Changing Church and State Relations in Hong Kong, 1950-2000

4. Hong Kong Christian Churches Defend Religious Freedom and Choose Representation on the Selection Committee During the Transitional Period (1984-1997)

CHAPTER FOU R Hong Kong Christia n Churches Defen d Religious Freedo m an d Choos e Representation o n the Selectio n Committee Durin g the Transition Perio d (1984-1997) The Basi c La w o f th e HKSA R an d Maintenanc e o f Religiou s Freedom At the beginning of the 1980s Church-State relations in Hong Kong were stable. However, th e issuin g o f th e Sino-Britis h Join t Declaratio n i n 198 4 cas t a shadow o n this relationship . Fo r Hon g Kon g Christian s th e preservation o f religious freedo m wa s th e mai n concern . Religiou s 'freedom ' include s th e freedom t o adopt a religious belief, freedo m o f the individua l t o worship in private an d i n public, freedom o f giving and receiving religious instruction , freedom fo r religious communities to conduct religious activities, freedom t o appoint and train personnel, freedom to erect and construct religious buildings and freedo m t o hav e connection s wit h foreig n religiou s believer s an d institutions abroad (Wu 1984). Church leader s i n Hon g Kon g wondere d wha t woul d b e th e futur e government's policy towards the churches in Hong Kong and their religious activities, given th e fact tha t the colonial governmen t o f Protestant Englan d was to be replaced b y a local government directl y answerabl e t o the atheis t and socialis t governmen t o f th e People' s Republi c o f China . The y als o wondered what would become of the thirty-year partnership in education and social services. Would it continue under the new regime after 1997 ? 48 Changing Church and State Relations in Hong Kong, 1950-2000 The Christia n communit y kne w ful l wel l th e actua l exten t o f religiou s freedom i n China and had good reason to suspect that after the handover, Hong Kong Church-State relations might change from the 'contractor' model to the 'political absorptio n o f religion ' model practice d i n China. 1 Th e political ideology o f China permits no claim of a religious leade r to any authority of leadership, eithe r mora l o r religious, ove r th e citizen s o f the State . In fact , Beijing's religious policy has to be so if it to be consistent with 1 ) the atheism advocated by Marxism-Leninism; 2) the prevailing nationalism, which rejects anything that i s not fro m China ; and 3 ) anti-foreignism, stemmin g fro m th e 'hundred year s o f humiliation' durin g th e Qin g Dynast y (B . Leung 1992a , chapter 2 and 4). In spite of the fact that in recent decades China has emerged as a major power in the international arena, the sensitive reactions of the Beijing authorities toward s nationalis m an d anti-foreignis m stil l pervad e al l thei r dealings in international affairs . Throughout th e politica l transitio n period , ther e wa s activ e politica l participation by a wide cross-section of Hong Kong society, including religious believers (Woodman 1997; Scott 1998; Vines 1998). The fear of losing religious freedom after the handover in 1997 united Catholics and Protestants. Together they issued various statements and expressed their views on religious freedo m to the Chinese government.2 The Chines e an d Britis h government s bega n th e process o f negotiatin g issues relating to the handover, including the drafting and making of the Basic Law, which was to serve as the constitution by which the future Hon g Kong was t o b e governed . Th e Basi c La w Draftin g Committe e an d Basi c La w Consultative Committee were in charge of the drafting o f the Basic Law and its consultative work. Some church leader s sought ways to influence th e drafting o f the Basic Law and demanded that the pace of democracy be speeded up in Hong Kong. In the former, th e demands were directed at the Chinese government, and in the latter, at the Hong Kong government. In pressing for political reform, they broadened thei r focu...