China Field Study (Cults in China)

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

Hi Group

I wanted to post a starter post for our project on the Cults of China

Here is how we should go about finding information
We should start by looking for China in the news on the Fulon Gong cult and any new activity they may be involved.
I have information on old Fulon information that we can use for our presentation

Next we should look at how the Chinese Govenment regulates cults
We need to keep in mind that there is no state religion but Buddhism comes close.

Than we should look up Religion in relation to region (this will be help full for out trip and help us to know what to take pictures in the various stops of our trip.
\next we should look at how the government distinguishes cults and what they do to stop them from spreading

Finnally we should look at the influence on European Religions in China.

Finally we should meet some time before class and go over our information maby on Thursday after school and later.
Let me know if that works for you.
Michael Wanmer

[Anonymous]

I Found some information about the Boxer Rebellion

It was an anti-forign uprising in north-east China. The BOXERS WERE a xenophobic, mystic society, which sought to drive the forigners from China and to restore the glory of the Quin Dynasty. In the summer of 1900 they besieged the foreign lagations' compounded in Beijing, but the seige was broken by an international relief force and the rebellion suppressed.

Please find and post more if you possible.

Michael Wanmer

[Anonymous]

Good start! I have several travel guide books I can bring to class to review in regards to religion in relation to region. As far as meeting up after work...Thursday sounds good.

[Anonymous]

Great article highlighting China's regulations on religious affairs found on http://www.hrw.org
China: A Year After Regulations, Religiuos Rights Still Restricted
Arrests, Closures, Crackdowns Continue (March 1, 2006)

It sights the regulations took effect March 1, 2005 in order to protect Chinese citizens' religious freedoms. Although on major problem is that the regulations are no well defined therefore practitioners are not sure what is allowed and what is banned. Since the regulation authorities have targeted unsupervised religious activities that have like-minded believers working together to propagate their beliefs, create new religious sites, educate children, and large-scale religious meetings. They also discourage efforts in sharing experiences, expanding membership, and traing lay & religious leaders. Religious literature is also controlled and can only be printed by accredited printing houses and disseminated through offically approved channels. The regulations do not address cults but since it went into effect 400 practitioners in Falungong have been imprisoned or sent for "reeducation". Currently China allows five belief systems: Buddhism, Daoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism as lawful religions. The regulations protect those five religions and every mosque, temple, church, and monastery that is registered with the government. Each group has a State of Religious Freedom; for example Muslims are detained if they possess an unauthorized copy of an Islamic text. In regards to Falungong the article states although their spokespeople deny that it is a religion it is a structured belief system incorporating elements of Buddhism and Daoism whose adherents are protected. In Oct/Nov 99 the governement defined "heretical cults" & stated Falungong was indeed a cult, and clarifyied how members could be prosecuted. Therefore they are trying to regulate "cults" by imprisonment, reeducation, and extra-legal detention such as psychiatric hospitals. The same laws have been used with Christian religious groups that the government insists are heterodox.

This article hits our areas of discussion: China's government regulation on cults & What they do to stop them from spreading.

More to come.....

[Anonymous]

Here is some more information in regards to religion and region. In Xinjiang is made up primarily of Muslims. Xi'an, Shanghai, and the Hebei province have Catholic activity. Protestants churches found in Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, Jilin and Jiangxi provinces. Protestants have "house churches" that refer to congregations that refused to join with other Protestant denominations, such as Methodists, Anglicans, and Lutherans which the government insists they should accommodate all Protestants.

[Anonymous]

Doing a little more research and found this great interactive map. Check it out....
http://easia.imb.org/peopleplaces/province.htm

[Anonymous]

Chinese Government website
http://english.gov.cn

On religious beliefs it states there is great religious diversity & freedom. The associations run 76 religious schools & colleges to train religoius personnel. Religious activity is manged by the personnel & adherents and are protected under the law and are free from interfetence. The Hui, Uygur, Kazak, Kirgiz, Ta Ozbek, Tajik, Dongxiang, Salar and Bonan people adhere to Islam. The Tibetan, Mongolian, Lhoba, Monba, Tu adhere to Tibetan Buddhism. The Dai, Blang and Beang adhere to Hinayana Buddhism. Yao & Yi are Catholic or Christians. The Han practice Buddhism, Christianity or Taoism. There are 13000 Buddhist temples, 30000 Mosques, 4600 Catholic churches and 12000 Protestant Churches. There are also a large # of Taoist temples (philosophy of Lao Zi).

[Anonymous]

I like how China now allows a fewreligions to be practiced only if they allow the government to strictly monoter and regulate them.
In china we need to focus on why the religions that are allowed are allowed. We can learn alot by taking pictures, my hunch is that money and makeing the citizens happy is why the government is now not calling every religion a cult.

Lets swee how it turns out

[Anonymous]

That sight gave good description of to what extent the religoins are allowed to be followed, after looking at it is hard to call China a communist sountry now We should look at the official china government site and see how they define these religious practices.

[Anonymous]

We can use this research in our history portion of the report. Our class notes give good detail of when and to what extent religion has been practiced in China. Chinese history is full of religion and only recently has religion been so restricted. We should bring out notebooks to China and as we get into various locations we should look up the past religions of that area.

[Anonymous]

After our trip we have to focus on the 8 major religions of china.
I have begun to look through my pictures and am deviding them into 8 folders one for each religion. I am only going to have picures for 5 religions, I hope your pictures came out better.
We can use the video footage of the easter service we attended as part of chriustianity. DO you sitill have a copy of the service flyer, I cant forn mine.
Let me know what you have and we need to sit down soon and complete our powerpoint.
Michael

[Anonymous]

Con you pull up the web sight again that gave you the stats? I was wondering if your numbers are correct on our trip i saw only one mosque. I also heard that christians outnumbered bunhists, but need to conferm the rumor.

Also do you think we should include the relationship between religion and historical cultural preservation?
Michael

[Anonymous]

That is fine. I have the flier from the church we visited and hopefully we can scan it and use it in the pwrpt. I also found an actual picture from inside the church that I had taken. I must of missed it some how? Let's use that too and that will complete our photo gallery.

[Anonymous]

Good pt. We need to clear up any rumors. I have the website info in my folder and I can bring it over next time we meet. Also, we can definitely highlight some points on religion and culture.

[Author]

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