Religious activity is not allowed on Wechat
- Wechat is considered a a space not designated for religious activity.
- In venues not designated for religious activity, one cannot engage in religious activity.
- Engaging in religious activity is a serious harm to society, because it disturbs the normal order of religious administration.
# References
In the case of Huang Shike, the court documents asserted that religious activity on Wechat constitues the crime of illegal use of information networks.
This court maintains that the appellant (defendant in the trial of first instance) knew that there were many people in these WeChat groups, that WeChat groups are not [designated] venues for religious activity, and that in spaces that are not designated venues for religious activity one cannot engage in religious activity, and yet still privately created a WeChat group, lectured on scripture and taught scripture and engaged in other such illegal religious activities, thereby disturbing the normal administrative order of religious activities and violating the relevant provisions of China’s laws and regulations on the administration of religious affairs. Moreover, the gravity of his actions is serious, their harm to society is great, and they constitute the crime of illegal use of information networks.
With regard to his claim that his actions of expounding and teaching scripture in a WeChat group did no actual harm to state and society, this court must reject that argument, as he engaged in teaching scripture and expounding scripture in a non-religious venue, thereby disturbing the normal order of religious administration, which is of serious harm to society.