China tolerates religion – while maintaining a tight grip

+ how gods and griffins help scientists understand the past US Edition - Today's top story: There's a religious revival going on in China -- under the constant watch of the Communist Party [View in browser]( US Edition | 6 August 2021 [The Conversation]( Academic rigor, journalistic flair China has experienced many changes since the Communist Party took control 100 years ago. One of the more recent shifts is a tolerance for the practice of religion. During the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976, China shut down or destroyed all religious institutions. But as President Xi Jinping has grown concerned about the erosion of moral values, the Community Party has become more accepting of people’s religious needs. Many religious sites have been restored, and people are once again going to temples, churches and mosques. What’s really going on, however, [is far more complex](, explains Mario Poceski, a scholar of Chinese religions. Government tolerance has “come with caveats and restrictions, including the demand that religious leaders support the Communist Party,” he writes. Also today: - [What leaping squirrels can teach us about robotics]( - [How condos became all the rage in America]( - [Billionaires in space get a bipartisan thumbs-up]( Kalpana Jain Senior Religion + Ethics Editor The Chinese government has promoted a revival of Confucianism, along with traditional religious practices, as part of its nationalist agenda. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein [There’s a religious revival going on in China – under the constant watch of the Communist Party]( Mario Poceski, University of Florida President Xi Jinping’s nationalist agenda includes supporting traditional Chinese religious beliefs and practices – as long as their leaders support the Chinese Communist Party. 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