Published by JPLand on 18 Aug 2008 at 08:09 am
Quote of the Day
CNN published an article (here) about a group whose Bibles were confiscated at the Chinese airport. While they were breaking the law in China, the article goes on to address the bigger issue of human & religious rights in the tightly-controlled China. The following quote was given by Qin Gang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry:
Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religion in accordance with the law.
If your church must register with the government in order to exist, is it still “freedom of religion”? If it must be “in accordance with the law”, is it freedom?
The separation of church and state is an amazing concept here in the states that is debated feverishly on various topics. It’s good to be able to have those debates and not worry about a showdown with a tank. (image description)
dave on 18 Aug 2008 at 10:23 am #
Of course its just as free - in America we register to vote, we register to drive, and even churches must register with the gov’t. So why would registering make any difference. It’s when the gov’t forces all it’s citizens to bcome a singular faith (mono-theism) is when people loose rights.
I think in America when Bush and other so-called Americans strive for a “Christian Nation” is where we become much worse than China on human rights. It’s Mono-theistic goverments that tend to supres the rights of humans, based soley on their beliefs, or heritage.
Seperation of church and state is reqired for a free people.
JPLand on 18 Aug 2008 at 11:41 am #
Dave, thanks for visiting the site.
I do have one correction to your statement. Our churches aren’t required to register with the government. A group of people (which I use to mean “church”) can gather and worship without any notification to the government. Groups who wish to become a corporate entity, however, are required to register. Here, I’m speaking to the gathering of a group for worship rather than an organization that wants tax breaks. Freedom of religion dictates that I can worship in whatever way I choose (assuming that I do not trample on the rights of others, of course.) In China, this type of gathering is outlawed. All gatherings must be approved by the government.
You are not far off in your view of history. “The church” does not have a great history when it comes to human rights. unfortunately, this is because of power-hungry misinterpretations of the Bible. The Gospel of Christ is one of love, grace, and sacrifice of self. It is not one of autocratic demands, forced beliefs, or legislated morality.
One thing I would caution, however, is that you carefully weigh the difference between separation of church and state and the influence of one on the other. I don’t think that religious beliefs can truly be separated from political views on an ideological level. For instance, if my faith compels me to clothe the naked and feed the hungry, then that will have some influence on my political views and choices. That’s an ideological influence. On the other hand, if the state demanded that my church perform these actions or if my church demanded that I vote a certain way, that’s melding the two on a political level, which is what our founding fathers fought against.
Finally, I don’t think that we’re “much worse than China” when it comes to human rights. Our politicians may try to push religious, liberal, conservative, or whatever agendas on us, but we have safeguards to help us fight against that. Please view the government of China’s record on human rights and religious freedoms. While I may face an inconvenience from my government, I don’t face death or jail because of my views. I think you are letting your emotions speak more in hyperbole than what is warranted.
Caity on 18 Aug 2008 at 8:37 pm #
I agree with you John. The United States political system is nothing like China’s. There people have hardly any right to speak freely of the religion that they choose. We are lucky to live in a country where we can worship our God with no fear of torture or death.
Caity on 18 Aug 2008 at 8:38 pm #
PS - That isn’t really shallow-thinking. I think that the name of your blog gives people the wrong idea…… just kidding
JPLand on 19 Aug 2008 at 8:54 am #
Caity,
The blog name MostlyShallowThoughtsButOccasionallyDeepContent.com was too long for me to remember. I thought of making up a word and using that, but seriously, who does that?
Caity on 19 Aug 2008 at 3:20 pm #
I don’t know… only lame people…. I hope Lance doesn’t see this…