Document No. 19
The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Question during Our Country's Socialist Period
TO: All provincial and municipal Party committees; all Party committees of autonomous regions,
greater military regions, provincial military regions, field armies, ministries, and commissions
within State organs and the general headquarters of the Military Commission of the Central
Committee; all Party committees within the armed forces and within all people’s organizations:
The Secretariat of the Central Committee has recently studied the religious question and has
drawn up a document entitled The Basic Viewpoint and Policy on the Religious Question during
Our Country’s Socialist Period. This document sums up in a more systematic way the historical
experience of our Party, positive and negative, with regard to the religious question since the
founding of the People’s Republic, and clarifies the basic viewpoint and policy the Party has
taken. Upon receipt of this document, Party committees of all provinces, municipalities, and
autonomous regions, as well as those of the ministries and commissions of the Central
Committee and State organs concerned, should undertake conscientious investigation and
discussion of the religious question, and should increase supervision and prompt inspection of
the implementation of each item related to this policy.
It is the belief of the Central Committee that following from this summation of the religious
question, our Party needs to make further progress in summarizing its experience in all other
aspects of its work, as well as of its work in each region and department. It should be affirmed
that since the smashing of the “gang of four” and especially since the Third Plenary Session of
the Eleventh Central Committee, our Party has achieved significant results from the summing up
of its own historical experience. The “Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our
Party Since the Founding of the People’s Republic” passed by the Sixth Session of the Eleventh
Central Committee is a distillation of this kind of result, marking the completion, in terms of
ideological leadership, of the Party’s task of restoring order. Viewed from another aspect,
however, that is, taking our Party’s work on all fronts, all regions and departments, the work of
summing up our historical experiences is quite insufficient.
It is the hope of the Central Committee, therefore, that Party committees at all levels, most
importantly at the provincial, municipal, and autonomous region levels, will, together with the
first-level Party committees and organizations of the Central Committee and ministries and
commissions of State organs, concentrate their main efforts within the coming two or three years
on doing well the task at hand. They should undertake conscientious investigation of the work in
those regions and departments for which they are responsible, systematically summing up their
historical experience, positive and negative, shaping this into a set of viewpoints and methods in
which theory and practice are intimately combined and which are suitable to the conditions in
their regions and departments.
It is the belief of the Central Committee that we need only earnestly grasp this key link and
expand painstaking efforts in order to achieve new results and effectively raise the ideological
and theoretical level of all Party members, who will then adopt correct and effective methods of
work and open up a brand new era as our country goes about the great task of rebuilding
socialism in the remaining twenty years of this century.
Central Committee
Of the Communist Party of China
31 March 1982
I. Religion as a Historical Phenomenon
Religion is a historical phenomenon pertaining to a definite period in the development of human
society. It has its own cycle of emergence, development, and demise. Religious faith and
religious sentiment, along with religious ceremonies and organizations consonant with this faith
and sentiment, are all products of the history of society. The earliest emergence of the religious
mentality reflected the low level of production and the sense of awe toward natural phenomena
of primitive peoples. With the evolution of class society, the most profound social roots of the
existence and development of religion lay in the following factors: the helplessness of the people
in the face of the blind forces alienating and controlling them in this kind of society; the fear and
despair of the workers in the face of the enormous misery generated by the oppressive social
system; and in the need of the oppressor classes to use religion as an opiate and as an important
and vital means in its control of the masses. In Socialist society, the class root or the existence of
religion was virtually lost following the elimination of the oppressive system and its oppressor
class. However, because the people's consciousness lags behind social realities, old thinking and
habits cannot be thoroughly wiped out in a short period. A long process of struggle is required to
achieve great increases in production strength, great abundance in material wealth, and a high
level of Socialist democracy, along with high levels of development in education, culture,
science, and technology. Since we cannot free ourselves from various hardships brought on by
serious natural and man-made disasters within a short period of time; since class struggle
continues to exist within certain limits; and given the complex international environment, the
long-term influence of religion among a part of the people in a Socialist society cannot be
avoided. Religion will eventually disappear from human history. But it will disappear naturally
only through the long-term development of Socialism and Communism, when all objective
requirements are met. All Party members must have a sober-minded recognition of the protracted
nature of the religious question under Socialist conditions. Those who think that with the
establishment of the Socialist system and with a certain degree of economic and cultural progress,
religion will die out within a short period, are not being realistic. Those who expect to rely on
administrative decrees or other coercive measures to wipe out religious thinking and practices
with one blow are even further from the basic viewpoint Marxism takes toward the religious
question. They are entirely wrong and will do no small harm.
