CHINA TO BECOME WORLD'S LARGEST CHRISTIAN NATION BY MID-CENTURY

[RayBan]

Not exactly a complement per say but whatever.

Religion is unimportant. All I care about are the individuals.

Unimportant or Useless and unwanted?

 

[tanlixiang28776]

Unimportant or Useless and unwanted?

Do not misconstrue my words.

It is simply unimportant.

 

[below_freezing]

Paris by night is like a comedy for any sensible Vietnamese to laugh at them. Anytime I see them parade a private-first class near high-school dropout in the U.S military on stage and treat him like a super hero it just boggle my mind.

Paris by Night needs to look at their adversary the Viet Cong. These people hardly had any education but they produce world-class scholar like Ngo Bao Chau who wins world-class award ie the Field Medal; that is something that bring pride to the Vietnamese, not some nail salon scientist or private first class in the U.S military that they keep parading.

I wikipedia'ed Paris By Night.

It seems just as silly as China's Falun Gong or Beijing Spring.

Great job on resisting this imperialist propaganda.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

Religion in China

Freedom and Regulation

Article 36 of the Chinese constitution says that Chinese citizens "enjoy freedom of religious belief." It bans discrimination based on religion, and it forbids state organs, public organizations, or individuals from compelling citizens to believe in—or not to believe in—any particular faith. In 2005, the State Council passed new Regulations on Religious Affairs, which allow religious organizations to possess property, publish literature, train and approve clergy, and collect donations as long as they have registered with the state. According to Chinese criminal law, officials who deny citizens of their right to religious belief can be sentenced up to two years in prison.

But religious freedom is still not universal in China. The state only recognizes five official religions—Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism—and considers the practice of any other faith illegal. Religious organizations are required to register with one of five state-sanctioned patriotic religious associations, each of which is supervised by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA). Religious groups that fail to affiliate with one of the five official religions are denied legal protection under Chinese law.

In 2007, two professors of Shanghai-based East China Normal University polled 4,500 people about their religious belief. Their findings, which were published in the state-run China Daily, said that the five official religions account for 67.4 percent of religious adherents in China. Many of the unregistered believers were said to worship legendary figures such as the Dragon King or God of Fortune. According to a report from the U.S. State Department, groups that the Chinese government classifies as "cults" (such as the Falun Gong, Zhong Gong, and a variety of Christian sects) account for many of the unregistered believers as well.

Public security officials monitor both registered and unregistered groups to prevent them from disrupting public order, impairing the health of citizens, or interfering with the state's education system. Some experts say that SARA uses these legal loopholes to curb religious freedom throughout the country. "The fine print matters," says Andrew J. Nathan, former chair of the advisory committee of Human Rights Watch, Asia. He notes that SARA denies legal protection for groups it deems "subject to foreign domination," as well as groups whose activities fail to classify as "normal." These legal ambiguities give SARA the flexibility to decide which religious groups can get state approval.,,,,,

Christian House Churches

Since the 1980s, there has been a significant growth in Christianity throughout China. But many Christians choose not to register with the state. "Some groups don't want to accept the official doctrine," says Nathan, noting that the state-sanctioned form of Christianity is considered too liberal by many adherents in the countryside. Some Catholics practice off the record because the state forbids them from pledging allegiance to any foreign figure, including the Pope. Pope Benedict XVI has said he would like to restore diplomatic relations with China, which were cut off in 1951 after the Communists came to power. But a dispute over the Vatican's right to appoint bishops has prevented progress.

Harold adds that the state limits the number of people who can join each church, so some Christians who want to join the state-sanctioned church find that they cannot do so legally. These regulations have prompted the creation of a sizeable underground Christian community. It is hard to estimate the number of Christians who practice without state sanction, but the Pew Research Center reports that the number is probably between 50 and 70 million. Many of these Christians hold services in "house churches," which are private religious forums that adherents create in their own homes. SARA allows friends and family to hold informal prayer meetings without registering with the government, so these makeshift house churches have more theological freedom than state-sanctioned churches.

House churches, like official churches, are often besieged by the state. According to a report (PDF) from the China Aid Association, Chinese officials harassed house churches in at least sixty cases last year, resulting in 788 arrests and 693 detentions. But experts say the CCP is growing more tolerant of these covert religious forums. In March 2008, Open Doors International, a Christian religious freedoms group, endorsed the State Department's decision to remove China from its human rights blacklist because "religious freedom in China, compared to five, ten years ago, is in much better shape now."

Islam and Uighurs in Xinjiang

According to China's latest census, which was conducted in 2000, there are over 20 million Muslims in China. The country has ten predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Hui, an ethnic group closely related to the majority Han group. Ranking next to the Hui are the Uighurs, a Turkic people who live primarily in the autonomous region of Xinjiang province in northwest China. According to the U.S. State Department, officials in Xinjiang tightly control religious activity, though Muslims in the rest of the country enjoy greater religious freedom.

