The Social Cost of Religious Belief: The Case of Gannan and Linxia Prefectures in Gansu

The relationship between religion and economic and social development is complex. It is undeniable that religion has had, and continues to have, many positive effects and influences on economic and social development, especially on people’s spiritual world, throughout human history. However, the actual situation also shows that if religion does not develop rationally and does not adapt well to real society, then to a certain extent it can become an important cause of regional backwardness, especially in areas where ethnic minorities have strong religious beliefs. In analyzing the current state of religion and economic and social development in Gansu, this article focuses primarily on Gannan and Linxia prefectures, attempting to reveal the inhibitory effect of religion on the economic and social development of these areas, and to reveal the social cost paid by ethnic minority areas due to religious belief. It hopes to find one cause of poverty and backwardness in ethnic minority areas, and hopes that religion in China, as it advances toward modernization, can develop rationally, better adapt to society, and play a greater and stronger positive role in the harmonious and sustainable development of Chinese society.

宗教与经济、社会发展的关系是错综复杂的。不可否认宗教在人类历史长河中对经济、社会的发展，尤其是人们的精神世界产生了并且现在依然产生着许多积极的作用和影响。但现实情况还表明，如果宗教没有得到合理的发展，没有与现实社会很好的相适应，那么它在一定程度上就会成为地区落后的一个重要原因，尤其是少数民族宗教信仰浓厚的地区。本文在分析甘肃宗教和经济、社会发展现状时，主要立足于甘南和临夏两州，试图揭示宗教对该地区经济、社会发展的抑制作用，揭示少数民族地区由于宗教信仰而付出的社会代价。期望找到少数民族地区贫穷落后的一个原因，希望宗教在迈向现代化的中国能合理地发展，能更好地适应社会，为中国社会的和谐、可持续发展发挥它更大、更强的积极作用。

Gansu has been a region of many ethnic groups and many religions since ancient times, with all five major religions present: Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Believers of these five religions are spread throughout the province. In Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where Tibetans are concentrated, and Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, where Hui people are concentrated, Tibetan and Hui ethnic minorities are essentially universally religious. However, the local economic and social development situation is far from optimistic; local people live a poor and backward life. Among the seven counties and one city of Gannan Prefecture (Hezuo City, Lintan County, Zhuoni County, Zhouqu County, Diebu County, Maqu County, Luqu County, and Xiahe County), five are national-level poverty-stricken counties (Lintan County, Zhouqu County, Zhuoni County, Xiahe County, and Hezuo City); among the seven counties and one city of Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture (Linxia City, Linxia County, Yongjing County, Hezheng County, Guanghe County, Kangle County, Jishishan County, and Dongxiang Autonomous County), all except Linxia City are national-level poverty-stricken counties.[1]1 National-level poverty-stricken counties (国家级贫困县) were counties officially designated by the Chinese central government as targets for national poverty alleviation programs, a designation used until the completion of poverty eradication in 2020. Of course, the economic and social backwardness of ethnic minority areas has its geographical, climatic, transportation, and historical reasons, but local people place all their hopes for changing their fate and seeking happiness on religion, investing too much in religious belief, which further exacerbates the poverty and backwardness of the region.

甘肃自古以来就是一片多民族多宗教的地域，伊斯兰教、佛教、道教、天主教和基督教五大宗教俱全。信奉上述五个宗教的信徒遍布全省各地，在藏族聚居的甘南自治州和回族聚居的临夏自治州，藏族和回族等少数民族群众基本是全民信教。然而当地的经济、社会发展状况却是不容乐观的，当地人民过着贫穷、落后的生活。在甘南州的7县1市（合作市、临潭县、卓尼县、舟曲县、迭部县、玛曲县、碌曲县和夏河县）当中就有5个国家级贫困县（临潭县、舟曲县、卓尼县、夏河县和合作市）；在临夏回族自治州的7县1市（临夏市、临夏县、永靖县、和政县、广河县、康乐县、积石山县和东乡族自治县）中除了临夏市之外都是国家级贫困县①。当然民族地区的经济、社会落后有着其地理、气候、交通、历史等原因，但是当地群众把改变命运、谋求幸福的全部希望都寄托在宗教上，在宗教信仰方面投入过多，这就进一步引起了该地区的贫穷落后。

Because religious belief has important material elements: the need to build, expand, and maintain religious sites; the need for clothing, food, housing, and transportation for monks and clergy; the necessary materials for religious rituals and ceremonies; the expenses of religious festivals and activities, and so on, all must be premised on and backed by material wealth. And this huge expenditure is basically provided by donations from local people. This places a great burden and pressure on local people, affecting the overall economic and social development of the area.

