Religion proved to be a strong counter to communism in Eastern Europe. It's no wonder they're scared.
China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
31–40 of 150 posts
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Even atheists"? Are atheists pretty evil, but not quite this evil? Are atheists well-known for being anti-freedom? Why "even atheists"?
Athiests (the community) are known for being outspoken about the damage that certian religions have caused and are causing, but they're also known for supporting the free exchange of ideas including those that they think are harmful. Atheists (the definition) aren't known for anything because atheism doesn't demand any specific behaviors.
I haven't seen that and is starting to believe that might be something typical for the US.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#33Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are afraid of other power blocks and that's what churches really are when you strip away the veneer. You can still see this all over Europe, Romania, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Germany, Ireland, England, Spain and Italy have very powerful religious entities, and in many other countries even though the religious fractions are not quite that powerful they still have lot of power to influence politics and life in ge…
The church has literally zero power to do anything in the UK. We live in secular societies and I cannot believe your statement is provably true. No church/religion will ever go up against the power of the Chinese state, unless God herself returns to Earth...
I think your perception of "power" is too narrow. Influence into the behaviors and opinions of people is power. The money they bring in and distribute is power.
And the fact that the Queen of Britain is also the Supreme Governor of the Church of England gives the Church importance - and therefore power - over many other influences.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
And yes the US doesn’t always treat foreigners as welcome either. :-/
No doubt... It's just strange China is literally chasing away some serious talent because they don't agree with their moral code.
The government wants to maintain power at all costs, what's best for the country and it's citizens is irrelevant. If a large number of Chinese begin to value the word of god more than glorious leader Xi, that's a threat to the status quo.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#35For an authoritarian government to work long term they have to be the highest power. This is why the Soviets worked so hard to destroy the church as well as the concept of family, people who value god or family above the government are a threat. In effect the government has to become god.
Is this true? I always found it strange that the Kremlin literally has five churches inside of it... I mean Communism and Christianity have a surprising amount of commonality.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
As an atheist i can't even see why they would ban it. It's a mish mash of traditional views, fallacies , contradictions and stories. Studying it should teach you see all these things.
To make a bad comparison, not everyone can develop antibodies upon mild exposure to a virus.
A bad comparison indeed.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#37That’s... just evil. Even atheists generally support people’s freedom to read and believe as they please.
Do they? Many notable atheists are known for their disdain of Abrahamic religions and how they poison minds of uneducated majority of the world.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#38What are the Chinese government so scared of! They have complete control in a way not possible in the West, I can’t really foresee how the state would be overthrown by the people there?
There is a great two pay PBS documentary called "China - A Century of Revolution". It's fascinating to watch. It shows how the was just one BS revolution after another, each of them leading to destruction and unfathomable suffering. By the time you get to the protests leading up to the Tianmen massacre you'll go "Fuck no! Not again!" It's incredible to watch that in yourself and leads to greater understanding of Chinese politics. Not saying that what they are doing is right or did be supported, but at least it makes it so you can understand it beyond a "they are just evil and power hungry" angle. Stability looks suddenly very attractive.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#39That’s... just evil. Even atheists generally support people’s freedom to read and believe as they please.
"Even atheists"? Are atheists pretty evil, but not quite this evil? Are atheists well-known for being anti-freedom? Why "even atheists"?
I'm really not trying to start a tit for tat who is worse argument as all religions, including mine (Christian/Catholic) has their fair share of atrocities, but certainly many people were murdered and otherwise oppressed under state atheist regimes in Communist countries. It's worth calling out and remembering.
Re: China Bans Online Bible Sales as It Tightens Religious Controls
#40Is censorship even effective? I'd love to see an academic treatment of the reality of censorship minus the obvious moral qualms. I suppose it's probably an impossible thing to measure.