Taiwan 2002

		Religion
		Other Independent Religions There are several other independent religions in Taiwan that generally fall into one of the following four categories: religions brought to Taiwan from the Chinese mainland; religions brought in from foreign countries; new religions developed from existing ones; and new religions created in Taiwan. Religions from the Chinese Mainland Included in the first category are Chai Chiao 齋教, Hsia Chiao 夏教 (neither is recognized by the ROC government as a religion), Li-ism, and Tien Te Chiao. Chai Chiao entered Taiwan during the 17th century, and is divided into three major schools: Lung Hua 龍華, Chin Chuang 金幢, and Hsien Tien 先天 (a forerunner to I-kuan Tao). It is a modified form of Buddhism combined with elements of Confucianism, Taoism, and folk beliefs. Chai Chiao adherents worship Buddha and the goddess Kuanyin. As vegetarians who neither shave their heads nor don the monk's robes, they worship in the home, thus giving Chai Chiao the common title "Lay Buddhism." During the Japanese occupation of Taiwan, the group joined the Soto sect of Buddhism to escape Japanese suppression, and the religion greatly declined as a result. Hsia Chiao was founded by Lin Chao-en 林兆恩 in the 16th century, and was brought to Taiwan during the Japanese occupation. When praying, adherents burn four incense sticks--instead of the usual folk practice of burning three--to venerate Confucius, Lao Tzu, the Buddha, and the founder of the religion. Li-ism (Doctrine of Order) was founded by Yang Lai-ju 楊來如 in the 17th century. Its creed stresses traditional Chinese morals and ethics, such as the loyalty and filial piety of Confucianism, the world salvation and forgiveness of Buddhism, and the natural way and inaction of Taoism. It is, in fact, the synthesis of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism given a new dimension by the worship of Kuanyin. Though Li-ists worship Kuanyin, they do not reject deities of other religions. They believe the providence may be revealed in the form of other deities and prophets. Li-ists abide by the great law of Li-ism called Fapao Tiehwen 法寶牒文 (The Precious and Official Decrees), written by Yang. Some Li-ist clergy came to Taiwan from the Chinese mainland in 1949. The Association of Li-ism 中華理教總會 was officially reestablished in Taiwan in 1950, with headquarters in Taipei. Today, Li-ism has spread to Korea, the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, and the Philippines. In 1952, Sheng-li College 聖理書院 was established for Li-ists to study the classics. Today, there are 638 Li-ist clergy in 131 temples islandwide serving about 187,000 adherents. There are also five Li-ist seminaries, three kindergartens, 15 institutes for Li-ist proselytizing, six clinics and one publishing house. Adherents enthusiastically provide relief, free medicine, and scholarships to the needy. Tien Te Chiao was founded in 1923 in China by a young shaman, Hsiao Chang-ming 蕭昌明, now known to his followers as the "celestial worthy." Tien Te Chiao is a synthesis of the two major religio-philosophical traditions of China, Confucianism and Taoism, and three world religions--Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Adherents are required to strictly follow 20 principles: loyalty, forbearance, honesty, openness, virtue, uprightness, righteousness, faith, endurance, fairness, universal love, filial piety, benevolence, kindness, consciousness, moral integrity, frugality, truth, courtesy, and harmony. Tien Te Chiao adherents also practice various methods of self-cultivation, health preservation, and psychic healing. They are trained to tap acupuncture points to cure ailments. Believers learn to meditate under the guidance of their masters in order to search for their original being, which is free and untainted from worldly ties and yearnings. Since Tien Te Chiao was introduced into Taiwan in 1953, worship and medical service centers have been set up throughout Taiwan. Tien Te Chiao was officially recognized by the government in 1989. By 2000, there were five Tien Te Chiao temples and 31 masters for its 200,000 believers in Taiwan. Members must be at least 20 years of age. There are also 23 institutes for Tien Te Chiao proselytizing, two Tien Te Chiao libraries, one publishing house, and four publications. Religions from Abroad This category of comparatively less believers in Taiwan includes foreign religious groups such as Baha'i, Judaism, Tenrikyo, and Mahikarikyo. The first Taiwan convert to the Baha'i faith was an overseas student in the United States in 1949. An Iranian husband-wife team came from mainland China in 1954 to do pioneer work and established Taiwan's first Baha'i center in Tainan. There are currently seven Baha'i places of worship, one foreign missionaries, one institute for Baha'i theology, one publishing house, and eight publications to help serve the 16,000 Baha'i faithful in Taiwan. The local Baha'i headquarter, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Taiwan 財團法人巴哈伊教台灣總靈體會, is located in Taipei. Baha'i communities all over the world target urgent social issues in each region. In Taiwan, the local Baha'i assemblies have singled out environmental protection as their main area of social concern. Since 1990, the Baha'i community has launched joint projects with government organizations to promote environmental education amongst kindergarten and elementary school teachers around the country. Baha'i teams visit schools all over Taiwan, organizing simulation games designed to teach basic environmental principles. The Baha'i community has produced 30-odd radio programs and a videotape on environmental issues, as well as published a book on environmental education in collaboration with the Homemakers's Union and Foundation 主婦聯盟環保基金會. Jews from Persia and