Why China Is Against Religious Freedom

China has been an oppressive force against the freedoms of religion, and the CCP has diminished the right to religious beliefs. China follows the ideas of Communism, which opposes religion. Communism is the main reason why China fundamentally opposes religion and pushes towards atheism. Vladimir Lenin and Karl Marx both deeply hated religion, and the idea of communism stems from the hate of religion. Yes, socialism and communism are alike, but truly, Karl Marx created the concept of communism in order to eradicate religious ideas. Marx destroyed religion in Russia so badly that it became an abolished fundamental in Russia. Russia before the rule of Lenin was very religious, and Orthodox Christianity played a big role in Russian livelihood. Marx theorized that religion was not only the oppressor of man but the reliever of man as well. He believes that religion is like an opioid, which relieves pain.

Marx aimed his hatred toward God and toward the bourgeois class, which oppressed the Russian people. Communism opposed religion because religion made the upper class wealthy and the lower class poorer. The bourgeois class had control over religion and had control over the lower class. Thus, Marx thought that if he could destroy religion, then surely the oppressing bourgeois class would lose power. Soon, the Bolsheviks commenced their irradiation of Orthodox and Catholic priests and bishops. According to Victims of Communism, 28 bishops, 1,200 priests, and over 20,000 parishioners were killed when the Bolsheviks took over Russia.

How does this relate to China? Early Bolshevik Russia is like the current CCP China. China oppresses those who deviate from atheism, and the Chinese government would like everyone to conform to similar identities. China wants to eliminate the separation of its identity and wants to stop what would be called separatism. Separatists are those who are heterodox, in the sense that they do not conform to the Chinese identity. The identity of the Chinese person is being molded by the Chinese government. meaning that China wants to control cultural, racial, and religious aspects of China in conformity. China is clearly oppressing the religious freedoms of its people, and the world is watching it do it. Communism has corrupted the fundamental meaning of human liberty. The ideas of Communism aimed to expand the liberties of humanity while diminishing the oppressive class, but the instillers of Communism became the oppressive class.

China looks similar to Bolshevik Russia, and it fundamentally diminishes religion in whatever way it can. China has long been one of the worst violators of the right to religious freedom, but in Article 36 of China’s constitution, the right to religious freedom and belief is a guarantee. China takes various precautions in order to nullify the freedoms of religion. Religious groups must be administered under the States Council’s Religious Affairs Bureau. If religious groups and religious leaders do not conform to strict laws, then there will be very unfair consequences, including time in prison. For example, Xu Yongze, a very influential leader in the Chinese Born Again Christian movement, was arrested for telling his followers to cry if they wanted to be forgiven. The Chinese government deemed Xu Yongze a cult leader who disrupted the minds of his followers. Yongze was thrown into prison for 4 years, but the term was lowered to 3 years.

Another instance in which China oppresses religious freedom is in Tibet. China enforces the reeducation of Tibet’s nuns and monks. It intends to destroy the core principles of Buddhism and even goes to extraordinary lengths in order to do just that. China has denounced the highest religious leader in Tibet, which is the Dalai Lama. China makes sure that those who conform to the Dalai Lama are re-educated. They were re-educated in the sense that they would have to refuse conformity to the Dalai Lama. China has also reduced the number of nuns and monks in Tibet, and from 1996 to 1997, 3,000 monks and nuns were expelled from Tibet.

The CCP government intends to limit the role of religion in China. But the role of religion plays a huge factor in how people think. Religion has such a strong hold over the decisions that people make, and religious teaching threatens the Chinese government. China has reduced the number of religious sites, chosen religious leaders, and even remodeled religious structures in order to conform with traditional Chinese culture. What China is doing is completely counterproductive. Humans are naturally religious, and like Marx said, religion can be a way of coping with the world. Repressing religious ideas and practices will only destroy the foundation of what humans are. China continually uses every tool at its disposal to make sure that the Chinese people stay in conformity. Sooner or later, China will break free from religious oppression, and we will finally see a better nation.

References:

“Communism and Religion.” Victims of Communism, 29 Mar. 2023, victimsofcommunism.org/curriculum-chapter-3/.

“Communism and Religion.” What Would Make the Clinton China Visit a Human Rights Success? www.hrw.org/legacy/campaigns/china-98/religion.htm. Accessed November 30, 2023.