Chinese universities urged to fight back against foreign religion

[asianobserve]

I know enough Chinese to safely say that they are not, especially when compared to South Asians. Their religiosity, if it exists at all, is very superficial in comparison.

Maybe socioeconomic class plays a role. I have not met any poor, working-class Chinese.

Maybe we've been exposed to different Chinese groups. But they really struck me as very religious and their reverence for their ancestors is simply awe inspiring.

 

[Tianshan]

This contradicts with my personal experiences with ethnic Chinese. They're very religious and superstitious.

not in my experience, for both local and overseas.

anyway i just checked the demographics of malaysia, and it says most malaysian chinese self-identify as buddhists.

Demographics of Malaysia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

so i'm not sure where you got your impressions from regarding ethnic chinese and christianity.

 

[asianobserve]

not in my experience, for both local and overseas.

anyway i just checked the demographics of malaysia, and it says most malaysian chinese self-identify as buddhists.

Demographics of Malaysia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

so i'm not sure where you got your impressions from regarding ethnic chinese and christianity.

Just look at ethnic Chinese businesses on December...

 

[Tianshan]

Just look at ethnic Chinese businesses on December...

december, well the major holiday in december is christmas so that sounds like a business decision rather than a religious one.

i have been to malaysia on chinese new year and that is a very big thing there.

 

[nimo_cn]

This contradicts with my personal experiences with ethnic Chinese. They're very religious and superstitious.

Don't mix religious with superstitious. Chinese are just superstitious although I hate to admit it.

 

[nimo_cn]

Just look at ethnic Chinese businesses on December...

In China, people say eating an apple on Christmas Eve will bring in good luck. Have you ever heard of anything like that before? As I see it, it is just another tricky way to boost apple sales in China.

How many of Chinese even know that Xmas is to celebrate the birth of Jesus? I just asked two of my colleagues, one believe Xmas is the same with Chinese spring festival, the other believe it is all about Santa Claus.

 

[asianobserve]

Don't mix religious with superstitious.

The urge in engaging in these two human activities(?) is very similar, it's summoning a force or forces outside your own body to help you or bring goodness to you. That's why religious people most of the time are also superstitious (although a lot of them will deny it).

 

[nimo_cn]

Maybe we've been exposed to different Chinese groups. But they really struck me as very religious and their reverence for their ancestors is simply awe inspiring.

Reverence for ancestors is not religion, but loyalty to family blood line.

Sent from Huawei Ascend T8830

 

[Ray]

Reverence for family is a very important aspect, but with families becoming nuclear and all this world influence permeating, it is slowly fading away.

India too has been affected by this phenomenon.

Sad.

 

[chase]

india has an advantage here, because most indians already have their own native religion.

for a chinese without a religion, sometimes they will ask, well why not?

People who understand human psychology will tell you that no society can base itself on only pure materialism.
It's the very basic human need to have a spiritual fulfillment.

China should promote the traditional chinese values of Taoism and Buddhism to fill the religious voids created by the fast economic development otherwise these western proselytzing religions are lurking to get a bite of their pie.

 

[civfanatic]

People who understand human psychology will tell you that no society can base itself on only pure materialism.
It's the very basic human need to have a spiritual fulfillment.

No, it's not.

It is perfectly possible to live a fulfilling life without any spirituality whatsoever. In fact, many people who seek spiritual solace are those who lack some other important needs but are unable/unwilling to fulfill them for whatever reason. This is why people in poor, developing countries tend to be the most religious people in the world; their lives are lacking in key material and/or social needs and so they attempt to "compensate" for this by turning to God and spirituality. But I consider this to be inherently unhealthy (though understandable), because all it does is detach one from the brutal realities of life. In this sense, religion can be compared to drugs/alcohol; they both have a similar purpose, i.e. to numb the pain of "reality" and detach one from this world and find solace in the "other", which may be found through either recitation of devotional prayers or ingestion of chemicals. But although religion does indeed serve a useful purpose in this way, it would be wrong to call it a need, just like it would be wrong to call drugs/alcohol a "need". They are only substitutes for needs.

Maslow's famous Hierarchy of Needs does a good job of describing what is required for a typical human to live a fulfilling life. Notice that none of these "needs" require any sort of religion or spirituality to be fulfilled.

Also, take a look at this map. Notice how the most religious countries are also the poorest and least developed. The less that the needs in the above pyramid are adequately met, the greater the likelihood that one will be religious.

 

[blank_quest]

No, it's not.

It is perfectly possible to live a fulfilling life without any spirituality whatsoever. In fact, many people who seek spiritual solace are those who lack some other important needs but are unable/unwilling to fulfill them for whatever reason. This is why people in poor, developing countries tend to be the most religious people in the world; their lives are lacking in key material and/or social needs and so they attempt to "compensate" for this by turning to God and spirituality. But I consider this to be inherently unhealthy (though understandable), because all it does is detach one from the brutal realities of life. In this sense, religion can be compared to drugs/alcohol; they both have a similar purpose, i.e. to numb the pain of "reality" and detach one from this world and find solace in the "other", which may be found through either recitation of devotional prayers or ingestion of chemicals. But although religion does indeed serve a useful purpose in this way, it would be wrong to call it a need, just like it would be wrong to call drugs/alcohol a "need". They are only substitutes for needs.