II. The Religions of China
There are many religions in China. Buddhism has a history of nearly 2,000 years in China,
Daoism one of over 1,700 years, and Islam over 1,300 years, while Roman Catholicism and
Protestantism achieved most of their development following the Opium Wars. As for the
numbers of religious adherents, at Liberation there were about 8,000,000 Muslims, while today
there are about 10,000,000 (the chief reason for this is growth in population among the ten
Islamic minorities). At Liberation there were 2,700,000 Catholics; today there are over 3,000,000.
Protestants numbered 700,000 in 1949 and are now at 3,000,000. Buddhism (including Lamaism)
numbers almost the entire populations of the ethnic minorities of Tibet, Mongolia, and Liao Ning
among its adherents. Among the Han race, Buddhism and Daoism still exercise considerable
influence at present. Naturally, out of the total population of our country, and especially among
the Han race, which accounts for the largest number of people, there are a considerable number
who believe in spirits, but the number of those who actually adhere to a religion is not great. If
we compare the number of religious believers at the time of Liberation with the present number
overall, we will see that overall there has been somewhat of an increase in absolute numbers, but
when compared with the growth of the population there has been a decline.
But in our appraisal of the religious question, we must reckon fully with its definite complex
nature, To sum up, we may say that in old China, during the long feudal period and the more
than one hundred years of semicolonial, semifeudal society, all religions were manipulated and
controlled by the ruling classes, with extremely negative results. Within China, the Buddhist,
Daoist, and Islamic leaderships were mainly controlled by the feudal landowners, feudal lords,
and reactionary warlords, as well as the bureaucratic capitalist class. The later foreign colonialist
and imperialist forces mainly controlled the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches.
After Liberation there was a thorough transformation of the socioeconomic system and a major
reform of the religious system, and so the status of religion in China has already undergone a
fundamental change. The contradictions of the religious question now belong primarily to the
category of contradictions among the people. The religious question, however, will continue to
exist over a long period within certain limits, will continue to have a definite mass nature, to be
entangled in many areas with the ethnic question, and to be affected by some class-struggle and
complex international factors. This question, therefore, continues to be one of great significance
which we cannot ignore. The question is this: can we handle this religious question properly as
we work toward national stability and ethnic unity, as we develop our international relations
while resisting the infiltration of hostile forces from abroad, and as we go on constructing a
Socialist civilization with both material and spiritual values? This, then, demands that the Party
committees on each level must adopt toward the religious question an attitude in accord with
what Lenin said, "Be especially alert," "Be very strict," "Think things through thoroughly." To
overestimate the seriousness or complexity of the question and so to panic, or to ignore the
existence and complexity of the actual question and so let matters drift, would be equally wrong.
III. The Party's Handling of the Religious Question since Liberation
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, there have been many twists and turns in
the Party's work with regard to the religious question. In general, although there were some
major errors, after the founding of New China, and for the seventeen years up to the "cultural
revolution," the Party's religious work achieved great results under the direction of the correct
guiding principles and policies of the Party Central Committee. We did away with imperialist
forces within the churches and promoted the correct policy of independent, self-governed, and
autonomous churches, as well as the "Three-Self Movement" (self-propagation, self-
administration and self-support). The Catholic and Protestant churches ceased to be tools of the
imperialist aggressors and became independent and autonomous religious enterprises of Chinese
believers. We abolished the special privileges and oppressive exploitative system of feudal
religion, attached and exposed those reactionaries and bad elements who hid behind the cloak of
religion, and made Buddhists, Daoists, and Muslims break away from the control and
manipulation of the reactionary classes. We proclaimed and carried out a policy of freedom of
religious belief, enabling the broad masses of religious believers not only to achieve a complete
political and economic emancipation alongside each ethnic minority but also enabling them to
begin to enjoy the right of freedom of religious belief. We carried out a policy of winning over,
uniting with, and educating religious personages, and thus united the broad masses of the
patriotic religious personages. We also assisted and supported religious people to seek
international friendship and this has had good, positive effects.
