Don't mix religious message with individual mistakes

Recent weeks have seen many people accuse Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, of many wrongdoings, from corruption to adultery. His case shows religion-related reports are becoming increasingly eye-catching.

Many in China do not practice religion, but despite that they want believers and religious heads to follow high standards. So, whenever something negative is reported about a temple or church, or a monk or a priest, some netizens adopt an attitude of "didn't we tell you they were immoral?" This is reflected in the lopsided negative comments on the Internet.

The truth is, most of the netizens who celebrate the negative reports on religion or religious leaders have never visited a temple, read a Buddhist text or seriously talked with a monk. As a result, they blame the religion for the negative acts of their practitioners.