Religion a mere toy for China’s comrades

Religion in China has received its last nail in the coffin with a new set of rules, effective from Feb. 1.

The new regulations on religious affairs make religion submissive to the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP). This is because they cover every aspect of religious life, from the formation of communities to daily activities.

The comrades at the Religious Affairs Office will have a say in rites and rituals, selection of leaders, annual meetings, hiring staff and handling funds. All of these activities must be reported in advance for their approval.

The CCP has been placed above all religious heads, reducing the role of the clergy to that of a meek facilitator. It is going to be hard for Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and Taoists — followers of China’s ancient folk religion — who will only be allowed to practice their faith in the country with strings attached.

In the lexicon of the CCP, there is hardly any difference between politics and religion. This strange fusion of religion and politics puts the onus on religious personnel to implement the total submission of all their members to the CCP. Thus, the CCP expects the clergy to play the role of political proselytizing to advance the so-called “socialist cause.”

With these controls, religion has been reduced to a mere tool for the CCP to prevent any unwanted people’s intervention. Religion has been co-opted as part of President Xi Jinping’s New Cultural Revolution, making a big noise. To survive in Xi’s China, believers are expected to know a few things about “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

But, like Mao’s Cultural Revolution, Xi’s copycat version is more ambitious as it wants to wipe out faith in God altogether. To make this happen, the CCP will handpick Catholic priests or Protestant pastors, leaving little room for the ecumenical hierarchy.

It is a tough task for believers to follow the diktat of a political party that boasts of its atheistic moorings. None expects a sermon on the mount from such a party. The new measures met with criticism from the beginning. However, it fell on the deaf ears of the Communist Party.

Any religious group that refuses to submit to the party will be declared heretical and their churches and temples will be torn down. The fate of one million ethnic Chinese Uyghur Muslims who have been sent to “re-education camps” is a terrifying example.

The sinicization of religion is a kind of brainwashing that creates an illusion among believers. Sinicization reached its peak in 2019. This nationwide localization was introduced to make room for religion to promote the official ideology and strengthen the CCP’s own hold on power.

For the Catholic Church, the CCP has a different goal. Under Article 5 of the new rules, the party wants to transform the Catholic Church into a “socialist church,” not a church belonging to God. It loves to look at the church community as a local party unit.

As a political party and a social organization, the CCP has never been legally registered in compliance with the constitution of the country. There is no government agency to scrutinize the financial dealings of the party. But it has not deterred the CCP from tightening its grip on religious groups, which are strictly abiding by the constitution.

The CCP has found a novel way of enhancing its status. Suddenly, it is politically correct to say, “Listen to the party, follow the party.” But following an atheist party means betraying the Catholic faith. If the Church is run by people who have betrayed their faith, it would not be a church at all. It will be a fatal blow to the faithful.

The CCP has always backed all its anti-religious actions by piecing together relevant laws.

The introduction of the new measures will serve as a cover to hide the heinous acts of the party. Religion in China could end up in the hands of the CCP, which could dismantle it on flimsy grounds following the decisions of handpicked church leaders. Officially, church leaders will act against church communities, saving the CCP from criticism by local people and the international community.

The internal decision of a religious group is the final word. However, if a breach of law is involved, it will be directly passed on to the state-run religious office. It helps to engineer a split at any time in a church community, letting the party emerge as the winner in the game.

Whoever crosses swords with the party will be dismissed on grounds that they have failed to pass an internal assessment. Those clergymen who obey the CCP will go up in hierarchical rank.

China wants religion to follow the ultimate diktat of the dictator: “Those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish.”

Behind the iron curtain of the party, religion has been reduced to a toy for the comrades.