Revolution and Religion

2020 ◽  
pp. 19-38
Author(s):  
Xiaoxuan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Local Religion ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
Peasant Society ◽  
Social Uncertainty ◽  
The Catholic Church

Under nation-building efforts in the first half of the twentieth century, communal temples became targets of political and military appropriation, which shook the foundations of traditional communal religion in Rui’an and Wenzhou. Yet local religion continued to thrive. Protestant churches, the Catholic Church, traditional salvationist groups, and redemptive societies all grew rapidly, perhaps due in large part to the greater social uncertainty brought about by political turbulence and wars. Since its foundation in the region in the late 1920s, communist forces stayed close to local peasant society, including their religious communities. Before 1949, they both clashed and collaborated with religious groups, depending on the circumstances.

Protest and Religion: Christianity in the People’s Republic of China

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Tao
Keyword(s):  
Communist Party ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
The State ◽  
Academic Disciplines ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Contemporary China ◽  
Protestant Church ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Catholic Church

The relationship between religion and protest has been thoroughly discussed in various academic disciplines of social sciences, but there is far from consensus on the topic. Scholars differ significantly in their opinions on how religious values and doctrines shape the mechanisms which link protest and religion, and on how interaction between religious groups, the state, and other secular and religious groups may increase or reduce the likelihood of protests. Contemporary China provides an ideal setting in which to further advance scholarly understanding of roles that religion plays in protest, thanks to its richness, diversity, and complexity of religion, protest, and their relationship. In contemporary China, due to the inherent, profound, and possibly deliberate ambiguities within the state’s legal and regulatory arrangements on religious affairs, the boundaries between government-sanctioned churches and “underground” churches are often blurred. Many Christianity-related protests directly respond to government crackdowns, which are aimed not only at those congregations and groups that are normally considered as “underground,” “unofficial,” or “independent,” but also at churches that have long been tolerated or even officially recognized by the state. Further, while many Christianity-related protests are closely associated with the clash of ideologies in contemporary China, the specific causes of protests differ significantly among Catholic and Protestant churches, and Christian-inspired groups. The ideological incompatibility between the ruling Communist Party and the Catholic Church in China is epitomized by their struggle for authority and influence over the Chinese Catholic community. Until the provisional agreement signed between Beijing and the Vatican in September 2018, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Holy See had been competing fiercely for the authority to approve the ordination of new bishops, with such confrontations triggering numerous protests among Chinese Catholics. Unlike the Catholic Church, many of the Protestant churches that have emerged in the post-Mao era—including most “house” churches that do not affiliate with the state-sanctioned church—have no direct link with the transnational denominations which were active in China before the communist takeover in 1949 and are operated solely by Chinese citizens. However, while many Chinese Protestants display affection toward China and a sense of responsibility for improving their country, some influential Protestant church leaders have turned their progressive theology into social activism since the turn of the 21st century, leading to various forms of protests against the authoritarian policies and politics in contemporary China. Ideological and theological conflicts between different religions or religious schools may also trigger the Chinese state’s suppression of certain religious groups and activities, which often in turn cause protests. In particular, the Communist Party tends to impose extremely harsh repercussions on religious groups that are accused by mainstream Christianity of being “heterodoxies,” like the Shouters and the Disciples. These religious groups are often labelled as “evil cults” and their leaders and members often face legal action or even criminal charges. The protests organized by these religious groups have not only targeted the government but also the mainstream Christian churches that criticize them from a theological point of view. Given the profound ideological and political incompatibility of the CCP and various Christian groups, it is unlikely that Christianity can replicate the close collaborations that Buddhism and Daoism have developed with the CCP since the early 1980s.

scholarly journals PROTESTANT RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN SOCIALISTIC YUGOSLAVIA

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-203
Author(s):  
Tomislav Branković
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Governmental Agencies ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
Islamic Religion ◽  
Protestant Christianity ◽  
High Level

The work of Protestant religious groups in socialistic Yugoslavia was directly dependent on social and political circumstances in country. Protestant religious groups was numerous and various, not only in their relation with government, witth other religious groups, and the way they fulfi lled social obligations. Largest protestant churches> Evangelic Church and Reformed Christian Church, as traditional churches, have guided Protestant Christianity in Yugoslavia. Characteristics of their work are> respect for constitutional laws, cooperation with governmental agencies and high level of inter-religious tolerance. The other, less numerous Protestant Churches, was in some religious characteristic similar with traditional churches, but some of them wanted to go their own way with their own religious practice. Even tough Protestant religious groups and churches had considerable fewer believers then other traditional churches and religious groups in Yugoslavia (Serbien Ortodox Church, Catholic Church and Islamic Religion), they got more credits then they deserved. That was because they had international support and protection from their bases abroad or from international religious organizations in Europe and United States of America.

