China establishes restrictions for religious activities on the Internet

The use of the Internet for religious activities will be more difficult in China after the communist government published the “Code of Conduct for the religious clergy on the Internet”, composed of 18 articles whose objective is to “maintain order in the religious field.”

This Code was published on September 15 by the Department of Religious Affairs of the Communist Party and applies to all Chinese and foreigners religious acting in China, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, which he considers a rebel island.

The agency Asia News He informed that the regime issued this regulation based on its premise that “the clergy also ‘must practice the fundamental values ​​of socialism, adhere to the principle of independence and self -management of religions in the country, adhere to the synicization of religions and actively guide religions so that they adapt to socialist society and retain religious harmony, social harmony and ethnic harmony”.

Among the various restrictions, The document indicates that “the religious clergy should not carry out online activities as such” and can only preach through the official digital media “legally established for religious groups, religious schools, temples, monasteries and churches” that have a special license.

“It is obvious the prohibition of publishing ‘contents that encourage the subversion of the power of the State’ or oppose the leadership of the ‘Chinese Communist Party’,” says Asia News.

An example is article 10, which prohibits “spreading religious ideas or inducing minors to religious faith through the Internet.” Nor can it “organize the participation of minors in religious training courses, summer camps (or winter), or organize or force minors to participate in religious activities.”

“It should not organize or participate in religious activities online such as ceremonies, cults and masses, or religious rituals such as the ignition of incense, offerings to Buddha, proclamation of the Holy Scriptures, observance of precepts and baptisms; nor carry out courses or internet training with content or religious connotations such as ‘meditations’, ‘purifications’ and ‘healing sentences’,” says the code. “

The code also prohibits the use of artificial intelligence to generate religious content.

In case of not following the norms, the government will order the rectification. In case of not being fulfilled, “sanctions will be applied in accordance with relevant laws and administrative regulations, which include the imposition of restrictions or the closure of the account itself in the official sites.

However, the communist regime warns that these standards must be followed “even when performing online activities through foreign web platforms.”

The digital magazine Bitter Winterspecialized in religious freedom, indicated that the purpose of the XI Jinping regime is that “religious expression must be patriotic, partyly and culturally purified, a ‘preaching with Chinese characteristics’.”

“While the document is expressed in terms of ‘order’ and ‘harmony’, its implications are overwhelming. Criminalize the spontaneous religious expression online, isolates the clergy of global religious discourse and submits sacred discourse to the attentive look of state censors,” he said.

Bitter Winter recalls that “it is not the first time that China reinforces its control over religious life, but it could be one of the most technologically invasive.”

“In the era of the digital ministry, where the sermons are broadcast live and the sentences are transmitted by streamingregulation seems a deliberate attempt to separate the sacred from the social. The clergy can still speak, but only through the party megaphone, ”he warned.