因为宗教信仰有着重要的物质元素：宗教场所修建、扩建并维修的需要；僧侣教职人员的衣食住行需要；宗教祭祀仪轨必需的物资；宗教节日活动的开支等等，都必须以物质财富为前提、为后盾。而这庞大的开支基本都是由当地人民捐赠来提供的。这就给当地人民带来了巨大的负担与压力，影响到当地经济与社会的整体发展。

The inhibitory effect of religion on economic and social development is multifaceted and multi-layered. This article attempts to analyze and explore it from the following aspects:

宗教对经济、社会发展的抑制作用是多方面，多层次的，本文试图从以下几个方面对其进行分析和探讨：

I. The Consumption of Human, Material, and Financial Resources by Religious Belief

一、宗教信仰对人力、物力、财力的消耗

The construction, maintenance, and operation of religious sites, as well as religious clergy and religious belief activities, consume a large amount of human, material, and financial resources, reducing people’s capacity for economic and social construction.

宗教场所的修建和维护运作、宗教教职人员以及宗教信仰活动消耗了大量的人力、物力、财力，使人们进行经济、社会建设的能力降低。

1. The Construction and Maintenance of Religious Sites

1. 宗教场所的修建和维护

Gansu has 6,771 approved and open religious activity sites, including 4,779 for Islam; 825 for Buddhism; 804 for Daoism; 287 for Protestantism; and 76 for Catholicism. There are 1,923 unapproved religious activity sites, including 321 for Islam; 594 for Buddhism; 792 for Daoism; 188 for Protestantism; and 28 for Catholicism.[2]2 The source for these figures is a footnote in the original text, indicated by ②. Many of these religious sites have a long history and are large in scale. Entering the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries of Gannan or the Islamic mosques and *gongbei*[3]3 *Gongbei* (拱北) is a term used in China for the tomb-shrine complex of a Sufi saint or founder of a Sufi order, particularly among Hui Muslims. of Linxia, the scale and grandeur, the clean and tidy courtyards, will impress every visitor; some religious sites can be described as resplendent and magnificent. It is clear how much human, material, and financial resources have been consumed in this.

甘肃有批准开放的宗教活动场所6771处，其中伊斯兰教4779处；佛教825处；道教804处；基督教287处；天主教76处。未批准开放的宗教活动场所1923处，其中，伊斯兰教321处；佛教594处；道教792处；基督教188处；天主教28处②。这么多宗教场所大多历史悠久，规模庞大。走进甘南的藏传佛教寺院、临夏的伊斯兰教清真寺和拱北，那规模和气势，那干净整洁的院落会令每一位参观者赞叹不已，有些宗教场所完全可以用金碧辉煌来形容。可知这当中耗费了多少人力、物力和财力。

Large numbers of construction workers, large quantities of building materials, and large sums of money are invested in the construction of these religious sites. The construction of a single monastery or *gongbei* can last for many years; the construction of a single gate can take several years and cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of yuan. Because of the sacredness of religion, the building materials used here are generally the best, sometimes transported from far away, which makes them more costly than ordinary buildings. The processing of materials is also meticulous, requiring experienced and skilled craftsmen to work with fine carving, which is more time-consuming and labor-intensive than ordinary materials.

