07-02-2008, 08:48 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->On December 18, the party's politburo, the highest ruling body in the
country, held a plenary collective study session. It was the second one
since the 17th Communist Party Congress that ended in October last year. For
the first time in the history of the People's Republic, the party's top
echelons met to discuss a once-taboo subject - religion.
The Chinese Communist Party, like many other communist parties, is patently
atheist, to the point that religious affiliation is forbidden for party
members. However, right in Congress there was the first sign that things
could be moving in a different direction.
Broadcasting from the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where
the 17th Party Congress was in session, TV screens showed the slim and
attentive face of the young Panchen Lama (the second-highest ranking Lama
after the Dalai Lama), who was following the speech of party general
secretary Hu Jintao. The badge on his chest said "guest". [...] Indeed,
Hu's keynote speech devoted a paragraph to religion [2]. He said religious
people, including priests, monks and lay-believers, played a positive role
in the social and economic development of China. Furthermore, Hu did not
talk about religions as such, thus establishing a form of respect and
non-interference in purely religious affairs. That is, the party is not
interested in religion per se, but it values the positive social
contribution of religious people.
At the study session on December 18, the politburo explored the issue. Two
experts introduced the subject. One was Zuo Xinping, a specialist on
Christianity from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the other was Mou
Zhongjian, a scholar on Confucianism from the Central University of
Nationalities in Beijing. It seemed the party wanted two perspectives, one
about new Christian faiths coming from abroad and one from the country's own
native traditions.
Hu presented some introductory remarks, reported in a Xinhua article in
Chinese [3], and it was indeed an historic event. Two facts are
extraordinary.
It was the first high-level meeting of the party fully devoted to religion.
That was a sign that party leaders recognized the great political
significance of religion in building a "moderate, affluent and harmonious
society". Religion is no longer an issue of public security that can be
handed over to the police - it is a top social and political issue involving
all aspects of society, and therefore all politburo members must be aware of
it.
Secondly, in all of the Xinhua reports, there were no negative, derogatory
remarks about religion, as one would expect to find about the "opiate of the
masses". There were not even "ifs" or "buts" to indicate that the party
would handle religion with diffidence. The English version stresses that
there must be freedom of belief, and in the Chinese version, Hu is quoted as
saying that the party must mobilize the positive elements of religion for
economic and social development. Thus, religion can play an important role
in realizing the "harmonious society" that is the new political goal of the
party. [...]
However, Chinese history tells party leaders that religion is also an
extremely volatile element. Major uprisings in the past were organized by
religious groups. For instance, the Taiping, who almost brought to an end
the Qing Dynasty in the 19th century, were pseudo-Christians. Similarly,
extreme radical Islam now mobilizes millions worldwide. Religion has to be
handled with care, but it cannot simply be ignored or looked down on like
some kind of feudal leftover.
"China's massive wrench: Change in the face of foreign devils" (Francesco
Sisci), Asia Times Online (03 July 08)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JG03Ad04.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
country, held a plenary collective study session. It was the second one
since the 17th Communist Party Congress that ended in October last year. For
the first time in the history of the People's Republic, the party's top
echelons met to discuss a once-taboo subject - religion.
The Chinese Communist Party, like many other communist parties, is patently
atheist, to the point that religious affiliation is forbidden for party
members. However, right in Congress there was the first sign that things
could be moving in a different direction.
Broadcasting from the cavernous Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where
the 17th Party Congress was in session, TV screens showed the slim and
attentive face of the young Panchen Lama (the second-highest ranking Lama
after the Dalai Lama), who was following the speech of party general
secretary Hu Jintao. The badge on his chest said "guest". [...] Indeed,
Hu's keynote speech devoted a paragraph to religion [2]. He said religious
people, including priests, monks and lay-believers, played a positive role
in the social and economic development of China. Furthermore, Hu did not
talk about religions as such, thus establishing a form of respect and
non-interference in purely religious affairs. That is, the party is not
interested in religion per se, but it values the positive social
contribution of religious people.
At the study session on December 18, the politburo explored the issue. Two
experts introduced the subject. One was Zuo Xinping, a specialist on
Christianity from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the other was Mou
Zhongjian, a scholar on Confucianism from the Central University of
Nationalities in Beijing. It seemed the party wanted two perspectives, one
about new Christian faiths coming from abroad and one from the country's own
native traditions.
Hu presented some introductory remarks, reported in a Xinhua article in
Chinese [3], and it was indeed an historic event. Two facts are
extraordinary.
It was the first high-level meeting of the party fully devoted to religion.
That was a sign that party leaders recognized the great political
significance of religion in building a "moderate, affluent and harmonious
society". Religion is no longer an issue of public security that can be
handed over to the police - it is a top social and political issue involving
all aspects of society, and therefore all politburo members must be aware of
it.
Secondly, in all of the Xinhua reports, there were no negative, derogatory
remarks about religion, as one would expect to find about the "opiate of the
masses". There were not even "ifs" or "buts" to indicate that the party
would handle religion with diffidence. The English version stresses that
there must be freedom of belief, and in the Chinese version, Hu is quoted as
saying that the party must mobilize the positive elements of religion for
economic and social development. Thus, religion can play an important role
in realizing the "harmonious society" that is the new political goal of the
party. [...]
However, Chinese history tells party leaders that religion is also an
extremely volatile element. Major uprisings in the past were organized by
religious groups. For instance, the Taiping, who almost brought to an end
the Qing Dynasty in the 19th century, were pseudo-Christians. Similarly,
extreme radical Islam now mobilizes millions worldwide. Religion has to be
handled with care, but it cannot simply be ignored or looked down on like
some kind of feudal leftover.
"China's massive wrench: Change in the face of foreign devils" (Francesco
Sisci), Asia Times Online (03 July 08)
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JG03Ad04.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->