items of interest

with contributions from Nailene Chou Wiest, Bob Harvey, Gigi Wood

"It wasn't all bad"

"The Chinese Government is considering enacting a law on religion to end years of confusion caused by conflicting administrative orders.... 'Enacting a law on religion is a major task for the government,' said Peng Gaojian, an official with the Legal Affairs Office at the State Council. 'The rule of law is the principle that should guide China's religious policy,' he told a symposium on religon and law organized by the Central Nationalities University [in December]....

"The call to reform China's religious policy has been gathering momentum since the National Work Conference on Religious Affairs at the end of last year. President Jiang Zemin said that religion was likely to outlast the state and the party and urged participants to find ways to 'make socialism and religion adapt to each other.' ...

"[According to Mou Zongjian, professor at the Central Nationalities University,] in the past, religious leaders were often urged to profess their support for the government. 'Religion is concerned with spiritual matters. Religious leaders should not be politicized,' he said. Scholars and officials debated how religious activities outside the five mainstream groups—Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism—should be treated. Jin Ze, a researcher at the Institute of World Religion of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that some religious beliefs should be tolerated and given legal status. He said people needed to have an outlet to meet their spiritual needs.... "

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