In an attempt to slow the growth of Christianity, each of the world’s five communist nations severely restricts the flow of funding into Christian churches and implements stringent requirements for churches to operate within their borders. China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea, and Vietnam all maintain strict control over churches and dictate how they may function, if at all. Religious institutions are forced to register with their respective nations and are only granted the right to operate if they agree to stringent and, at times, un-Christian criteria.