Xinjiang is an area of special concern because of its Turkic leanings, as well as the fact that it is the base of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), a militant Islamic separatist group. Since 1990, China has accused the ETIM of engaging in more than two hundred terrorist attacks, though experts say the state may be exaggerating. Most Uighurs do not support the ETIM, but they are frustrated with the Chinese government because they face discrimination for having a different religion, language, and culture than the typically wealthier Han Chinese.

The CCP also worries about Xinjiang because of the region's ethnic and religious ties to neighboring states. "What Uighurs have is a very large population of ethno-linguistic and religious brethren in Central Asia, and all the way up to Turkey," says Harold. "They strongly feel that the Uighurs are treated as second-class citizens in China." He says that the state is worried about foreign influences—especially Islamic extremism—that might emanate out of Central Asia and cross into China. These concerns prompt the CCP to keep a watchful eye on religious activity in the region.

Tibetan Buddhists

There are over 5 million ethnic Tibetans in China, most of whom are Buddhist. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, as well as an active participant in the ongoing debate about Tibet's political status. Since 1987, he and his exiled government in India have played a key role in garnering international support for Tibetan independence. Buddhist monks within Tibet have also been active political dissidents, organizing anti-government demonstrations (which erupted into violent riots in March 2008). Experts say that demonstrations like these have convinced the CCP that Tibetan monks are the ringleaders of political dissent in the province.

In order to quell this dissent, the CCP restricts religious activity in Tibet. The state monitors daily operations of major monasteries and it reserves the right to disapprove any individual's application to take up religious orders. "Beijing's hope is that ultimately a new generation of Tibetans will emerge that will be less influenced by religion," writes Melvyn C. Goldstein, director of the Center for Research on Tibet at Case Western Reserve University, in a 1998 Foreign Affairs article. In order to shape the new generation, the CCP has created "patriotic education campaigns" that promote a state-sanctioned version of Buddhism.

Experts say that discontent amongst Tibetan Buddhists stems in part from economic disparities between ethnic Tibetans and Han Chinese. But they also stress the sincerity of Tibetans' religious grievances. "It's definitely the case in Tibet that one of the most immediate sources of frustration of those people who have been most active recently has been China's policy towards religion," says Harold. "The state attempts to vilify the Dalai Lama and force Tibetans to believe something that they do not believe: that he's evil, that he's splittist, and that Tibet has always been and will always be a part of China." Nathan agrees that there is a real religious element in the Tibetan conflict, adding, "The state has unfolded patriotic education campaigns in the monasteries, which they wouldn't do if religion didn't really matter to the Tibetans."

Extracts from:

Religion in China - Council on Foreign Relations

Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) is a spiritual movement that blends aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, and Qigong, which is a traditional Chinese exercise is banned.

Segal is also skeptical, saying, "It would have to be a completely different kind of political environment" for truly independent churches and religious groups to emerge.

 

[RayBan]

Do not misconstrue my words.

It is simply unimportant.

unnecessary ? look I was expecting a good researched and detailed analysis of facts. I don't wana offend you, so just giving it a rest here.

¿ BTW! I dint get why Chinese dragoon thanked you.

 

[tanlixiang28776]

unnecessary ? look I was expecting a good researched and detailed analysis of facts. I don't wana offend you, so just giving it a rest here.

¿ BTW! I dint get why Chinese dragoon thanked you.

Yeah I only do that for military subjects.

 

[RayBan]

Yeah I only do that for military subjects.

exactly! explaining GOD and FAITH is like drawing an intangible object.

 

[asianamerican]

Apparently, there are 10,000 new Christians every day in China.

Posted from WordPress.com:

Many folks have long considered America to always have been and still is a Christian Nation. Now there are many arguments surrounding that. One can argue about our values being much closer to those of the Bible than other countries. Others would argue, what semblance of biblical literacy do people still have in the most literate place on earth? Many are just referring to the sheer number of people who call themselves “Christian”. We then ask how many of those are true believers versus being culturally Christian? Well for sometime now the experts have been keeping their eye on countries like Africa, South America and of course China because of the massive number of “conversions” reported. The axis of faith has shifted to the margins, to the poor of this world. Forget the West and the idea that America is still the center of God’s redeeming work the Holy Spirit is vibrant in these other parts of the world. They are doing “more” than we are. Their numbers inrease daily. They are developing strategies to reach other parts of the world including the US. The Spirit moves with or without us. Let’s just focus on China for now. Right now, it’s somewhere between 80-100 million Christians and growing rapidly. If we simply consider mere numbers China would be the largest Christian Nation in the world by mid-century according to experts.

