China official says West using Christianity to undermine country

[webfact]

China official says West using Christianity to undermine country

 

FILE PHOTO: A believer reads the bible during mass at St. Joseph's Church, a government-sanctioned Catholic church, in Beijing, China, October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - Western forces are trying to use Christianity to influence China's society and even subvert the government, a senior official said, warning that Chinese Christians needed to follow a Chinese model of the religion.

 

China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.

 

The government has cracked down on underground churches, both Protestant and Catholic, even as it seeks to improve relations with the Vatican.

 

In a speech on Monday, Xu Xiaohong head of the National Committee of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement of the Protestant Churches in China, said there were many problems with Christianity in the country, including "infiltration" from abroad and "private meeting places".

 

"It must be recognised that our movement's surname is 'China' and not 'Western'," Xu said, according to remarks reported by the United Front Work Department, which is in charge of co-opting non-communists, ethnic minorities and religious groups.

 

"Anti-China forces in the West are trying to continue to influence China's social stability and even subvert our country's political power through Christianity, and it is doomed to fail," he said, speaking to the Chinese parliament's largely ceremonial advisory body.

 

"For individual black sheep who, under the banner of Christianity, participate in subverting national security, we firmly support the country to bring them to justice."

 

Only by eliminating the "stigma of foreign religion" in China's Christianity can its believers benefit society, he added.

 

"Only by continually drawing on the fine traditions of Chinese culture, can China's Christianity be rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture and become a religion recognised by the Chinese themselves," Xu added.

 

"Only by continuously carrying forward and practicing the core values of socialism can our Christianity truly be suited to socialist society."

 

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-03-12

[YetAnother]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Anti-China forces in the West are trying to continue to influence China's social stability and even subvert our country's political power through Christianity,

marking a new high point in paranoia

[Puchaiyank]

Constant battle for the minds of people in every state...not just China.  Religious zeal is the most difficult to control...at least most Christians are a passive resistive force...unlike other religions who teach hate instead of love...terrorize the population while claiming moral superiority...

 

[lannarebirth]

I read the headline "China official says West using Christianity to undermine country" and I thought, yeah, that's absolutely right. But then I saw he was talking about undermining China rather than the countries from where the religion was coming from and I have to disagree. 

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

Constant battle for the minds of people in every state...not just China.  Religious zeal is the most difficult to control...at least most Christians are a passive resistive force...unlike other religions who teach hate instead of love...terrorize the population while claiming moral superiority...

 

Yes, the history of Christianity is an unblemished record of love and tolerance. In opposite world.

[LomSak27]

Like in the west for the most part religion operates under its own system, that may or MAY NOT be moving in parallel with national governments aims and desires. And that totally pisses the Chinese off and they immediately think conspiracy ... because they can't control it. That is a telling and sobering admission on how the Chinese Government and large sections of the population think.

[Cryingdick]

Let them cry.

[Jack Mountain]

Religion is opium for the people so I could be true. They've tried it before and failed ...

[bristolboy]

The best thing that ever happened to Christianity in the modern world was Communism. Christianity thrived in Eastern Europe when it was the source of opposition to the governments. Now it's not doing nearly so well.

[Krataiboy]

The Chinese Christians are having it easy compared with the Uyghurs.

[emptypockets]

59 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

The Chinese Christians are having it easy compared with the Uyghurs.

Why use that word instead of Muslims? 

[Krataiboy]

3 minutes ago, emptypockets said:

Why use that word instead of Muslims? 

Because not all Uyghurs are Muslims, though the majority are.

[RickBradford]

11 hours ago, webfact said:

Western forces are trying to use Christianity to influence China's society and even subvert the government, a senior official said,

This is Communism 101; create an external bogeyman, often made of straw, so that the regime can position itself as the only barrier against "hostile forces" imperilling the revolution.

 

The Vietnamese Communists have a campaign almost every year along these lines. One recent one:

 

Vietnam will prevent "hostile forces" from exploiting democracy and human rights to sabotage the country's revolution, a senior leader said Tuesday. "We are trying hard to maintain political stability and we struggle against all the manoeuvres of hostile forces by preventing them from profiting from matters such as democracy, human rights, multipartyism and pluralism to sabotage the Vietnamese revolution." 

 

It's simply meaningless rhetoric to distract their own people from the human rights abuses they must undergo every day.

[roquefort]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

"Only by continuously carrying forward and practicing the core values of socialism can our Christianity truly be suited to socialist society."

Shouldn't be a problem, Jesus was a socialist.

[Prissana Pescud]

6 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Why use that word instead of Muslims? 

Uighers are a Turkish ancestry peoples. Not all are muslim. They have links to Turkmenistan and so on.

 It would be like calling native Americans - "christians"

[Prissana Pescud]

It is strange for China to take this stance, almost reverting to the heights of the Cultural Revolution when Christianity and Buddhism was almost stamped out.

 Meanwhile in the west, religion is losing its appeal. Virgin births, a spirit with the dubious job of impregnating virgins (can anyone get elected for that job?) and

The rest of the nonsense that The Church of Paul stole from The Church of Christ.