Since 1937, however, leftist errors gradually grew up in our religious work and progressed even
further in the midsixties. During the "cultural revolution" especially, the antirevolutionary Lin
Biao-Jiang Qing clique had ulterior motives in making use of these leftist errors, and wantonly
trampled upon the scientific theory of Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought concerning
the religious question. They totally repudiated the Party's correct policy toward religion in effect
since the founding of the People's Republic. They basically did away with the work the Party had
done on the religious question. They forcibly forbade normal religious activities by the mass of
religious believers, as "targets for dictatorship," and fabricated a host of wrongs and injustices
which they pinned upon these religious personages. They even misinterpreted some customs and
practices of the ethnic minorities as religious superstition, which they then forcibly prohibited. In
some places, they even repressed the mass of religious believers, and destroyed ethnic unity.
They used violent measures against religion which forced religious movements underground,
with the result that they made some headway because of the disorganized state of affairs. A
minority of antirevolutionaries and bad elements made use of this situation and, under cover of
religious activities, boldly carried out illegal criminal activities, as well as destructive
antirevolutionary movements.
After the smashing of Jiang Qing's antirevolutionary clique, and especially since the third
Plenary Session of the 11th Party Central Committee, the correct guiding principle and policy
toward the religious question of our Party was restored step by step. In implementing and
carrying out our religious policy, we have opened both Buddhist and Daoist temples, as well as
churches and religious sites. We have restored the activities of the patriotic religious associations.
We have won over, unified, and educated religious personages. We have strengthened the unity
between believers and nonbelievers in each ethnic group. We have righted wrongs and have
launched a movement for friendly relations internationally among religious believers as well as
resisting infiltration and like doings from hostile religious forces from abroad. In all this, we
have undertaken a large number of tasks and have obtained remarkable results.
In this new historical period, the Party's and government's basic task in its religious work will be
to firmly implement and carry out its policy of freedom of religious belief; to consolidate and
expand the patriotic political alliance in each ethnic religious group; to strengthen education in
patriotism and Socialism among them, and to bring into play positive elements among them in
order to build a modern and powerful Socialist state and complete the great task of unifying the
country; and to oppose the hegemonism and strive together to protect and preserve world peace.
In order to implement and carry out the Party's religious policy correctly and comprehensively,
the main task now at hand is to oppose "leftist" erroneous tendencies. At the same time, we must
be on our guard to forestall and overcome the erroneous tendency to just let things slide along.
All party members, Party committees on all levels, especially those responsible for religious
work, must conscientiously sum up and assimilate the historical experience, positive and
negative, of the Party in religious work since the founding of the People's Republic. They must
make further progress in their understanding and mastery of the objective law governing the
emergence, development, and demise of religion. They should overcome every obstacle and
difficulty and resolutely keep the religious policy of the Party on the scientific course laid out for
it by Marxism-Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought.
IV. The Party's Present Policy toward Religion
The basic policy the Party has adopted toward the religious question is that of respect for and
protection of the freedom of religious belief. This is a long-term policy, one which must be
continually carried out until that future time when religion will itself disappear. What do we
mean by freedom of religious belief? We mean that every citizen has the freedom to believe in
religion and also the freedom not to believe in religion. S/he has also the freedom to believe in
this religion or that religion. Within a particular religion, s/he has the freedom to believe in this
sect or that sect. A person who was previously a nonbeliever has the freedom to become a
religious believer, and one who has been a religious believer has the freedom to become a
nonbeliever. We Communists are atheists and must unremittingly propagate atheism. Yet at the
same time we must understand that it will be fruitless and extremely harmful to use simple
coercion in dealing with the people's ideological and spiritual questions--and this includes
religious questions. We must further understand that at the present historical stage the difference
that exists between the mass of believers and nonbelievers in matters of ideology and belief is
relatively secondary. If we then one-sidedly emphasize this difference, even to the point of
giving it primary importance--for example, by discriminating against and attacking the mass of
religious believers, while neglecting and denying that the basic political and economic welfare of
the mass of both religious believers and nonbelievers is the same--then we forget that the Party's
basic task is to unite all the people (and this includes the broad mass of believers and
nonbelievers alike) in order that all may strive to construct a modern, powerful Socialist state. To
behave otherwise would only exacerbate the estrangement between the mass of believers and
nonbelievers as well as incite and aggravate religious fanaticism, resulting in serious
consequences for our Socialist enterprise. Our Party, therefore, bases its policy of freedom of
religious belief on the theory formulated by Marxism-Leninism, and it is the only correct policy
genuinely consonant with the people's welfare.
