“there is a consensus that religion can provide an important resource for the re

It is estimated that about 23 percent of Chinese people have religious faith. Professor Gao Shining， with the Institute of World Religions at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences， is a prominent sociologist in the field of religion， and one of a small number of scholars conducting pioneering research into China’s “New Religious Movement.” In an exclusive interview with NewsChina， Gao talks about her views on the changing role of， and attitudes towards， religion in China， while explaining how a more relaxed environment for religious groups could be good for Chinese society.

NewsChina： Over the 35 years since Reform and Opening-up began， China has seen a rapid rise in the pursuit of material happiness. Has this reduced the demand for religion？

Gao Shining： It is true that religion’s influence over modern society has been diminished by the increasing human pursuit of secular happiness and the separation of Church and State， among other factors. However， the other side of the story is that some sociologists have found that in recent years the influence of religion has been growing in non-European societies， with China being a typical example.

Religions and religious groups have mushroomed in China over the past 35 years. This can largely be explained by three underlying reasons. Firstly， for 30 years between the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and the end of the Cultural Revolution in 1976， religion was blacklisted as “backward superstition incompatible with socialism.” As a result of relentless crackdowns on religious organizations and the clergy， religion was devastated to the extent that some counties and cities were declared “religion-free” areas. However， beginning immediately after the Cultural Revolution the rebound from this low starting point was dramatic. Secondly， the [economic and social political] reform brought about tremendous changes to private life and society. Many people felt lost at a crossroads in their life， and began to look for some sort of psychological support to cope with difficulties. Thirdly， changes in social structure and the relaxing of policies governing religion have made religion an available option for different groups of people in need of such help.

According to very preliminary estimates widely agreed upon by scholars， about 300 million Chinese describe themselves as having religious faith， a dramatic rise from the number before the founding of the People’s Republic.

NC： Disadvantaged groups with poorer education and lower incomes are more vulnerable in times of rapid social transition. Are they more inclined to turn to religion？

GS： In China this was the situation during the 1980s and 1990s when religion was in the process of a robust recovery， and most appealed to the rural population. However， notable changes have taken place since the turn of the century. Now， Buddhism is labeled as the “religion of the rich，” since many wealthy people are in the habit of “blessing” themselves. Though rural areas retain the largest population of Christians， more and more well educated people are joining Christian churches. Many entrepreneurs have told me about the hardship and sense of guilt they have experienced on their way to building their wealth. They choose religion in the hope of earning God’s blessing and redemption， whatever god they worship.

The average age and gender of religious people have also changed. Poor， elderly women used to be the majority in religious groups. Now we can see many young people at places of worship， or in classes preaching Buddhism or the Bible. The gender gap is also narrowing.

NC： Activities of religious groups are part of the public life of a society， and religious followers are members of society. What positive role can religion play in China’s society？

GS： We can see that religions or mainstream religions at least advocate kindness， care for the disadvantaged and concern for social inequality. Thus， upholding morality among their devotees is one way that religion helps our social progress. In recent years， behavior that breaks a common moral or even legal bottom line has shocked and alarmed Chinese society. There is a basic consensus among scholars that religion can provide an important resource for the rebuilding of social morality.

Charity is another contribution. After the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan in 2008， groups associated with the five religions allowed by the Chinese government Buddhism， Taoism， Islam， Catholicism and Protestantism donated about US$81 million to the disaster relief. In my field research two years after the quake， I found that the NGOs that were still there providing psychological and physical support for victims were mainly religious groups.

Moreover， any citizen， with or without religion， is equally entitled to the political right to express their opinions on public affairs. About 17，000 members of the clergy are delegates at various levels of the People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference， respectively China’s legislative and political advisory bodies. It is their right and obligation to participate in public policymaking.

NC： What is the general attitude towards religion in China？

GS： When I began my study of religion in Beijing in the 1980s， most people’s idea of religion was praying on one’s knees while burning incense. Now， things are quite different. When natural disasters have occurred in the past few years the earthquakes in Sichuan and Qinghai， for example there were media reports of religious rituals held for victims. Religious expressions like blessings and the giving of thanks were widely used by people around the country to express their goodwill. These things have improved the understanding of religion among the public. The positive role of religion in building a “harmonious society” was recognized in top political documents at the 17th and 18th CPC National Congresses in 2007 and 2013. Chinese society has begun to take a normal， rational outlook on religion.

However， the positive， but very minor， role played by religion in Chinese society is extremely disproportionate to the massive human resources controlled by religious groups in China. Religion has not been recognized as an indispensable force in society. Charities related to religious groups rarely receive media coverage. There is still distrust and even antipathy towards religion in society， and there are many barriers to religious groups wishing to engage in charity work. For example， various restrictions make it very difficult for them to establish retirement homes and orphanages， for which there is an urgent need. Groups associated with all five officially approved religions have a strong desire to provide public services. If they are allowed to do more in this regard， it will greatly improve the public understanding of religion.

NC： Recently， a number of organizations have been labeled “cults” by the government， and cracked down upon， particularly since some of their members are facing criminal charges including murder. These are not conventional mainstream religions. What are they？

GS： In English， the word “cult” was originally used by Christians to refer to new belief groups they thought to be unorthodox. In recent years the term “New Religious Movements” has become more popular among researchers. Many Christians also stopped using the word “cult”in order to avoid any derogatory implications against other religions. In our research， any religious groups born after the late 19th century， with different religious doctrines and practices from conventional mainstream religions， are defined as being part of the New Religious Movement.

In China， these “new religions” are both imported and indigenous. The public， and even scholars， know little about them， since they are illegal entities and their members are difficult to approach. But clearly they have been growing fast.

Two points have to be clarified concerning new religions. Firstly， the term “cult” is a religious concept， not a legal one. Secondly， when some of their members break the law， any judgment of the potential threat to society posed by their organizations can only be justified by sufficient evidence establishing a direct causal link between their beliefs and their legal trans- gressions. This judgment has to be made on legal grounds and by proper judicial institutions， within their capacity.

NC： Do you think that restrictions on new religions should be tighter or more relaxed？

GS： Ways of thinking and worldviews that are different from the zeitgeist exist in any society. The rights of these minorities have to be guaranteed.

A new religion may end up on either a good or a bad path. Two characteristics are often found in those that are very likely to go bad. One is the presence of a founder who proclaims him or herself to be a god with divine powers， including over individual followers. If a founder has any political ambitions or a fanatical personality， then the organization may well be on a destructive path. The second is an organization’s designation of a specific date as “Doomsday.”For fear of losing followers’ faith， its founder will sometimes ask them to sell off their property or even commit suicide as “the day” approaches.

External environment also has an impact. New religions often have some characteristics that are regarded as deviant， and are disapproved of by the society in which they exist. Their members may respond to this pressure by uniting around these characteristics， and at the same time become more resistant and more defiant in the face of society.

Any religion has to win the hearts and minds of as many people as possible to grow. It cannot attract followers if it does damage to society. This is similar to market competition. This being so， it is better to provide an easier environment where various religious groups can compete more fairly and more freely. They will find they are unable to survive unless they get rid of their practices that society finds unacceptable. Mormonism， for example， was not only strongly opposed by Christians， but marginalized by society partly due to its acceptance of polygamy. It has gradually become accepted by society since its leaders outlawed polygamy in accordance with the law.

All of these have proved that opening up the religious market step by step would make it possible for factors in a religion potentially detrimental to society to be eliminated in the competition for social recognition and followers. Compared with more stringent restrictions， a more relaxed environment for religious groups is better for society.？