China has lost its faith, which is the cause of its problems, state TV anchorman says
Beijing (AsiaNews) - Bai Yansong is one of the most famous anchors on China Central Television (CCTV), China's state broadcaster. In a recent interview, he commented on the lack of faith in Chinese society and talked about how he is trying to make faith an important part of his life. AsiaNews published a four-part series (click on one, two, three and four) on the matter by renown scholar Liu Peng, from the Pu Shi Institute for Social Sciences. The following article, published by Chinese Church Voices, presents comments by Chinese Christians on Bai's statements.
45-year-old Bai Yansong currently holds two major jobs: he is both a long-time commentator for the China Central Television news broadcast and a newly appointed member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). Being involved in the world of news for many years has given him clear look into both the nature of society and the heart of man. As a result, he continuously calls for Chinese people to have a "faith." Bai opened up in a recent interview, stating that the faith of the Chinese has all but collapsed. In this second half of his own life, he says he needs to rely on "seeking faith" to support himself.
As a new CPPCC member, Bai now pays even more attention to the livelihood of the Chinese people, and is often asked in interviews about the lack of trust between ordinary citizens and government officials. He states bluntly that this tension exists because the faith of the Chinese has collapsed.
Bai asserts that in the past 100 years, China has faced many troubles both domestically and internationally. When China's economic reform began 30 years ago, the nation found itself facing newfound material desires and passions. The traditional idea of faith was in contrast to those desires, being largely rooted in reverence.
In Chinese, the word "reverence" is made up of two separate parts, one part meaning "respect," the other meaning "fear." Bai often tells a parable in which respect and fear are riverbanks on each side of a turbulent river of desire. The banks are high enough that, no matter how tumultuous the river becomes, there is no danger of flooding. However, in the case of the Chinese people, the banks of fear and respect have disintegrated to the point of being nonexistent-or they are just too low. As a result, the river of passion and desire has flooded past its boundaries and caused countless disasters.
Bai believes that this issue of faith is one that must be addressed in his own life as well as Chinese society as a whole. When he was 40 years old, he decided to come up with 12 words that would be the foundation of the second half of his life. The last four words were "Seek and pursue faith." This mantra, he believes, serves as the principal way to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
Not only does Bai advocate reform in the economic and government systems, he also hopes that a spiritual reform will take place. Traditionally, Chinese religion is rooted in the belief that "Good is repaid with good, while evil is repaid by evil;" however, there are not many who live by this belief. If there were more people who believed, Bai has inferred, the melamine-tainted baby formula crisis and other food-related controversies would not be nearly as serious. Not believing in this ideology has caused many problems in society.
In summary, the many problems experienced by Chinese society are all problems with the hearts of man, and there is no system that can fix our hearts. Only through faith in God can our hearts be saved; only He can wash our hearts clean and make them holy, causing us to live in reverence of Him.
The "faith" that Bai Yansong is seeking for is found in God, as He is the only true God. Not only did He create the world, but he also rules over it. We hope that in the second half of Bai Yansong's life, he will be able to find the one true God, return to a true faith and find rest for his soul.
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