Religion in Taiwan

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A wide diversity of religions can be found on Taiwan, due to its multicultural history, and religious freedom written in the constitution.

Contents 1 History 2 Religions 2.1 Blended Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, and Folk Religion 2.2 Buddhism 2.3 Confucianism 2.4 Christianity 2.5 Islam 2.6 Atheism and Agnosticism 2.6.1 Summary: 3 See also 4 Links

[edit] History

The original taiwanese aborigine tribes traditionally practice nature worship. With the arrival of the Dutch in 1624, Protestant Christianity was introduced to Taiwan via missionaries. The first converts were aborigines. Two years later, with the arrival of the Spanish, Catholicism was introduced into Taiwan. The Japanese brought Shinto to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period which began in 1895. Chinese migrants brought Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism with them to the island over a few centuries of immigration and settlement. In the last half century, Taiwan has also been a safe haven for religions banned in neighboring People's Republic of China, such as Falun Gong and Yi Guan Dao.

[edit] Religions

[edit] Blended Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, and Folk Religion

According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA, there are about 93% of people identifying themselves as Buddhists, Taoists, or practitioners of Chinese folk religion. It is common for people to practice a blend of the three. Many people practice Buddhism exclusively, but those who practice Taoism more often blend Taoist religious practices with elements from Buddhism and folk traditions. It is not uncommon to find a Buddhist temple adjacent to a Taoist temple, or even under the same roof. One example of this is Longshan Temple in Taipei City. Religious diversity has never been a significant source of conflict in Taiwan.

Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common, and can be spotted on road sides, parks, and neighborhoods in Taiwanese cities and towns. These small pockets of religious atmosphere let people stop by and pray informally anytime. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god for success in a restaurant business. Students may visit a shrine to the Learning god for good luck before a test.

Taoist temples are highly decorative. Colorfully tiled sculptures of dragons and other mythological creatues highlight the roof, and temples are often filled with statues of many gods and semi-theistic historical figures, reflecting the polytheistic and ancestor worship tradition of Taoism and folk religion.

Festivities and picnics often take place at Taoist temples.

[edit] Buddhism

Buddhism was introduced to Taiwan in the late 1500s with the Chinese immigration. Several forms of Buddhism have thrived on Taiwan ever since. During the Japanese occupation, Japanese Buddhism was introduced as part of the overall policy of cultural assimilation by the colonial government. Although many Buddhist communities affiliated themselves with Japanese sects for protection, they largely retained Chinese Buddhist practices. For instance, clerical arriage and meat-eating did not make the headway they did in occupied Korea.

Following retrocession, Taiwan was inundated with Mainland monks, including some of the best and brightest of the previous decades, such as Master Yinshun (Yìnshùn 印順). Tainted by the whiff of colaboration, outshone by these refugees, and underrepresented in the Chinese Buddhist Association (CBA) which served as a liaison with the government, the local lineages declined.

The CBA remained the dominant Buddhist organization until the end of martial law, when its government mandated monopoly was ended. Since the eighties, Buddhism has enjoyed a surge of popularity as the percentage of people identifying themselves as Buddhist rose from the low teens to almost fifty percent. Today there are several large Buddhist organization based in Taiwan that have expanded to become international organization. They include Dharma Drum Mountain (Făgŭshān 法鼓山) founded by Master Shèngyán (聖嚴), Buddha's Light International (Fógŭangshān 佛光山) founded by Master Xīngyún (星雲), and the Tzu Chi Foundation (Cíjì jījīnhùi 慈濟基金會) founded by Master Cheng Yen (證嚴法師).

Tzu Chi, one of the largest international non-profit Buddhist organizations, focuses on community service, outreach programs, charity work, and international humanitarian efforts. They have opened hospitals, community centers, schools, and Tzu Chi University in Hualien County.

In the last few years non-Chinese forms of Buddhism, such as Tibetan Buddhism and the Vipassana movement of S. N. Goenka, have also enjoyed growing followings.

[edit] Confucianism

Confucianism, although not a religion in the western sense but a moral philosophy and ethical code, has been a major influence on the ideology, ethics, education, and everyday values of the Taiwanese. Confucianism has been a foundation for Chinese society and government since the sixth century B.C., and was spread to Taiwan with the migration of Chinese settlers over the past four centuries. Confucian temples are not places of worship, but rather memorial halls honoring Confucius, regarded as the greatest teacher in ancient China. Confucius's birthday is celebrated as Teacher's Day every September 28.

People praying at Longshan Temple in Taipei.

Incense is commonly used in Taoist prayer.

People visit a modern Buddhist temple in Ilan County.

[edit] Christianity

Christian churches exist on the Republic of China (Taiwan) due to their tolerant democratic government. According to figures given by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Christians which include Protestants, Catholics, Mormons, and non-denominational christians make up a total of 4.5% of the population of Taiwan.

[edit] Islam

Main article: Islam in Taiwan.

Islam reached Taiwan in the 17th century when muslim families from the southern coastal Fukien Province of China accompanied Koxinga on his invasion of Taiwan to oust the Dutch from the southern city of Tainan in 1661. These people are believed to be the first Muslim settlers on the island. Their descendants however became assimilated into Taiwanese society and adopted the local customs and religions. According to Professor Lien Ya Tang in his book History of Taiwan (1918), there were few muslims on the island most of whom were from other provinces in China. There was no spread of Islam and no mosques were built [1].

In the 20th century, around 20,000 muslims fled China with the Kuomintang many of whom were born in provinces were Islam is strong such as Yunnan, Xinjiang, Ningxia, and Gansu (mostly southern and western regions of China).

The Taipei Mosque was built in 1960 by the Chinese Muslim Association (中國回教協會) with $150,000 in funds for the edifice from the Shah of Iran and King of Jordan and a loan of $100,000 from the Nationalist Government who was only too happy to have a stunning mosque to show visiting Muslim dignitaries. The mosque is the headquarters of the Association which maintains contact with the World Muslim League and other international Islamic organizations.

List of mosques in Taiwan:

• Kaohsiung Mosque
• Long Gang Mosque
• Taichung Mosque
• Tainan Mosque
• Taipei Cultural Mosque
• Taipei Grand Mosque

[edit] Atheism and Agnosticism

Excluding the nontheistic Buddhism, there are small populations of atheists and agnostics living in Taiwan. (Text required)

[edit] Summary:

• Mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%;
• Christian 4.5%
• Other 2.5%

[edit] See also

• Buddhism
• Taoism
• Confucianism
• Protestant Christianity
• Catholicism
• Islam
• Shinto
• I-Kuan_Tao

[edit] Links

Introduction to Religion in Taiwan