Religious Belief in China

A 2007 study investigating the religious beliefs of Chinese, conducted under the auspices of the Association of Religious Data Archives and funded by the Templeton Foundation, led to some remarkable findings.

For sixty years the Peoples Republic of China has used all the power available to a totalitarian government in an attempt to eradicate religion and all forms of religious belief among its people. Based of the results of this study, it would seem these attempts have been futile. Among the population of the PRC, a nation which advertises itself as an atheist state, no more than 15% are true atheists. The rest of the population (85%) actually practices some form of religion or, at a minimum, holds religious beliefs. More embarrassing to the communist regime is the fact that even among those who hold positions that require one to be an atheist, most of these have engaged in religious practices during the past year.

Chinese police arresting "underground" Catholics

It would seem that the Chinese communists have yet to learn that religious belief is something innately human, that human beings are in a sense hard-wired to search for God. Seeming to confirm this are indications that Christianity and Buddhism are both undergoing substantial growth among Chinese. Estimates of the number of Chinese Christians vary from 60 million to well over 100 million, and the true number may be even higher because an open admission of religious practice or belief can have grave consequences. Close to 200 million Chinese identify themselves as Buddhists, while the vast majority of the population, practice some form of ancestor worship.

According to Purdue Professor Fenggang Yang, one of the lead researchers on the project, many Chinese officials have come to accept the fact that religion cannot be eradicated. Despite the constant atheistic drumbeat that sounds in all Chinese schools and organizations, and in virtually every other Communist Party-run element of society, the Chinese people are becoming more religious and will continue to do so.

To read more click here: China's Religious Revolution and, somewhat surprisingly, an article in the Huffington Post.

Pray for the Chinese people who have suffered so much for so long...