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Law guarantees freedom of religious belief in China. Normal
activities of different religions can be carried out in china
according to their rights prescribed by the Constitution and
Law. Buddhism and Taoism are comparatively widespread in China.
There are more than 100 million religious followers in China,
more than 85,000 places of worship and 3,000 religious
communities with 30,000 clergy to serve the spiritual needs of
theirs followers.
Of the top five religions, Buddhism, the most influential,
has a history of more tan 2,000 years in China. There are now
over 9,500 Buddhist temples and monasteries with 200,000 monks
and nuns registered at temples throughout China. Taoism, native
to the country, has a history of more than 1,700 years. There
are over 6,000 Taoist priests and nuns who live in the temples,
with more than 600 temples and monasteries open to the pubic.
Islam was introduced to China in the seventh century. There are
about 20 million Muslims and more than 35,000 mosques.
Catholicism and Protestantism boomed in China with the Opium War
in the 1840s. There are about 4 million Catholics, including
2,700 clergymen and 4,000 Catholic churches, about 10 million
Christians or protestants, including 18,000 missionaries, 8,000
churches and 20,000 simply equipped meeting places in China.
China now has 2,000 religious organizations operate their own
affairs independently, run seminaries to suit their own needs,
publish their classical works and other publications and have
service organs to serve pubic interest. Religious scriptures,
books and magazines are published by various religions. China¡¯s
Constitution stipulates that the state protects normal religious
activities. No one may make use of religion to engage in
activities that disrupt public order, impair the health of
citizens or interfere with the educational system of the state.
In order to ensure that Chinese citizens really enjoy the
freedom of religious belief, religious bodies and religious
affairs are not subject to any foreign domination.
President Jiang Zeming said at a three-day national work
conference on the subject, which ended on December 12, 2001.
China will effectively implement the policy of ¡°freedom for
religious belief¡± and conduct religious work according to law.
Religious work enjoys an important status in the country¡¯s
affairs. Under the new situation, the Party¡¯s leadership over
religion should be strengthened; the work on religion is closely
inked with the comity between different ethnic groups, social
stability, national security and reunification, as well as
China¡¯s relations with foreign countries. The influence of
religion on political and social lives in today¡¯s¡¯ world should
never be underestimated. Communist Party members do not believe
in any religion, but treat religion with a scientific point of
view. Freedom for religious belief is a basic right enjoyed by
all citizens according to the Chinese Constitution, and to
respect and protect such a right embodies the Party¡¯s commitment
to protect human rights. On the one hand, each person enjoys the
freedom of believing or not believing in religion, while on the
other, religious work should be conducted within the scope of
the Constitution and Laws. Religious works should not obstruct
social work, working order and living order. Any religion is not
allowed to interfere in the country¡¯s administrative, judicial
and educational works. Religion should never be allowed to be
used for opposing the Party leadership and socialist system,
destroying national reunification and ethnic unity, as well as
harming national interests. Religious people should lover their
country, support the socialist system and Party leadership, and
obey the country¡¯s laws. China adopts the principle of
separating politics from religions, stressing no religion has
the right to override the Constitution and laws. The principle
of independence must be followed and foreign interference in
China¡¯s religious work should be absolutely prohibited.
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