Earth Ethics and American Catholic Environmentalism

2019 ◽  
pp. 146-162
Author(s):  
Sharon Erickson Nepstad
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
First Century ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Early Twenty ◽  
The Us ◽  
American Catholic ◽  
Activist Groups ◽  
The Catholic Church

This chapter notes that American Catholics were initially quite reluctant to embrace environmentalism. It asks, after decades of political engagement with labor, poverty, peace, women’s rights, and immigration, why did US Catholics largely overlook the growing environmental problems in the twentieth century? And what caused this to change in the early twenty-first century? The chapter summarizes early Catholic efforts to promote environmentalism and describes the initial responses of the Catholic Church and its members, who often prioritized human needs over environmental matters. It also describes how the Catholic Church and Catholic laypeople started placing greater emphasis on the environment toward the end of the twentieth century. The chapter then surveys the main themes of various Catholic teachings and publications—from the US Catholic Bishops Conference’s Renewing the Earth (1991) to Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si (2015)—that have given impetus to more Catholic environmental action. The chapter concludes with a description of the work of two activist groups: the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, an ecumenical organization, and Catholic Climate Change.

Beyond the Catholic Church

2020 ◽  
pp. 170-194
Author(s):  
Dominica Pradere ◽  
Theron N. Ford ◽  
Blanche J. Glimps
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
North America ◽  
Jesus Christ ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Orthodox Judaism ◽  
Latter Day Saints ◽  
Religious Groups ◽  
The Media ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

Since the early 1980s, allegations of the sexual abuse of children by members of the clergy and other representatives of religious organizations have been reported in the media with alarming frequency. In North America, the majority of reports highlight the Catholic Church. Many of these allegations refer to incidents, which took place many years previously. This chapter explores three specific examples of other religious groups, that are not the Catholic Church, involved with the sexual abuse of children. These include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), Moravians, and Orthodox Judaism (Haredi).

Conclusion

2021 ◽  
pp. 292-304
Author(s):  
Jennifer Walker
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Church And State ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Popular Theatre ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
The Republic ◽  
The Catholic Church

Taking the 1903 death of Pope Leo XIII as its starting point, the conclusion extends beyond the legal separation of Church and State (1905) in order to trace the ways in which the processes of transformation that were set in motion during the late nineteenth century continued well into the twentieth century. Pierre Nora’s concept of the lieu de memoire illuminates the numerous ways that the sites of Catholic and French memory that the book explores—whether as opera, popular theatre, or concert—found an extraordinary ally in the Republic as it collectively harnessed the power of memory. From its “origin” in the French medieval era, to its transformations throughout the fin-de-siècle, to the response to the devastating fire at Notre-Dame in 2019, the Catholic Church provided (and continues to provide) a new mode of expression for the French Republic. In effect, the success of the twentieth-century renouveau catholique was set in motion by its nineteenth-century forbear: the path was paved by the Republic’s musical Ralliement and the memorialization of its Catholic past as a fundamental cornerstone of its modern existence.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna Leavitt-Alcántara
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Single Women ◽  
Spanish American ◽  
Local Religion ◽  
Female Autonomy ◽  
Holy Women ◽  
American Cities ◽  
Source Materials ◽  
The Catholic Church

This chapter introduces the book’s methodology, arguments, and scholarly significance. Most works on women and early modern religion focus on nuns, holy women, or religious “deviants,” and emphasize rising hostility toward female autonomy as officials moved to enclose unmarried women and intensive female religiosity (e.g. mysticism, asceticism). This book takes a different approach and examines ordinary laywomen, particularly the broad population of non-elite women who frequently lived outside of both marriage and convent in colonial Spanish American cities. Through an analysis of approximately 550 wills, as well as a variety of other source materials such as hagiographies, religious chronicles, and ecclesiastical records, this study argues that the complex alliances forged between non-elite single women and the Catholic Church shaped local religion and the spiritual economy, late colonial reform efforts, and post-Independence politics in Guatemala’s capital.

