The Cross: Jesus the Christ in China*

Chinese author, scholar and sometimes dissident, Liao Yiwu, writes in Chinese about a topic of wide concern today, the growing interest in faith-based living in modern China. His book, God Is Red, gives a fascinating overview of the growth of faith in that land despite, and possibly because of, Communism as practiced there.
He asserts that several generations now, people have been living under enforced a-theism. Religion, especially all organized religion of any time is banned, forbidden and punished for the past 60 years, since the Communist Party came to power in 1950. With the help of a competent translator, his book is now available for readers in the English language, the most widely read language on the planet.

Now with this translation and other books also translated into English, Liao Yiwu is available to the many who read English, even though many of his books are banned in his native China. He writes that interestingly, it may be Communism itself which sparked and inspired the move towards religious practice after a generation of believers was forced into submission by the central government.
By creating an enormous void, today those young, new minds are like one big, blank slate, ready to absorb what has been lacking for a half century. Simple, intellectual patriotism is no substitution for spiritual awareness or practice.
Christianity, for one, has been present within the "middle kingdom" since the 10th century CE or earlier, brought there by early Catholic and Orthodox missionaries.

While he concerns himself principally with the growth of Christianity in modern China, he mentions the parallels existing with indigenous faiths and a bit about the Silk road which brought many ideas into ancient China. Meeting a number of persons practicing their faith in what are called "house churches" Liao Yiwu traces their development and their increase within Chinese society.
He writes a number of short stories and life accounts of those who have chosen to take the 'Way of the Cross'. The account reminds one of the early church fathers who were savagely persecuted by the non-believing Romans.

The author names several other English language books and a film, The Cross: Jesus in China. Other book titles are included in his book, such as: China From the Bottom Up; The History of Christianity in Dali; the writings of poetess Liu Shengshi; The Secret Visit by Xu Yonghai; Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China by Lian Xi.

*The Cross: Jesus in China
For more, follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3zK5nVyMN4

Electing a Pope, the Apostolic Succession

"Terms such as "primacy" and "jurisdiction" are best avoided when one describes the role of Peter in the New Testament." --UCCB document discussing the tradition and interfaith discussions of Apostolic Succession.

The rumors now are flying about unabated about the impending election, or apostolic succession of the Pope of the Roman Catholic church. Who cares, anyway?
Well, about 1.3 billion persons world-wide identify themselves as Roman Catholic Christians; they, with the world-wide Orthodox Christian churches, form the single largest group of Christians on the planet.
So like it or not, this is a big story, made bigger by the nearly unheard of retirement of the most previous Roman Catholic Pope, Benedict XVI.
Note: the Orthodox churches, by and large, each have their own prelate, or spiritual leader. Most retain friendly relations with the Vatican; some rest under the larger umbrella of the Vatican herself.
This sudden need to choose a successor of Peter, as the Pope is sometimes called, requires the election of a person believed capable to lead and inspire God's people on earth.
No small job here, the election process is partly driven by tradition, and as much, by a spirit filled, democratic process whereby each person, called an (Elector) Cardinal comes to the Vatican to represent their church members from each part of the world.

Currently the world is divided up into approximately 115 regions with a Cardinal-Elector to represent the people from each region. As has been mentioned before here at Simple Mind Zen, despite the highly developed infrastructure of the Roman church, its governance is both top-down and bottom-up. This means to say that the people of the Church are both spoken to, instructed from the Vatican as much as they speak and give instructions to the Vatican from each of their respective regions via their Bishops and finally, their Electoral Cardinals, in the case of a Papal (Apostolic) Succession.

This is the process we see now underway. The Elector-Cardinals have, during the past seven to ten days, hurried from around the world to the Vatican so as to be available to represent their regions in the Church as she deliberates the next Pope.

Why does this take so long? Shouldn't they have picked some one by now?
 The process is both democratic and representative; it is also mindful of the promptings of the Holy Spirit. For example, the much loved Pope, John Paul II, wrote that at the start of the process which ultimately elected him, he did not expect to become Pope. And when it occurred that he indeed was elected, he considered the promptings of both the Electors and the whisperings of the Holy Spirit before he accepted the post. A man may refuse this great task, if he feels he is not physically or mentally able to fulfill its mission. The Pontiff must be chosen from among the Elector Cardinals within a conclave per Church rules.

Yet before arriving at this end stage of the process, an important part is that the Elector-Cardinals gather to express on behalf of their respective peoples, the needs and concerns of each representative region. As the world is great and large, the needs of the world-wide Church vary equally so.
It is through these very crucial discussions held at the Vatican that a consensus of priorities emerges; from that the characteristics of the future leader may then be drawn.
At this stage a perspective leader may become more clear in the minds of the Elector-Cardinals; so one or more candidates then appear from among that same group of Elector-Cardinals.