Naturally, in the process of implementing and carrying out this policy which emphasizes and
guarantees the people's freedom to believe in religion, we must, at the same time, emphasize and
guarantee the people's freedom not to believe in religion. These are two indispensable aspects of
the same question. Any action which forces a nonbeliever to believe in religion is an
infringement of freedom of religious belief, just as is any action which forces a believer not to
believe. Both are grave errors and not to be tolerated. The guarantee of freedom of religious
belief, far from being a hindrance, is a means of strengthening the Party's efforts to disseminate
scientific education as well as to strengthen its propaganda against superstition. Furthermore, it
should be emphasized that the crux of the policy of freedom of religious belief is to make the
question of religious belief a private matter, one of individual free choice for citizens.
The political power in a socialist state can in no way be used to promote any one religion, nor
can it be used to forbid any one religion, as long as it is only a question of normal religious
beliefs and practices. At the same time, religion will not be permitted to meddle in the
administrative or juridical affairs of state, nor to intervene in the schools or public education. It
will be absolutely forbidden to force anyone, particularly people under eighteen years of age, to
become a member of a church, to become a Buddhist monk or nun, or to go to temples or
monasteries to study Buddhist scripture. Religion will not be permitted to recover in any way
those special feudal privileges which have been abolished or to return to an exploitative and
oppressive religious system. Nor will religion be permitted to make use in any way of religious
pretexts to oppose the party's leadership or the socialist system, or to destroy national or ethnic
unity.
To sum up, the basic starting point and firm foundation for our handling of the religious question
and for the implementation of our policy and freedom of religious belief lies in our desire to
unite the mass of believers and nonbelievers and enable them to center all their will and strength
on the common goal of building a modernized, powerful socialist state. Any action or speech that
deviates in the least from this basic line is completely erroneous, and must be firmly resisted and
opposed by both Party and people.
V. The Party's Work with Religious Professionals
To win over, unite and educate persons in religious circles is primarily the task of religious
professionals. It is also the essence of the Party's religious work and most important condition
and prerequisite for the implementation of the Party's religious policy. Throughout the country at
present, there are about 59,000 professional religious, with affiliation as follows:
Buddhist monks and nuns, including lamas about 27,000
Daoist priests and nuns over 2,600
Muslims about 20,000
Catholics about 3,400
Protestants about 5,900
Due to many years of natural attrition, the present number of professional religious has greatly
decreased when compared to the number at Liberation. Their class origin, experience, beliefs,
and political ideology are quite diverse, but, in brief, we can say that by far the great majority of
them are patriotic, law-abiding, and support the socialist system. Only a very small minority
oppose the constitution and Socialism to the extent of colluding with foreign antirevolutionaries
and other bad elements. Many of these professional religious not only maintain intimate spiritual
ties with the mass of religious believers, but have an important influence over the spiritual life of
the masses which should not be ignored. Moreover, as they carry out their more formal religious
duties, they also perform work which serves the people in many ways and which benefits society.
For example, they safeguard Buddhist and Daoist temples and churches and protect historical
religious relics, engage in agriculture and afforestation, and carry on the academic study of
religion, and so on. Therefore, we must definitely give sufficient attention to all persons in
religious circles, but primarily professional religious, uniting them, caring for them, and helping
them to make progress. We must unrelentingly yet patiently forward their education in patriotism,
upholding the law, supporting socialism, and upholding national and ethnic unity. In the case of
Catholics and Protestants, we must strengthen their education in independence and self-
government of their churches.
We must make appropriate arrangements for the livelihood of these professional religious and
conscientiously carry out the pertinent policies. This is especially true regarding the well-known
public figures and intellectuals among them, for whom we should speedily implement our policy
to supply them with appropriate remuneration. We must pay very close attention to and
reexamine those injustices perpetrated against persons in religious circles and among the mass of
religious believers which have not yet been redressed. These must be redressed in accordance
with the facts, especially those more serious ones which may have grave consequences. These
must be firmly grasped and speedily resolved.