Do you see any modern Christians "turn the other cheek" and other basic Jesus teachings.

One thing about the modern western religion is that you cannot be compelled to join it or follow its teachings.

So China paranoia is on the rise. And its return to oppression is also on the increase with major actions against Tibetans, Uigher and Christians.

 

[sanemax]

11 minutes ago, Prissana Pescud said:

Uighers are a Turkish ancestry peoples. Not all are muslim. They have links to Turkmenistan and so on.

 It would be like calling native Americans - "christians"

Although they are "Turkic" , rather than "Turkish"

[Prissana Pescud]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Although they are "Turkic" , rather than "Turkish"

Correct, thank you. But it does not water down the intent of my post.

Surely every country is entitled to maintain the different cultures. 

I live in Thailand and there are 10 different hill tribes alone.

And that does not take in the communities of Lao, Cambodia (Kampuchea) Myanmar (Burma)

and Malay. And small communities of Cantonese and so on. 

And Thailand for the most part embraces all these communities and cultures. One of their better attributes.

China could learn one thing from Thailand. Embrace culture and religious difference. It has improved Thailand.

[sanemax]

17 minutes ago, Prissana Pescud said:

Correct, thank you. But it does not water down the intent of my post.

Surely every country is entitled to maintain the different cultures. 

I live in Thailand and there are 10 different hill tribes alone.

And that does not take in the communities of Lao, Cambodia (Kampuchea) Myanmar (Burma)

and Malay. And small communities of Cantonese and so on. 

And Thailand for the most part embraces all these communities and cultures. One of their better attributes.

China could learn one thing from Thailand. Embrace culture and religious difference. It has improved Thailand.

China also has many hill tribey people as well,( infact , many on the thai hill tribes have their origins from China) living contently in China .

   The Uigars want independence from China though and they have even gained Independence twice already and they still have nationalistic aims of gaining independence from China .

  If you want to make a comparison, compare the Uigars to the southern Thai Muslims

[Prissana Pescud]

7 minutes ago, sanemax said:

China also has many hill tribey people as well,( infact , many on the thai hill tribes have their origins from China) living contently in China .

   The Uigars want independence from China though and they have even gained Independence twice already and they still have nationalistic aims of gaining independence from China .

  If you want to make a comparison, compare the Uigars to the southern Thai Muslims

I doubt if Thailand has 2 million people in concentration camps. It is no comparison at all.

[sanemax]

Just now, Prissana Pescud said:

I doubt if Thailand has 2 million people in concentration camps. It is no comparison at all.

I didnt suggest that they were identical situations , I just stated that the Uigars  were comparable to the violent southern Thai Muslims who also want independence , rather then the peaceful hill tribes 

[Prissana Pescud]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I didnt suggest that they were identical situations , I just stated that the Uigars  were comparable to the violent southern Thai Muslims who also want independence , rather then the peaceful hill tribes 

The topic is about China stating that the "West" is using Christianity to undermine China.

How or why is not completely spelled out.

But China has used this dubious claim to totally repress Tibet, Buddhists, Uigher and again Christians in its sorry history of repression.

Everytime that the populace of China talks about lessening restrictions, the autocrats lay the blame on someone or something.

This time it is Christians but it could have been any group. And somehow the west is responsible for making converts to Christianity,

and somehow Christians undermine autocracy.

 You wanted to compare Uigher to South Thailand muslims. No comparison. I doubt Saudi is a sponsor of of Uigher for a start. 

[SheungWan]

35 minutes ago, sanemax said:

China also has many hill tribey people as well,( infact , many on the thai hill tribes have their origins from China) living contently in China .

   The Uigars want independence from China though and they have even gained Independence twice already and they still have nationalistic aims of gaining independence from China .

  If you want to make a comparison, compare the Uigars to the southern Thai Muslims

"Contently": Yes, so many happy people.

[bendejo]

China has been singing this tune a very long time, probably started by Mao himself.

 

This fellow was in prison there back when I was a kid.  The Catholic schools even had a comic book graphic novel depicting his life story that they gave to us kids.

https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/30/obituaries/bishop-james-e-walsh-dies-missionary-jailed-by-chinese.html

 

 

 

[Redline]

So the religion in China is The State?

[lannarebirth]

11 minutes ago, Redline said:

So the religion in China is The State?

 

Rhetorical question I'm assuming.

[Redline]

10 minutes ago, lannarebirth said:

 

Rhetorical question I'm assuming.

Yes and yes.  State run and organized religion that cannot deviate from the state ???? they have to rewrite all the texts ???? they should make up new histories that indicate The gods picked China to tell everyone what to do-without question 

[Odysseus123]

The Chinese have resented Christianity since the 19th century when they perceived it (quite correctly) as riding the back of Imperialism in the dismemberment of their country.

Moreover when Christianity went 'native'' as it did in the case of the Tai-Ping it became a half crazed revolutionary force of great power.

 

The two major forces in Chinese history have always been either "centrism"-a drawing in of power towards a centralised bureaucratic state-or is exact opposite-provincial breakup (kingdoms and warlords) and total ruin.

 

Some of these Christian sects are quite messianic and millenarian.