Title: The politics of sexual morality and evangelical activism in Hong Kong
Abstract: Abstract This paper aims to review the discourse of sexual morality as recently staged by Christian evangelical groups in Hong Kong and the effects of this new round of evangelical activism on the shaping of recent political culture in Hong Kong. Unlike the moral campaign against decriminalization of homosexuality in the 1980s, which eventually lost to the reasoning of British rule of law implicit in Hong Kong legislature, this new Christian movement for the defense of sexual morality in Hong Kong is situated at the juncture of political contestation between the local democratic movement and the pro-establishment political forces, including pro-Beijing businessmen, political organizations and personnel. With a high degree of ideological and strategic affinity with the Christian Right movement, which collaborates with conservative Republican groups in the United States, the evangelical campaigners of Hong Kong, whether consciously or not, have gained much political currency in collaborating with the pro-establishment forces of Hong Kong. As a result, sexual morality articulated in the name of the preservation of traditions, whether they are Christian or Chinese, has fed an autocratic political movement of Hong Kong that partakes the dangerously divisive politics of the fundamentalist religious movements around the globe. Keywords: Christian Rightanti-homosexual movementpro-family campaignsexual minority rightHong Kong Christianitypostcolonial church Acknowledgement Research in this paper was supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of HKSAR, China (Project no. CUHK#453309). Notes Recent signatory campaigns include: 14 May 2003, a statement calling for the protection and respect of the marriage covenant for the benefit of the younger generation; 29 May 2004, the most elaborate coverage of four newspaper pages from A30–33 of Mingpao Daily with 374 groups and 79,800 individual signatories calling for the defense of heterosexual monogamy as against same-sex marriage; 22 May and 26 July 2005, two statements against legislation for the sexual orientation discrimination ordinance published in Christian Weekly, claiming to have collected over 85,000 group and individual signatures; 20 September 2005, a statement made in the name of medical workers, which denounced anal sex between men as behavior that would subject the community to high health risks; and 18 October 2006, a statement protesting against the court decision to "decriminalize" anal sex. Exceptions were two other signature campaigns led by the Hong Kong Chinese Christian Churches Union and the Hong Kong Baptist Convention published in Christian Weekly, a popular newspaper run by some committed Christian journalists, primarily for Protestant Christians. The most extensive action in this respect took place in 1989 in support of the Tiananmen student protests, an action in which a substantial number of Christian groups participated. The Family Planning Association of Hong Kong, originally called the Eugenics League, was founded in 1936 to provide public information about family planning. In 1967, the association conducted the first territory-wide survey on 'Family Planning Knowledge, Attitude and Practice' and introduced sexuality education. See http://www.famplan.org.hk/fpahk/en/template1.asp?style=template1.asp&content=about/history.asp One highly popular magazine dealing with the sexuality of women is Sisters, which has been published since the 1960s. Cf. a study conducted by Liang Meiping (2004). Another researcher, Li Weiyi is conducting a study on the history of the sex mailbox in Hong Kong newspapers from the 1970s. Some preliminary findings are included in her chapter in Yiu Jing (2006). A small booklet containing an appeal letter to the Legislative Council and several other papers in opposition to decriminalization of homosexuality were produced by the Joint Committee. See Cai et al. (1983). Li contends that since homosexuality fails to contribute to the establishment of families, nurturing of the young, or social stability it has failed to bring happiness to the larger community other than the actors themselves. King subsequently became a pro-vice-chancellor (1989–2002) then vice-chancellor (2002–2004) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Xu Xianfa, then general secretary of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, rejected the law reform on the basis of cultural differences between China and the West. He believed that the relaxation of homosexuality regulations would violate traditional Chinese values. Others such as Chang Zonghao and Su Wenzhuo then respectively head of, and senior lecturer in, the Department of Chinese Languages and Literature at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Liang Yisheng, lecturer in the Chinese Department at then Shu Yan College, and Liang Jialin, then editor of Breakthrough Magazine all argue that the notion of 'normalization' of homosexuality was a Western import (Cai et al. 1983). The term "mainline churches" refers originally to the Methodist Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Congregational Church, the Episcopal or Anglican Church, and the American Baptist Church in the United States. Their counterparts in Hong Kong adopt the same term. The Evangelical Free of Church of China (EFCC) was established in 1888 by Hans J. von Qualen, the first missionary delegated by the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) for the spread of the gospel in China. EFCA is a key member of the Pro-family Alliance in the United States. Taken from Jerry Falwell's interview for the Archive of American Television in 2003 at his presidential office of Liberty University, which he founded. Cf. http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/jerry-falwell See Pat Robertson's call on the promotional video of the Christian Coalition of America. