By: Daniel Nardini
In a piece of propaganda that I can only call bizarre, The Chinese Communist Party journal Study Times published an article that outlines what the Party calls “superstition.” What they mean by superstition is organized religion itself. The article, by the religious affairs minister Wang Zuoan, states in the beginning that China’s prosperity has in fact increased peoples’ interest in religion. Because of this, it is up to the Party to “educate” the people about the “rationale” (i.e. Communist) approach to life, death, aging and sickness.
The piece goes on about how it is necessary for a “Marxist” party to popularize scientific thought and collective worldview to expunge religion. I find the article extremely sick and cynical to begin with. For a Chinese Communist Party publication to talk about truth is a demented joke. One of the reasons why so many Chinese are turning towards religion is because the Chinese Communist Party has left them with not much else. Think of the millions of Chinese Christians, Muslims and Buddhists the Chinese government slaughtered during the early part of their rule. This fact is still hidden from the people. Think about the vicious persecution still being waged against the Tibetans and the Uyghurs because of their religious beliefs.
The article does not even talk about the vicious persecution of the Falun Gong followers, the blowing up of house churches, and the hundreds of thousands of Buddhist and Taoist temples that were wrecked and torn down during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. If there is anyone who should be learning the lessons of history it should be the Chinese Communist Party. The persecutions and mass killings by the Party is precisely why religion has grown and cannot be stopped. If Wang Zuoan thinks that China will ever become an atheist, scientific society by force, coercion and terror, this will never happen. If anyone has not learned the lessons of history, it is the Chinese Communist Party.
They Did Not Learn
By: Daniel Nardini
The piece goes on about how it is necessary for a “Marxist” party to popularize scientific thought and collective worldview to expunge religion. I find the article extremely sick and cynical to begin with. For a Chinese Communist Party publication to talk about truth is a demented joke. One of the reasons why so many Chinese are turning towards religion is because the Chinese Communist Party has left them with not much else. Think of the millions of Chinese Christians, Muslims and Buddhists the Chinese government slaughtered during the early part of their rule. This fact is still hidden from the people. Think about the vicious persecution still being waged against the Tibetans and the Uyghurs because of their religious beliefs.
The article does not even talk about the vicious persecution of the Falun Gong followers, the blowing up of house churches, and the hundreds of thousands of Buddhist and Taoist temples that were wrecked and torn down during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. If there is anyone who should be learning the lessons of history it should be the Chinese Communist Party. The persecutions and mass killings by the Party is precisely why religion has grown and cannot be stopped. If Wang Zuoan thinks that China will ever become an atheist, scientific society by force, coercion and terror, this will never happen. If anyone has not learned the lessons of history, it is the Chinese Communist Party.