We must foster a large number of fervent patriots in every religion who accept the leadership of
the Party and government, firmly support the Socialist path, and safeguard national and ethnic
unity. They should be learned in religious matters and capable of keeping close links with the
representatives of the religious masses. Furthermore, we must organize religious persons
according to their differing situations and capabilities, respectively, to take part in productive
labor, serving society, and in the scholarly study of religion. They should also take part in
patriotic political movements and friendly international exchanges. All this is done in order to
mobilize the positive elements among religious circles to serve the Socialist modernization
enterprise.
With regard to those older religious professionals whose term of imprisonment has been
completed or whose term at labor reform has ended, as well as those who have not yet been
approved to engage in professional religious activities by the religious organizations, each case
must be dealt with on its own merits, according to the principle of differentiation. Those who
prove to be politically reliable, patriotic, and law-abiding, and who are well-versed in religious
matters, can, upon examination and approval by the patriotic religious organizations, be allowed
to perform religious duties. As for the rest, they should be provided with alternative means to
earn a living.
Marxism is incompatible with any theistic world view. But in terms of political action, Marxists
and patriotic believers can, indeed must, form a united front in the common effort for Socialist
modernization. This united front should become an important constitutive element of the broad
patriotic front led by the Party during the Socialist period.
VI. Restoration and Administration of Churches, Temples and Other Religious Buildings
To make equitable arrangements for places of worship is a means of implementing the Party's
religious policy, and is also an important material condition for the normalization of religious
activity. At the time of Liberation, there were about 100,000 places of worship, while at the
present time there are about 30,000. This figure includes Buddhist and Daoist temples, churches,
and meeting places of simple construction as well as places of worship built by religious
believers themselves. The present problem is that we must adopt effective measures, based on
each situation, to make equitable arrangements for places of worship. We must systematically
and methodically restore a number of temples and churches in large and mid-size cities, at
famous historical sites, and in areas in which there is a concentration of religious believers,
especially ethnic minority areas. Famous temples and churches of cultural and historical value
which enjoy national and international prestige must be progressively restored as far as is
possible, according to conditions in each place. But in those places where believers are few and
have little influence or where churches and temples have already been demolished, we must
work out measures which suit the conditions and do things simply and thriftily according to the
principle of what will benefit production and the people's livelihood. After consultation with the
mass of religious believers and important persons in religious circles, and with the voluntary
support of the believers, we should set aside rather simply constructed places of worship. In the
process of restoring places of worship, we must not use the financial resources of either country
or collective, outside of government appropriations. And we must particularly guard against the
indiscriminate building and repairing of temples in rural villages.
We should also direct the voluntary contributions of the mass of religious believers for
construction work, so as to build as little as possible. Much less should we go in for large-scale
construction lest we consume large sums of money, materials, and manpower and thus obstruct
the building up of material and Socialist civilization. Of course we should not demolish existing
structures, but fully consult with believers and important persons in religious circles concerning
them in order to reach a satisfactory solution based on the actual situation.
All normal religious activities held in places so designated, as well as those which, according to
religious custom, take place in believers' homes--Buddha worship, scripture chanting, incense
burning, prayer, Bible study, preaching, Mass, baptism, initiation as a monk or nun, fasting,
celebration of religious festivals, extreme unction, funerals, etc.--are all to be conducted by
religious organizations and religious believers themselves, under protection of law and without
interference from any quarter. With approval of the responsible government department, temples
and churches can sell a limited quantity of religious reading matter, religious articles, and works
of religious art. As for Protestants gathering in homes for worship services, in principle this
should not be allowed, yet this prohibition should not be too rigidly enforced. Rather, persons in
the patriotic religious organizations should make special efforts to persuade the mass of religious
believers to make more appropriate arrangements.
All places of worship are under the administrative control of the Bureau of Religious Affairs, but
the religious organizations and professional religious themselves are responsible for their
management. Religious organizations should arrange the scope, frequency, and time of religious
services, avoiding interference with the social order and the times set aside for production and
labor. No one should go to places of worship to carry on atheist propaganda, nor to incite
arguments among the believing masses over the existence of God. In like manner, no religious
organization or believer should propagate or preach religion outside places designated for
religious services, nor propagate theism, nor hand out religious tracts or other religious reading
matter which has not been approved for publication by the responsible government department.
In order to ensure further normalization of religious activities, the government should hereafter,
in accordance with due process of law, consult fully with representatives from religious circles in
order to draw up feasible religious legislation that can be carried out in practice.
