Religion 1 Flashcards
How did the Communist Party view religious belief?
A form of feudal superstition
Representing the old, outdated views Communism wanted to sweep away
Marxist theory: “opiate”- used by bourgeois elite to pacify workers n peasants n stop them from revolting
Christianity: western imposition, used by capitalist west to brainwash shines into subservience
Influence of Mullahs in Xinjiang and Buddhist priests in Tibet—> political challenge to Communist’s desire to create the “New China”
Attacks on all forms of religious belief/practices began AS SOON AS the CCP came to power
What was the significance of Buddhism in China?
Important contributing role in the development of culture and society for over a thousand years
Most Buddhists? In Tibet, Lamaism underpinned their sense of independence and national identity.
^^^^^^ Communist gov could NOT allow
What did the Communists do to Buddhism?
When the PLA launched the reunification campaigns of the 1950s:
- Buddhist monasteries in Tibet were attacked
- Monks sent to the Laogai to be ‘reformed’
- Temples taken over an converted
- Great Leap Forward: land confiscated and given to communes, monks forced to take up hard physical labour (many starved/forced to abandon their principles and join the PLA)
Why were the attacks on Buddhism not entirely religion based?
Tibet borders India
Ally of West
(China previously had a number of border disputes)
By the end of the Cultural Revolution, what had happened to Buddhism?
✅ few temples or shrines remained
❌ not entirely successful in changing the Long held beliefs of the people
What was Confucianism?
Confucius: Chinese philosopher, 5thC BC
Confucianism: philosophical outlook on life > set of religious beliefs
- family and kinship values
- respect for others
- importance of ancestry worship
Received widespread acceptance,
Shaped the thinking/behaviour of millions of Chinese for 2,500 years
How did the CCP view Confucianism?
Condemned Long before 1949
Came under constant attack from Mao & Gov
What did the CCP do to combat Confucianism?
- Annual ceremonies that commemorated him were banned
- Cultural Revolution: Red Guards destroyed many memorials to him in home town (Qufu)
- Anti-Confucius campaign: confucianism a symbol of any idea that was backward, reactionary: opponents the regime wanted to denounce were publicly compared to him
What did the CCP do to combat Confucius after the CR?
At the end of the CR:
• Gang of Four used anti-Confucius propaganda to attack their opponents
• comparing an enemy to Confucius: they were backward in their thinking/not committed to communist ideology
• 1973: campaign compared him with Lin Biao (actual enemies= people like Zhou Enlai)——> NOT a success (people fed up of campaigns after the CR turmoil)
Were the Communists successful in eliminating Confucianism?
Nah b x
DESPITÉ enthusiastic attacks from Red Guards & Mao on Confucius&HisThought,
Confucian thought NEVER disappeared from Chinese life— followed by many Chinese people today. 🧓🏽⚜️
What were the Communists attitudes to traditions like the New Year celebrations and ancestor worship?
Condemned adherence.
Represented the “old China”, that was to be REPLACED through Communist revolution
Communists wanted to reduce the strength of family ties: (also important to Confucian thought— backward, superstitious)
LOYALTY to the PARTY mattered
What did the Communist try and do to stop people adhering to traditions?
Attempted to dissuade people from returning to graves of ancestors to honour them during the Qingming festival.
The tradition of giving children hongbao was viewed as bourgeois.
Workers were discouraged for carrying joss sticks & paper money back to their home villages
What replaced the Qingming festival?
A new Communist festival:
National Memorial Day
^^^ instead of paying respect to ELDERS 🧓🏽, people urged to honour the fallen Communist heroes who had died during the Civil War
Were the Communist successful in their efforts to reduce ancestor worship?
Never entirely.
Evident from spontaneous outpouring of public respect for Zhou Enlai when he died — the tributes paid in Tiananmen Square were very much like ancestor worship.
