Brett Daniel Shehadey
Special Contributor for In Homeland Security
China is not the only state that suffers from the epidemic of social moral decline but Chinese President Xi Jin Ping believes that traditional faiths like Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism can heal the state from its atheist materialist decline.
Curing the rampant plague of corruption with faith-disciplines and providing some resistance to excess greed is not a bad move. How much will it be promoted, if at all?
Zhang Lebin, deputy director of the Bureau of Religious Affairs wrote that “treating religions well should become a common consensus … and the right to practice religions should be protected.”
President Xi has called for “material and spiritual civilization” for China.
Christianity is making rapid progress in China. An exponential growth from one million to maybe 60/70 million!
Dr. Fenggang Yang has conducted a major survey and study on the issue. The official PRC response to this has been a phased approach, he argues. Christianity has been growing in spite of restrictions and resistance by the PRC. Christianity could have arrived in the first century and not the seventh century, as some evidence to point this out. In phases, from 1949-1966, expulsion of foreign missionaries; 1966-1979 suppression, then eradication (had opposite effect of elimination); 1979-1995 control to weaken religion (had opposite effect, grew most in rural areas); and 1995-present, contain spread, counter infiltration.
Religions in China organized into Patriotic associations to survive, like the Patriotic Three Self Churches, the Islamic Association of China and the Patriotic Catholic Association. The denominations were banned 1957, 1958- house church movements began. The Red Guard closed down churches, temples and mosques, 1966-1979. No religious practices or institutions allowed during this time.
Underground Christian movements during the Cultural Revolution and after accelerated quickly. By end of the Cultural Revolution, churches were allowed to reopen, a 1982 CCP issued document that restored religious freedom- Document 19- admitted there were 3 million Christians, tripled in size, there were one million before.
With a population of over 1.3 billion, some sources estimate 30 percent are religiously active in 2007. If that percentage still holds, that means there are around 400 million religiously active citizens of China. Buddhist and Christian make up the largest percentage of adherents. An estimated 2-3 percent are Christian and 1-2 percent are Muslim.
Tens of millions practice Christianity in an illegal way apart from the main institution. These might be house churches, sects, members that were not allowed in an official church because of a capped limit by the state, etc.
The Chinese leadership tend to see Christianity as a foreign subversive religion. Identity is also a concern as it takes away from the all-encompassing party authority and gives way to further “foreign” leaning principles like individuality, free association, speech and expression. It is spreading beyond the rural areas and the houses and into the market places. Meeting in McDonald’s by Chinese Protestants for Bible study, for example remains illegal. Social network support base helps explains the reason why people are turning to Christianity when they faces troubles and need friendly help- perhaps more so than any other entity (e.g. the congregation). The supernatural explanation for the powerful growth is the belief that God will heal them and help them in life- they are finding it is working or attributing the benefits to Christianity.
The CCP are most suspicious of Islam because of militant extremists. The ethno-religious minorities of Xinjiang also present a challenge for the CCP. Terrorism from small groups like the ETIM and Islamic extremism caused a major firestorm and crackdown before the Beijing Olympics in 2008 along with mass protests in Tibet.
Many sects and religious movements have been banned, like the Falun Gong. Moreover the Tibetan Buddhist monks are engaged in radical political demonstrations continuing a decades old separatist movement and whose spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is in exile living in India. Over a hundred have Tibetan Buddhists have self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule of Tibet.
Is it possible to eliminate them? No. The Party has sought to control them. The top-down approach offers a control filter religious practice in five accepted faiths (Buddhism, Taoism, Protestantism, Catholicism and Islam) run through the The State Administration for Religious Affairs’ Bureau of Religious Affairs. All other faiths aside from the five are illegal and invalid.
The People’s Republic of China Constitution: “Article 36. Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens who believe in, or do not believe in, any religion. The state protects normal religious activities. No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state. Religious bodies and religious affairs are not subject to any foreign domination.”
The recent statements are in staunch contrast to present CCP obligations and Western expectations. The CCP membership, for example, is not allowed to take part in any religious ceremonies. Only a minority of CCP members are even religious at all- they have to be in one of the five legal religions.
The CCP does not care about the particulars; they are looking to boost morality along with economic and other successes. It is a look to the past- the emperor’s sponsorship to Confucianism, for example. At the same time, other religions were also suppressed when a favorite was selected. It is another sign that communism is dead in everything but name. It’s atheistic and secular character are being tossed aside out of necessity from social degeneration which is both recognized by and unacceptable to its leadership.
In addition to greater leniency, they could also consider teaching comparative religion in their schools and promoting ethical values but really they might go much further than that. I almost seems by the tone of President Xi that there could be a strong ‘back to the family’ Confucian and Taoist blend of values instead of solid religious dogmas. It is not unlike the conservative movements in America that desire to return to a romanticized version of the past and increase the awareness and practice of the prior dominant religion- Christianity, where it too has been replaced with secularism and moral decline- no one teaches moral values in school, as far as class subjects go and there are few attending “Sunday school.”
Many argue there exists an easy affinity between Christianity and Western economic and modern growth which could explain the rapid rise in China. Interestingly enough, Christianity would provide China with a needed synergy between ethical governance and business that is lacking within China and the CCP.
Instead, they are turning to older faiths with their desire is to resurrect a uniquely “Chinese” moral code, rather than a distinctly Western one as they are culturally on the defensive. In large part, they have found that the only way to stop Christianity and still provide a vital social need in promoting morals may be to counter it with ones they previously destroyed. Yet, Chinese Christianity is radically adaptable and has acculturated Confucian and Taoist sentiments, for example, that may make such an attempt again a failed effort.
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