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeEKAwJKCvk All data presented here and below are collected from various surveys conducted during the early 1990s. For their individual sources, please see "The Demography of Christianity in Hong Kong" (Pavey 2005, 66–67). A worldwide Christian movement called the Global Day of Prayer (GDP) was started by Linda Wang, wife of Frederick Ma, the former Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, in 2005. At the Fifth GDP held at the Hong Kong Stadium, the high-profile participation of some senior government officials in the event stirred some public uneasiness due to the fear of collusion between conservative religion and politics in Hong Kong. The high officials included: Secretary for Justice Wong Yan Lung, Secretary for Constitutional Affairs Stephen Sui-lung Lam (who became Chief Secretary for Administration in May 2012), and Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong. The event also attracted a group of protesters who requested that prayers be made for the victims of the June Fourth massacre. The Hong Kong Christian Council and other Christian groups organized a series of seminars in the 1980s reflecting on and re-affirming their commitment to the future and destiny of Hong Kong. In 1984, "A Christian Faith Statement in View of the Present Social and Political Changes in Hong Kong" was produced and signed by more than 60 pastors, confessing their faith in God, persistence in mission, commitment to social and national responsibility, and devotion to the renewal of church and ecumenical witness. In August of the same year, more than 200 denominational churches and evangelistic organizations jointly signed another document, "The Declaration of Religious Freedom," demanding the preservation of the freedom of evangelism, religious gatherings, and the permission to continue conducting social services. In September, 21 senior Christian leaders of Hong Kong took these two documents with them to a meeting with officials in Beijing, in order to register their concerns. Quoted in Law (2010, 5). Many of the chief members take leading roles in at least two of these three organizations. They include Xiao Shaohua, pastor-in-charge of North Point Alliance Church, consultant of HKSCS and board member of STL; Hu Zhiwei, general secretary of the Hong Kong Church Renewal Movement, pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, consultant of HKSCS and STL; Lo Bingxiang professor of Hong Kong Baptist University, member of Mongkok Baptist Church, consultant of HKSCS and STL; Kang Kueihua (psychiatrist, founder and chair of the Council for Newly Created Man), consultant of HKSCS and board member of STL; Kuan Qiwen (professor of Hong Kong Baptist University), chair of SCS, board secretary of STL and founding member of the Hong Kong Alliance for Family (HKAF); and Cai Zhishen, chair of the Church Council of China Holiness Church, general secretary of the Society for Truth and Light, member of HKSCS and executive committee of HKAF; and Zhang Muai, James, former Alliance Bible Seminary, pastor-in-church of Kowloon City Baptist Church, founding member of HKAF, consultant of STL and HKSCS. Zhu Xiaohai referred to a comment by Kang Pheeseng, professor of religion at Hong Kong Baptist University, that, since men are stronger than women by nature, if men and women were all self-reproductive and intercourse did not lead to reproduction, women would be treated as inferior animals and would all become slaves or even sex slaves of men. The uncritical adoption of such arguments in Zhu's essays shows how deeply the naturalist position on gender inequality is entrenched. Kuan Haoyan explained the relationship between men and women in terms of his understanding of a biblical order. According to him, when God created human beings, God created a world of order. Whereas both men and women were created in the image of God, men were created in the wilderness and thereby infused with an adventurous spirit and a hunting ability and women were created in the garden and were infused with a natural inclination toward family, harmony and order. He also believes in the existence of a similar order of creation in the Chinese tradition, and that these creation orders provide the basis for the order and stability of the society and should be properly preserved (Kuan, Haoyan 2004, 2). Cai Yuanyun, the former leader of the anti-decriminalization of homosexuality campaign in the 1980s and a consultant of HKSCS, insists a war on culture must be fought for the sake of young people who are confused and caught in rising family conflicts. One case in point is the public outcry stirred by a highly provocative media report in the 'Erotic Column' of the Chinese University Student Press (CUSP) in May 2007. Two Christian seminary students filed a complaint to the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority (TELA) and the