大批的建筑工人，大量的建筑材料和大笔的金钱被投入到这些宗教场所的修建当中，有的一座寺院或拱北的修建要持续好多年；一座大门的修建也会花费好几年时间，用去几十万甚至上百万元。因为宗教的神圣性，这里用的建筑材料一般都是选最好的，有的要从很远的地方运来，这就比普通建筑更加花费成本。对于材料的加工也是有讲究的，要求有经验，有技术的师傅精雕细琢才可以，这就比普通的材料费时费力。

At the same time, the maintenance of each religious site, a large number of religious facilities (including various statues, ritual implements, etc.) and daily necessities (water, electricity, etc.) all consume a large amount of human, material, and financial resources. When we walk into the temples, monasteries, and *gongbei* of Gannan and Linxia, we are moved by the numerous resplendent statues and various decorative items, and the clean and tidy courtyards. Where do these facilities come from? Why are such large building complexes and courtyards so clean and tidy? There is no doubt that this is the result of human effort, not divine power. It is the result of local people spending money to create and purchase them, and the labor of a large number of maintenance, repair, and cleaning personnel. It is easy to imagine the cost involved, but these funds basically come from donations from local religious believers, from the common people. This inevitably places great pressure on their lives and reduces their capacity for economic and social construction.

同时每一处宗教场所的维护，大量的宗教设施（包括各种神像、法器等）和日常所需（水、电等）等等都会花费大量的人力、物力、财力。当我们走进甘南、临夏一座座宫观、庙宇、拱北时，会被大量金碧辉煌的神像以及各种装饰用品和干净整洁的院落所打动，这些设施都是哪里来的?为什么这么庞大的建筑群落、庭院会如此的干净整洁?毫无疑问，这都是人为结果，并非神力所为，这是当地群众花钱塑造、购置的，这是大量维修、护理清洁人员劳动的结果。可想而知这其中的代价有多大，但这些资金基本都来源于当地的信教群众的捐赠，都是来自老百姓的。这就势必给他们的生活带来很大的压力，使他们进行经济、社会建设的能力降低。

2. Religious Clergy

2. 宗教教职人员

For religious sites to operate, a large number of clergy are indispensable. The five major religions currently in Gansu have more than 20,000 religious clergy, including 5,042 for Islam; 12,000 for Buddhism; 2,826 for Daoism; 295 for Protestantism; and 135 for Catholicism.[4]4 The source for these figures is a footnote in the original text, indicated by ③. These clergy do not participate in productive activities; all their living expenses come from society, from the religious believers in their parishes. This inevitably brings various burdens and pressures on religious believers and local society, affecting the coordinated development of the economy and society. “In a society, a large number of clergy specializing in religious activities means a reduction in the number of laborers engaged in productive labor, and the expenses needed to maintain them will inevitably increase.”[5]5 The source for this quotation is a footnote in the original text, indicated by ④.

宗教场所要得以运作，离不开大量的教职人员。甘肃现有的五大宗教中有宗教教职人员2万多人，其中，伊斯兰教5042人；佛教1．2万人；道教2826人；基督教295人；天主教135人③。这些教职人员是不参与生产活动的，他们的一切生活费用都是来自社会，来自教区的信教群众，这势必会给信教群众及当地社会带来多方面的负担和压力，影响了经济与社会的协调发展。“在一个社会中，专门从事宗教活动的神职人员多就意味着从事生产劳动的劳动者数量减少，而且维持其所需要的开支也必然增加。”④

Reality shows that this large number of clergy is a mixed bag, including many talented, capable, knowledgeable, progressive, and patriotic individuals; also anti-people, anti-social, and anti-state reactionaries; and some ignorant people who follow the crowd without thought. It is undeniable that those progressive and patriotic individuals among them have contributed to social harmony, stability, and healthy development, leaving many positive stories in history and real life, and creating much spiritual wealth for humanity, making them indispensable in people’s lives. However, the reactionaries among them, incited by domestic and foreign anti-China forces, have also caused great disasters for society. Social disturbances involving ethnic and religious issues, such as the “3·14” incident in 2008 and the “7·5” incident in 2009, are clear examples of this.[6]6 The “3·14” incident refers to the 2008 riots in Lhasa, Tibet, and the “7·5” incident refers to the 2009 riots in Ürümqi, Xinjiang; both involved ethnic and religious tensions.

