Why we object to the inclusion of religious exhibits
This exhibit is being shown to imply that religion is alive, well, and protected when the fact is that religious activities are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.
The presentation of the exhibits is sterile, devoid of the true cultural, historical and geographic accessories that indeed demonstrate the wonder and marvel of the people that dreamed of, built and/or worshipped within. Much as the sterile exhibit, the originals languish as well, for the observances, rituals, fellowship and central role the institution once played in the people's daily lives have been discontinued. Allowing the building to remain standing but denying those activities which made the building famous is not a sign of support.
- All legal religious activities are controlled by committees (Democratic Management Committees) under the control of the Chinese Communist Party.
International Campaign for Tibet; Persecution of Religion in Tibet; September 10, 2001
- Members of the Chinese Communist Party are not allowed to have religious beliefs.
Tibet TV, Lhasa City; Chen Kuiyuan warns party members "must not have religious beliefs"; September 24, 1994
All legal religious activities are under the control of avowed atheists
- Illegal religious activities (any religious activity not sponsored by the Chinese Communist Party) are broken up and organizers are jailed.
Too many examples are read by following the links below.
- Attending the wrong prayer meeting can get you sentenced to Reform Through Labor Camp for three years, without a trial or appeal.
The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights accords each individual to right to express themselves as they deem appropriate.
We object to the implied Chinese government support for religion because their only support is to control it. Also, placing the exhibit into an historical context that mirror periods of religious freedom is insulting and demeaning, given the time, effort and policy that went into crushing religion by the Chinese Communist Party.
Will the school children know to ask the tour guide (who can't answer the question, btw):
If the procession shown in front the Potala Palace could be seen today ?
What happened to all the people who used to live and/or worship in these buildings ?
Why are all the religious exhibits shown here now closed and operating as museums or under strict control of a Democratic Management Committee ?
The religious aspirations of thousands/millions of Christians, Buddhists, and Muslims and others are controlled by an atheistic dictatorship that tolerates no institution to threaten its supremcy, even religious. This is wrong and we can teach our children the truth. Further evidence/symptoms/indications are provided through the links below:
- US State Department
2001 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: China March 4, 2002
- United States Commission on International Religious Freedom
Read about the assault on religion by the PRC
- Human Rights Watch
China Human Rights Update: Freedom of Religion and Belief
February 15, 2002
- Amnesty International
China: Falun Gong deaths in custody continue to rise as crackdown worsens 19 December 2000
- Falun Dafa Information Center
News and Information about Falun Dafa around the world. The persecution continues and is documented.
- Human Rights in China
Harold Hongju Koh
Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor
U.S. Department of State
Testimony Before the House Committee on International Relations,
Washington, DC, January 20, 1999
- Amnesty International
Religious Repression in China "Freedom of Religious Belief Is Not
Freedom for Religion" the Xinjiang Daily, 18 May 1996 (ASA 17/69/96, July 1996)
- Human Rights Watch
CHINA: RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION PERSISTS
December 1995, Vol. 7, No. 16 (C)
- The Dragon's Grip The Persecution of Christians in the PRC
Chapter Six of Feeding the Red Dragon: The Case Against Canada's Aid to Communist China: 1996
- IFCSS Report: Student Dissident Calls for Religious Freedom in China
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