The Communist Party of China has created a spiritual vacuum for its people. The official state position has been atheistic from its inception. The school system undermines belief in any spiritual belief system. This makes the State supreme. The State decides what is right and wrong. The State is accountable to no one.
China tolerates five “official” religions: Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholic Christianity and Protestant Christianity. The leaders of these religions are appointed by and accountable to the State.
How similar is the situation in the US. All religions are tolerated but none are allowed to be part of the State. In the US, we don’t promote atheism, we tolerate everything even when the beliefs we tolerate are at great odds with each other. Our public schools are not allowed to teach any religious belief and, in governmental circles, even the annual prayer breakfast is under attack.
Chinese leaders are beginning to recognize that a spiritual vacuum makes it very difficult to attack secular/moral issues such as corruption, greed and pollution. There is no universal moral base or values to establish what is right and what is wrong.
My friend, Graham Peacock, a Methodist minister in the UK is allowed into the local school system to share moral teachings. In Kenya, the churches are invited into the schools to teach basic skills like reading and writing. Here in the US, the public schools have become a moral vacuum.
Perhaps it is time for the US government to consider the future implications of creating a moral vacuum in our country.
