China's Religious Freedom Policy: The Art of Managing Religious Activity

Leung, Beatrice

doi:10.1017/s030574100500055x

Cited by 83 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In the argument of historical materialism, religion is something that is doomed to disappear as society advances into a higher stage of development (Marx 1973). Apart from the incompatibility between atheist Marxism and religion, Chinese leaders assert that institutional religions are closely linked to both foreign cultural imperialism (Christianity) and feudalism (Buddhism and Taoism) (Leung 2005). Christianity has been stigmatized as an "alien" religion that might be used by Western forces to conquer the Chinese nation.…”

Section: Atheist Education and Institutional Religionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Ideological Education in China Suppress Trust in Religion and Foster Trust in Government?

2017

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Abstract:A major goal of ideological education in China is to promote loyalty to the party-state and to instill atheism among the people. How effective is this ideological education? This article examines the relationship between education and trust in government and trust in religion using data from the 2010 Chinese General Social Survey. We find that education is negatively associated with trust in government, while positively related to trust in religion. Our findings suggest that policies aimed at displacing religion in favor of the Communist ideology have largely failed to shape the public mindset; rather, the more educated, the more people tend to trust religion instead of the government.

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Section: Atheist Education and Institutional Religionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Ideological Education in China Suppress Trust in Religion and Foster Trust in Government?

2017

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“…Although China's constitution allows for religious freedom, religion in China is not a 'private" affair'-not in the liberal sense that, citizens have the freedom to engage in religious affairs free from state monitoring and coercion. The Chinese party-state, through its religious policies, has always sought to control and manage religion, with strict regulations on where religious practices might be conducted (Leung 2005;Laliberté 2011). In China, it is illegal for citizens to practice religion in the workplace.…”

Section: Spirituality and Religion In The Workplace: An Overviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Serving the Lord”: Christianity, Work, and Social Engagement in China

Lim

2019

Religions

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This study examines how Chinese evangelical Protestant employees view work and the workplace, through the lens of their religion, and how they seek to influence the broader society, in a highly restrictive religious domain in China. Using the concept of everyday religion, I examined how these employees seek to integrate faith into their work and the workplace, and the issues and challenges they face in the process. While existing China-focused studies have mainly looked at the experience of the business elite and Christian bosses, I inquired into the experience of the employees, specifically the professional class. It was found that they did not see a clear boundary between the 'religious' and the 'secular' in the workplace. At the same time, they discursively constructed a distinction between their own Christian work ethos and that of their non-Christian colleagues. This discursive self-othering was double-edged. While it enabled the Christian employees to construct a distinctive workplace and social identity, it risked resulting in them being perceived negatively by non-Christian colleagues, as belonging to a "different kind" (linglei), thus, accentuating the social gulf and tension that might have already existed between the Christian and the non-Christian employees. Most regard the workplace as an important arena for the concrete expressions of their Christian faith and values in everyday life. In doing so, they seek a moral transformation of the workplace, as a way to transform the wider society. I argue that their effort to influence their colleagues and transform the workplace culture is an important kind of unobtrusive social engagement, without open mobilization in civil society.

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“…In fact, religious belief is still under tight control in contemporary China (Potter 2003), and religion remains a politically sensitive topic (Yao 2007). China's legal and administrative institution is accused of being designed to regulate religious activities rather than to facilitate religious freedom (Leung 2005). State-owned resources, public funding, and social spaces are granted exclusively to a handful of 'official' religious groups (Yang 2007), and even these groups do not have much bargaining power and are not allowed to challenge the state authority (Kung 2010).…”

Section: Religious Restrictions In Contemporary China and Their Rootsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Historical Foundations of Religious Restrictions in Contemporary China

Tao

2017

Religions

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Abstract:The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) abolished its total ban on religious activities in 1982. However, the distrust that the CCP feels for religions remains obvious today, and the religious restrictions in contemporary China remain tight. Conventional wisdom tells us that the official atheist ideology of Marxism-Leninism is the main reason behind the CCP's distrust for, and restriction of, religion. However, taking a historical institutionalist perspective, this paper argues that the religious restrictions in contemporary China are in fact rooted in the fierce political struggles of the country's two major revolutions in the first half of the twentieth century. Without the support of religious groups, the Nationalist Republicans would have found it difficult to survive and succeed in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty during the Chinese Republican Revolution in the first decade of the twentieth century. Likewise, without cooperating with a wide range of religious groups, the CCP would have struggled to defeat the Nationalist regime and the Japanese invaders in the Chinese Communist Revolution between 1920s and 1940s. Thanks to the collaborations and struggles with various religious groups during the two revolutions which lead to its eventual ascent to power, the CCP thoroughly understands the organisational strength and mobilising capability embedded within religious groups. The tight restrictions on religious affairs in contemporary China is therefore likely to stem from the CCP's worry that prospective competitors could mobilise religious groups to challenge its rule through launching, supporting, or sponsoring collective actions.

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China's Religious Freedom Policy: The Art of Managing Religious Activity

Cited by 83 publications

References 7 publications

Does Ideological Education in China Suppress Trust in Religion and Foster Trust in Government?

Does Ideological Education in China Suppress Trust in Religion and Foster Trust in Government?

“Serving the Lord”: Christianity, Work, and Social Engagement in China

The Historical Foundations of Religious Restrictions in Contemporary China

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