Chinese Current Religion Development Situation - Term Paper Example

CHINESE CURRENT RELIGION DEVELOPMENT SITUATION Introduction Religion has been part of China’s history and continues to play and important role in the social, economic and political affairs of the country. China is a multi-religious country characterized by several religions spanning across the country. Confucianism is one of the indigenous religions and a core aspect in the Chinese culture. Indeed, the religion has enjoyed a lot of support from the masses and became a guiding ideology in the Chinese context. However, Confucianism did not actually develop into a concrete national belief. Presently, over 85 % of the Chinese people subscribe to some form of religious orientation while the rest are regarded as real atheists. The atheists comprise those who do not have any religious guiding philosophy and do not engage in any religious activities in their lives. Since the beginning of Chinese history, religion in the country has always been characterized by pluralism. Religion in the country basically depends upon the free will of the people and does not really require any form of adherence. In this regard, Buddhism remains one of the most widely practiced forms of religion in the country. Indeed, this religion has a very rich history in the country dating back to the 1st century. In the same way, popular religion is one of the most widely accepted religious traditions. Although Christianity has been present in China since the 7th century, much of the religion declined courtesy of several events in the course of history. The rampant persecution of Christians which occurred during the 10th through 14th centuries had tremendous effects on the number of Christians in the country. However, Christianity was introduced back into the country by Jesuit missionaries in the 16th century. Westerns religions gained much foothold in China during the 18th and 19th centuries and this led to the widespread of Protestantism and Catholicism in China. Today, popular religion, Buddhism and Taoism are the largest religions in China accounting for close to 30% of the total population. However, it is imperative to note that the biggest part of the population of China are actually atheists and do not subscribe to any form of religion (Bush, 117). Christians make up close to 4% of the total population while Muslims stand at 1.5%. It is further important to note that several religious movements are scattered across the country considering that China is a very large country with a huge population. Many of the intellectuals in China mostly subscribe to Confucianism. Indeed, religion is a very integral part of Chinese society and this is clearly evidenced through the presence of many tall religious statues across the country. These statutes were created to represent various deities and religious personalities from the different forms of religion realized in the country (Clart, 54). The republic of China was established in 1949 and the government of the country is officially atheist. Indeed, the government views religion as a form of feudalism and an imposition of colonialism on the people and does not therefore support or regard any religion as above the other. However, the people of China are always free in terms of making their decisions. More importantly, the government has established a strong separation between the state and the church. Much of the changes with respect to religion were realized during the Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1967 which was a policy basically geared towards the elimination of religions. During this time, many places of worship in the country were destroyed. There was a considerable relaxation of this policy in the 1970s which marked the end of the Revolution and subsequently religious expression was permitted in the country (Jenner, 46). The 1978 Constitution of China guarantees freedom of religion for everyone in Article 36. As such, it is a policy that no one shall be discriminated upon on the basis of their religion or compelled to join any religion. There has been a massive program across China to rebuild many of the Buddhist and Taoist temples that were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In recent times, the government of China is seen to be much inclined towards Buddhism and Taoism which culminated in the World Buddhist Forum in 2006 (MacInnis, 79). The government presently regards religion as an important part of the Chinese society. In this regard, the government officially recognizes five religions in the country i.e.: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. In a way, the government party controls the institutions in some of these religions it recognizes. In 2007, a new statute was created which identified religions one of the most important elements in the lives of the people. Demographics The religions practiced in China have varying adherents in different parts of the country. Buddhists who make up the largest religious sect are evenly distributed across the whole country. The southern provinces of China including Fujian and Guangdong have lately seen a strong revival of the ethnic Han Shenism which is combines with Zhengyi Taoist tendencies. The folk religion is mostly concentrated in the north eastern and central provinces although most of the people have been secularized in recent times (Overmyer, 35). In the same way, Quanzhen Taoist and Buddhists practices are also found in the northern parts of the country. The stronghold of Taoism is Sichuan which covers the areas where Celestial Masters and Tianshi Taoism had developed. Most of the Christians live in the eastern most provinces and the coastal areas including Anhui, Zhejiang. In the Tibet area, Tibetan Buddhism is the most dominant religion. The ethnic Hui areas mostly practice Islam as a religion and such areas include Ningxia and Xianjiang. Confucianism is spread across the country considering that it is only popular among the intellectuals of the country (Bush, 58). It should be noted that the present religious situation across China draws largely from the communist government which strongly suppressed religion