Diversity without Pluralism: Religious Landscape in Mainland China

Yongjia Liang

doi:10.3390/rel9010022

Abstract

The paper explores religious diversity and pluralism in the religioscape of mainland China with three examples. While religious diversity is de facto practice, “religious pluralism” is not socially recognised, culturally legitimised, or discursively institutionalised. On the one hand, state co-option of religious groups is achieved through particular definition of “religion” without the conceptualisation of pluralism, leaving undefined religious activities to cultural policy or national security measures. On the other hand, practices that might be identified as religious elsewhere does not usually self-identified as such, not to say seek for the right of religious freedom. To explain the absence of articulated/institutionalised “religious pluralism” in China, the paper provides three examples—civil activism against tomb-levelling campaign, “the Society of Disciples” (mentuhui), and a ritual service provider. The paper argues that the religioscape of mainland China is one with de facto religious diversity without the ideology of religious pluralism, because the diverse religious practices do not make a conscious reference to pluralism, remain non-institutional, disinterested in religious freedom, and, most important of all, below the state’s radar.

Highlights

My paper will make use of the distinction between “religious diversity” and “religious pluralism”made by our editors, Enzo Pace and Alberto Da Silva Moreira
I argue that the religioscape of mainland China is one with de facto religious diversity without the ideology of religious pluralism, because the diverse religious practices do not make a conscious reference to pluralism, remain non-institutional, disinterested in religious freedom, and, most important of all, below the state’s radar
In the higher-level modes of organisation, we find religious pluralism is denied and religious diversity is severely limited, institutionally, conceptually, and politically (Palmer 2017)

Summary

Introduction

My paper will make use of the distinction between “religious diversity” and “religious pluralism”. Made by our editors, Enzo Pace and Alberto Da Silva Moreira They make a useful distinction between the descriptive and the normative by arguing that while “religious diversity” represents the condition in which religious variety is de facto presence, “religious pluralism” suggests an ideology that requests the political authority cultivate and maintain a political landscape in which different religions enjoy equal rights and have equal access to public service. While religious diversity is de facto practice, “religious pluralism” in China is not socially recognised, culturally legitimised, or discursively institutionalised. Religious adherents and religious groups seldom, if not never, seek for “religious minority” status or its right This is so in the case of “house-church”, where Christians deliberately or unconsciously keep the state co-opted TSPM church at arm’s length. I will give three examples to illustrate how de facto religious diversity exists and operates well without a de jure idea of religious pluralism

The Polyphonic Voices in the Henan Tomb-Levelling Campaign

The Schismatic Strategy of “the Society of Disciples”

Amorphous Religion: A Ritual Service Provider

Conclusions