China Announces Crackdown on Religious Content on the Web | Hacker News Reader

China Announces Crackdown on Religious Content on the Web

bitterwinter.org

58 pointstheduder9922 comments

The Measures follows complaints by President Xi Jinping that prohibitions against using the Internet to “advertise” religion are easily eluded, and more should be done to make sure that the Internet and social networks are not used as tools for “religious propaganda.”

The Measures require an “Internet Religious Information Service License,” which can only be granted to organizations part of the five authorized religions (since they should be “legally established,” which is only possible within the five government-controlled organization), to disseminate religious content via the Internet. Any other reference to religion on the web is declared illegal.

I read that it is suspected Xi Jinping is actually just a CIA/Mossad plant who is conducting a social experiment to see what people are willing to put up with before they overthrow their government.

Looks pretty fair to me. Kinda jealous actually.

Would it be fair if the country you live in passes a law saying you can only have 1 of 5 political views and your views aren't included?

So long as your belief makes the list?

makes you wonder what’s so threatening about religion that they want to ban it… maybe because in totalitarian systems, the state is the source of moral truth?

while the US was having our Civil War, China was having their own called the Taiping Rebellion after a local had a dream he was the brother of Christ and (temporarily) founded the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiping_Rebellion

Oh, and this 'rebellion' cost up to 1000x the lives (50m) as the much more talked about Opium Wars (<50k)

It's baffling how little known this is in the West. It influenced much of the modern world.

* It's the worst war/unrest in human history up to the world wars.

* It was the straw that broke Qing China's back. The empire never recovered. The loss of Manchu officials led to local Han authorities raising armies directly, permanently weakening imperial authority.

* It really was led by a man who proclaimed himself the brother of Christ. Hong was probably schizophrenic. Unfortunately he was also charismatic and a gifted military commander. A fascinating person on his own.

* The Heavenly Kingdom was a semi-functional theocratic state that lasted over a decade and ruled tens of millions at one point. They issued stamps, coins, and tried to establish foreign relations.

* The rebels went full zealot. Millenialist. Communal property. Group castrations.

* The rallying around ethnic Hakka identity by the rebels explains much of the modern insistence that the Han Chinese are one people with one language.

* It was so disruptive Western forces got involved in the conflict on the Qing side. They stayed after. It accelerated the unequal treaties process.

For comic relief:

* General Zuo Zongtang, who finally put the rebellion down, is one of the most celebrated and remembered generals in world history; General Tso's Chicken is named after him.

And Europe had the Thirty Years War but we dont crackdown on religion because of it

Maybe we should've?

I think authoritarianism is generally bad

I think religion is generally bad

Last I heard the dalai lama no longer has authorization to reincarnate. (I’m not joking)

Oh, he does, he's graciously been allowed to reincarnate as a Han Chinese boy born to a family that staunchly supports the CCP and integration of Tibet with China.

It’s the pope and antipope; soon they will be excommunicating eachother

Many notable Communist and socialist figures explicitly recognized the threat of different thinking and ideologies in their writing. Engels and Marx and Lenin viewed everything from religion to family structure as outside forces that needed to be contained, as they might otherwise challenge the supremacy of a dominant Marxist ideology.

To be honest that isn't such an issue until it's an ideology enforced by the state. Most ideologies are pretty hostile to other ideologies. However they normally exist in free societies where people can opt in and out of them.

I still don't understand why there aren't many communist communities. Wouldn't it be better if you could opt in or out?

> I still don't understand why there aren't many communist communities. Wouldn't it be better if you could opt in or out?

Not sure if you're serious or if this is expert level Socratic method questioning! The lack of choice is the defining characteristic of communism: many of the folks required to make communism work will _never_ go along with it.

Just look at the Bible Belt, or Afghanistan.

Maybe the very idea that there’s something out there who Chinese people see as more important than Xi Jinping.

As a Chinese who grew up in China until 18, I can tell you that I barely have seen anybody that’s religious in China before…

good luck china, December 8 was celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of the dissolution of the last socialist state to make this same move ...

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