Summer Olympic Games in China - Essay Example

Introduction With the summer Olympics upcoming in China comes debate about China's political stance on religion. At issue are the Tibet region and religion in China in general. Since Mao Tse Tungs' Red Book (that just about every youth carried in the 1949-1960's Cultural Revolution) religion in China has a history of not being permitted. Chinese authorities would like the world to believe that China is an atheist country. Certainly there are those who practice their religion in this country but, in general, religion is something that is generally discouraged. An examination of the current situation is in order so that we can understand why so many want the U.S. to boycott the Olympic opening ceremonies. Constitution The Chinese constitution was drafted in 1921 and included no references to religion. This was part of the beginning of China's move toward communism and atheism. With Mao Tse Tung's Red Book and Cultural Revolution came the persecution of anything associated with religion. During the Cultural Revolution more than 6000 monasteries were destroyed (Time For Kids, p1). For all intensive purposes the political leadership took the place of religion and religious leadership. Recently the Chinese politicians have revised their constitution to include the word "religion" for the first time since 1921 (America, p6(1)). In addition the politicians included key wording that opened up the possibility of religious observance within China: "The Party strives to fully implement its basic principals for its work related to religious affairs and rallies religious believers in making contributions to economic and social development" (America, p6(1)). The Chinese added the following to their constitution: "Article 36 of China's Constitution: "Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief""(U.S. News and World Report, p4 (2)). The Chinese Communist Party leaders have also been quoted as saying that "religion can play a role in creating a "harmonious society", a term they associated with economic growth and social cohesion" (The Christian Century, P19(1)). As stated above, a religion can be practiced if it "rallies religious believers in making contributions to economic and social development". In essence, if your church contributes to the social welfare of the community than it will be approved by the Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB). Why the Change For many Chinese, daily life consists of a meager existence. It is better than forty years ago when many Chinese were starving. Many social programs do not meet the needs of the many rural Chinese. Many rural Chinese turn to religious organizations within their villages to fund social programs such as schooling and health care. Because of the great need, and the Chinese Communists Party's inability to meet the need, the Party is turning a "blind eye' to the religious organizations in rural villages (The Economist, p25). In one village they worship the Black Dragon. Their temple has been rebuilt (it was destroyed by Maoists) and children are encouraged to work hard in the name of the "Black Dragon". The village services are supplemented by funds from the Black Dragon Temple. The Chinese Communist Party has turned a blind eye to the Black Dragon Temple because it does support social services needed by the community that the government cannot afford to provide. The "officials in Yulin, the prefecture to which Hongliutan (the village) belongs, give the Temple their blessing" (The Economist, p25(3)). Religions Currently, in atheist China, there exists many religions that are practiced. Some who practiced go unnoticed by the Chinese government while others are persecuted. Harmony is used as a determinant as to whether or not a religion is tolerated. If the religion brings social support, like in Hongliutan, then it is allowed (or not noticed). Aproximately 59% of the Chinese population are atheists while the 41% left worship as Taoists, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Dongbaists, Bons, Xiantianists, and Falun Gong. Many Chinese practice folk religions (like Black Dragon). Political Tolerance of Religions For the most part, religions practiced in rural populations are tolerated. In urban areas religious observance is less tolerated. "When the 83-year-old, secretly ordained bishop of Beijing died after a long illness, Chinese police attempted to keep people away from his funeral, the Vatican's Fides news agency reported."(National Catholic Reporter, p7(1)) In this case the Bishop had been under house arrest until he was hospitalized and died. His religion, and position in his faith, were not tolerated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The Bishop had never joined the government approved "Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association" and so was persecuted. This association is not part of the Catholic Church or the Vatican. The problem for the CCP was that the Bishop was loyal to the Vatican and not the CCP. Resurgence of Religious Observance In many regions religion never really was abandoned. Worship was done in private in family homes were it had been for centuries. Also, there are many temples that were not destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. In Quanchou, China, Muslims have been worshiping as they have for centuries when they shared trade routes with medieval Muslims from across the Middle East. Many claim to be descendents of those Arab traders. Some do have facial features found in the Middle East such as a prominent beard and deep set eyes. Official tolerance has allowed the Quanzhou Mosque to hold Friday prayers and other traditionally Islamic functions. It is surprising to see Arabic written above Chinese on the Mosque's sign. It does seem that the CCP is becoming more tolerant but only if you chose to worship at one of its 70,000 approved locations. The Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) overseas the operation of religious facilities in China. If your church or temple is not on its list you can expect that your facility will be shut down. Of course, this is mainly true in the cities. The CCP and RAB have approved Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism as state authorized religions. Each religion has a patriotic association that worshipers must join. Those that practice their religion in China must be careful to follow the rules. One of those rules is that you must have any publications approved by the RAB before printing and then you must use a state approved printer. "Shock news came out this week that a Chinese court had sentenced Protestant minister Cai Zhuohua, his wife and her brother to up to three years behind bars for printing 200,000 Bibles, along with other Christian publications."(Print Week, p71) When questioned about the Cai Zhuohua imprisonment The director of the RAB replied: "'Religion is a point of penetration through which Western anti-China forces seek to Westernise and disintegrate China,' said director of the State Bureau Ye Xiaowen."(Print Week, P71) For China, religion is a covert activity designed to destroy the Chinese Communist Party and China itself. Tibet March 14th 2008 was not a good day in Tibet. The CCP cracked down on protestors killing approximately 80 people. China continues to say that Tibet is part of China and that the Olympic torch will pass through Tibet. The Dalai Lama has been urging Tibetans to cease protests (Business Week, p6) but they continue. As the Olympic torch sees its way around the world protesters meet it at every stop to protest for a "Free Tibet". All the while the United States, and other Western countries, are all but silent about the plight of the Tibetans. China has no intention on changing its stance on human rights issues despite protests in Tibet and surrounding provinces. "The violence was blamed on that "jackal dressed in monks' robes," as one official described Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. Another official said the "Dalai clique" had organized suicide squads as part of its "sinister aim of splitting China."(Business Week, p6) Conclusion The summer Olympics are around the corner and are being met with protests around the world. The CCP and RAB have done some questionable acts over the last few weeks that have the world questioning its human rights stance. Just two weeks ago approximately 80 people were killed in Lhasa, Tibet while others protested in Tibet and surrounding communities. China is a country that claims it is an atheist country. You can worship in China but on China's terms. The religions must be state approved, support the social welfare of the country, and members must join political associations to participate (such as the Catholic Political Association). The Chinese constitution supports religious observance with the 36th amendment. Religons approved must contribute to the economic and social development of the country in order to be allowed in China. Free religious observance is allowed more in rural communities that rely on their temples to support education and health care within the communities. The RAB turns a "blind eye" toward organizations in rural communities that support social welfare within the communities. Although many temples, and other places of worship were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution many were not. Some temples have been rebuilt with the approval of the CCP and RAB. The Chinese Communist Party allows for religious observance so long as worshipers follow the rules set by the RAB and their organization is approved by the RAB. 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