and encouraged atheism. In this regard, the relationship between the different religions in the country and the government was not always smooth in the past especially during the peak of communism across the world. Nevertheless, the government has greatly tried to open up religion in the country recently and many people are encouraged to adopt some form of religious orientation especially the traditional religions. In this regard, religions such as Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism have been encouraged as a way of building a harmonious society. Today China has a number of religious organizations which address the needs of the people. These organizations include: Buddhist Association of China, Taoist Association of China, Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, Islamic Association of China and the China Christian Council. The leaders of the various religious organizations are usually appointed and ordained according to the regulations which govern such religions. More importantly, these organizations are given the liberty to freely run their own affairs and this has seen a number of religious institutions such as schools being established across the country (Bush, 221). Similarly, it is realized that across through history, the different religions have become part and parcel of the tradition and culture in the country. Religious believers strongly appreciate their culture together with their religions. The focus here is to ensure that religion is used to the interest of the people by creating harmony and making people live together despite the differences realized (Monshipouri, 18). Religions Daoism Also known as Taoism, Daoism is one of the foremost religions in China. The religion is indigenous to the country and has a very strong connection to the history and culture in China. The roots of Daoism are normally traced back to the 6th century BC when a great philosopher known a as Laozi wrote a book which specified the various tenets of the religion. His successor Zhuangzi was further instrumental in instilling Daoism principles across the land. However, Daoism did not flourish much as a religion until hundreds of years later when the Taoist sect was founded by Zhang Tioling. It is through his teachings that many of the principles in this religion were codified. There are always a series of conflicts between Daoism and Buddhism. Taoists generally believe that life is meant to be happy and suffering should not really be in the equation. More importantly, they advocate for a balance and virtue in the course of life. Through history, there has been tussles between the two religions as each struggled to be the official religion in the country. The Cultural Revolution was a strong blow to Daoism since many of the temples were destroyed. Nevertheless, the economic reforms in the 1980s led to much restoration of these temples and the religion once again got many adherents across the country (Hanli, 86). In the same way, many of the original beliefs of Daoism have undergone tremendous changes over the years and have drastically changed. The main tenets that define the religion include The Dao which is defined as the ultimate truth. Indeed, The Dao has a lot of connotation and reflects the whole nature and life. Taoists do not generally believe in the extremes of things. To them, things are independent and there is nothing like total evil or total good. In this regard, there must be a balance between the evil and the bad. Another key tenet is De which is essentially the manifestation of The Dao in entirely everything in the universe (Feuchtwang, 112). One of the highest goals of any Taoist is to realize immortality. This is historically achieved through meditation, breathing, and helping one another and using elixirs. Today, Daoism has greatly influenced Chinese culture and its practices have contributed to the development of martial arts such as Qigong and Tai Chi. In the same way, it has contributed to healthy living practices such as vegetarianism and conducting exercises. In any case, many of the Daoism tenets are practiced across Chinese culture irrespective of religious affiliations. One important aspect in the context of Daoism is the use of rituals, substances and exercises geared towards arming people with some cosmic forces or achieving physical fitness. The idea behind such practices is to extend the physical lives of the people to the extent of achieving immortality. A number of traditions seen in the present martial arts have actually been developed through Daoism. Many of the beliefs and teachings under Daoism are based on various revelations. In this regard, different teachings have led to different forms of Daoism which certain core teachings and principles running across the board. The Taijitu and the Bagua are some of the commonest symbols associated with Daoism. In the same way, most of the Taoist temples fly triangular flags which feature mystical writings and diagrams. Other flags are always found in the temples each with a different connotation such as to symbolize the different gods or immortals (Bush, 75). Indeed, it is very difficult to get the exact number of Taoists in China. Part of this challenge arises out of the difficulty in defining Daoism itself. Close to 400 million people in China practice the Chinese folk religion and most of their religious practices have been influenced by Daoism in a way. The Chinese Taoism Association was formed in 1957 and was debased during the Cultural Revolution and reestablished in 1980. Many Taoists practice many forms of rituals in celebrating various occasions. On some occasions food is sacrificed to the Gods to appease them. In the same way, street parades are common on some holydays and these are characterized by firecrackers. One of the strongest traditions of Daoism has always been fortune telling and astrology. Other forms of divination are still practiced by most of the adherents of the religion. Confucianism Confucianism is an ethical and philosophical system of though which originated from the teachings of Confucius. Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who lived between 551-479 BC. His teachings developed through metaphysical and cosmological transformations mostly during the Han Dynasty. After the fall of legalism during the Qin Dynasty, Confucianism was officially acknowledged as an important ideology in Han. Over the years, Confucianism has been transformed through various additions and editions to the original teachings (Tiles, 65). The core ideology under Confucianism is humanism. In this regard, the focus of the religion is basically the family and the world and not really the gods or the afterlife. Strictly speaking, Confucianism does not exalt obedience or faithfulness to some sort of higher law or divine will. The belief is that human beings are capable of being taught and can always rectify mistakes and work towards the better. It all requires personal as well as communal endeavor in the sense of self-creation and self-cultivation (Weller, 18). Confucianism focuses largely on the maintenance of ethics and the cultivation of virtues. People are taught to practice human deeds towards one another and respect each other in the society. More importantly, the need to uphold righteousness and is highly regarded. In this case, it holds that people should always be willing and ready to give up their lives for the sake of upholding the moral and cardinal values that define righteousness. However, it should be noted that it is only few people who identify themselves as true Confucians. In China, Confucianism is mostly practiced by intellectuals most of who use it as a complementary guidelines to other ideological stands such as Marxism, democracy, Christianity and capitalism (Bush, 151). Confucians normally attempt to understand the world through the use of the logic of humanity. The ethics here are viewed as a way of promoting virtues that are critical to societal development. Some of the virtues include Ren-humanness, Yi-righteousness, Li-knowledge and Xin-Integrity. However, there are still a number of important values and virtues espoused under Confucianism. Ren is the most important virtue taught under Confucianism and is basically a promise of altruism and a sense of humanness within society (Bush, 114). The concept of humanness is highly regarded in this religion and is best expressed through the ethic of reciprocity: “Don’t do unto others what you would not want to be done unto you.” Confucians believe that by nature, human beings are born similar but normally practice different things in real life. In this case, people are largely influenced through practice and study and hence the need to always teach them how to act. Some people normally argue that Confucianism is not really a religion given that there are no deities involved and the teachings do not focus on the afterlife. Nevertheless, it has been important in shaping different aspects of Chinese life especially social relationships and moral thought. In the same way, Confucianism plays an important role in China more like other religions in the country. According to the teachings of Confucius, the afterlife and heaven are beyond human capacity and understanding and humans should therefore focus on doing what is right in life. However, many leaders in the course of history wrongly interpreted these teachings and associated Confucianism with a sense of authoritarianism. As such, Confucianism has been associated with authority, immutable hierarchy and unquestionable obedience (Lee, 86). Buddhism Various forms of Buddhism have flourished in China over the years and they have played an important role in Chinese society. This religion has affected philosophy, medicine, literature aesthetics and other aspects of Chinese life. Under much influence from western culture, there have been many efforts to revitalize Buddhism in China. The common form of Buddhism in China is Mahayana Buddhism which is further divided into smaller sects. Collectively, the Mahayana Buddhists believe in the actual teachings of Buddha as opposed to the Theravada Buddhists who pose so many philosophical questions in the search for truth. Buddha directly addressed the problems affecting the people and human suffering consequently became a core issue in the religion. To this end many ethnic minorities in China are basically Buddhists and are comfortable in that religion more than any others (Santoro, 124). Buddhism is normally contrasted with Daoism which does not focus on human suffering but happiness. There has been a lot of competition between these two religions and this has seen them influencing one another in many ways. Despite the shift to communism realized in China from 1949, Buddhism continued to grow in the country most notably after the economic reforms in the 1980s. Today, there are over 20,000 Buddhist temples in China with over 100 million followers of the religion (Bush, 132). Buddhism in China is characterized by several festivals which are essentially holy days celebrated throughout the country by Buddhists. On such occasions, the moral precepts of the religion are strictly observed in addition to having only vegetarian diets as originally practiced in the country. During the festivals, the Chinese Buddhists visit temples and other places of worship and offer prayers, donations, incense and other offerings. In the course of Chinese history, Buddhism has been regarded as the state religion by different rulers. Considering its popularity, many Chinese rulers converted to the religion in order to gain much support from the people. During the Tang and Sui Dynasties, Buddhism was regarded as the state religion and was therefore highly promoted. Similarly, many foreign rulers used Buddhism as a way of connecting with the people and legitimize their rule. Presently, Buddhism is an important religion in China and greatly defines different aspects of life. More importantly, its competition with Daoism is still rife and continues to be felt. Christianity Christianity in China has always been characterized by several events in the course of history. Today, it is the fastest growing minority religion in the country. Chinese Christians include Protestants, Catholics and orthodox Christians. Christianity has actually existed in China since the 