Back to PHl402 Table of ContentReligions and Religious Policies in the P. R. China IntroductionI. A Brief Historical ReviewA. The Toleration Period: 1949-19571. "Freedom to Believe Religion"2. "The Broadest Possible United Front" 3. "Moderate Socialist Transformation"B. The Repressive Period: 1957-19661. "Struggle against the Bourgeois Rightists" 2. "Three Great Red Flags"3. "Socialist Education Movement"C. The Abolition Period: 1966-19721. Destroying the" Four Old Things"2. Abandoning "Three Evil Cultures"3. Worshiping Communism as the "Only Doctrine"D. The Revival Period: 1972-19761. "Lin Biao Incident"2. Conflicts between the "Left "and the" Right"3. "Thawing Season" and "Cultural Recovery"E. The Development Period: 1976-1. Collapse of the "Ultra-left"2. Social-political Transformation3. Overall Cultural ReconstructionII. Three Theoretical Perspectives A. A Process Analysis--the Religious Changes are Caused by the Political Transition1. To Abolish the Religions in the "Ultra-left " Political Context2. To repress the Religions in the "Left-turn" Political Context3. To Tolerate the Religions in the "Moderate" Political Context4. To Revive the Religions in the "Recovered" Political Context5. To Develop the Religions in the "Open-minded" Political ContextB. A Structural Analysis--the Religious Institutions are Dominated by the Political Totalism11. Organizational Control2. Ideological Control3. Economic Control4. Cultural ControlC. A Functional Analysis--the Religious Roles are Directed by the Political Strategy1. To Meet the Economic Needs by Party's Direction2. To Meet the Cultural Needs by Party's Direction3. To Meet the Reformative Needs by Party's Direction4. To Meet the "United Front" Needs by Party's DirectionIII. Major Characteristics of Existing Party's Religious PolicyA. "Four Distinctions" Policy1. Distinction between "Religions" and "Superstitions"2. Distinction between "Legal Religions" and "Illegal Religions"3. Distinction between "Legitimate Religious Activities" and "Illegitimate Religious Activities"4. Distinction between "Theistic Freedom" and "Atheistic Freedom"B. "Three-self" Policy1. Self-supporting2. Self-governing3. Self-propagatingC. "Limited Development" Policy 1. Religious Activities are Held only in the Assigned Places2. Religious Organizations Cannot Interfere with the Social-Political Affairs3. More Religious Freedom is Given in the Minority Nationality Regions4. Communist Believers Cannot Become Religious BelieversD. "Safeguard the Culture" PolityD1. Rebuilding the Historical Religious Sites2. Constructing the Academic Religious Institutions3. Excavating the Ancient Religious Relics4. Sifting, Collecting, and Systematizing the Religious Literatures5. Studying Religions as a ScienceE. Positive and Negative Aspects of the Party's Religious Policy1. The Individuals Cannot be Forced to Believe some Particular Religions2. The Religious Culture is Safeguarded by Using State Power3. The Human Rights are Constrained in Disguised