Major temples and churches famous for their scenic beauty are not only places of worship, but
are also cultural facilities of important historical value. Responsible religious organizations and
professional religious should be charged with making painstaking efforts to safeguard them by
seeing that these monuments receive good care, that the buildings are kept in good repair, and the
environment fully protected so that the buildings are kept in good repair, and the environment
fully protected so that the surroundings are clean, peaceful, and quiet, suitable for tourism. Under
the direction of the responsible government department and religious organizations, the income
derived from alms and donations received by these temples and churches can be used mainly for
maintenance. A part of this income can even be used as an incentive and reward for professional
religious in charge of such places who have been outstanding in this regard.
VII. The Patriotic Religious Organizations
To give full play to the function of the patriotic religious organizations is to implement the
Party's religious policy and is an important organizational guarantee for the normalization of
religious activities. There are a total of eight national patriotic religious organizations, namely:
the Chinese Buddhist Association, the Chinese Daoist Association, the Chinese Islamic
Association, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the Chinese Catholic Religious Affairs
Committee, the Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference, the Chinese Protestant "Three-Self"
patriotic Movement, and the China Christian Council. Besides these, there are a number of social
groups and local organizations having a religious character. The basic task of these patriotic
religious organizations is to assist the Party and the government to implement the policy of
freedom of religious belief, to help the broad mass of religious believers and persons in religious
circles to continually raise their patriotic and socialist consciousness, to represent the lawful
rights and interest of religious circles, to organize normal religious activities, and to manage
religious affairs well. All patriotic religious organizations should follow the Party's and
government's leadership. Party and government cadres in turn should become adept in supporting
and helping religious organizations to solve their own problems. They should not monopolize or
do things these organizations should do themselves. Only in this way can we fully develop the
positive characteristics of these organizations and allow them to play their proper role and enable
them, within constitutional and lawful limits, to voluntarily perform useful work. Thus they can
truly become religious groups with a positive influence, and can act as bridges for the Party's and
government's work of winning over, uniting with, and educating persons in religious circles.
Furthermore, in order to enable each religion to meet expenses under a program of self-support
and self-management, we must conscientiously carry out the policy stipulations governing
income from house and property rentals. As for the contributions and donations made by
believers, there will be no need to interfere as long as they are freely offered and small in
quantity. But professional religious should be convinced that private possession of religious
income from temples and churches is not allowed and that any action that forces contributions to
be made is forbidden.
VIII. Educating a New Generation of Clergy
The training and education of the younger generation of patriotic religious personnel in a planned
way will have decisive significance for the future image of our country's religious organizations.
We should not only continue to win over, unite with, and educate the present generation of
persons in religious circles, but we should also help each religious organization set up seminaries
to train well new religious personnel. The task of these seminaries is to create a contingent of
young religious personnel who, in terms of politics, fervently love their homeland and support
the Party's leadership and the Socialist system and who possess sufficient religious knowledge.
These seminaries should hold entrance examinations and admit upright, patriotic young people
who wish to devote themselves seriously to this religious profession and who have reached a
certain level of cultural development. They should not forcibly enroll persons unwilling to
undertake this profession or lacking in the necessary cultural educational foundation. Those
young professional religious personnel who prove unfitted for this profession should be
transferred elsewhere.
All these young professional religious should continually heighten their patriotic and Socialist
consciousness and make efforts to improve their cultural level and their religious knowledge.
They should loyally implement the Party's religious policy. They should show respect to all those
upright, patriotic professional religious of the older generation, and conscientiously study and
imitate their good qualities. These older and upright patriotic religious professionals should, in
turn, cherish these younger patriotic professional religious. In this way the younger ones will
become integrated into the patriotic progressive elements of the religious world, and, under the
leadership of the Party, will become the mainstay ensuring that religious organizations follow the
correct direction in their activities.
IX. Communist Party Members and Religion; Relations with Religious Ethnic Minorities
The fact that our Party proclaims and implements a policy of freedom of religious belief does not,
of course, mean that Communist Party members can freely believe in religion. The policy of
freedom of religious belief is directed toward the citizens of our country; it is not applicable to
Party members. Unlike the average citizen, the Party member belongs to a Marxist political party,
and there can be no doubt at all that s/he must be an atheist and not a theist. Our Party has clearly
stated on many previous occasions: A Communist Party member cannot be a religious believer;
s/he cannot take part in religious activities. Any member who persists in going against this
proscription should be told to leave the Party. This proscription is altogether correct, and, as far
as the Party as a whole is concerned, its implementation should be insisted on in the future. The
present question concerns the implementation of this proscription among those ethnic minorities
whose people are basically all religious believers. Here, implementation must follow the actual
circumstances, and so make use of proper measures, not oversimplifying matters.