7th century but only gained influence in the last two hundred years. Much of the growth in Christianity was seen after the economic reforms in the country when various regions were granted space to flourish (Bush, 79). There are normally many reports of persecution of Christians in Mainland China and this has been a major concern for most outsiders. Here government acknowledges that around 14 million people practice Christianity in the country. However, the figure is always believed to be much higher since many people do not speak out for the fear of persecution. In this case, the number of Christians in China could be as high as 70 million which is nevertheless a small composition of the total population. Chinese government closely monitors the growth of many religious movements which consider themselves as Christians. Since 1949, Christianity has grown tremendously in China. However, much of this growth takes place unofficially in the Chinese house church movement. There are a number of Christian religious organizations in China including China Christian Council, Chinese Patriotic Association and the Self-Patriotic Movement. Many of the Christians meet in church houses which are unregistered fellowships. They are basically underground churches which developed as a result of persecution of Christians in Chinese history (Madsen, 63). However the church houses are tolerated and have therefore become an important part of the Christian community in China. Considering these challenges, it has become very difficult to estimate the number of Christians in China as many of them are not willing to come up and declare themselves. It is however noted that Christianity is presently an important religion in China considering the rapid spread of this religion across the country. It is also worrying that persecution of Christians has not been totally eradicated in the country. Many people still look down upon Christians and this has made the religion to spread through underground means. It is further seen that the spread of the English language across China has led to the spread of Christianity in the country as it provides a good medium of communicating the religion (Bush, 69). Religion and politics The subject of religion and politics in China can always be viewed from different perspectives. Traditionally, Chinese politics has been secular while the country has had no state religion. However, it is further seen that most of the religions in China have deep roots in the history of the country and have greatly influenced several aspects of life in the country. In this regard, it is difficult to completely separate the subject of politics from religion. In the same way, the Chinese state has always influenced religious activity in the county in different ways. For instance Buddhism and Daoism have always presented many challenges to the traditional religions in the country and have consequently been persecuted by the state. The present government of China advocates for free religion but uses the same religion to regulate itself (Timm, 78). Christianity has seen a lot of interference from the Chinese government for a long time. Today, the government is still very wary of Christians and the religion is basically associated with the west. In this regard, it is opposed on the account that it seeks to spread American culture into the country. Many people in the government view Christianity as a way through which the west seeks to dominate the affairs of the country. As a result, most Christians are closely monitored and any suspicious activity is totally opposed. Many Chinese leaders seek to exert maximum control of Christianity in the country so as to hamper its growth which seems to be occurring at a rapid rate (Bush, 182). While religion is an important way of understanding human civilization, the Communist party of China has a totally different approach to religion in the country. Indeed, the history of China is inundated with several instances where all religious activities were banned and all studies on the subject totally abandoned. For a long time, the government propounded the idea that “religion is the opium of the people.” Today, the Chinese government tries to separate religion and the state in order to create a harmonious relationship between the two factions. However, clashes between religion and politics are normally common in China and this has become major issue in the country. In a way, political violence is used as a way of suppressing religious activity in the country. The concern of the government is always the fact that some religious activities seem to go beyond the conventional purpose of religion and border on politics. As such, tensions emerge. In June 2004, the government arrested more than 100 members of the China Gospel Fellowship in the city of Wuhan. The arrests were basically a way of clamping down on the increasing number of house church meetings which had gained much momentum in the country. Today, religious meetings are illegal in China. Many people are serving years in China’s jails for holding religious meeting sin the country. Indeed, the Communist Party is considered to be very authoritarian and does not tolerate any form of politics in the country especially from religious organizations. While the government of China has been very repressive towards religious and political freedom, much of that suppression is not reported. In addition, there has been much focus on the economic development of the country from outsiders and the human rights records of Beijing receive little focus and attention. There is much attempt to prevent religion to emerge as a strong independent force in the affairs of the country. In any case, religion will always demand an allegiance that transcends above political authority while the communist party does not tolerate any form of ideological or social competition. In this case, there is much tension between the state and religion given that these two forces pull in different directions (Bush, 49). The constitution of China stresses on the freedom of religion and defines the extent of that freedom to “normal religious activity.” In the same way, the