LINK China Insists on Control of Religion, Dimming Hope of Imminent Vatican Deal - The New York Times
China has 200 million believers among the five major religions, which it counts as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestant Christianity. Catholics account for six million of them, the paper said, though that does not include those in the “underground” church. By other estimates, the number of Catholics exceeds 12 million.
“Religion must adapt to the society it is in,” said Mr. Chen, whose department, the State Administration for Religious Affairs, is being absorbed into a branch of the Communist Party as part of a sweeping government reorganization. He went on, “If a religion is incompatible with its society, this religion cannot survive and develop.”
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This is how things are in Viet Nam. If religion wants to get in the game it has to play by the (secular) rules. Basically, it is how things are in our Constitution. Neither the state nor religion can interbreed. We know how that is turning out under tRump.
JackPedigo
Level 9
Apr 9, 2018
3
I think China's problem with Catholic's has to do with who can name Bishops, the government wants to name them and the Catholic Church does not want to buy into that concept...or at least that's what I recall.
The majority of the population of China are religious in a way that sounds very different from the West. They have "folk religion" which apparently, over a billion of them practice in some form or the other. [en.wikipedia.org]
cava
Level 7
Apr 9, 2018
2
I think it's the Western world's lack of anything like "folk religion" is why, when asked what he thought of Western civilization, the old Chinese man said, "It would be a good idea".
Maybe the Chinese remember how badly Vatican Concordants have worked out for other countries in the past?
Or perhaps they recall how badly it turned out in the past in their own country when very rich, out of touch old farts in dresses and silly hats started try to play at politics on behald of the gods.
LenHazell53
Level 9
Apr 9, 2018
3
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