Online Code of Conduct for Religious Professionals

Promulgation Date: 2025-9-7
Title: 国家宗教事务局关于印发《宗教教职人员网络行为规范》的通知
Document Number:国宗发〔2025〕12号
Expiration date: 
Promulgating Entities: State Bureau of Religious Affairs
Source of text: https://www.sara.gov.cn/static/content/xxgk/gfxwj/2025-09-16/1417173278783471616.html

Measures on the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services

See also, the Measures on the Administration of Internet Religious Information Services from which much of the content here is derived.

Article 1: This Code of Conduct is drafted on the basis of laws and rules such as the "Regulations on Religious Affairs", "Measures on the Management of Religious Professionals", "Measures on the Management of Internet Information Services", "Measures on the Management of Religious Internet Information Services, so as to regulate the online conduct of religious professionals and preserve positive order in the internet religious sector.

Article 2: Religious professionals carrying out online conduct shall love the motherland, uphold the leadership of the Communist Party of China, uphold the socialist system, comply with state laws and regulations and regulations on the management of religious affairs, comply with social mores, public order and good customs, and model compliance with "Convention on Self-Discipline for a Civilized Internet", conform with religious rules and regulations, and accept government and societal oversight.

Article 3: Religious professionals using the internet shall practice the Core Socialist Values, adhere to our nation's principle of religious independence and self-management, adhere to our nation's direction on the Sinification of religion, actively guide the religion's alignment with society, and protect religious, social, and ethnic harmony.

Article 4: Religious professionals' online conduct that is not carried out in their identity as religious professionals shall comply with state laws and regulations and provisions related to the management of religious affairs; and when registering or using official accounts for information publication or instant messaging in their identity as religious professionals, they shall provide the internet information service providers with their religious professional credentials for verification.

Article 5: Religious professionals preaching, giving sermons, or engaging in religious education and training online is to be conducted only through websites, applications, and forums etc. that were established by religious groups, religious institutes, temples, and churches that have obtained Internet Religious Information Services Licenses.

Article 6: Religious professionals shall cultivate positive online habits and conscientiously reject negative online cultures; they must not hype themselves, use religious topics and content to draw views and bring in traffic.

Article 7: Information produced, reproduced, stored, published, or transmitted through the internet by religious professionals must not contain content that incites subversion of state sovereignty, opposes the leadership of the Communist Party of China, or undermines the socialist system, national unity, ethnic harmony or social stability, or content that interferes with the implementation of the state systems for justice, education, marriage, or social management.

Article 8: Religious professionals must not collude with foreign forces through the internet to support or participate in activities of foreign religious infiltration.

Article 9: Religious professionals must not use the internet to display, wear, or sell religious extremist apparel, spread religious extremist ideas, incite religious fanaticism, or promote extremism, terrorism, or ethnic separatism.

Article 10: Religious professionals must not use the internet to transmit indoctrinating religious thought or inducements to faith to minors, or to organize minors' participation in training, summer (winter) camps, and so forth, or to organize or coerce minors' participation in religious activities.

Article 11: Religious professionals must not use the internet to transmit heretical cults and fringe Bhudism, or to engage in feudal superstitions such as divination and fortune telling.

Article 12: Religious professionals must not use the internet to publish unverified and false information, they must not sow discord, set up opposition, spread rumors, make false accusations, attack and defame, underme harmony between different religious and within a single relgion, or discriminate against or insult religious or non-religious citizens.

Article 13: Except as provided for in article 5 of this Code, religious professionals must not use livestreams, short videos, online meetings, WeChat groups, WeChat friend circles, and other such measures to proselytize; must not organize or participate in online religious activities such as Bhudist prayer sessions, church services, or mass, as well as religious rites such as burning incense, making offerings, chanting, orgainment, and baptisms; must not carry out online study and training with a religious flavor or content such as "meditation", "cleansing", or healing".

Article 14: Religious professionals must not make money from religion through the Internet; must not raise funds in the name of building religious activity venues or holding religious activities, etc.; must not organize or participate in business activities such as marketing products, live streaming endorsements, or tipping, as well as commercial performances and performing arts activities.

Article 15: Religious professionals must not use the internet to sell or send internal religious publications or illegal publications.

Article 16: Religious professionals shall lawfully regulate the use of generative AI products and services and must not use AI technologies to proselytize, or create, publish, or transmit illegal information or to engage in illegal activities.

Article 17: Where religious professionals violate this Code, the religious affairs departments are to order them to make corrections in a set period of time; where they refuse to make corrections, the religious affairs department is to give penalties in accordance with relevant laws and administrative regulations in conjunction with departments such as for internet information, telecommunications, public security, and state security; and where the circumstance are serious, the religious affairs departments are to recommend that the relevant religious groups, religious schools,, or religious activity venue suspend the religious activities they preside over or cancel their qualifications as religious professionals, and pursue the responsibility of responsible persons for the religious groups, religious schools, or religious activity sites.

Where a religious professional who violates this code is the registered user of an internet religious information transmission platform, the religious affairs departments, in conjunction with the cybersecurity and informatization departments and public security organs, is to order the internet religious information transmission platform provider to employ measures to address it such as warning and rectification, limiting functions, or closing accounts.

Article 18: Religious professionals conducting online conduct on foreign websites and platforms shall comply with this Code.

This code is to be implemented by reference for the online conduct of religious professionals from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as for foreign religious professionals, within the mainland.

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