WESTERN OR ATHEIST:

'Evil teachings': Religion gets a new name, as the government orders Marxist revival (Priya Abraham, 12/01/04, World)

At first glance, Cai Zhuohua's kidnapping and arrest by Chinese security officials were not surprising in a country that routinely harasses Christians. Officials found 200,000 copies of Bibles and Christian literature in a storage room managed by the pastor, who shepherds six Beijing underground churches. But more unusual was how authorities described Mr. Cai's activities: "the most serious case on overseas religious infiltration since the founding of the People's Republic of China."

Such alarmist language made more sense to Bob Fu, president of Texas-based China Aid and a former house-church leader himself, once he saw its source. He received a top-level Chinese government document on religion around the same time of Mr. Cai's September arrest, leaked by a high-ranking and disillusioned Communist Party official. The May 27 directive was top secret. Only 750 copies were distributed among officials. Its purpose: to spread Marxism against "Western" attempts to destabilize China with religion, or "evil teachings."

The document came from the Central Committee, one of the highest echelons of the Chinese Communist Party. Its date and contents help to explain why a sudden wave of Christian arrests began in June. [...]

Excerpts from the May 27 document, "Notice on Further Strengthening Marxist Atheism Research, Propaganda and Education," issued by the Communist Party of China:

"Facing the new task of reform, development and stability, the new demand of the people on spiritual and cultural life, the new situation on targeting the cultic organization of 'Falun Gong' and various pseudo-science and superstition, and the new trend toward Western hostile forces' attempt to 'westernize' and 'disintegrating' China in the name of religion, we need to further strengthen Marxist atheism research, propaganda and education."

"Attention shall be centered on the party cadres and juveniles. And relevant work shall be done persistently and incessantly, with an effort to create healthy social values, and good social environment, under which science and civilization are advocated, fatuity and superstition are opposed, and evil teachings and heterodox are boycotted."

"Aiming at the phenomenon of fatuity and superstition, which exists among some people, we shall strengthen the research, propaganda and education of natural science, particularly the basic knowledge about life, helping people understand the universe, the origin of life, the rule on human evolution, and correctly deal with various natural phenomena, natural disasters, birth, aging, disease and death."

"To publicize Marxist atheism, we shall positively use films, TV programs, books, electronic publications, and other things to people's taste, and firmly ban all illegal publications, which disseminate superstitions and evil teachings."

It reads like a joint publication of the NEA, People for the American Way, and the ACLU.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 1, 2004 3:24 PM