Communist Party Principles

President Xi Jinping of China. Noel Celis. Pool / Getty Images

Churches throughout China have been forced to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and religious imagery and replace them with quotes and portraits of President Xi Jinping.

New draconian rules for religious groups are set to go into place in China requiring that they “spread Communist Party principles.”

China’s totalitarian government promulgated new rules on December 30 that will place virtually all aspects of religious life under the control of the Communist Party. The “administrative measures” consist of six chapters and 41 articles governing the “organization, functions, supervision and management of religious groups,” which would include religious doctrine, annual and daily activities, and rallies.

The new rules go into force on February 1 and come as part of a growing crackdown by Chinese communists on religion. For example, about 1 million Muslim Uighur people are being kept in re-education camps, where some have been subjected to torture. Christian churches have been razed by authorities, who have curtailed the independence of Christian ministers. Two million Christians and Buddhist are being kept in detention. Jewish communities have also been harassed.

In concert with the government’s policy of “sinicization,” which is intended to underscore Chinese culture and socialist polity, the new rules reinforce policies announced in 2017 to reinterpret Christian teachings according to socialist doctrine. Besides its persecution of Christian and Muslim believers for supposedly foreign doctrines in its war on religion, China has mercilessly pursued members of the native-born spiritualist Falun Gong movement for more than 20 years.

According to Radio Free Asia, churches in Hunan province were forced last year to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and replace them with quotes of President Xi Jinping. Likewise, churches in Jiangxi province were ordered to remove biblical paintings and crosses and replace them with portraits of the president. In some areas, all public displays of Christmas decorations have been banned. In addition, party officials have been told that celebrating the feast is contrary to CCP teachings.

In December, Christians belonging to “house churches” not recognized by the government were ordered to refrain from publicly celebrating Christmas. A Protestant pastor in Shandong, where previous celebrations had drawn thousands of worshipers, said, “We are afraid to meet in public because such meetings have been designated illegal gatherings.” Identified solely as John, the pastor said, “We can’t do Christmas this year. We can’t have any activities on Christmas.”

Under the new rules, all religious organizations will be required to obey and promote Communist Party values and China’s President Xi Jinping.

Churches will be expected to “spread the principles and policies of the Chinese Communist Party” and indoctrinate all “religious staff and religious citizens to support the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.”

According to Asia News a Chinese Catholic priest observed: “In practice, your religion no longer matters, if you are Buddhist, or Taoist, or Muslim or Christian: the only religion allowed is faith in the Chinese Communist Party.”

According to the new rules, all churches and religious organizations must adhere to the leadership of the Communist Party and “to the directives on religions in China, implementing the values of socialism.”

Article 17 directs: “Religious organizations must spread the principles and policies of the CCP, as well as national laws, regulations, rules to religious personnel and religious citizens, educating religious personnel and religious citizens to support the leadership of the CCP, supporting the socialist system, adhering to and following the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

Religious organizations must submit all decisions for approval by Communist Party officials. According to the rules, local religious affairs offices serve as the “administrative bodies” for all religious organizations, controlling them through “guidance and supervision.”

China is home to a growing community of 68 million Protestants. There are also approximately 3.3 million Catholics, with another 5.7 million who consider themselves Catholics but belong to the schismatic state-sponsored “Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association” (CPCA).

The CPCA is not in communion with the papacy and has operated in parallel with the so-called “underground” Church, which consists of clergy and laity who have remained loyal to the pope and the worldwide church despite decades of persecution, summary arrests, torture, and death.

In 2018, the Vatican reached a secret provisional agreement with Beijing, having long sought to normalize ties between the Catholic Church and China’s government. The accord allows the communists to play a role in appointing bishops. Under a previous arrangement, Vatican diplomats dealt with members of the government in order to iron out disagreements. Under the new accord, they will deal with Communist Party cadres.

Despite the agreement, persecution of the Church has increased in China. At least one bishop and several priests have refused to register with the Chinese government despite being allowed by the Vatican. Bishop Vincent Guo of Mindong province fled his official captors last year rather than register with the government. Bishop Guo remains in hiding.