Conclusion

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tricia Colleen Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Organizational Forms ◽  
American Catholicism ◽  
Institutional Control ◽  
Local Religion ◽  
Institutional Responses ◽  
The Future ◽  
Grassroots Change ◽  
The Catholic Church

The Conclusion summarizes how personal parishes—defined not by territory but by purpose—enable the Catholic Church to respond institutionally to grassroots change and diversity in American Catholicism. Having considered parishes, boundaries, decisions, difference, fragmentation, and community, the book concludes with a handful of lessons that personal parishes offer for understanding local religion and institutional responses to diversity. Namely, this chapter explores: (1) ascription and achievement in local religion; (2) generalism and specialism in organizing diversity; (3) the future of personal parishes; and (4) the place of purpose in a heterogeneous (Catholic) America. Viewing local religion from the top shows that multiple organizational forms can be deployed to meet divergent needs, to facilitate unity, and to maintain institutional control.

scholarly journals State policy of division of Catholic Church priests in Bosnia and Herzegovina into „positive“ and „reactionary“ (1945-1963)

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 71-92
Author(s):  
Denis Bećirović ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Social Order ◽  
State Policy ◽  
Negative Attitude ◽  
The State ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Post War ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The illumination of the state policy of separating „positive“ from „negative“ priests of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most important issues in the scientific understanding of the position of this religious community during the first decades of existence of AVNOJ Yugoslavia. The post-war government in Bosnia and Herzegovina treated a large number of priests of the Catholic Church as real or potential enemies of the state. In addition to ideological reasons, which were more or less similar in all communist parties, the negative attitude of the CPY towards the Catholic Church was influenced by the fact that some priests supported the Ustasha movement during World War II. The justification for the negative attitude of party structures towards priests was argued most often in the documents of the Commission for Religious Affairs with the following reasons: that most priests supported the occupier and domestic traitors during the war; that they spread hostile propaganda against the national liberation movement; that they actively participated in the fight against the new social order; that they had committed war crimes and persecuted members of other faiths, and that they had been linked to criminal Ustasha emigration abroad. In addition to „negative“ priests, there were „positive“ priests that also acted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as they were reported in the documents of the Commission for Religious Affairs. They did not agree to the policy of confrontation with the state and demanded the establishment of dialogue and co-operation between the Church and the state. Some of the most prominent representatives of this group of priests were: Fr Bono Ostojić, Ph.D. Karlo Karin, Fr Mile Leko, Fr Josip Markušić, Fr Serafin Dodig, Fr Kruno Misilo and others. Holders of „positive tendencies“ among the clergy, according to the Commission for Religious Affairs, understood the importance of establishing communication and contacts with state authorities and the harmfulness of the negative attitude of the Catholic Church towards the state. Their goal was to change the methods of solving problems between the Church and the state, and to build a path that would suit the interests of the priests of the Catholic Church and the interests of the state community, without interfering with the church's dogmatic canonical principles. The „differentiation“ of priests was treated as a positive result of the work of the new government, because, according to their assessments, in the first post-war years, representatives of religious communities had a hostile attitude towards the newly created socialist Yugoslav state. Therefore, the Commission for Religious Affairs (federal and republican) has continuously pointed out the importance of implementing a policy of „stratification and differentiation“ within religious communities. According to the observations of the Federal Commission for Religious Affairs, the post-war „differentiation“ among the priests happened primarily due to their attitudes regarding the relationship between the state and the Catholic Church. Some considered it desirable and useful to establish communication with the newly created authorities, while others maintained a negative attitude. In addition to these two groups, there was a third group that was undecided. When considering the biographical data of the priests of the Catholic Church proposed for state decorations, it can be stated that the authorities carefully took into account which priests would be on the list of candidates recommended for awards. A positive attitude towards the new socialist social order, active participation in the establishment of the Association of Catholic Priests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, loyalty, patriotism towards socialist Yugoslavia, and contribution to the development of the Association of Catholic Priests in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are some of the most important reasons for choosing candidates for awards. In the article, based on unpublished archival sources, the author contextualises the political circumstances and the circumstances in which the state policy of differentiation of „positive“ from „reactionary“ priests of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina took place, points out the reasons for and bearers of such policy, and analyses its expression and results. Also, the author presents the policy of awarding state recognitions and decorations to individual priests in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

scholarly journals Just War Tradition and the Popes: From Pius X to Francis

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Erik Carneiro
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Just War ◽  
Ways Of Knowing ◽  
Just War Tradition ◽  
The Catholic Church

Which are the ways of knowing, understanding and justifying war by the Popes since the twentieth century? The Catholic Church has a long tradition to determine the need of wars, called the Christian just war founded by St. Augustine. Since the twentieth century, however, the popes have showed hesitation, contradiction and negligence towards just war approach.

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