What takes some of the Elector-Cardinals so long to arrive at the Vatican? 
 They are holding up the process and missing some discussions. A good observation!
This is true that their late arrival curtails their full involvement in the agenda setting discussions; however, since the Church is world-wide, she functions under various regional political constraints. In some regions, it is with a dictator; in others the Church functions under communism and in others, there is an absence of the free practice of religion. In these places, it may be more difficult for an Elector-Cardinal to obtain permission of his government to travel to the Vatican, as the Church requires he do.

For example, in the case of the Peoples Republic of China, and in some other districts, the Communist Party requires both a "official" government selected Church which functions side by side with the Vatican recognized Roman Church. The Vatican led Church is largely suppressed there.

Thus it's an act of diplomacy for those persons recognized by the Vatican, rather than solely by Chinese government to be permitted to travel to the Vatican so as to fulfill their role as representatives of the local peoples. Despite on-going negotiations with that government, China still acts freely to install their own persons in key Church roles, disregarding the lack of recognition for those same persons by the Vatican!

Who from these regions will then attend? The Vatican insists upon its own personnel, their Elector-Cardinals. Ideally the chosen person is acceptable to both the government and to the Vatican. However, said person may or may not be permitted to leave his country to attend the Vatican meetings.
It is now reported that in the Communist nation of Vietnam, that Elector-Cardinal there has just won permission to attend the proceedings at the Vatican. Once he arrives, it is presumed that process of Apostolic Succession will commence in earnest.

So, finally when all the Elector-Cardinals are present, as Church rules dictate that they must be, the election may proceed. Remember, this process is lengthy precisely because of the requirement to represent all the peoples of the world-wide church; so the election of a Pope is largely a bottom up process.

Why is it closed to the media and other non-Electors? It is for the purpose of discussion--of the truest needs and yearnings of the Church herself that the process is closed so as to reduce outside influence. Just as in a corporate personnel meeting or a political caucus, the initial conversations are held privately. Finally, the candidates are considered and the vote occurs; then peoples and regions of the world will have representation and a new spiritual leader of the Roman Catholic church arises with the traditional puff of smoke.

Democracy, Communism and Fascism

"The social aspirations of man cannot attain full originality and full value, except in a society which respects man's personal integrity." --Building the Earth by Teilhard de Chardin

Returning to the topic of religion and politics, we turn to the modernist ideas of democracy, communism and fascism. For those who doubt that religion, or even less spirituality, has a place with politics, permit here a simple enumeration: from the earliest religious history, politics demonstrates its part in the religious and spiritual milieu of mankind. As was common in the ancient world, the king or ruler of a tribe or nation had the "divine right" to determine, institute and force religious beliefs upon a population. They did this often, enforcing a state religion.

The Greeks and Romans, along with other Orientals, formed religions and spiritualities which predictably led to establishment of moralities for any of these given cultural groups. This practice continues with the moderns (1200-1800 in the common era), who as Kings and emperors forced their judeo-christian beliefs upon the population; indeed their kingship made them the heads of those faiths. In other words, the king was the state-church, so the church was represented in the body of the king.

It was this against which Machiavelli protested.

The Khalifs of the mid-east, Africa and other places arose to form what is now called Islam. They ruled in places by persuasion and by force; the United States of America was formed in part to protest against the state religion which during the colonial period was constituted by the King of England (King George III and others); today in the 20 and 21st centuries, there have been and will likely continue, governments which attempt to control, even police the population through forced religion.

Indeed we learn of places around the globe where Islam is practiced by regimes in an oppressive manner; the 14th Dalai Lama has been forced from his native Tibet into exile through religious actions taken against the Buddhists whom he leads. It seems the Chinese government wishes to direct and control his faith and others as well. Then there are the Sikhs in India, in opposition to the Hindus. They have, like many others, sought their own lands to live and practice their faith freely. The Jewish faith cannot be overlooked. It is in the arbitrary political formation of the modern state of Israel which has cast conflict upon previously settled territories.

And just now, today, in the United States the cry goes out for the practice of religion, freely or even not at all. The civil religion of the State wishes to suppose that it can most easily supplant the free will of the people and their freely chosen faiths for a legislated, legalistic spirituality and belief system. Today we are mired in conflict regarding forced participation in health care initiatives. The legislation which possibly thwarts the US Constitution, has made its way to the US Supreme court, the highest and final authority, asking to determine if Americans can and do have the liberty to practice their faith freely and the resulting morality they derive from it.

Many in this nation believe that government is dictating their moral stance in regard to health care. Many Americans who do not follow the state instituted Civil Religion represented in the law wish to practice a faith of their own free will and to determine what, if anything this should be; that the civil religion of the American state not be forced upon them.

It is these ideas and others, as such contained within democracy, communism and fascism against which many struggle from the bounds of religion and government.