Tuesday 21 August 2007

Well, That Makes... WHAT?!?

From Newsweek:
In one of history's more absurd acts of totalitarianism, China has banned Buddhist monks in Tibet from reincarnating without government permission. According to a statement issued by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, the law, which goes into effect next month and strictly stipulates the procedures by which one is to reincarnate, is "an important move to institutionalize management of reincarnation."
And I thought needing a building permit for a garden shed was going too far.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The future of mankind is a boot stomping on the face of humanity over and over again." - O'brian, 1984.
It's not enough they control the life you've got now, they have to control any other lives you might have, too.

Anonymous said...

Well, that makes... sense, actually.

China wants complete control over Tibet. Buddhism has great influence in Tibet. If China takes control of what is essentially the process of inheritance of certain religious offices, it will control the country's religious institutions. Which have great influence in the country. Which China wants to control.

QED.

It's not as if the Chinese government hasn't dont this sort of thing in the past. Try finding a Catholic church (loyal to Rome) in the country!

Anonymous said...

This is anonymous number 2 again.

Really, I thought one had to be as dumb as a Newsweek writer to not see this.

Anonymous said...

Interesting take on the subject, anonymous the dose, albeit it doesn't lessen the initial double-take.

A pondering: If you are reincarnated into a cow, does that mean the Chinese shoot you and cart you as hygenically-challenged beef to the States?