| UPDATED: March 9, 2009 NO. 10 MAR. 12, 2009 | | Abolishing theocracy, and implementing the separation of state and religion, and the freedom of religious belief | | The democratic reform enabled the true features of religion to emerge, effectively safeguarding the Tibetan people’s freedom of religious belief, and laying a foundation for the introduction of the political system of people’s democracy in Tibet | | | | During the democratic reform, means of production, including land and livestock, originally owned by monasteries involved in the armed rebellion were all confiscated, while a policy of redemption was introduced with regard to the means of production of monasteries which had not participated in the rebellion. During the democratic reform, on the one hand, citizens’ freedom of religious belief, and patriotic and law-abiding monasteries were protected by decree. Citizens’ freedom to become a monk or nun and to resume secular life, regular religious activities as well as historical monasteries and cultural relics were all protected. On the other hand, a policy of political unity, freedom of religious belief and separation of politics and religion was adopted, abolishing monasteries’ feudal privileges in economy and politics, repealing monasteries’ feudal occupation and exploitation, and personal slavery, as well as feudal management and hierarchy inside the monasteries, and ensuring that all religious beliefs were politically equal. Public funds and properties inside the monasteries were managed democratically, serving as production funds and for supporting monks and nuns as well as regular religious activities; the monasteries’ management committees uniformly administered the land distributed to monks and nuns in accordance with their labor ability, and managed production. When the income of a monastery was unable to cover its regular expenses, the government would grant a subsidy. Through the democratic reform, all the monasteries in Tibet elected their own management committees, conducting democratic management. The democratic reform enabled the true features of religion to emerge, effectively safeguarding the Tibetan people’s freedom of religious belief, and laying a foundation for the introduction of the political system of people’s democracy in Tibet. |
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