China has launched a new campaign against religion, warning the estimated 85 million Communist Party members they will be punished if they continue to practise their beliefs.
Wang Zuoan, director of the state administration for religious affairs, said religion undermined communism and called faith a "red line for all members".
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Mao Zedong, China's first communist leader, tried to destroy religion in the country and the Communist Party has long since promoted atheism while hounding the faithful.
However, says The Times, Wang's undefined threat of "punishment" seem "unduly severe for modern China" and appears to be part of "an increasingly draconian crackdown on religious freedom".
New laws have given the state the power to hire and fire church leaders, alter religious doctrine to make it more "Chinese" and force churchgoers to pledge loyalty to the party.
While Wang's comments are in line with longstanding official policy, "the party has by and large exhibited a cautious tolerance towards religion" in recent years, says the Times of India. The Economic Times, also based in India, says the move is likely to be highly "controversial" in China.
Chinese state media said it was designed to maintain party unity, while Wang said foreign forces were "infiltrating" China in the name of religion.
Beijing believes Christianity "poses a major threat" to its long-term stability, says the Economic Times, similar to the role Catholicism played in the downfall of communism in Eastern Europe.
The Chinese government has also been accused of unfairly persecuting religious minorities in the restive north-west Xinjiang province, home to many of the country's estimated 20 million Muslims.
Christianity and Buddhism are thought to be the fastest growing religion in China. Academics predict that by 2030, the country's Christian population will number more than 247 million, making it the largest in the world.
Wang's order was published in Qiushi Journal, the flagship magazine of the Communist Party, as the party prepares for its 19th Congress, a five-yearly event which takes place in October.President Xi Jinping is expected to be elected for another term and the next generation of China's leaders will be unveiled.
President Xi Jinping is expected to be elected for another term and the next generation of China's leaders will be unveiled at the meeting.
-
Companies are increasingly AI washingThe explainer Imaginary technology is taking jobs
-
The 9 best steroid-free players who should be in the Baseball Hall of Famein depth These athletes’ exploits were both real and spectacular
-
‘Bad Bunny’s music feels inclusive and exclusive at the same time’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
