In recent decades, persecution has been very widespread and systematic, particularly of foreign-origin religions, as in the days of Emperor Wuzong. Whatever may be the cause of this, I don't think these inconsistencies in the behaviour of Chinese administrations can be ascribed to the language or writing system. Symbolic scripts with pictorial elements have been constantly in use in China for millennia, ...
If you read again what I wrote, I only said that probably they didn't fought
their own superstitions like civilizations in the West did. Anyway, I agree with what you're saying in this different matter.
I also agree our fellow poster is giving free rein to a bit of xenophobia probably regarding some personal advocacies.
Without an structured education in these matters -all university level courses in humanities were a complement of my education both in science and economics- plus being cultured as Argentine social standards demand, I can say two things:
Besides their own evolution keeping some degree of consistency, languages condense the social and historical experience of the societies that speak them.
And most importantly,
writing restructures conciousness*. The coding in the writing itself also matters. To us, westerners, it's hard to imagine the effect of a complex writing system that can cross language barriers and be a barrier itself with some people who speaks like oneself.
Besides, there's the matter of tradition. Not only local superstitions were persecuted in the West for centuries (up to 100,000 people were burnt to ashes in protestant societies while the Inquisition did the same to up to 7,000 in Catholic ones). We also invented fashion around 1400 what will increasingly become a social logic and the very basis of our modern societies evolved into an
empire of the ephemerous** . The East was several centuries behind in this process and coming up to date it's being more chaotic, yet they look more traditionalistic to us.
So, it wouldn't surprise me Chinese contained elements that are reference to old superstitions that are cherished as part of old tradition. Like
luna in Latin which means "light" or
selene in Greek, meaning "the one that shines", used to avoid naming the moon as it may get you moonstruck or cast bad luck on you. Of course the original word for moon survives in Spanish
mes (month) or English moon. In my own speaking it amazes me the frequency of elements referring to superstitions and the Catholic religion in colonial times. For instance, I -and many others- frequently say "toco madera" ("I knock on wood") while I gesture knocking twice on my head just to add "pero no tenía que tener patas" ("but it wasn't suppose to have legs -non human animal or furniture's-). It only means "I heartily hope not". That speaks of my connection with my fellow members of my society, not about the state of my belief system.
But I agree that obsession with animal phalluses in some levels of some societies look very low and primitive when compared with societies that develop and promote viagra and the like, and make a lot of money and get social standing and fame from doing it.
* Orality and Literacy, by Walter Ong, Chapter 4.
** Empire de l'ephémère, by Giles Lipovetsky (translated as The Empire of Fashion)