constitution strongly opposes the use of religion in the disruption of social order or creating tensions in the country. More importantly, it recognizes the four important religions in the country. However, the challenge arises out of the fact that the communist party is essentially atheist and the members are advised to stay away from religious activity. In this regard, such people will always be opposed to most kinds of religious activity even in the case of harmless events. This has been a challenge to the development of religion in the country and many of the religions like Christianity have developed through underground means. However, the government is always seen to be much tolerant of the folk religions which are considered harmless to the present social order in the country. The State Administration for Religious Affairs overseas the conduct of all religious organizations in the country and ensures that all laws pertaining to such organizations are adhered to (Overmyer, 63). The government of China has always justified its opposition to most religious activities as a fight against illegal sects in the country. One case in point was the crackdown on the members of the Falun gong movement which was not really considered a religion but was seen to have a huge following amongst the people. The government strongly suppressed the movement due to its perceived organized nature and the threat it subsequently posed to the social order. In 1999, the government banned the activities of the movement and arrested its leaders (Edelman, 68). The strong regulation of religion in China is always intended to achieve various goals. Compliance with the state is one of the most important subjects for the communist party and every religious activity that seems to be in contrary is always opposed. However, the changing socio-economic conditions have made it increasingly difficult to use force to build political legitimacy. As such, the government relies much on popular acceptance of its policies in addition to trading off loyalty with autonomy. Considering the expanding religious spectrum in the country, the government is seemingly losing its capacity to control every religious activity in the country. More importantly, the religious organizations are getting more resilient in their activities and the government continues to find it hard to control them. However, it should be emphasized that the free practice of religion is not always assured in the country. Since the 1980s when religious activity was allowed to thrive in the country, many organizations sprang up engaging in illegal activities under the banner of religion. Most of them are pseudo-religions and basically distort the religious teachings to their own interests. In order to protect the people, the government has always been at the forefront in combating such organizations. However, the challenge arises in the situation where it becomes difficult in drawing the line between legitimate religious organizations and the illegal sects out to mislead the people. In any case, the criminal justice system in the country has nothing to do with religious activity and punishes every wrong doing in equal measure (Bush, 144). The regulation of Islam in China especially in Xinjiang which contains large portions of the Muslim community is always intended to create some sort of convergence between nationalism and religion. The CCP leadership is much focused on preventing religion to be used as an opposition to the leadership or the socialist system. In any case, any religious activity is never supposed to interfere in any way with state administration. More importantly, the religious leaders and members must always confine their activities within the regions they are registered. The state closely monitors the distribution of any literature or religious material to the people the training of religious leadership in China is always conducted through approved religious groups which must work in close collaboration with the communist party and the socialist system. Xinjiang has very high human rights infringement in China and most of these abuses arise out of religious persecutions. Islamic teachers, institutions and practitioners are always harassed and suppressed by the state authorities. The war against terrorism is further used as a justification to harass Muslims in the country. In a way, it is important to emphasize that religious organizations in China are not granted the express authority to express their independent views on most issues in the country. The communist party monitors the activities of the religious organizations and strongly advices them to stay away from the political process. In the same way, the communist leaders are advised to keep off from any form of religion in the country. On the other hand, the constitution of China guarantees the freedom of expression as long as that freedom is not used in disrupting order to creating tensions in the country (Bush, 98). In some cases, the freedom is always infringed upon by the state on the mere account of protecting public interest. With the increasing socio-political awareness in the country, the religious organizations are increasingly becoming powerful voices in the society and cannot easily be silenced by the states as was the case in the past. The awareness of the people on their rights compels the government to grant people the freedom as stipulated by the constitution. Works Cited Bush, Richard Clarence. Religion in Communist China. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2006. Print. Clart, Philip. "Popular religion in China: the imperial metaphor. (Anthropology of Religion).." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 1 Mar. 2002: pp.65-70. Print. Edelman, Bryan Richardson. "Imposed limitations on freedom of religion in China and the margin of appreciation doctrine: a legal analysis of the crackdown on the Falun Gong and other "evil cults".." Journal of Church and State 22 Mar. 2005: pg 65-75. Print. Feuchtwang, Stephan. The imperial metaphor: popular religion in China. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. 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