现实表明，这大量的教职人员可谓是鱼龙混杂，其中有许多有才华有能力、知识渊博、思想进步的爱国人士；也有反人民、反社会、反国家的反动分子；还有一些没有思想，随众而行的无知人士。不可否认其中那些思想进步的爱国人士，为社会的和谐安定，健康发展做出了贡献，在历史与现实生活中留下了许多佳话，也为人类创造了许多精神财富，是人民生活当中不可缺少的。但是其中那些反动分子在国内外反华势力的鼓动之下也给社会造成了很大的灾难。一次次涉及民族、宗教问题的社会骚乱就是这方面明显的例证，如2008年的“3•14”事件和2009年的“7•5”事件。

3. Religious Belief Activities

3. 宗教信仰活动

Monasteries, temples, and other religious sites often hold religious activities, and believers frequently go to monasteries and temples to pray or worship. Religious activity itself is a form of economic consumption. During religious activities, the clothing and food of monks and priests, the burning of large quantities of incense, paper, and candles, and the use of various props and offerings all consume many resources.

寺院、宫观等各种宗教场所经常会举行一些宗教活动，信徒们也会经常去寺院、宫观祈祷或做礼拜。而宗教活动本身是一种经济消费行为，宗教活动期间的僧道衣食，大量香、纸张、蜡烛的燃烧和各种道具、祭品的使用都会消耗很多资源。

Religious consumption is a non-productive consumption with a strong parasitic nature, mainly dependent on alms from believers. This brings burdens and pressures on believers in terms of financial, material, and human resources. Mr. Robert Barro believes that, given a certain level of belief, the more frequently one attends church services, the more detrimental it is to economic development, because investing too many resources in religious activities does not change the output, i.e., the degree of devoutness, but instead limits investment in the economy.[7]7 The source for this reference is a footnote in the original text, indicated by ⑤.

宗教消费是一种非生产性消费，具有很强的寄生性，主要依赖于信徒布施。这就给信徒们在财力、物力、人力等方面带来了负担与压力。罗伯特•巴罗先生（RobertBarro）认为，在一定的信仰程度下，越频繁地去教堂做礼拜对经济发展越不利，因为过多投入资源在宗教活动中，产出即信仰的虔诚程度却没有改变，反而对经济的投入有限制。⑤

While these religious activities serve as religious beliefs, they also frequently require believers to make various donations to raise funds for their own growth and expansion. The fundraising and economic accumulation of religions enable religious sites and organizations to possess substantial wealth, but at the same time, the income and wealth of believers and the general populace are greatly reduced. The most direct economic impact of religion lies in the fact that religious consumption diverts a large amount of wealth from the production process to non-productive spheres.

这些宗教活动在起到宗教信仰的同时还经常要求信教群众进行各种捐赠活动来集资以达到自身的发展壮大。宗教的集资和经济积累使宗教场所、组织拥有大量财富，但同时信徒、群众的收入和财富却大大减少。而宗教对经济的最直接影响正在于宗教性消费使大量财富从生产过程转向非生产领域。

In many places in Gannan and Linxia, the stark contrast between magnificent temple buildings and the dilapidated houses of believers is a vivid illustration of this. Among some ethnic minorities with backward productive forces, religious consumption seriously hinders productive accumulation, impedes the expansion of reproduction, and even obstructs the development of productive forces. This is not only a historical summary but also an economic law, because the emergence of this situation inevitably leads to the massive concentration of social wealth in religious groups, preventing it from being used for social expanded reproduction. If it reaches a level that the social economy cannot bear, it will greatly damage people's capacity for economic and social construction, leading to the widespread impoverishment of a region's society. This directly causes the poverty of believers' lives and the lag in local economic and social development.

在甘南和临夏的好多地方，宏伟的寺庙建筑和破旧的信徒住房之间的鲜明对比正是这方面的生动写照。在一些生产力落后的少数民族中，宗教性消费严重地妨碍了生产性积累，妨碍了再生产的扩大，乃至妨碍了生产力的发展。这不仅是历史的总结，而且是一种经济规律，因为这种情况的出现必然会导致社会财富大量地聚集于宗教教团而不能用于社会扩大再生产，如果达到了社会经济难以承受的程度，就会使人们进行经济、社会建设的能力大大受损，导致一地区社会的普遍贫困化。直接造成了信教群众生活的贫穷和当地经济、社会事业发展的滞后。

II. Unreasonable Occupation of Land Resources by Religious Sites

二、宗教场所对土地资源的不合理占用

Religious sites occupy large amounts of fertile land, reducing the arable land available in the region and the space usable for developing economic and social undertakings; at the same time, it creates irrationality and chaos in construction space, causing many intractable conflicts and disputes in society.

