Religion is a threat to authoritarianism

Commentary

As an avid reader, I decided to read Jennifer Zen’s acclaimed memoir, “Witness History: The Battle of a Woman for Freedom and Falun Gong.”

Published in 2005, the book is a famous memoir of Falun Gong followers who were imprisoned, tortured, and humiliated until they were “reformed” in a labor re-education facility in China.

It is a story of patience, faith, persecution, and redemption, a testament to the lasting power of faith, honesty, compassion, and forgiveness.

But primarily, the book is a concrete reminder of the persecution of religion and conscience in many different parts of the world. Therefore, Zeng’s books have been reviewed many times.

Zeng’s story explores why Chinese authorities and other governments ruthlessly and violently persecute religious groups simply to practice their beliefs.

In the case of Falun Gong, this persecution included sleep deprivation, hard work, indoctrination, execution, horrific presence in re-education camps, and organ removal.

However, the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China is not an isolated event of religious persecution in the world. For example, in China, a minority of Islamic people in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region are currently receiving about the same treatment.

In addition, the Baha’i Faith community has long been persecuted in Iran and Yemen, where their members have been sentenced to long imprisonment.

Recently, in Indonesia, even with the implicit support of the authorities, the Christian church has been destroyed. In Afghanistan, there are reports that he was executed because he had the Bible on his cell phone.

So why are some countries maliciously persecuting religion?

The answer to this question is as disturbing as it is true. The administration is afraid that people will obey and be directed by what appears to be higher authority than the ruling party.

In China, the Communist Party has effectively replaced God. It cruelly suppresses religions, philosophies, or idealisms that are considered to compete with the Communist Party for the hearts and spirits of the people.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does everything to maintain power and counteract opposition to authoritarian rule. Even non-violent religious movements are afraid of ideas that they cannot control or originate from.

Zeng’s book reminds readers that religious freedom is seriously threatened today.

Even in countries like Australia, where religion, religious values ​​and tradition-based common law systems have been eroded and dismantled, and in any case seriously questioned and attacked.

Faith often clashes with a new wave of law for the engineering community.

These laws affect people’s lives, from cradle to graveyard. These include and relate to when and how we are born, how marriage is defined, and even the way we die.

The treatment of Falun Gong, which the Chinese authorities mistakenly claim to be “evil,” reminds us that totalitarianism is afraid of religion.

The totalitarian state agrees with Article 1 of the Humanist Declaration II 1973, the text of the Humanist Movement. It says, “Traditional revelations, gods, rituals, or beliefs that prioritize human needs and experiences … religions harm human species. Natural explanations are a test of scientific evidence. You have to pass …. Traditional religious doctrines and myths do not. “

Religious persecution also violates international law. There are many international human rights documents that protect the right to exercise one’s religion freely, both publicly and privately. They are an attempt to codify the rights of nature.

Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights states: This right manifests his freedom to change his religion or beliefs, and his religious beliefs in education, practice, worship and compliance, either alone or in collaboration with others, publicly or privately. Freedom is included. “

Professor Emeritus of Law Harop A. Freeman Claimed in 1958 It was not possible to separate that religious belief from action. “Great religion is not just a matter of belief. It is action, and” one of the most devastating religions in religion is reserved for hypocrites who believe but fail to act. ” That is.

Religious persecution, in the words of the 1981 Declaration, is “an insult to human dignity.”

It is incompatible with international human rights standards that protect religious beliefs and practices.

Religion should be protected by China and other authoritarian states and reassessed in Western countries, including Australia.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.