On April 24^th China’s top leaders, including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, met to renew and update China’s policies on religious affairs. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, the freedom of religion was expanded as the state loosened its control over many aspects of society. Nevertheless, China remains an officially communist state, and that stance is reflected in Xi Jinping’s statements made at the conference. Xi Jinping stressed that religion must work towards consolidating the rule of the CCP and the continued unity of the People’s Republic of China. Xi Jinping also emphasized the role of the CCP to “guide” religion to become more Siniciazed. Xi Jinping also stressed that while the CCP would work towards better understanding, its ranks will remain closed towards the religious. Paradoxically, all of these measures are implemented under the title of expanding religious freedoms. Despite the emphasis on a new framework, many of the policies outlined by Xi Jinping are actually old policies that can trace their roots to Deng Xiaoping, if not earlier. While the scope of the measure have changed, the core values represented by these policies have remained consistent over the past four decades.

One of the principles articulated by Xi Jinping is that religion should serve the goals of the Chinese state. Xi Jinping stressed that religion must help boaster social harmony and that religious authorities must “submit to the highest national interests and the interests of the Chinese people”.[1] The “guidance” of the Party remains paramount in directing the beliefs and actions of religious organizations. Xi also urged religious leaders to find values, beliefs, and practices that are compatible and complementary to Chinese socialism. According to Xi, religions in China should adopt more Chinese culture, should help to glorify Chinese culture, and it should adopt a similar policy regarding social values as the mainstream.

In order to facilitate cooperation between Party functionaries and religious groups, religious education would become mandatory part of the curriculum for the Party’s cadres. Party cadres must respect various religions, religious differences, rituals, and beliefs. Xi stressed that the Party officials and the religious authorities must work together in order to develop a new political framework on the relationship between the Party and the religious groups.

Despite increased resources to educate Party functionaries on religious members, Party cadres must remain staunchly atheist. Xi’s statements say Party members “should not base their values on their religious beliefs”. The Party would continue to promote belief in science and steer youths away from religion.[2] Xi insisted that, while Party workers must respect religion and recognize the reality of its development in modern China, they must use “Marxist standpoint, prescriptions, methods, and knowledge” to approach it. Xi’s speech stressed that

“the principle of separation of Church and State must be maintained. Religion must be prevented from influencing politics, laws, and education”.

Many Westerners may be puzzled by the apparent contradictions in Xi’s statements, that call both for more understanding and freedom of religion, while at the same time prescribes more Party control over religious activities. To many Marxists and other members of the Party, a country where religion is deeply ingrained in its culture, such as the United States, is a theocracy.[3] In order to have true religious freedom, people must not be introduced to religion until they are sufficiently old enough to make “rational” decisions. People must choose to follow a religion out of their own free will. Otherwise people that grew up under religious influence are “indoctrinated” and are not truly “free” to exercise their “freedom of religion”.[4] Under this framework, the conclusion is that the only way to achieve freedom of religion is by religious education until youths are deemed to be old enough.

Despite the calls for a new framework, the CCP’s position on religion did not appear to have changed very much since the days of Deng Xiaoping, or even Imperial times. Religion in China had almost always been suppressed by the dominant Confucian elite and prevented from influencing state functions and social values. Traditional religions, such as Buddhism, Taoism, and to some extent Islam, were coopted to act as supplements to Confucian morality and framework. Christianity, however, remained problematic with Chinese authorities since the Chinese Rite Controversy in 1646, when the Pope declared Confucian ancestor worship to be incompatible with Christian beliefs. Throughout the 19^th century, Christian missionaries helped to spread Western influence in China, with the freedom for missionary preaching were usually forced onto the China due to its military defeats.[5] After 1949, the opinion of the CCP towards many Christian groups was that they were part of foreign organizations working for foreign interests.[6] Religion has always been used in China to help buttress the authority of the ruling elite, whether it was the emperors or the Communist Party. Incremental conferences may expand or contract rights, but the core values and methods remain relatively unchanged

Bibliography

Song, Cai. “Lue Lun Wo Guo De Zong Jiao Xin Yang Zi You.” [In Chinese]. Journal of South-Central University for Nationalities, no. 3 (1989): 36.

“Xi Jin Ping Zai Quan Guo Zong Jiao Gong Zuo Hui Yi Shang Qiang Diao Fa Zhan Zhong Guo Te Se She Hui Zhu Yi Zong Jiao Li Lun Quan Mian Ti Gao Xin Xing Shi Xia Zong Jiao Gong Zuo Shui Ping.”  People’s Daily (2016). //politics.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0424/c1024-28299800.html.

Zhong Jian, Mou. “Cong Gǔ Zhì Jin Wǒ Guo Zhǔ Liu She Hui Shi Ru He Kan Dai Zong Jiao De?”  Guangmin Daily (2016). Published electronically 21.04.2016. //news.gmw.cn/2016-04/21/content_19791112_2.htm.

[1] “Xi Jin Ping Zai Quan Guo Zong Jiao Gong Zuo Hui Yi Shang Qiang Diao Fa Zhan Zhong Guo Te Se She Hui Zhu Yi Zong Jiao Li Lun Quan Mian Ti Gao Xin Xing Shi Xia Zong Jiao Gong Zuo Shui Ping,”   People’s Daily (2016), //politics.people.com.cn/n1/2016/0424/c1024-28299800.html.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Cai Song, “Lue Lun Wo Guo De Zong Jiao Xin Yang Zi You,” [Discussion on Freedom of Religion in China.] Journal of South-Central University for Nationalities, no. 3 (1989).

[4] Ibid.

[5] Mou Zhong Jian, “Cong Gǔ Zhì Jin Wǒ Guo Zhǔ Liu She Hui Shi Ru He Kan Dai Zong Jiao De?,”  Guangmin Daily (2016), //news.gmw.cn/2016-04/21/content_19791112_2.htm.

[6]Ibid.