issue was subsequently classified as category II (Indecent) by the Tribunal on Obscene and Indecent Articles. However, the classification was brought to the Court of Appeal by the CUSP editors in 2008 and was subsequently overruled on the ground of procedural error. The Chinese name for the Hong Kong Alliance for Family is Weihu Jiating Lianmeng, translated literally as the Alliance for the Protection of Family (emphasis added). This Family Policy Paper became the de facto Hong Kong version of the Christian Coalition of America's "Contract with the American Family" (CAF) in 1995. CAF was a highly comprehensive proposal for change in social and political policy. Its program highlighted, among other things, the "right" of families to preserve, and to continue and educate their children about, conservative religious positions regarding anti-abortion, anti-gay and -lesbian, and anti-feminist issues in the name of "religious equality"; and the "right" of the parents to choose private Christian schools and still be supported by public funding and tax relief policies in the name of "private rights" (Christian Coalition Citation1996). Besides the chair, Su, and his pastor, Wu, heads of Christian organizations present were: Chen Shichiang of the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship International-Hong Kong National Director, Luo Meizhen, head of EFCC's Children's Home, and Ke Guanghui, head of the Professional Resource Centre and legal consultant to EFCC, Wan Dekang, program-in-charge of a TV program of the Christian Broadcasting Network Hong Kong and a pastor of North Point Alliance Church. The remaining two members include: Jiang Liyun, chair of DAB's Women's Commission, a moderate Catholic, and Li Ruicheng, the coordinator for DAB's Professional Education Committee. The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network is Pat Robertson, originally a Southern Baptist ordained minister who became a televangelist claiming to run the largest radio network in the United States. He also founded the Christian Coalition and Regent University, and ran for Republican nomination in the 1988 presidential election, which he lost. He is highly influential and regarded as the pioneer leader for the New Christian Right movement. The World Congress of Families (WCF) is a global alliance of the Religious Right movement, built on the American Christian Right, and has assembled five times since 1997. In the statement of WCF II, it was made clear that all members should put aside their respective theological and cultural differences for a simple and unified goal—to preserve the 'natural family' as the basic unit of society. It is only on the basis of such a goal that they will unite, cf. http://www.worldcongress.org. Accompanying this ideal form are ideal family values. At WCF III, it was stated that marriage is the cornerstone of the healthy family for it 'brings security, contentment, meaning, joy' and makes possible unselfish commitment, love, respect, support and compassion. In this regard, spousal conflicts are understood only as opportunities for growth; and steadfast commitment in marriage is understood as providing children with security and complementary parental love and attention. In short, the family fulfills every person's desire to love and to be loved, and one's need for identity and security (WCF 2007). Although they did hold some progressive views, e.g. regarding direct election, members who declared an interest in the election of a Chief Executive who supports sexual morality and family values were primarily members of the evangelical churches of Hong Kong, e.g. the Baptist Convention of Hong Kong and the Christian and Missionary Alliance Union of Hong Kong. Organizers of the conference included: HKFA, STL, HKSCS, the Hong Kong Baptist University Chaplaincy, and the Family Value Foundation. Co-sponsors were: EFCC, the Baptist Convention, the Missionary Alliance, Christian Communication Ltd., and the Department of Religion and Philosophy of Hong Kong Baptist University where Kuan Qiwen and his conservative Christian ethics colleagues are based. The Christian Coalition's activities and fundraising campaigns may have provided the margin for the Republican success in the House of Representatives in the 1994 election. The Christian Coalition held a virtual veto on the Republican nominee for president in 1996. The CUSP incident aroused intense debate in the community, for and against the classification. Intellectuals, media workers, university administrators, and students were divided on the matter and its interpretation. Not the least, strong resentment was expressed by some parts of the community against the "Christian moralists." A reactionary internet campaign was conducted by a user with the pseudonym alliterated 'Oh-My-God' calling for the censorship of stories of sexuality in the Bible. It collected thousands of signatures in a few days. During the time, a picture of Cai Zhisun, general secretary of STL, was recast on the internet as "Morality Taliban," sarcastically labeled after American-identified terrorists. Additional informationNotes on contributorsWai Ching Angela WONG Contact address: Department of Cultural and Religious Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N. T., Hong Kong
Publication Year: 2013
Publication Date: 2013-09-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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