Number of seminaries on increase in China

By Xie Chuanjiao (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-10-22 07:40

MANILA: The number of Protestant seminaries in China has increased from one to 18 in the past decade, a senior member of the China Christian Council said Tuesday.

A choir performs at a concert at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary in Jiangsu Province. [China Daily]

"The rapid development is testament to China's policy of religious freedom," Gao Ying, vice-president of the council, told China Daily in Manila.

The seminaries, similar to non-religious institutions, offer four-year bachelor degree courses and a further three years for those wishing to take a master's.

Graduates usually work as full-time missionaries or teach at local seminaries.

"Besides the seminaries at national and provincial levels, there are also bible schools and training centers in cities and counties," Gao said.

The number of Protestant churches have been growing.

Gao said there were more than 10,000 churches in China today, and since the 1980s every three days two former chapels are restored or one built.

Official figures show that there are 16 million Protestants in China.

Gao said Chinese religious circles play a vital role in achieving social harmony, and fostering international relations.

President of the China Islamic Association, Chen Guangyuan, said Muslims in the country were also enjoying their best period of development since the founding of New China in 1949.

"Governments at various levels have attached great importance to religious issues, and have implemented financial policies to assist their development," Chen said.

To date there are more than 40,000 mosques and more than 50,000 imams in China.

Currently, China has more than 20 million Muslims from 10 ethnic groups.

About 70 percent live in western China. In Beijing there are 250,000 Muslims and 70 mosques.

"Chinese Muslims love peace and the pursuit of peace. They are against terrorism and extremism," Chen said.

"We make all our imams peace bearers through education, and use our mosques to promote peace."

Both Gao and Chen are attending the 7th Assembly of Asian Conference of Religions for Peace in Manila.

The conference, with 370 religious leaders from 30 countries attending, opened on Friday and will end tomorrow.

The China delegation consists of members of the China Committee on Religion and Peace (CCRP), headed by Liu Bainian, vice-chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

CCRP was established in July 1994, and represents Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Catholics and Protestants.