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On Feb. 26, the US State Department mobilized its vast expertise and data-gathering resources to publish a 5,000-page report on the state of human rights in the world.
The report does the world a great service. Nevertheless, the State Department is far newer to these issues than human and religious rights groups. Its coverage ranges from excellent (China, Laos) to adequate (North Korea, Sri Lanka) to inadequate (India, Nepal). It will take time for State Department personnel to build up contacts, and their access to underground Christian communities may never be that significant.
Another weakness of the report is that it is long on data, but short on analysis. After examining the sections on Asian countries, here is a distillation of some trends that lie buried in the material.
1. We are beginning to see the passing of the hard-line attitude that the church must not be allowed to do social or educational work.
One of the first moves of new communist governments was to sever all ties between churches and the educational/social spheres. It was a quick way of isolating the church from society and could be conveniently justified under the principle of separating church and state. Now this is in reversal—most spectacularly in the still communist states of Vietnam and China. Restrictions still exist, but in Vietnam, for instance, Christian agencies operate kindergartens and orphanages and manage microeconomic projects.
The reason for this is simple. The changeover from a centrally planned economy to a market-led one has caused massive social disruption. Millions are thrown out of work. The state can no longer afford to pay for education and medical care. In order to stave off social chaos, the governments need help. Ironically these anti-Christian governments now need the churches to help them stay in power.
2. Certain governments are using religions as a means to bolster their failing legitimacy, with disastrous consequences for the Christian minorities.
The two clearest examples of this are Burma (Myanmar), which is promoting Buddhism, and Indonesia, where former President Suharto deliberately courted Muslim groups, giving them privileges and ousting Christians from cabinet positions. If it's any comfort, the tactic is the last refuge of a fading government.
3. Official churches are growing fast alongside the unofficial ones.
In countries like Vietnam and China, where there are state-controlled official churches and underground unofficial churches, both groups are growing. An increasing number of Christians feel that it is acceptable to practise their religion within an environment that is somewhat restricted. Often they do so believing the restrictions are not strongly applied—and sometimes they are right. In China, the unofficial church numerically dwarfs the official church; in Vietnam, it's the other way round.
4. Its getting harder to generalize about persecution within countries.
In China, "in some regions, government supervision of religious activity is minimal." In other areas, notably Beijing, Henan, Shangdong and Hebei, "authorities closely monitor places of worship and take action against unregistered churches." In Vietnam, there is dreadful persecution in the central highlands, particularly among Hmong Christians. However, in the south, in Ho Chi Minh City, there is very little. In India, evangelists can hold huge open-air rallies in some states, and would be stoned to death if they attempted to do the same in others.
5. Most Asian governments are afraid of religion and seek to restrict it or control it.
The controls for the most part remain subtle, rather than blatant. For example, there are two dozen seminaries or Bible colleges in China. But graduates "must pass an examination on their theological and political knowledge to qualify for the clergy." Thus, the state retains a veto power on the appointment of clergy. As well, 20 seminaries may seem like a lot, but the biggest has barely 200 students when 2,000 students each are what are needed. It is the state's way of depriving the church of leaders. In so-called free countries, sometimes it's just a matter of ignoring religion when it suits. In Malaysia, Christians complain they never get an answer from the authorities whenever they seek permission to build a new church.
6. Ironically, the most spectacular persecution in 1998 in Asia took place in countries that had the least legal restrictions on religion.
Last year, over 100 incidents of church burnings and beatings of Christians in India occurred after the extremist Hindu nationalist party BJP took power. In Indonesia, it was the Chinese Christian community that was victimized, with shops looted, women raped and scores of churches burned or vandalized. Yet these two countries have a most enlightened constitution when it comes to religious freedom.
The framers of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, assumed that the main persecutor of religion would be the state. In fact, in these countries, it is communities of extremist Muslims and Hindus that make life difficult for Christians, sometimes to the annoyance of the government. Yet there is little evidence of either government really going to any pains to protect the Christian minority.
7. There's no place like North Korea.
It's supposed to have an official church, but it may be an elaborate hoax. The report tells of a foreign Christian who attempted to attend services at a church on Easter Sunday without notifying the authorities. When he got there, the church was locked. The report does not seem to be aware of the substantial groups of Christians worshipping underground in North Korea. With the fall of Albania in 1990, North Korea is the world's most hostile environment for a Christian.
8. China is virtually unique in the amount of international religious dialogue it seeks.
There's no country quite like China for rolling out the red carpet for foreign religious VIPs. Chinese presidents and premiers make time on their schedules for receiving high-ranking clerics from abroad. One has to be a little cynical about this, given the repressive religious policies in place in China. Perhaps the Chinese view clerics as a soft target who will easily swallow their propaganda. Perhaps the Chinese make a special effort because of their economic dependence on the United States. Whatever the reason, while the underground pastors flee arrest, beating and jail, the West's pastors are wined and dined in the Great Hall of the People.
Alex Buchan, Compass Direct news service.
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