4. RELIGION
- In aftermath of communist seizure of pwr: Party quick to guarantee religious freedom
- Article 5 of Common Programme: promised freedom of religious belief
Later reaffirmed in Article 88 of 1954 Constitution
- BUT: later, regime wouldn’t allow legal restraints to control their actions.
Religion in 1949
- 3M Catholics, 1M Protestants
- Islam important in Xinjiang
Communist attitudes to religion
- Denounced, having no place in New China
- Islamic mullahs, influenced people… seen as rival to communist rule, so were the Buddhist lamas.
- Constant premise: religion had no place.
Confucianism:
During CR: attack on Confucianism became violent
- Temple at Confucius’ birthplace = attacked
- Liu Shaoqi had been purged, and he had preached Confucian ideas
- When Gang of Four wanted to attack their enemies, they launched the ‘criticise Confucius campaign’
Ancestor worship:
- Traditional beliefs = old-fashioned, not New China…
- New Year festival: families returned to their ancestral home, honour ancestors…
o Communists discouraged & condemned these traditions – encouraged NEW pratices.
instead of traditional folktales, ppl should be told stories of struggle for liberation
Buy pictures + slogans worshipping Mao
Streets renamed, religious shrines destroyed… replaced by Mao.
- National Memorial Day
o Ch’ing Ming festival going to graves + making offerings to ancestors
New Communist festival announced instead.
By 1966: festival focused on those who had died during liberation.
How successful was gvtm in destroying old attitudes?
- Temples, religious states… destroyed but this did not mean beliefs disappeared
Early religious policy
- CCP initially tried to win over leaders of religions.
- Party invited representatives to attend the First National Political Consultative Conference (NPCC) –
Sept 1949
o Included 4 Protestants, 2 Buddhists, 1 Muslim
Christianity
- Thought to be representative of Western ideas
- 1951: Religious Affairs Department (RAD) created
o 1954: upgraded became Religious Affairs Burea.
Tasks = coerce Christians to cut ties w/ foreign countries, take over Church schools…
- In aftermath of communist seizure of pwr: Party quick to guarantee religious freedom
- Article 5 of Common Programme: promised freedom of religious belief
Later reaffirmed in Article 88 of 1954 Constitution
- BUT: later, regime wouldn’t allow legal restraints to control their actions.
Religion in 1949
- 3M Catholics, 1M Protestants
- Islam important in Xinjiang
Communist attitudes to religion
- Denounced, having no place in New China
- Islamic mullahs, influenced people… seen as rival to communist rule, so were the Buddhist lamas.
- Constant premise: religion had no place.
Confucianism:
During CR: attack on Confucianism became violent
- Temple at Confucius’ birthplace = attacked
- Liu Shaoqi had been purged, and he had preached Confucian ideas
- When Gang of Four wanted to attack their enemies, they launched the ‘criticise Confucius campaign’
Ancestor worship:
- Traditional beliefs = old-fashioned, not New China…
- New Year festival: families returned to their ancestral home, honour ancestors…
o Communists discouraged & condemned these traditions – encouraged NEW pratices.
instead of traditional folktales, ppl should be told stories of struggle for liberation
Buy pictures + slogans worshipping Mao
Streets renamed, religious shrines destroyed… replaced by Mao.
- National Memorial Day
o Ch’ing Ming festival going to graves + making offerings to ancestors
New Communist festival announced instead.
By 1966: festival focused on those who had died during liberation.
How successful was gvtm in destroying old attitudes?
- Temples, religious states… destroyed but this did not mean beliefs disappeared
Early religious policy
- CCP initially tried to win over leaders of religions.
- Party invited representatives to attend the First National Political Consultative Conference (NPCC) –
Sept 1949
o Included 4 Protestants, 2 Buddhists, 1 Muslim
Christianity
- Thought to be representative of Western ideas
- 1951: Religious Affairs Department (RAD) created
o 1954: upgraded became Religious Affairs Burea.
Tasks = coerce Christians to cut ties w/ foreign countries, take over Church schools…