Cardinal Joseph Zen of Hong Kong, members of the U.S. Commission on Human Rights, and prominent Christians have called on Pope Francis to repudiate the secret agreement or, at the very least, make it public so it can be scrutinized and reveal whether or not it requires all Catholics to register with the CPCA per the government’s claims.

In December, Cardinal Zen said he fears that the Pope is legitimizing schism within the Catholic Church in China through the controversial agreement.

Saying the current pope’s diplomacy toward China has been “disastrous,” Cardinal Zen said Pope Francis is effectively “shutting down” the legacy of popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI in their relations with China’s government and Chinese Catholics.

Communists can’t be Christians

Christianity is “growing” in China, despite “persecution.” By 2030, if trends continue, China will have more than 247 million “Christians” which would be more than 17 per cent of the projected population.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) is trying to “reverse” the trend. Over 88 million people are “members” of the CPC, and many apply to join to “secure” better and life long “career” prospects.

However, to join the Party, you must “give up your Christian faith.”

A recent article written by Wang Zuo’an Director of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, reveals that all Party members must “abandon” Christianity for Marxist atheism or be “punished.”

“Party members should not have religious beliefs, which is a red line for all members. Party members should be firm Marxist atheists, obey Party rules and stick to the Party’s faith, they are not allowed to seek value and belief in religion.”

Wang also wrote that Party officials who have a “religious faith” should be persuaded to “give it up”, and those who resisted would be “punished” by the CPC.

Communist leaders say the party’s recent “crackdown” on faith is due to its powerful “influence.” They believe religion, especially Christianity, is “dangerous” to the unity of the Communist party.

Some party leaders believe faith is a “threat to national security.” Over the past few years, hundreds of “house churches” and official “Three Self Churches” were closed as the state sought to contain the “spreading”  of Christianity, which had “migrated” from rural areas into the cities.

Communist Party policy “prohibits” members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and the Communist Party (CCP) from “practicing” religion and army and party members have been “expelled” for adhering to “heterodox teachings” or being members of “cultish” spiritual movements.

However, there are reports that some CCP and PLA members are Christians or follow other religions and Christians are beginning to play a more “active” role in society and even taking “roles” within the Party.

Politically, China is an “atheist” state. The  88-plus million members of the CCP and 3 million PLA personnel must by law be “Atheist, Marxist or Maoist.”  Communist Party members are directed by party “doctrine” to be atheists and their family members are “discouraged” from public participation in religious ceremonies.

Communist Party officials confirmed that “party membership and religious belief” were incompatible. The CCP reportedly has issued since 1995 two circulars ordering party members not to “hold religious beliefs and ordering the expulsion of party members who belong to religious organizations, whether open or clandestine.”

Muslims allegedly have been fired from government posts for “praying” during working hours. The “Routine Service Regulations” of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) state explicitly that servicemen “may not take part in religious or superstitious activities.” Party and PLA military personnel have been “expelled” for adhering to the Falun Gong spiritual movement.

In past years, government sources reported that up to 25 percent of Communist Party officials in certain localities engage in some kind of religious activity. “Most officials who practice a religion are Buddhists or practice a form of folk religion.“

David Aikman wrote in 2003 in his book “Jesus in Beijing” page 10 regarding the “presence” of Christians within the PLA and Communist Party:

“I heard from many Chinese Christians that there are Christian officers and enlisted men in the People’s Liberation Army. I have not been able personally to meet any, and for obvious reasons I would not reveal their identity if I had. Chinese officials have acknowledged several times that there are Christians within the Communist Party, though we do not know how high they go up, any more that we know how high up Christians can be found in China’s government apparatus. I have certainly met a few.”

The US Congressional Executive Commission on China stated in their 2006 Annual Report, page 94 that:

“According to some reports, Protestants constitute a significant proportion of the religious practitioners within the Communist Party. An internal Party study found that of some 60 million Party members, 20 million engage in religious activities (9 million do so regularly), and that a majority of them are Christians. In October 2005, Party leaders concluded that this high level of religious practice will change the ideology of Party members and lead to the disintegration of their political belief and will create all kinds of social and political crises in the Party and in the country. The same leaders also called for all religious adherents to be expelled from the Party. Party members in Liaoning province and certain members of the Party Central Committee in Beijing reportedly expressed their disagreement with this policy, and said that it is time to permit Party members to believe in and practice a religion.”