Looking merely at numbers and their implications, Michelle Malkin posted her find on the rapid rising of christianity in China – 10,000 Christians a Day

Ten thousand Chinese become Christians each day, according to a stunning report by the National Catholic Reporter’s veteran correspondent John Allen, and 200 million Chinese may comprise the world’s largest concentration of Christians by mid-century, and the largest missionary force in history. If you read a single news article about China this year, make sure it is this one.
I suspect that even the most enthusiastic accounts err on the downside, and that Christianity will have become a Sino-centric religion two generations from now. China may be for the 21st century what Europe was during the 8th-11th centuries, and America has been during the past 200 years: the natural ground for mass evangelization. If this occurs, the world will change beyond our capacity to recognize it. Islam might defeat the western Europeans, simply by replacing their diminishing numbers with immigrants, but it will crumble beneath the challenge from the East.

Rabbit Trail:
Commentary from Asia Times, Christianity finds a fulcrum in Asia
Original Source, The Uphill Journey of Catholicism in China

What is God doing in China? What are the implications? Numbers are what people think about first and most. It’s really much more complicated by that. This year actually marks 200th anniversary of the first protestant missionary to China, Robert Morrison. Missions to China actually goes back before Morrison to the 1500s with the Jesuits and prolly even before that. The process of the work of God in China has shown us many things not only about missions but the growth of the church (i’d rather not say church growth) and personal discipleship. It has caused us to reconsider our methodologies and even our securities.

I hope not. Look what the Abrahamic religions is doing to the ME. China should stick to it own thoughts.

 

[Thomas]

Religion is not particularly important in China.

China has the largest number of non-religious people in the world,

If Christianity is growing at such a large rate in China it must hold more importance then you think.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

If Christianity is growing at such a large rate in China it must hold more importance then you think.

China has a very large population. Such issues will not end up affecting the majority of people.

But I'm not particularly bothered, if anyone wants to take up a religion, or if they want to stay non-religious.

It's their own personal business.

 

[below_freezing]

If Christians try an uprising again, I am not against the use of heavy force to repress them.

Christianity is much more dangerous to China than Islam, in fact, on the level of Falun Gong. Radical Islam has killed only 100 Chinese. Radical Christians have killed 20 million directly, and perhaps as many as 60 million indirectly. If any Christian radicals try to repeat 1850 again, the full strategic force of the police and PLA must be turned against them.

 

[Thomas]

If Christians try an uprising again, I am not against the use of heavy force to repress them.

Christianity is much more dangerous to China than Islam, in fact, on the level of Falun Gong. Radical Islam has killed only 100 Chinese. Radical Christians have killed 20 million directly, and perhaps as many as 60 million indirectly. If any Christian radicals try to repeat 1850 again, the full strategic force of the police and PLA must be turned against them.

Not sure what radical Christians today you are talking about that might rise up.

Maybe you are talking about these Christians?

 

[Aramsogo]

Religion in China









Extracts from:

Religion in China - Council on Foreign Relations

Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) is a spiritual movement that blends aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, and Qigong, which is a traditional Chinese exercise is banned.

Segal is also skeptical, saying, "It would have to be a completely different kind of political environment" for truly independent churches and religious groups to emerge.

The Council of Foreign Relatione is a well known Zionist organization. They have their own agenda, mainly the survival of the Jewish race. Chinese people should not think for a second they give a damn about China.

India is the Zionist's backup plan. If they ever get kicked out of the US like they have 170 times in other nations since the dawn of civilization, India meet your future rulers.

 

[scuthan]

I hope not. Look what the Abrahamic religions is doing to the ME. China should stick to it own thoughts.

never take statistics made by church gays for serious. fa lungong said it has 100 million followers in china. buddhism association says it has 300 million followers in china. as early as ten years ago, Christian guys said there are over 100 million christians in china.

i cannot say it is untrue categorically, but my experience tells otherwise. there are 70 million CCP members in china, they are everywhere around us. but there are few christian around me.

 

[StingRoy]

If Christians try an uprising again, I am not against the use of heavy force to repress them.

You mean something in these lines?

China Detains Worshipers Over Praying In Public
BEIJING — The police detained dozens of members of an underground Protestant church on Sunday after the congregation tried to pray in a public plaza in the north of the capital.

The raid on the church, which sought to pray outside after it was evicted from its building under government pressure, was part of a broad crackdown on dissent over the last seven weeks. The campaign has led to the jailing of scores of rights lawyers, writers and activists, as well as the repression of unauthorized worship.

The authorities have also clamped down on less obvious threats, canceling events as diverse as St. Patrick’s Day parades and a collegiate debate tournament this weekend.

The Protestant church, Shouwang, was evicted last week from the space it was renting after the government pressured the landlord not to renew the lease. The congregation, whose 1,000 members make it one of the largest unregistered churches in China, has been seeking legal recognition since 2006.
....