Maslow's famous Hierarchy of Needs does a good job of describing what is required for a typical human to live a fulfilling life. Notice that none of these "needs" require any sort of religion or spirituality to be fulfilled.

Also, take a look at this map. Notice how the most religious countries are also the poorest and least developed. The less that the needs in the above pyramid are adequately met, the greater the likelihood that one will be religious.

the "hierarchy of consumption" contradicts Maslow's Hypothesis. It means people with the Increase of "Hierarchy of needs" must show decrease in the consumption. But it isn't so, also the Needs of the People increases with the rise in the "Hierarchy of Needs".

 

[blank_quest]

In economics, the marginal propensity to consume (MPC) is an empirical metric that quantifies induced consumption, the concept that the increase in personal consumer spending (consumption) occurs with an increase in disposable income (income after taxes and transfers). The proportion of the disposable income which individuals desire to spend on consumption is known as propensity to consume. MPC is the proportion of additional income that an individual desires to consume.

Marginal propensity to consume - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ray]

When the time comes when death is inevitable, people weep and want to be saved by God.

Chavez!

 

[civfanatic]

When the time comes when death is inevitable, people weep and want to be saved by God.

Chavez!

"To the well-organized mind, death is simply the next great adventure."

-- Albus Dumbledore

 

[Ray]

A good philosophical musing.

But philosophy is for men with higher levels of esoteria!

 

[Tronic]

abrahamics already have more than enough followers in the world to last several lifetimes.

it must be strongly resisted.

if chinese need religion we already have buddhism/confucianism/taoism.

What about Falun Gong?

 

[no smoking]

What about Falun Gong?

Falun Gong is not a religion even though they want people to believe that they are!

From the beginning, it is a Qigong (very close to TaiChi), which did have good effect on people's health after years of practice (some of my relatives benefited from it). However, the fast growing influence of FLG make some people believe that they can make lots of money from it.
So they started to claim that FLG is the way to link individual to GOD or Universe.
Then they say FLG followers don't need modern medical treatment when they are sick. If anyone recieve the medical treatment, he or she will be punished by God (lots of people died for it).
Finally, the founder of FLG was claimed to be GOD and they protest any paper or magzine dare to question that. That is where they got CCP's attention. You know CCP doesn't like any thing beyond them in Chinese Politics.

After being prohibited by CCP, in order to fight back, FLG turned its eye to foreign power: nothing is better than the cause of freedom of religion. So, now, they claim they are a kind of religion.

 

[Tronic]

Falun Gong is not a religion even though they want people to believe that they are!

From the beginning, it is a Qigong (very close to TaiChi), which did have good effect on people's health after years of practice (some of my relatives benefited from it). However, the fast growing influence of FLG make some people believe that they can make lots of money from it.
So they started to claim that FLG is the way to link individual to GOD or Universe.
Then they say FLG followers don't need modern medical treatment when they are sick. If anyone recieve the medical treatment, he or she will be punished by God (lots of people died for it).
Finally, the founder of FLG was claimed to be GOD and they protest any paper or magzine dare to question that. That is where they got CCP's attention. You know CCP doesn't like any thing beyond them in Chinese Politics.

After being prohibited by CCP, in order to fight back, FLG turned its eye to foreign power: nothing is better than the cause of freedom of religion. So, now, they claim they are a kind of religion.

Actually, I know a Chinese family who got refuge in Canada by claiming to be followers of Falun Gong. They have no problem receiving medical care. I agree with you that Falun Gong can't really be called a "religion", and it probably has become a money making business, but I believe the CCP banned it because they saw it growing into the millions. Anything which grows so big is deemed a political threat to the Communist party, and that is why they banned it and persecute Falun Gong followers. Communist party has launched an intense propaganda campaign against the Falun Gong to erode it's support.

So while Falun Gong may not be a "religion", it's members, numbered in the millions, are persecuted by a threatened CCP, and that is why foreign powers support it. I don't think they would care if it's a religion or not.

 

[amoy]

On the contrary I think FLG is a religion, or a neo-religion, or a cult (how u would put it depends on your perspectives).

Lots of my alumni practiced all kinds of Gong (Gong = Kung in Kungfu). long time back. They believe they'd get psychic or acquire sort of supernatural power by so doing. For example once there was a very popular Gong on campus Xiang-gong which claimed practitioners would smell aromatic. Or some Gong claimed followers would get the "inner eyes" opened.

Books and cassette tapes with which followers practiced, were sold at HIGH prices in a large quantity.

Some also defined these Gongs as "Life Sciences".

But what features differentiate FLG from Gongs galore? IMO, 1) It has a comprehensive "theory". Many Chinese felt it was just another Buddhist or Taoist denomination as FLG preachings sound like deja vu 2) It has an well knitted organization with the founder Li at the core who's claimed to be the "ultimate savior", also with lots of publication and even a TV channel based in the US 3) It claims at doomsday the salvation is for believers only