Religion in China

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sndef888

Senior Member
Registered Member
Does anybody here know what the situation on religion is like in China?

Here in southeast asia, many towns with chinese populations have a few prominent chinese temples, typically worshipping tian gong, jade emperor etc. Personally, even though I don't believe in religion, I feel like its a heartwarming symbol of chinese culture. The temples are usually very intricate and beautiful, and are based off of ancient chinese religion and characters, and serves as a meeting place for the chinese community especially during new year and festivals.

I wonder, if there are such things in China? Where temples serve as a hub for chinese culture
 
Equation

Equation

Lieutenant General
sndef888 said:
Does anybody here know what the situation on religion is like in China?

Here in southeast asia, many towns with chinese populations have a few prominent chinese temples, typically worshipping tian gong, jade emperor etc. Personally, even though I don't believe in religion, I feel like its a heartwarming symbol of chinese culture. The temples are usually very intricate and beautiful, and are based off of ancient chinese religion and characters, and serves as a meeting place for the chinese community especially during new year and festivals.

I wonder, if there are such things in China? Where temples serve as a hub for chinese culture
Click to expand...

Here you go, watch this video will give you a better sense about religion in China.

 
Mr T

Mr T

Senior Member
sndef888 said:
Does anybody here know what the situation on religion is like in China?
Click to expand...

That's a slightly vague question. I suppose this article can give you a bit of background.

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Basically the CCP retains ultimate control over religion in China. It reserves the right to appoint all priests and shut down organisations where they decline to follow CCP orders.

Where temples serve as a hub for chinese culture
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I don't think that any do. After decades of persecution under the CCP, especially Mao, most Chinese abandonned organised religion. Those especially in rural areas may still be superstitious or continue ancestor worship, but organised religion is no longer a real part of Chinese identity. Even whilst the CCP now officially tolerates religion, it sees itself at the heart of Chinese identity. Religion must serve the CCP and cannot replace it.

In short, what you see in SE Asia is people who I expect are using the temples as a way to keep ties to China alive. Back in China temples aren't cornerstones of society and are more likely to be tourist attractions.
 
PiSigma

PiSigma

"the engineer"
sndef888 said:
Does anybody here know what the situation on religion is like in China?

Here in southeast asia, many towns with chinese populations have a few prominent chinese temples, typically worshipping tian gong, jade emperor etc. Personally, even though I don't believe in religion, I feel like its a heartwarming symbol of chinese culture. The temples are usually very intricate and beautiful, and are based off of ancient chinese religion and characters, and serves as a meeting place for the chinese community especially during new year and festivals.

I wonder, if there are such things in China? Where temples serve as a hub for chinese culture
Click to expand...
Feel free to ignore trolls using American propaganda as "evidence". Better to use actual things you can see, like equation's video.
 
T

taxiya

Brigadier
Registered Member
sndef888 said:
Does anybody here know what the situation on religion is like in China?

Here in southeast asia, many towns with chinese populations have a few prominent chinese temples, typically worshipping tian gong, jade emperor etc. Personally, even though I don't believe in religion, I feel like its a heartwarming symbol of chinese culture. The temples are usually very intricate and beautiful, and are based off of ancient chinese religion and characters, and serves as a meeting place for the chinese community especially during new year and festivals.

I wonder, if there are such things in China? Where temples serve as a hub for chinese culture
Click to expand...
The danger of trying to get answer from this forum is that the people who actually know (Chinese born, live or grow up in China or oversea Chinese who has extensive and active connection with China) are unfortunately on equal playground with westerners who either have never been living in China, nor contact with people living in China, or outright paid propagandists by western MSM or even spy agencies.

My suggestion for you is to make friend with Chinese who actually from China if possible, or even better, visit China. The more you do the closer you get the truth.

As I was from a village in China and extensive relatives all over the country, I can say that:
1. temples were NEVER a hub for social gathering, at least not the ancestral temple. Ancestral worship is practiced by more than 90% of Chinese.
2. organized religion was NEVER major part of Chinese culture, unlike somebody above tried to portrait as the "crime" of CCP.
3. Chinese are mainly worshiping ancestors or pagan faith such as "jad emperor". None of them are organized.
4. People belonging to organized religion (Abrahamic) made about less than 20% past and less today.
5. Buddhism which is the largest religion before Abrahamic in numbers, is never in organized form except Tibetan branch of Buddhism. This is the fact also in Korean, Japan and Vietnam. So watch out if somebody here try to bloat the size of religion in China out of proportion and perspective.
6. Chinese government since the Qin Dynasty which unified China 2500 years ago was always careful in the influence of organized religion, not a CCP thing. Once again contrary to the person who pretend to know above.

Some points I make above are answers to your question, but mostly aiming at the pretender. P.S. the pretender is known of no living experience whatsoever about China but evidence indicates a more complicated history. For this reason, you can see why I don't recommend this forum for getting your answers because you would be in a position not knowing who to trust. Visit China, see with your own eyes, my friend. :)
 
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G

gelgoog

Brigadier
Registered Member
AFAIK the main issue China has with appointing priests and whatnot is with religions which have a supreme leader somewhere outside the PRC. The PRC considers these as possible malign foreign influence and exercises strict control over such religions. With the Catholic religion in particular IIRC it used to be that the Catholic church provided the PRC government with a list of bishops which the PRC had veto power over, but I think now it is the opposite and that was the cause for concern. The issue is even greater with other foreign religions.