We must realize that although a considerable number of Communist Party members among these
ethnic minorities loyally implement the Party line, do positive work for the Party, and obey its
discipline, they cannot completely shake off all religious influence. Party organizations should in
no way simply cast these Party members aside, but should patiently and meticulously carry out
ideological work while taking measures to develop more fully their positive political activism,
helping them gradually to acquire a dialectical and historical materialist worldview and to
gradually shake off the fetters of a religious ideology. Obviously, as we go about expanding our
membership, we must take great care not to be rushed into recruiting devout religious believers
or those with strong religious sentiments. As for that very small number of party members who
have shown extreme perversity by not only believing in religion but also joining with those who
fan religious fanaticism, even to the point of using this fanaticism to oppose the four basic
principles, attack the Party line and its aim and policy, and destroy national integrity and ethnic
unity, persons such as these have already completely departed from the standpoint fundamental
to Party members. If after having undergone education and criticism, they continue to persist in
their erroneous position or feign compliance, then we must resolutely remove them from the
Party. If they have committed any criminal acts, then these must be investigated to fix
responsibility before the law.
Even though those Party members who live at the grass-roots level among these ethnic minorities
where the majority believe in religion have already freed themselves from religious belief, yet if
they were to refuse to take part in any of those traditional marriage or funeral ceremonies or
mass festivals which have some religious significance, then they would find themselves cut off
and isolated from the masses. Therefore, in applying those precepts which forbid Party members
who live among these ethnic minorities from joining in religious activities, we must act
according to concrete circumstances, according to the principle of differentiation in order to
allow Party members to continue to maintain close links with the masses. Although many of the
traditional marriage and funeral ceremonies and mass festivals among these ethnic minorities
have a religious tradition and significance, they have already essentially become merely a part of
ethnic custom and tradition. So long as our comrades, especially those living at the grass-roots
level, mark clearly the line between ideology and religious belief, then they can show appropriate
respect to and compliance with these ethnic customs and traditions in their daily lives. Of course,
this does not mean that those customs and traditions which prove harmful to production or the
physical and mental health of the masses should not be appropriately reformed in accordance
with the desire of the majority of the people. But to lump these ethnic customs and traditions
together with religious activities is not right and will be harmful to ethnic unity and to the correct
handling of the religious question.
All Party members must come to the profound realization that our country is a Socialist state
made up of many ethnic minorities. Each minority and each religion is differently situated with
regard to this question of the relationship between religion and the ethnic minorities. There are
some ethnic minorities in which nearly all the people believe in one particular religion, Islam or
Lamaism, for example. Among these peoples, the question of religion and ethnicity is frequently
intertwined. But within the Han race, there is basically no relationship between ethnic
background and Buddhism, Daoism, Catholicism, or Protestantism. Therefore, we must become
adept in distinguishing very concretely the particular situation of each ethnic group and of each
religion, and in sizing up the differences and relationships between ethnicity and religion, that we
may proceed correctly in our handling of them. We must certainly be vigilant and oppose any
use of religious fanaticism to divide our people and any words or actions which damage the unity
among our ethnic groups. If our Party cannot with clear mind and firm step master this particular
question in the present great struggle as we strive to lead such a great nation of so many ethnic
groups as ours forward to become a modern Socialist state, then we shall not be able with any
success to unite our peoples to advance together toward this goal.
X. Criminal and Counter-Revolutionary Activities under the Cover of Religion
The resolute protection of all normal religious activity suggests, at the same time, a determined
crackdown on all criminal and antirevolutionary activities which hide behind the facade of
religion, which includes all superstitious practices which fall outside the scope of religion and
are injurious to the national welfare as well as to the life and property of the people. All
antirevolutionary or other criminal elements who hide behind the facade of religion will be
severely punished according to the law. Former professional religious, released upon completion
of their term of imprisonment, who return to criminal activities will be punished again in
accordance with the law. All banned reactionary secret societies, sorcerers, and witches, without
exception, are forbidden to resume their activities. All those who spread fallacies to deceive and
who cheat people of their money will, without exception, be severely punished according to the
law. Party cadres who profit by these illegal activities will be dealt with all the more severely.
