beijing top chinese officials guilty practice sorcery would rather believe gurus western concepts democracy communist party senior minister write thursday warn danger present survival china guarantee freedom religion major belief systems buddhism christianity islam party members mean atheists bar call superstitious practice visit soothsayers recent years see several case officials jail part president xi jinping crackdown corruption accuse superstition part party efforts blacken name senior officials leadership position fall morally beliefs stray correct path write chen xi recently appoint head party powerful organisation department oversee personnel decisions believe marx lenin believe ghost gods believe ideals believe sorcery respect people respect master write official people daily refer spiritual leaders gurus people china especially leaders long tradition turn soothsaying geomancy find answer problems time doubt need chaos practice grow risky amid xi war graft dozens senior officials imprison attack officials whose faith communism waver chen say consider entirely unreal mirage lose faith socialism instead look western concepts separation power multi-party systems ideal add chen also run central party school train rise officials name officials guilty practice superstition fawn west elsewhere article name catch high-profile recent case fear former domestic security chief zhou yongkang former party boss chongqing sun zhengcai sack corruption july political careerist plotters whose case show officials political problems less threat party corruption chen write high position great platform great harm cause party add senior china minister say officials practice sorcery