This is not something unique to China, for example in Russia some religions like the Jehovah's Witnesses or Scientology are banned.
They are considered to have been used as cover for foreign (US) agent infiltration into Russia in the past.

While this is not necessary an issue for the Catholic Church or other Abrahamic religion branches you have to consider that religious leaders have influence over their cult and this may go against the wishes of the PRC. Add to that traditional Marxist teachings against religion and you get the present situation we are in.
 
K

KYli

Brigadier
The biggest problem right now is Korean churches that send ton of people to convert Chinese. And there are a few cults in China especially the one who believe in a woman as Christ reborn. Also FLG still has some followers.
 
S

sndef888

Senior Member
Registered Member
taxiya said:
The danger of trying to get answer from this forum is that the people who actually know (Chinese born, live or grow up in China or oversea Chinese who has extensive and active connection with China) are unfortunately on equal playground with westerners who either have never been living in China, nor contact with people living in China, or outright paid propagandists by western MSM or even spy agencies.

My suggestion for you is to make friend with Chinese who actually from China if possible, or even better, visit China. The more you do the closer you get the truth.

As I was from a village in China and extensive relatives all over the country, I can say that:
1. temples were NEVER a hub for social gathering, at least not the ancestral temple. Ancestral worship is practiced by more than 90% of Chinese.
2. organized religion was NEVER major part of Chinese culture, unlike somebody above tried to portrait as the "crime" of CCP.
3. Chinese are mainly worshiping ancestors or pagan faith such as "jad emperor". None of them are organized.
4. People belonging to organized religion (Abrahamic) made about less than 20% past and less today.
5. Buddhism which is the largest religion before Abrahamic in numbers, is never in organized form except Tibetan branch of Buddhism. This is the fact also in Korean, Japan and Vietnam. So watch out if somebody here try to bloat the size of religion in China out of proportion and perspective.
6. Chinese government since the Qin Dynasty which unified China 2500 years ago was always careful in the influence of organized religion, not a CCP thing. Once again contrary to the person who pretend to know above.

Some points I make above are answers to your question, but mostly aiming at the pretender. P.S. the pretender is known of no living experience whatsoever about China but evidence indicates a more complicated history. For this reason, you can see why I don't recommend this forum for getting your answers because you would be in a position not knowing who to trust. Visit China, see with your own eyes, my friend. :)
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I wonder if China could adopt these pagan faith (jade emperor, lord guan, guanyin) temples into the state, as a precaution against western organised religion, and to promote chinese identity. I feel that state power alone is not strong enough an ideology to bind people together.

Its partly the reason why Malaysian Chinese still closely identify as chinese. Even if they don't really believe in it anymore, they grow up with experience going to temples, practicing ancestor rituals, reading chinese words, looking at the beautiful chinese architecture (dragons, chinese style roof), mingle with the community during duanwu, qingming. Gradually they grow up to love their chinese identity.

Across the border in Singapore, there exist many western-aligned chinese-in name only who are obsessed with christian teachings and evangelicals. They think anything to do with chinese is low class. Chinese festivals like duanwu, qingming, even CNY, are almost ignored while they celebrate christmas and thanksgiving wholeheartedly

Unlike abrahamic religions, these temples are mostly community-led and non-doctrinal. They don't have strong ties to a "higher doctrine" like the bible or "higher power" like the pope, dalai lama, or "religious leaders" so likely won't pose a threat to the atheist government.
The CCP has become less strictly "communist" for years, even starting to adopt some nationalism. I wonder if one day the government would adopt these temples. The fusion of socialism and communal identity would make China much more secure against organised religion (christianity, falun gong) and ideological subversion.
 
Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper

Brigadier
Registered Member
taxiya said:
The danger of trying to get answer from this forum is that the people who actually know (Chinese born, live or grow up in China or oversea Chinese who has extensive and active connection with China) are unfortunately on equal playground with westerners who either have never been living in China, nor contact with people living in China, or outright paid propagandists by western MSM or even spy agencies.
Click to expand...
taxiya said:
2. organized religion was NEVER major part of Chinese culture, unlike somebody above tried to portrait as the "crime" of CCP.
Click to expand...
taxiya said:
6. Chinese government since the Qin Dynasty which unified China 2500 years ago was always careful in the influence of organized religion, not a CCP thing. Once again contrary to the person who pretend to know above.
Click to expand...
taxiya said:
Some points I make above are answers to your question, but mostly aiming at the pretender. P.S. the pretender is known of no living experience whatsoever about China but evidence indicates a more complicated history. For this reason, you can see why I don't recommend this forum for getting your answers because you would be in a position not knowing who to trust. Visit China, see with your own eyes, my friend. :)
Click to expand...

You know this person you're talking about has got an unhealthy fixation on anything CCP.

It is quite sad. One is begining to feel sorry for him for having such a narrow mind and prejudice outlook. He's never going to learn anything living in such a blinkered world.
 
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