A seminar on heresies and deviant faiths was held on June 17 at the office of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs (GCRA).
The seminar was co-chaired by the GCRA’s Vice Chairman Nguyễn Ánh Chức and Assoc. Prof., Dr. Đỗ Lan Hiền, Director of the Institute for Religion and Belief under the National Ho Chi Minh Academy for Politics, and joint by representatives of the Central Commission for Mass Mobilization, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Central Committee for Ethnic Minorities Affairs, ministries for public securities, culture, sport and tourism, etc., state-level research institutes and agencies on belief and religion, and large numbers of experts and scholars in the field of belief and religion.
The seminar aimed to generally grasp the current situation of heresies and deviant faiths in Vietnam with particulars to aspects of model, organization and practices of heresies and deviant faiths, and impacts of heresies and deviant faiths on the social life in the country.
The seminar also reviewed the efficiency of the state management on heresies and deviant faiths over the past years, and recommended policies and orientations for the communication work on heresies and deviant faiths.
GCRA’s Vice Chairman Nguyễn Ánh Chức speaks at the seminar
In particular, the seminar gathered 17 speech papers reflecting multi-dimensional perspectives related to heresies and deviant faiths in Vietnam, characteristics of heresies and deviant faiths, similarities between heresies and deviant faiths and traditional religions and belief, positive and negative impacts of heresies and deviant faiths on the social life, the legal framework relating to heresies and deviant faiths, and some experiences in the state management on heresies and deviant faiths, etc.
As reported at the event, new religious phenomenon, heresies and deviant faiths have appeared in the country since the 80s of the 20th century. Up to now, there are about 85 new faiths in the country, according to an incomplete statistics of the GCRA.
Some practices of these new faiths have been divisive and contrary to social moral standards and cultural traditions, division of national and religious unity, or even violated the law of the state.
The formation and development together with complex activities of heresies and deviant faiths have significantly affected the social life and posed challenges for research and the state management on heresies and deviant faiths, in safeguarding the lawful freedom of belief and religion of people, and maintaining public security and social order in localities.