宗教场所占据了大量的良田土地，使地区内可耕种土地以及可用来发展经济、社会事业的空间减少；同时也造成了建设空间的不合理和混乱，在社会上引起了许多棘手的矛盾纠纷。

As mentioned above, the construction of several thousand temples, Taoist monasteries, churches, and shrines in Gansu all requires the occupation of large amounts of land, and some monasteries are still in a state of continuous expansion. In Gannan and Linxia, walking along certain streets and beside fields, you will find that you cannot go far without encountering a temple or church; it can be said that religious buildings are visible everywhere. Due to the mystical nature of religion, the construction of religious sites pays attention to feng shui and geographical location, so these numerous religious sites are basically established in areas with relatively good geographical positions. Furthermore, as the number of people visiting these religious sites increases, the demand for roads also increases sharply. Consequently, many roads that are difficult to plan comprehensively and vary in scale also occupy large amounts of land. This greatly reduces the land available locally for production, livelihood, and social development, posing a threat to the lives and development of local people.

如前所述，甘肃好几千所寺院、道观、教堂和庙宇的建设都得占用大量的土地，而且有些寺院还处在不断的扩张之中。在甘南和临夏，走在某些街道上和田地旁，你会发现走不了多远就会有一座寺庙或教堂，可以说宗教建筑随处可见。由于宗教的神秘主义色彩，宗教场所的建设是会讲究风水地理位置的，所以这大量的宗教场所基本都建立在地理位置相对较好的地段。再者，随着去这些宗教场所的人群的增加，对道路的需求也会急剧增加。因此许多难以整体规划，又规模不等的道路又占去了大量土地。这样就造成了当地用来生产、生活和社会发展的土地大大减少，给当地人民的生活和发展造成了威胁。

The construction of a large number of religious sites also creates extreme irrationality and chaos in construction space. Due to the sanctity of religion, there is great resistance to relocating religious sites, so in many places, when conducting overall construction planning, great difficulties are encountered, and efforts are made to avoid monasteries. This results in extreme irrationality and chaos in local construction space, affecting the overall development of the area. In Gannan and Linxia, there are situations where temples are within residential courtyards and residential houses are within temple grounds, causing irreconcilable conflicts and disputes between monasteries and the populace, creating great difficulties for the work of local governments, and improper handling of such issues may also cause social instability.

大量宗教场所的建设同时也造成了建设空间的极大不合理和混乱。由于宗教的神圣性，对宗教场所的搬迁会有很大的阻力，所以好多地方在进行建设整体规划时都会遇到很大的难题，也会尽量避开寺院。这样就造成地方建设空间的极大不合理和混乱，影响地方的整体发展。在甘南和临夏就存在着寺中民家院，院中寺庙的情况，引起了寺院和民众之间不可调和的矛盾纠纷，给当地政府的工作造成了极大的困难，而且对此类问题的处理不当还可能会引起社会的不安定。

