimes like Vietnam are particularly brutal and repressive against religions such as Christianity. Communism, after all, is in direct conflict with free thought, which forms the basis of many tenets of Christianity and religious freedom," Johnson asserted.

Johnson believes communism cannot coexist with any ideology that challenges its authority.

"The communist regime cannot exist without control of the population, thus they view dissent of any sort as a direct threat. These so-called communist governments in reality, however, don't believe in Marxist-Leninist thought but maintain the official charade of communist ideology for the simple purpose of maintaining authoritarian power," Johnson explained.

"This power is one of exploitation. Further, they continue feeding their underground system of massive interlinked money-changing that keeps the regime's businesses afloat," Johnson continued.

Johnson believes that in China, as in the other East and Southeast Asian countries, the populations are exploited for profit. However, he believes the governments see religious faith as a threat to the economy.

"The population, of course, is completely exploited. Here religions such as Christianity threaten the regime's mentality of control. The communist parties in China, Vietnam and elsewhere fear independent thought, especially that of Christians."

Kahler says that church leaders will try to rebuild their church building.