Blessings and shadows upon the Olympic games
100 day countdown with prayers for good games. About three months before the begin of the Olympic games, a special prayer for the success of the games was prayed in all five of the legally recognized religions of China. These prayers were often combined with prayers for the victims of the severe earthquake in Sichuan. The fact that even the State media, and the websites of both local authorities and of party organs reported on these prayers shows how much the regime wants such state supported gestures on the part of the religions.
China’s religions before the Olympic Games: prayer services and "business as usual"
“I promise that the religious services which we will be offering in Beijing during the course of the games will be just as good as everything that has been offered at prior Olympic games.” That was the declaration made by Ye Xiaowen, Director of the National Bureau for Religious Affairs (BRA, English: SARA) in an informal comment made during the 17th party congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2007.
The religions prepare for the Olympic Games
Well before the beginning of the 2008 Olympic games, preparations have been underway even in the religious sphere. In the Olympic Village in Beijing there will be a ‘religious service center’. During the course of the Olympic games (Aug. 2-24) and the Special Olympic Games (Sept. 6-17) religious functionaries will be on site and will offer religious services for Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim athletes and their support teams. There will even be a temporary church built in the Olympic Village. There will also be prayer rooms for the athletes in the Olympic Villages of Qingdao (sailing competition) and in Hongkong (horseback riding).
printer friendly version