III. Massive Consumption of Time and Energy by Religious Belief Activities

三、宗教信仰活动对时间和精力的大量消耗

Gansu Province has approximately 3.44 million believers of various religions, accounting for 13.15% of the province's total population. [8]8 "Gansu Province Data Handbook" – 2008-2009. Party School of the Gansu Provincial Committee of the CPC, 2009. The Tibetan and Muslim populations in Gannan and Linxia are essentially universally religious. Temples, monasteries, and other religious sites frequently hold religious activities of varying scales, all of which require the participation and involvement of believers. Moreover, some of these activities can last for a long time, during which all personal and family affairs must be subordinated to the religious activities and temporarily suspended. In addition to these collective religious activities, the daily devotional activities of believers at home or in temples are also a compulsory part of their lives. In many Buddhist monasteries in Gannan, every day there are many devout believers carrying offerings, spending large amounts of time and energy performing full-body prostrations, chanting sutras, and worshipping; in Linxia, no matter where you go, the call to prayer from mosques can be heard from time to time, and local people have become accustomed to using it as their daily schedule, while in the mosques, the sound of imams chanting scriptures and the figures of Muslims praying are always present. This inevitably makes one think of how much time and energy they spend on religious beliefs. This greatly reduces the time and energy they have for improving living standards and developing economic and social undertakings. While moved by their piety, looking at the backward living conditions and social situation of the local people, one cannot help but think of how people in big cities work against the clock to improve their living standards, which has led to the economic and social development of those cities. Yet these believers in religious areas invest a large amount of time and energy in religious belief activities, which will inevitably affect the improvement of local living standards and the overall development of the region.

甘肃全省有各种信教群众约344万人，占全省总人口的13．15％⑥。甘南和临夏的藏族群众和穆斯林群众基本是全民信教。寺庙、宫观等宗教场所经常会举行一些规模不等的宗教活动，这些宗教活动都要求信教群众的参加与参与。而且这些活动有的会持续好长时间，在这期间，个人与家庭的一切事务就得服从于宗教活动，暂时停下来。除了这些集体宗教活动之外，信教群众每天在家或到寺庙的信仰活动也是他们生活的必修课。在甘南的许多佛教寺院，每天都会有许多虔诚的信徒们拿着供品，花费大量的时间和精力在磕长头、念经、顶礼膜拜；在临夏，无论到哪里都会时不时地传来清真寺的号角，当地人们已经习惯性地将其视为自己的作息时间表，而在清真寺里更会时常都有阿訇的唱经声和穆斯林祈祷的身影。这让人不禁会想到他们为了宗教信仰花费了多少时间和精力啊。这就使他们从事提高生活水平、发展经济和社会事业的时间和精力大打折扣。在被他们的虔诚所感动的同时，看看当地人民落后的生活和社会现状，让人不禁会联想起大城市人民为了提高生活水平而争分夺秒地工作，才取得了大城市经济社会的发达，而这些教区群众却把大量时间、精力投入宗教信仰活动，这势必会影响当地生活水平的提高和地区的整体发展。

IV. The Shackling of People's Thinking by Religion

四、宗教对人们思想的束缚

Any religion, in essence, rejects people's pursuit of interests, considering the single-minded pursuit of wealth to be shameful and immoral. Religion either advocates that people should have a pure heart and few desires, pursuing immortality; or it advises people to stay away from desires and fame and fortune in this life, in order to achieve a better afterlife or ascend to heaven after death, entering the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. For example, the Buddhist tradition pursues the transcendental and does not aim at pursuing worldly benefits. Traditional Christianity does not pursue quick success and instant benefits either, but rather considers wealth to be illusory and dangerous, and should be abandoned. Taoism even advocates a worldview and values of detachment from the world. This traditional aversion to profit in religion is not conducive to the development of a market economy. Therefore, in Gannan, every day many believers would rather put down their work, go to the monastery with offerings, and spend the whole day prostrating, chanting sutras, and worshipping; in Linxia's mosques, the figures of Muslims praying can be seen at any time. The center of life for people in religious areas is not engaging in production or economic activities, but is closely centered around religion. Their daily lives, even their entire lives, are lived for religious belief, for the pursuit of an illusory afterlife and immortality. Influenced and shackled by the conservative concepts of these religious doctrines and precepts, believers are content with the status quo or place their hopes in the afterlife, inevitably losing the motivation for progress and development, reducing people's enthusiasm for engaging in legitimate economic activities and social undertakings, leading to overall social poverty.

