Are chinese people religious ?

[Guest realmayo]

This seems like a fun relaxed topic.

[Outofin]

@skylee. You're in HK. Even if you're not Christian, you should know they're not supposed to accept the teachings of other religions and the existence of other gods, do you?

But like another member said, "A lot of people selectively choose parts of religions to follow (or not to follow). Most christians only follow the Bible to a certain extent, filtering out the things they don't like."

Regarding temples of Chiang and Mao, it's a part of Chinese traditions that significant people can become gods, Guan Yu being a famous one. There's slight difference between 神 and 仙 in Chinese language. Guan Yu is a 神, not a 仙. He's believed now a guardian of Heaven's South Gate.

[skylee]

Outofin, I don't understand your question. But question tag is really a tricky pattern.

[Outofin]

I think many people's point is that if one believes in other gods as well, s/he is not a very religious christian. And it seems, maybe just my wrong impression, you didn't get the point? Never mind.

[davoosh]

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[skylee]

Outofin, it was not that I didn't get the point. But my view is that when one questions the purity of other people's belief or how religious other people are, one should also hold up a mirror to look at oneself and judge by the same standard how pure his belief and how religious himself is.

I don't fully agree with the views at #25 that those images/idols in western churches are just media. (PS - I forgot, that besides images/idols there are also all those relics like body parts of the saints). But I don't want to dwell on this subject.

[davoosh]

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[Outofin]

But my view is that when one questions the purity of other people's belief or how religious the other people are, one should also hold up a mirror to look at oneself and judge by the same standard how pure his belief and how religious himself is.

I think most people are comfortable saying other people are not very religious and meanwhile admitting themselves are not very religious. You made it sound like saying someone not religious a criticism, which is not. It's a neutral fact.

[xiaocai]

I don't think I've ever been in a temple on the mainland and felt like it was an active place of worship first and a tourist destination second.

I thought you have been in China long enough. Come to my hometown and I can bring you to at least 5 of them. Having said that I don't really think mainland Chinese are very religious by any standard. But the standards can be vague sometimes. Like Japanese people seem to be very religious, but on a "functional" level mostly.

[daofeishi]

Maybe my argument is; if they are not going to follow through, why do it at all?.

I assume you are Scandinavian? Do you think most people in Scandinavia celebrate Christmas primarily because of its Christian roots? Don't most people celebrate Christmas because it is a nice tradition that brings the family together?

[Scandinavian]

I assume you are Scandinavian? Do you think most people in Scandinavia celebrate Christmas primarily because of its Christian roots? Don't most people celebrate Christmas because it is a nice tradition that brings the family together?

I know most people are aware that Christmas has christian roots. I think many people celebrate xmas because they are still religious enough to respect the faith in God and therefore do not want to skip one of the major. Sure, some people are in it purely to not deviate from "what's normal". It doesn't differ from Spring Festival in most ways. Both are Family + Food

In Northern Europe/Scandinavia the tradition of a winter festival predates Christianity. So no, you don't have to be a Christian to celebrate it.

A difference that people in many countries in Northern European countries have over e.g. Chinese people when deciding on their faith is that they have easy access to information about religions, education in school allows teaching all thoughts on religion.

There is nothing wrong with Chinese choosing a faith. When I say it should be done right, I think the examples of new Christians I have seen, all have not actually read the book yet before having bought all the merchandise. All they have done is listened to someone telling about the joys of being Christian and then they are all aboard. It just doesn't seem thought through.

[gougou]

It just doesn't seem thought through.

That seems true about a lot of things in current Chinese society.

[slyrabbit]

Of course China has deep roots in spirituality, but it might interest you to know it was rated by the Pew Research Centre in America as rated China as the least religious country on earth (that's here; http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/12/21/asia-found-to-be-the-least-religious-place-on-earth-china-tops-list-with-japan-coming-in-second/)

However you have to take into account it's huge size, despite being the least religious country it still has the 7th largest Christian population on Earth - due in most part to some very persistant missionaries in the 19thC, who were routinely slaughtered en masse and blamed for a lot of China's social ills during the later part of the Century. (Recommend you read Jonathan Fenby's 'History of Modern China' it goes into that period in great detail)

It's also important to note that despite the huge Catholic population the Chinese catholics (communist influenced) are always in conflict with the Vatican due to their radical views - I believe the Pope doesn't currently recognise the bishops there because the Ch. Catholic system insists on choosing their own instead of the Pope doing so (they are the only Catholic community that does that). The Economist wrote a great article on it a while back; http://www.economist.com/node/17680919

If you are interested in traditional Chinese spirituality as opposed to imported influences, Confucianism is a fascinating study and even though it is not often 'practiced' as a formal religion in terms of other religions, it is the root of a lot of modern Chinese moral influence

- good luck!

[liuzhou]

I think the examples of new Christians I have seen, all have not actually read the book yet

Have you? I have met very few genuine Christians who have actually waded their way through it, never mind anyone else.

It is virtually unreadable. And 90% of it isn't Christian anyway.

It just doesn't seem thought through.

That seems true about a lot of things in current Chinese society.

And in most other societies. It isn't peculiar to China.

[skylee]

All they have done is listened to someone telling about the joys of being Christian and then they are all aboard.

This reminds me of those early apostles.

[li3wei1]

It just doesn't seem thought through.

I could say this about every religion. But I won't, because people might get offended. Seriously, I don't think religions are something you 'think through' and arrive at a reasoned, sensible decision. You believe, or you don't. If you had to think them through, I think religions would look a lot different.

[imron]

One of my earliest experiences in China was on a train travelling to the city where I was going to be teaching, accompanied by two teachers of the school I was going to be working at. One of them was 'helping' me practice Chinese by getting me to recite passages out loud. It turns out the passages I was being made to recite were from the Bible - so yeah, some Chinese people are religious.

[liuzhou]

One of them was 'helping' me practice Chinese by getting me to recite passages out loud. It turns out the passages I was being made to recite were from the Bible - so yeah, some Chinese people are religious.

There is a name for that kind of false reasoning but I can't remember it.

That they were giving you bible passages to recite in no way indicates that they were religious. Maybe they thought they were being polite and respecting your (supposed) religion.

I've had Chinese people look at me in amazement and say "But you are a foreigner! You must be Christian!"

[liuzhou]

Of course China has deep roots in spirituality

Or superstition.

China .. was rated by the Pew Research Centre in America .. as the least religious country on earth

I'd take those figures with a huge pinch of salt. What about North Korea?

despite the huge Catholic population

Huge? Even if the figures are correct, it is still a tiny number. In all my years in China I've only met one person I would call a genuine Christian. Lots who were that day, but had no idea what it meant. The local church claims 2,000 members but only has about 25 each Sunday, most of them beggars after the free lunch.

Confucianism isn't a religion - it's a philosophy but not a very pleasant one in my opinion. But one the Communist Party have recently been embracing (after years of derision) as they now see it as strengthening their paternalism.

[imron]

Maybe they thought they were being polite and respecting your (supposed) religion.

No, this one teacher was pretty hard-core Christian, and it was nothing about making assumptions about my religion or beliefs.