Finally, all who make their living by phrenology, fortune telling, and geomancy should be
educated, admonished, and helped to earn their living through their own labor and not to engage
again in these superstitious practices which only deceive people. Should they not obey, then they
should be dealt with according to the law.
In dealing according to the law with all antirevolutionary and other criminal elements who lurk
within religious ranks, Party committees on each level and pertinent government departments
must pay very close attention to cultivating public opinion. They should make use of irrefutable
facts to fully expose the way in which these bad elements use religion to further their destructive
activities. Furthermore, they should take care to clearly delineate the line dividing normal
religious activities from criminal ones, pointing out that cracking down on criminal activities is
in no way to attack, but is rather to protect, normal religious activities. Only then can we
successfully win over, unite with, and educate the broad mass of religious believers and bring
about the normalization of religious activities.
XI. The International Relations of China's Religions
Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, and Protestantism, which occupy a very important place among
our national religions, are at the same time ranked among the major world religions, and all
exercise extensive influence in their societies. Catholicism and Protestantism are widespread in
Europe, North America, and Latin America, and other places. Buddhism is strong in Japan and
Southeast Asia, while Islam holds sway in several dozen countries in Asia and Africa. Some of
these religions are esteemed as state religions in a number of countries. At the present time,
contacts with international religious groups are increasing, along with the expansion of our
country's other international contacts, a situation which has important significance for extending
our country's political influence. But at the same time there are reactionary religious groups
abroad, especially the imperialistic ones such as the Vatican and Protestant Foreign-mission
societies, who strive to use all possible occasions to carry on their efforts at infiltration "to return
to the China mainland." Our policy is to actively develop friendly international religious contacts,
but also to firmly resist infiltration by hostile foreign religious forces.
According to this policy of the Party, religious persons within our country can, and even should,
engage in mutual visits and friendly contacts with religious persons abroad as well as develop
academic and cultural exchanges in the religious field. But in all these various contacts, they
must firmly adhere to the principle of an independent, self-governing church, and resolutely
resist the designs of all reactionary religious forces from abroad who desire to once again gain
control over religion in our country. They must determinedly refuse any meddling or interfering
in Chinese religious affairs by foreign churches or religious personages, nor must they permit
any foreign religious organization (and this includes all groups and their attendant organizations)
to use any means to enter our country for missionary work or to secretly introduce and distribute
religious literature on a large scale.
All religious organizations and individuals must be educated not to make use of any means
whatsoever to solicit funds from foreign church organizations, and religious persons and groups
in our country as well as other groups and individuals must refuse any subsidy or funds offered
by foreign church organizations for religious purposes. As for donations or offerings given in
accordance with religious custom by foreign believers, overseas Chinese, or compatriots from
Hongkong and Macao to temples and churches within our territory, these may be accepted. But if
it is a question of large contributions or offerings, permission must be sought from the provincial,
urban, or autonomous-area governments or from the central government department responsible
for these matters before any religious body can accept them on its own, even though it can be
established that the donor acts purely out of religious fervor with no strings attached.
We must be vigilant and pay close attention to hostile religious forces from abroad who set up
underground churches and other illegal organizations. We must act resolutely to attack those
organizations that carry out destructive espionage under the guise of religion. Of course, in doing
so, we must not act rashly, but rather investigate thoroughly, have irrefutable evidence at hand,
choose the right moment, and execute the case in accordance with lawful procedures.
The new task we now face is that of developing friendly relationships with foreign religious
groups while maintaining our policy of independence. The correct guiding principles and
policies of the central government and the Party provide the essential basis for doing this type of
work well. We should handle the domestic religious question realistically and effectively,
strengthen our study of the history of world religion and its present situation, and make efforts to
train talented people able to engage in international religious activities. Facts have proven over
and over again that if we handle the domestic situation well, then all hostile religious forces from
abroad will have little or no opportunity to exploit the situation to their own advantage. Then the
international contacts undertaken by religious groups will make smoother and sounder progress
and the positive function they should have will be given full play.
shit. I think there was a same-titled movie as well?? if so, is it any good?
