Only a few excluded and dispersed outcasts who refute the horrors of the Holocaust or who assert that the Aryan cultural superiority doctrine is a good are associated with Hitler’s Nazi regime, which is almost universally accepted as a completely wicked enterprise. Less compromise exists between those who would characterize the Soviet Union’s seven-decade run as evil, or an evil made necessary by the struggle to revive communism.
The People’s Republic of China was once seen as bad. However, it did become a partner in business for a while before losing that perspective, making it once more widely recognized as a bad regime, though not as widely as the USSR or most significantly the Nazi state.
Steven Mosher makes a powerful event in The Devil and Communist China in response to this indifference. He convincingly contends that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP ) practice is more evil than the USSR’s, noting that, according to The Black Book of Communism, China is responsible for 65 million deaths and the Soviet Union purged 20 million. He then points out that China’s figures do n’t include the roughly 500 million unborn killed because of its one-child policy.
Mosher’s The Devil and Communist China examines the story and impact of the CCP on the planet in a deep and unsettling way. Mosher, leveraging decades of research, presents a properly documented accounts of the CCP’s era, characterized by large purges, famine, and a continuous love on dissent. Mosher’s line of sight follows Karl Marx’s intellectual foundations to Mao Zedong’s and his successors ‘ continued implementation of these policies up to Xi Jinping, the current top head.
Mosher has a unique perspective on these plans and its disclosure. He is one of a select few United China specialists who has studied and learned the language and who has never been subjected to the CCP’s whims, nor has he harbored any false preconceived notions about the party’s ability to form a political party in accordance with the rule of law and human rights.
CCP’s Disregard for Human Life
Mosher’s tale is an indictment of the ideological foundations that made for evils possible, as opposed to merely a recalling of historical events. The CCP’s dying toll, enhanced by the one- child policy with its forced abortions and infanticide, reflects never really policy failures but a deeper, structural disregard for human life inherent to the party’s Marxist- Communist roots. The guide perfectly information the CCP’s several attacks on its own citizens, from the Great Leap Forward to the Cultural Revolution, as well as more recent example, like the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and the destruction of Tiananmen Square activists.
The Devil and Communist China even explores the CCP’s approach beyond its borders, asserting that the group’s influence, especially through the Covid- 19 pandemic, represents a continuation of its harmful legacy. The party’s actions are not necessarily anomalies, but rather the result of its Marxist-Leninist ideology, which prioritizes party supremacy over individual rights and lives, according to Mosher convincingly.
Mosher assembles a wide array of sources, from firsthand accounts to scholarly research, which lends credibility and depth to his arguments. Mosher’s analysis of the CCP’s ideological rigidity and its consequences serves as a somber reminder of the dangers posed by totalitarian regimes.
Eradicating Religious Belief
Under Jinping’s leadership, the landscape of religious freedom has become more restrictive and oppressive. This is a tale of a struggle that dates back to the days of the People’s Republic of China. It is a depiction of how the Communist Party’s iron grip has attempted to reshape, control, and occasionally overthrow religious belief within its borders, in keeping with a long-standing ideology that views religion as a threat to the Communist Party’s absolute power.
Under Chairman Mao, the CCP launched an aggressive campaign against religions, seeing them as vestiges of feudalism and imperialism. Mao and the party saw a broader effort to eradicate traditional beliefs and practices as obstacles to the development of a socialist society as a result of their disdain for religion. Christianity, with its foreign roots and widespread Western missionary activity in China, was particularly targeted. The Cultural Revolution, a time of intense persecution of religious believers of all stripes, was the culmination of Mao’s anti-religious campaigns.
Periods of relative relaxation and new crackdowns alternated in the decades that followed, but the CCP’s fundamental stance on religion remained the same: Any form of religious expression must be strictly controlled and subordinated to the party’s interests. This has meant that all religious organizations must register with the state and submit to its oversight, a requirement that has led to the bifurcation of many religious communities into “official” and “underground” or “house” churches and temples.
Jinping’s tenure has marked a significant intensification of this policy. The party has aimed to fundamentally alter religious practices to align with socialist values and the CCP leadership under the guise of the” Sinicization” of religion. In other words, the destruction of faith is the focus of this ongoing, comprehensive campaign, which includes the rewriting of religious texts, the destruction of or repurposing religious buildings, and the completely resurgence of party ideology.
Catholics in China
The creation and enforcement of the” Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association” ( CPCA ) illustrate this strategy. The CPCA is in contrast a state-controlled version of Catholicism, established as a parallel structure to the Catholic Church that recognizes the pope’s spiritual authority but insists on the primacy of the CCP in matters of administration and the appointment of bishops. The Vatican’s most recent discussions with the Chinese government, which culminated in the provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, have drawn controversy from the side of the Vatican, with some claiming that they give the CPCA legitimacy and repudiate the faithful who have experienced persecution for their service to the Holy See.
The” Sinicization” campaign is a component of a wider plan to ensure that party ideology is at the heart of every social and personal activity. It is the epitome of totalitarianism. This includes the introduction of new laws that further restrict religious practice, the use of high-tech surveillance to monitor and regulate religious communities, and the promotion of” Xi Jinping Thought” as a component of religious teaching. These policies have the opposite effect of putting even greater pressure on religious believers, making many people face the choice between compromising their beliefs or facing persecution.
Despite these challenges, the faith of many Chinese Catholics remains strong. Underground churches continue to operate, and there are signs that the faith is not only enduring but, in some places, growing. This perseverance demonstrates how strong faith can withstand even the most obstinate attempts at oppression.
Staying Vigilant
The struggle for religious freedom in China is a sign of the unwavering need for spiritual fulfillment and the freedom to exercise one’s faith freely. It serves as a reminder of the value of standing up for those who are at risk of persecution and the need to continue to fight for religious freedom as a fundamental human right.
It’s also a reminder that compromise with the CCP is impossible.
The Devil and Communist China is a crucial and timely contribution to improving our understanding of the Chinese Communist Party. It serves as both a historical account and a warning about the persistent threat posed by totalitarian ideologies.
Mosher’s book is a plea to remember the CCP’s victims and to be vigilant about its spread. It’s an essential read for those interested in the intersections of history, politics, and human rights, offering a comprehensive examination of the most pressing threat of our time: China.
