Pilgrims in an Unholy Land

After years of religious oppression, Communist China claims to have progressed since the days of Mao, so why are so many believers, particularly those in the Christian minority, still keeping underground?

Today, the Chinese government is claiming that it has moved past the extreme atheism promoted during the Cultural Revolution, during which time all religions were deemed treasonous and a cultist attempt to undermine the state. The government backs its newfound ideas of religious “freedom” by arguing that it does not outright ban religion, the Chinese constitution endorses “freedom of religious belief and the freedom not to believe.” However, through intimidation, restrictions, and monitoring religious followers in a way that can only be comparable to Cold-War-Stasi security tactics, the government has devised a way to make the practice of religion extremely difficult and risky for Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists, Protestants, and Catholics in China. And those are just the five official religions. Others, such as followers of the practice known as Falun Gong, are left completely ostracized from society by the totalitarian regime, unable to get hired for jobs or apply for government programs according to the Chinese Embassy which refers to them as a “cult” on their website.

Of all the official Chinese religions, probably the one that has gotten the most grief from the government would be Christianity. For the past 30 years, the Communist government has attempted to stop the spread of Christianity on the grounds that it was introduced by foreigners and is therefore particularly threatening in the eyes of the Chung Gong. Part of a growing minority in China, Christians, despite constant and deliberate persecution, are increasing numbers at a rate which has never before been seen in Chinese history. In order to interview Chinese Christians for this article, a considerable amount of discretion had to be taken for those willing to take the risk to talk. According to Phil B., An American ex-pat living in China, The Communist State Security has over 40,000 operatives screening emails continuously for “sensitive words” such as “Bible,” “Christian,” and “God.” For the protection of interviewees, code words had to be used when talking about religion and last names could not be disclosed.

For Christians living in China, being open about their faith can jeopardize their very way of life. Stella, a schoolteacher from Tianjin, explained her struggles with her identity as a Christian living in China. “I can’t openly show my real identity to certain people or at certain places,” she explains, “I need to avoid or ignore questions or conversations that may cause trouble to me or other related people.” The feelings of anxiety and the need for secrecy among Christians in China is comparable to living the life of a criminal, constantly having to hide from the watchful eye of the government. “In one word, I have to be careful,” Stella says. According to a 1997 statement released by the Communist Party called The White Paper, Stella and other Christians who defy the government ‘s unmitigated control of religious activities are in fact “engaging in criminal activity.” The document reads, “.. since the 1980’s, some pernicious organizations have sprung up in certain areas of China which engage in illegal and even criminal activities under the signboard of religion. Some of the heads of these pseudo-religions distort religious doctrines, create heresies, deceive the masses, refuse to obey the State’s laws and decrees, and incite people to overthrow the government.”

If a Chinese National is caught engaging in illegal religious activities, the consequences are severe. Aaron L., a Chinese native from the Shan Dong province, told of the brutality and persecution he and his fellow Christians have suffered under the Communist regime. “The police broke into churches and questioned everyone; asked them to write down their names, names of working units, home addresses, etc.” He told me, “ [The police] took the pastor to a place, even beat him down to the ground before the car.” Aaron knew a pastor who was thrown in jail for an entire year for leading a house church. “He had to do hard labor 14 hours a day for a year,” Aaron said.

Unlike most national governments, which simply do not claim a state religion, China has pronounced that Atheism is the country’s official religious affiliation. Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, Ye Xiaowen, publicly expressed that the guiding "Three Represents" ideology includes serving the interests of "the more than 100 million persons with religious beliefs." In a July speech, he also stated that "upholding the propaganda and education on atheism and upholding the policy on freedom of religious belief are both correct and necessary."

Despite the governments repeated emphasis on religious freedom, restrictions and abrasive rules on religion continue to make life difficult for religious followers in China. Not just Christianity has endured persecution under the Chung Gong. Even though the government has ceased it’s campaign to rid the country of sects the Dalian Government Research Society in northeast China refers to as “cults and superstition” by tearing down religious monuments and ransacking hundreds of temples, synagogues, mosques, and churches, it continues to use other means to prevent followers from participating in religious customs and worship.

Islam, which has a rich history in China, has been another religion, which has fallen subject to the government’s control. The most recent figure of Muslims currently living in China is put at about 20 million. Despite their prominence, Muslims living in China are subjected to many restrictions, which force them to go against their beliefs. Women are forbidden to wear veils, men are required to shave their beards, and pilgrimages to Mecca can only be taken on government run tours. The government has even gone so far as to peg several Chinese Muslims as “terrorists” and allowed the United States to detain them in Guantanamo. All of the men were later found to be innocent. Why does the government put such effort into this misguided war on religion? The sheer size of China and the immense population are not conducive to an all-controlling totalitarian government. The practices shown by the Communist regime in regards to religious control show that instead of putting the welfare of the people first, the government has instead opted to use selective terror to garner their power over the people of China.