Thomas Jefferson gushed over the 1st Amendment, writing in 1802 that it guaranteed "a wall of separation between Church & State." The American Constitution would protect religion from political meddling, and politics from religious meddling.
The Chinese Constitution looks quite a bit different. It states, in admirable bluntness, "the government strengthens the building of socialist spiritual civilization." Thus, in China, instead of a separation of church and state, you get full synergy. Each church, mosque and temple must prove itself "patriotic." The Communist Party (not the Pope) chooses China's Catholic bishop. The Party runs an association that offers Chinese Muslims "a correct and authoritative interpretation" of the Quran. And, as we can see in a recent item in the New York Times, Tibetan Buddhism is also being pulled under the Party apparatus.
The story focuses on Indian suspicions that the Karmapa Lama -- the third highest ranking Tibetan leader after the Dali Lama and the Panchen Lama -- is a Chinese spy, sent by the Communist Party to meddle in Indian and Tibetan affairs. This is big news since the Karmapa Lama will, in all likelihood, lead the Tibetan movement when the Dali Lama dies. The Karmapa is 25 years old, charismatic and stunningly handsome (some of my Buddhist friends call him "His Hotness").
The Karmapa is most certainly not a Chinese secret agent. But when government gets into bed with religion (by force of by invitation), things get muddied.
If we dig into the Times story a bit more, we can see "government-strengthened spirituality" muddying up more than just the Karmapa. In fact, the Communist Party is seeking to impose its will on the selection process for all Tibetan Lamas. For 500 years, the state did not interfere with this process; instead, monks used divine lotteries and symbols from the heavens to find infant reincarnations of recently departed deities. But the transition past the current Dali Lama will be different: In 2007, the Communist Party passed a law allowing itself to "regulate reincarnation." Move over monks; discovering the next human form of the bodhisattva of compassion is a job for government cadres. (If you find it strange that the officially atheist Communist Party is in the business of selecting reincarnated gods, well, you're not the only one.)
The second bit of "government-strengthened spirituality" comes from a look at the Panchen Lama, traditionally the Dali Lama's right hand man. Through 13 reincarnations, stretching back to the 1400s, young Dali Lama's have been coached by older Panchen Lamas, learning how to take their place as spiritual and political leaders. The next Dali Lama will not have this coach, however, since the Communist Party kidnapped the Panchen Lama two decades ago. No one knows his fate.
"Government-strengthened spirituality" is an oxymoron. Government, at its best, builds stable bridges and makes sure cops and firefighters are well paid. It regulates economic activity rather than spiritual. It does not get involved in issues of transcendence, Heaven, Hell or anything else metaphysical. When politicians forget this, it's not so much government that is imperiled -- it is spirituality itself.
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Is the Karmapa Lama an agent of Beijing or a political scapegoat ...
I hope China never gets a christian problem like the other countries have.
I invite you and your readers to read the analysis of the letter by President Jefferson to the Danbury Baptists. This break down was done by the curator of the Library of Congress and can be read here: http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danbury.html . Sadly, not too many people have taken the time to read this, including most SCOTUS and lower court judges. For those who don't want to take 15 minutes to read the entire article, here's the summary: Jefferson wanted to assure the "...faithful that their "religious rights shall never be infringed by any act of mine." . THAT'S what the "wall" meant.
Today, of course, it means something completely different. One amusing portion of the article mentions the following: "In 1962, Justice Potter Stewart complained that jurisprudence was not "aided by the uncritical invocation of metaphors like the 'wall of separation,' a phrase nowhere to be found in the Constitution." If he were on the court today and uttered those words he would be laughed right out of Washington.
Your lesson on the 1st Amendment for today is concluded. I hope you learned something.
But going with your premise, the founders believed in separation OF religion, not FROM religion. The architect of the Bill of Rights, James Madison, installed the chaplain in Congress to give a daily invocation, which continues to this day.
Our country has been so misinformed as to what was actually in the minds of the founders when they wrote the Constitution. In order to get into their minds, we have to look at their culture at the time they wrote the Constitution. What was the textbook used in most of the schools in New England? The New England Primer. You can download a free copy of it. Look at it. Read it. Tell me then what their vision of religion was and how it compares to the warped system we have today thanks to some off-the-wall SCOTUS rulings from the mid-20th century.
Man thrives in this world because of REASON. FAITH (the religious kind) is the antithesis of reason, and inevitably leads to unreasoned exclusions and prejudices, and strife.
I cannot buy into the faith there there is a higher being than the government, or that Man (moi) should be subjugated to whatever brand of "God" you happen to be proseletyzing. There has to be a "supreme being" in any nation of MAN, and that has to be secular. Ergo, spirituality, just like anything else, must ultimately be held to judgment by that government, no less.
China gains from India's Tibetan bungle
India can add anger among Tibetan exiles to its self-inflicted wounds as it bungles the management of a key anti-China strategic asset, a young monk widely viewed as the successor to the Dalai Lama and now under media trial as a Chinese mole. As the controversy rubs old sores within Buddhism raw and stirs distrust among Indians and Tibetans, Beijing can sit back and count its blessings. - Peter Lee (Feb 11, '11)
China gains from India's Tibetan bungle
By Peter Lee
2011 February 12
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/MB12Df02.html
2) Dalai Lama is the title bestow upon the head of the Yellow branch of Tibetan Buddhism by Genghis Khan by comforting him as a reincarnated Buddha. That was the 3rd Dalai Lama. The 4th Dalai Lama was a Mongolian Prince. The 5th Dalai Lama borrowed Mongol troops to conquer ALL other branches (& expanding its territory) thus making the title of Dalai as the supreme ruler of all Tibetan Buddhism.
So really can't blame Chinese government for guarding against major organized religions.
Wasn't Separation of Church and State also part of our constitution? Can we say we are that separate during voting times? Can you say that no Catholic Priests ever tried to sway opinions using religion? How about our last Presidential election? Wasn't there a few priest rows and a few priest's attempts (maybe successful) to sway opinions? And the one I heard the most were from our politicians keep saying that we are a Christian government. Sad that we are parting from our founding fathers.
Was it the reason wht Dalai hunteed down Banchen in 1940's before communist persuaded him not to?
Oh how can I expect a right explanation on Panchen Lama's s true status from somebody who calls Dalai as Dali.
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"Spirituality strengthened government" is just as much of an oxymoron - maybe more.
The Chicom brutality in Tibet is a crime against humanity. But the centuries long political reign of Buddhist monks in Tibet was no party, either.
Bottom line: Mixing of church (or sangha) and state ruins both.