任何一种宗教从本质上讲，都排斥人们对利益的追求，认为一味地追求财富是可耻的，不道德的。宗教要么倡导人清心寡欲，追求长生不老；要么劝导人在世时应该远离欲望，远离名利，以达到来世的美好或死后升入天堂，进入西方极乐世界。如佛教传统追求的是超现实，不以追求现世利益为目的。传统的基督教追求的也不是急功近利，而是认为财富是虚幻的、危险的，应当抛弃。道教更是倡导出世的人生观和价值观。宗教的这种传统避利性不利于市场经济的发展，因此在甘南每天都有许多信徒们宁愿放下手中的活，去寺院拿着供品，花费整天的时间磕头、念经、顶礼膜拜；在临夏清真寺里随时都会有穆斯林祈祷的身影。教区人们的生活中心不是进行生产活动，从事经济活动，而是紧紧围绕宗教来展开的，他们的日常生活，甚至他们的一生都是为了宗教信仰，为了追求虚无的来生和长生不老而活的。受到这些教规教义的保守观念的影响和束缚，信教群众满足于现状或寄希望于来世，必然丧失进取和发展的动力，使人们从事正当经济活动和社会事业的积极性降低，导致社会整体上的贫困。

V. Conclusion

五、结语

From the above analysis, we can see that religion's suppression of a region's economic and social development is multifaceted. From the consumption of material wealth to the occupation of land, from the consumption of time to the shackling of thinking, this suppressive effect penetrates every aspect of social life in religious areas. Believers in these areas thus pay a huge social cost. Although there are many reasons for the poverty and backwardness of religious areas, inappropriate religious burdens are one of the causes of the low living standards and lagging social development of people in these areas. In today's Chinese society, where the international situation is complex and volatile, and ethnic reactionaries and religious extremists at home and abroad are stirring, how to better guide religion under the guidance of the Scientific Outlook on Development, minimize the negative effects of religion on society, enable religion to develop rationally to better adapt to contemporary Chinese society, and play a role in the harmonious and sustainable development of society – this is precisely what our country, government, religious figures, and all sectors of society should work together to achieve.

从以上分析我们可以看出，宗教对一个地区经济、社会发展的抑制是多方面的。从对财物的消耗到对土地的占用，从对时间的消耗到对思想的束缚，这种抑制作用深入到教区社会生活的方方面面。教区信徒们因此付出了巨大的社会代价。虽然信教地区贫困落后的原因有很多，但不适当的宗教负担却是教区人民生活水平低下和社会发展滞后的原因之一。在国际形势复杂多变，国内外民族反动分子和宗教极端分子蠢蠢欲动的当今中国社会，如何在科学发展观指导下更好地引导宗教，把宗教对社会的消极作用降到最低，使宗教得以合理地发展来更好地适应当今中国社会，为社会的和谐可持续发展发挥作用，这才是我们国家、政府、宗教界人士以及社会各界应该共同努力要做的事情。

Notes:

注释：

① Economic Forum. http://cache.tianya.cn/publicforum/Content/develop/l/107201.shtml

① 经济论坛．http：//cache.tianya.cn/publicforum/Content/develop/l/107201.shtml

② "Gansu Province Data Handbook" – 2008-2009. Party School of the Gansu Provincial Committee of the CPC, 2009.

②《甘肃省情数据手册》——2008-2009．中共甘肃省委党校，2009。

③ "Gansu Province Data Handbook" – 2008-2009. Party School of the Gansu Provincial Committee of the CPC, 2009.

③《甘肃省情数据手册》——2008-2009．中共甘肃省委党校，2009。

④ Luo Li. "The Relationship between Religion and Economy" [J]. Journal of Southwest Minzu University, 2006(6). p. 76.

④ 罗莉．《宗教与经济的关系》[J]．西南民族大学学报，2006（6）．第76页。

⑤ Luo Li. "The Relationship between Religion and Economy" [J]. Journal of Southwest Minzu University, 2006(6). p. 76.

⑤ 罗莉．《宗教与经济的关系》[J]．西南民族大学学报，2006（6）．第76页。

⑥ "Gansu Province Data Handbook" – 2008-2009. Party School of the Gansu Provincial Committee of the CPC, 2009.

⑥《甘肃省情数据手册》——2008-2009．中共甘肃省委党校，2009。

Author’s biography: Liu Xiaoxiong, teacher in the Department of Sociology, School of Political Science and Law, Northwest Normal University

作者简介：刘小雄，西北师范大学政法学院社会学系教师