Freedom, Taiwan's Presbyterian Church, China, and Religion
Wednesday December 05, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.
[A French translation by Jerome Besson is available at Taiwan 1st!]
This past week I had the opportunity to meet Wendell Karsen of the Reformed Church in America as he was being interviewed by Linda Arrigo on his experiences working in Taiwan with the Presbyterian Church from 1969--73. Karsen was one of many in the ranks of foreigners and ex-pats of that era expelled and/or blacklisted by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It was the period known as the White Terror. The KMT then ruled by strict martial law; with spies and informers everywhere, they were quick to pounce on anyone who questioned their autocracy and/or spoke up for human rights.
Karsen is now in his seventies, still spry and active though officially retired, and still a man who cares very much for Taiwan. He is not the rabble-rousing firebrand type, but a simple man dedicated to service. His life stands in sharp contrast to that of those who harassed him while he was here, who broke up church programs that responded to social needs and who finally denied him re-entry to the country.
As a man who is a good record keeper and who has well-documented his daily life, Karsen can give numerous and lengthy specifics of run-ins with the KMT, of people jailed for political reasons, and the pall of oppression that hung over the island despite the KMT's efforts to project the facade that all was well and that they supported democracy.
At another time I hope to expound on the many examples he gave and which he himself is putting into a book. Here I simply want to relate an astute observation he made early in our conversation. Shortly after he arrived back in 1969, Wendell could see that the KMT and the Presbyterian Church were on a collision course. Collision course, I asked, why? These were strange words coming from a simple missionary. The answer had its own logic. The Presbyterian Church was organized, sizable (in relative comparison) and intelligent. Such a combination is toxic to any autocratic regime. It is what they fear most, because they cannot control it. Sooner or later, they know that the intelligent people in such organizations will begin to question the motives and results of their rule. If a church is worth its salt, it will be concerned with social issues and needs; this only hastens the confrontation.
As I thought on Karsen's words, I could not help but have the feeling of déjà vu and think on how much the autocratic rule of the KMT in Taiwan at that time resembles the current dictatorial rule of the Communist Party in China. To add to this comparison, in the late seventies in Taiwan, when the blacklisted Karsen was serving at a church in Hong Kong, the KMT proposed a law that would give it control over the churches and the right to dictate to its leadership. It was not passed because of the huge outcry from the international churches and press. Today, in Communist China, however, that same effort is being made to control all types of religion. China has an advantage, it does not make the pretense of being for democracy and it has already bought off many of those who support human rights and freedom of religion.
Will China succeed? Taiwan has its freedom and democracy because of the locals and many ex-pats and international organizations that stood up to the KMT and risked their livelihoods--for some even their lives. In a pre-internet age the planning and organization and numerous ways that information on human rights abuses and on KMT political prisoners was smuggled out of Taiwan reads like a spy novel. A participant in this, the Presbyterian Church has always been a staunch supporter of Taiwan's democracy. Could such change happen in China? The people involved in Taiwan were not trained spies or insurgents, but simple people motivated not by greed or personal gain but by justice, human rights and a care for their fellow men. The happenings of Karsen's time supported other social movements and led to other developments, and finally the Kaohsiung Incident and eventual democracy. That is why China knows it must control all churches and religious freedom,and of course why it hounds and protests the Dalai Lama whereever he goes.