4.4 Religion Flashcards
What did Confucianism say?
- Men superior to women
- Respect ancestor (ancestor worship)
- Specific gender roles
What did article five of the PRC’s common programme promise?
Freedom of religious beliefs. It was later-reaffirmed in Article 88 in the 1954 constitution
What was religion like in 1949?
- Important parts of people’s lives
- Ceremonies how to honour Confucius
How influential was Islam in Xinjiang?
- The defining characteristics of society and culture
- Controlled schools
What was the communist attitudes towards religion?
- Religion is a feudal superstition, rivals to communist rule.
- Confucianism upheld the old imperial system.
- Christianity was Western thought and a myth.
Why was Buddhism targeted?
- The contemplative nature of Buddhism made its adherents more difficult to mobilise in mass activity.
- Its pacifist outlook clashed with the priorities of the leadership.
- Tibet - where most of China’s Buddhist lived - potential buffer zone, that the communist could not afford to not have control over
What actions did the CCP against Buddhism?
- Lamaism (Tibet form of Buddhism) practice banned in public
- PLA sent to Tibet to suppress demonstrations, arrest protestors and execute leaders
- Monasteries turned into army barracks and came under the control of the Chinese Buddhist Association
How successful was the CCP in destroying Buddhism?
Successful as Tibet was preserved as a security buffer zone and they deliberately extended the famine to Tibet.
Limitations = continued need for periodic clampdowns, Buddhism still China’s most practised religion.
What actions did the CCP take against Islam?
- Mosques were closed and vandalised
- Muslim leaders were subjected to struggle sessions
Why was Islam targeted?
Islamic values were incompatible with Marxism
How successful was the CCP in destroying Christianity?
Successful as Protestant and Catholic Churches weakened
Limitations - Christianity existed at a reduced capacity
What actions did the CCP take against Christianity?
- Arrest for espionage drove most Protestant missionaries out of the country.
- Propaganda attacked the behaviour of the church.
- Instead of completely eradicating Christianity, patriotic churches were allowed to continue to function but lost all independence.
Why was Christianity targeted?
Christian values were incompatible with Marxism
How successful was the CCP in destroying Confucianism?
- Successful as its core value was widely criticised since 1911
- Limitations = Confucius values surrounding the family was too engrained to be completely eradicated
What actions did the CCP in destroying Confucianism?
- Communist propaganda denounced Confucian attitudes
- Monuments in Confucian homes was ransacked
- “Confucius and Co” used to label undesirable elements of Chinese culture - Jiang Qing portrayed Lin Biao as a version of Confucius
Why was Confucianism targeted?
- It was blamed for Chinas weakness
- It upheld traditional authority
- Clashed with communist values
Why was Buddhism attacked?
Buddhism had a significant influence on the development of culture - its followers were more difficult to mobilise
How was Buddhism attacked?
- The Tibetan form of Buddhism was banned from being practiced in public
- Priests and nuns were beaten
Why was Christianity attacked?
- Extremely incompatible with Marxism
What did Mao say about Christianity?
- Mao declared religion as poison
- compared missionaries to Nazis
How was Christianity attacked?
-Many church buildings were closed down and their property confiscated
- clergy were attacked
How effective were the attacks against Christianity?
Both Protestant and Catholic Churches were seriously weakened by communist persecution and continued to exist only in a reduced capacity
How effective were the attacks against Buddhism?
Not really effective - Buddhism remains the most widely practiced religion today
Why was Islam attacked?
Islam offered a set of values that ran counter to the atheistic communist state
