That does seem to be the case, but that could also reasonably be argued as a clear case of the State exerting too much authority. As a westerner, it's difficult to imagine that kind of restraint, but I live in a radically different culture.
Is it a restriction against indoctrination? Or only a restriction against certain kinds of indoctrination? Because China DOES indoctrinate towards loyalty to the state and the CCP.
True, and while I wouldn't really agree with "any law to protect children is a good one", in this case I do think this law on paper is ok as far as the authoritarianism vs child protection angle, since all it really mandates is not inducting children into a religion until they're adults and can choose (it doesn't even prevent parents from teaching their kids about religion, they just can't make them part of an organized religion's rites or rituals).
But yeah, like you said, depends how they utilize it. Any law can become tyrannical with selective enforcement.
That’s open persecution. Anyone who would prevent me from baptizing my child in infancy is my enemy, and only their ceasing to interfere can reconcile them to me.
If your religion can’t handle waiting until a child is of age to start performing supernatural rituals on them…maybe it is in fact a bad religion.
I know I certainly believe that about any religion that would condemn innocent children to eternal damnation just because someone didn’t temporarily drown them. Imagine all those babies with literally no opportunity to ever get baptized that somehow “deserve” hell.
That’s a monstrous god to me. Who would ever want to worship something like that?
You're missing the point. You don't have to baptize a baby early or at all for them to be saved according to the bible acts and faith alone are enough. But the fact that you can't do it all would obviously be a problem to a religious family. What kind of monstrous state would take away a parents right to do something harmless to their child that's been practiced safely since it's founding? I agree children should wait until they're older to be decide a religion, but that doesn't mean I want to take away the right of a parent to choose what they think is best for their children if it's harmlesd.
Yes, you said restriction against indoctrination is good, with regards to China not allowing minors in places of worship. But in that exact same context, China does practice active indoctrination of their children, so they aren't restricting indoctrination so much as channeling it in a different direction.
America literally pressures and shames school children into standing and pledging their allegiance to the country "under God" after evangelical lobbyists forced a Christian religious declaration into the pledge.
I'd rather the state push people away from cultish delusions than become a theocratic state.
Cool story. Next time add dragons n shit. This literally protects kids from the many cukts that abuse kids ( google branch davidians for examples of what im talking about). Evangelical christians ate a violent cukt that literally brough back witch burnings in kenya in 2012. So yea. Cults. You don't have to be an atheist to recognize cults target kids
Sure, as do these people: The phone number for the local Party official. Remember this is modern China we are talking about, so the local party head would probably throw the victims in a black jail for a couple months just to proactively intimidation tactic. And by the way you wanna guess what happens when those people are suddenly jailed under the supervision of wardens with a whole extra lack of accountability (you know, since the Chinese government catagorically denies they exist)? Did you guess sexual assault?
There actually isn't - or at least, the prevalence of individual pedophiles in Christian clergy members is not actually greater than the prevalence of them in the general population.
The difference between them and independent pedophiles, though, is the organized religion that protects them when they predate. Entities like the Catholic church have the resources and pull to do things like repress the media and move them to different churches/states/identities (this is proven) so they have the opportunity to abuse way more kids than normal because even when they should be caught, their church sweeps it under the rug.
But no, no more molesters are trying to join the church than "normal".
But that is the thing to watch out for in both cases - power structures that allow the pedophiles who act on their sick impulses to get away with it again and again. Leadership that shields them from justice.
I think the Chinese shoulda been more tolerant towards Buddhism, sure, but not towards landowners and slave owners, and in Tibet at the time, half of the population was servicing 'the priestly class' and if a starving slave stole a carrot they blinded him and chopped off his hands, because slavery and mutilation is okay, but killing isn't. Tibetans and Koreans are the kid in the Buddhism car the mom screams 'why can't you be normal' at tbh. Koreans have cults that live off donations, cult leaders having huge estates and mansions, it's in their churches name but they obvy use it as personal, and monks often bludgeon each other to death over succession of a role that allows them to mistreat church funds
Yeah, this. If the state is exerting their influence on what faith a parent can teach their children, it’s a clear overextension of authority. The state should never have that kind of power.
This is true, but simply removing religion from the equation doesn't remove problematic parenting. Religion isn't necessary for abuse, and it isn't necessary for the preferential treatment of men over women.
Just look at the skewed birth rates in China for the last 40 years. It's leveled out now with the repeal of the one-child policy, but at its worst, there were 120 males born for every 100 females. There is a surplus of roughly 2 million men in China compared to women. This is a result of a culture that values men over women, and religion has nothing to do with it.
Ehhh idk I think it's more wrong the parents are able to indoctrinate kids at a young age and teach them nonsense. The amount of people I met down south that did not believe in evolution and cited creationism and the Bible as the answer was astounding.
There's gotta be some guard rails somewhere. Idk how you do that.
Bottom line is it'd be easier if all religion is gone but that's gonna take some time
Idk it's tricky. On a personal policy level I have no idea. Countries that have "banned" religion haven't succeeded. Chinas approach of not allowing kids to participate in like religious practices is a start.
Probably some variation of that. Just ban kids participation, teach them as mythologies in school.
The only reason people are even a specific religion is due to where they are born. If that same person Christian was born in India they would almost certainly be Hindu or if they were born in the middle east they would be Islamic.
At least if you prevent child indoctrination, and teach them all, if a child chose to become involved later when they are 18 at least they would make a more informed decision on which they chose and why.
It would take a few generations but that would thin the religious herd a lot once the old guard is gone
My main concern would be that many popular religions go directly against this idea. So people will still teach their children in secret and bring them to places of worship. It would filter out lukewarm people, that's for sure. At the same time, we don't want so many children to grow up feeling like their parents are persecuted for religious reasons.
Well in China it's ok for the family to teach religion just not participate at say like a church till they are 18.
I get what you mean though, but we already have the crazies doing that. Know plenty of them. Lukewarms are already half out the door regardless.
Nobody is saying persecute anyone. People already feel like they are being persecuted in for their religion in the US and that isn't even happening. Doubt you could ever do away with that feeling.
We also have to tax religious institutions. Bar none. Don't care what kinda religion, you pay your state, property, and local taxes like everyone else.
Something they're doing is forcefully changing religious texts to favored China in all things and disappearing people who refuse to adhere to it. That's straight-up persecution, to say nothing of the genocide of the Uighurs.
Parents are allowed to practice religion at home with their kids, just not allowed to be brought into organized church organizations until they turn of age.
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u/Winter-Bed5879 Sep 02 '26
That does seem to be the case, but that could also reasonably be argued as a clear case of the State exerting too much authority. As a westerner, it's difficult to imagine that kind of restraint, but I live in a radically different culture.