other areas began to settle in China about 1,000 years ago during the Tang dynasty. Thriving communities developed in many large cities, but particularly in Kaifeng, which became the center of Chinese Jewish life. Due to gradual assimilation, however, these communities had virtually disappeared by the middle of the 19th century. During the 20th century, China again received an influx of Jews, this time refugees from persecution in Europe--first from Russia, and later from eastern European countries taken over by the Nazis. The largest groups of Jews settled in Harbin in Manchuria and in Shanghai; however, after World War II, most of this population moved to the West due to the communist threat in China. Taiwan's small Jewish community consists of expatriates (mainly Americans, but also Israelis and Europeans) who are either long-term residents or assigned to Taiwan on tours of duty by multinational corporations, academic institutions, or international organizations. The community is affiliated with the Asia-Pacific Jewish Association based in Australia. Activities include religious observances, religious instruction for children, holiday celebrations, and cultural events. Most activities are held in a community center maintained in the Tienmu district of Taipei. Tenrikyo was founded in Japan in 1838 by a farm woman, Miki Nakayama. The religion was first introduced into Taiwan during the period of Japanese occupation. The doctrine of Tenrikyo stresses respect for ancestors, filial piety, self-cultivation, and service to mankind, and thus resembles traditional Chinese ethics and the concept of universal brotherhood. The religion was therefore readily accepted in Taiwan, continued to develop, and was formally recognized by the MOI in 1973. As of 2000, there were 150 Tenrikyo temples and 32 foreign clergymen serving 24,000 believers in Taiwan. Mahikarikyo was founded in 1959 by Yosikazu Okata, a former Japanese army officer. It was registered with the MOI on April 8, 1996, under the title of Foundation Corporation Taiwan General Meeting of Funds for Mahikari Organization 財團法人真光教團台灣總會基金會. Supervised by the above organization, as of 2000, Mahikarikyo had ten clergymen and seven foreign clergymen, nine temples for worship, and 1,000 believers in Taiwan. Mahikarikyo advocates respect for nature, love among human beings, and spiritual purification through religious teachings. New Extensions A large number of new religions in Taiwan were developed on the basis of previously existing ones. The main representative of this group is the Lord of Universe Church, which was founded by Lee Yu-chieh 李玉階 in the mid-1980s after he split with Tien Te Chiao. The doctrines of this new religion emphasize the cultivation of one's moral self, and it has "20 True Words" 二十字真言 that serve as "required daily homework" for its followers. Believers are especially concerned about nuclear war. Since its founding, the Lord of the Universe Church has established 47 temples with 127 clergymen. These temples are concentrated mainly in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Pingtung and Hualien. It currently claims a following of 213,000 believers in Taiwan. The religious group has one foreign clergy, two seminaries, one university, one library, two publishing houses, and 44 institutes for proselytizing. Religions Founded in Taiwan Few religions fall into the fourth category of new religions founded in Taiwan. A typical example is Hsuan-yuan Chiao, which was formally founded in Taiwan in 1957 by 82-year-old legislator Wang Han-sheng 王寒生. Hsuan-yuan Chiao attempts to raise people's sense of nationalism and to organize and unite the religious thoughts of China over the ages, including Confucianism, Taoism, and Mohism 墨家. Its main creed is respect for heaven and ancestors. Hsuan-yuan Chiao is named after the ancient legendary founder of the Chinese nation. The religion was inspired by Wang's grief over the loss of the Chinese mainland to the Chinese communists. Wang attributed the loss primarily to the absence of national spirit, which could only be restored by a renewal of Chinese culture. Adherents abide by the principles set forth in the Hsuan-yuan Chiao scriptures, the Huang Ti Ching 黃帝經. Hsuan-yuan Chiao affirms the existence of a creator who can be identified as the "Tao" or Way. Hsuan-yuan Chiao holds that man can become divine through self-cultivation and enlightenment in the Tao. The highest state attainable in the new religion is "the union of heaven and man" where "the self is denied and yet is omnipresent." This progress can only be accomplished through self-purification, cultivation of illustrious virtues, and helping others to achieve salvation. As of 2000, Hsuan-yuan Chiao had 21 temples and 150 clergy serving 150,000 believers, one seminary, 21 institutes for proselytizing, and one publishing house with one publication. Further Reading (in Chinese unless otherwise noted): Chen Pao-liang 陳寶良. Shang-ti te shih-tu: ming mo ching chu te ye-su hui-shih 上帝的使徒:明末清初的耶穌會士 (God's Missionaries: The Jesuits of the Late Ming and Early Ching Dynasties). Taipei: Wanjuan 萬卷樓, 2001. Cheng Chih-ming 鄭志明. Tai-wan te tsung-chiao yu mi-mi chiao-pai 台灣的宗教與祕密教派 (Religions and Clandestine Religious Sects of Taiwan). Taipei: Tai-yuan Publishing Co., 1990. --Liang-an tsung-chiao chiao-liu chih hsien-kuang yu chan-wang 兩岸宗教交流之現況與展望 (The Current Situation and Future Prospects of Cross-Strait Religious Exchanges). Religious and Cultural Research Center Series. Chiayi: Religious and Cultural Research Center of Nanhua Management College, 1997. --Tai-wan hsin-hsing tsung-chiao hsien-hsiang: chuan-tung hsin-yang pian 台灣新興宗教現象:傳統信仰篇 (Taiwan's New Religious Phenomena: The Traditional Religions). Chiayi: Nanhua University Press, 1999. Chiang I-cheng 姜義鎮, comp. Tai-wan te min-chien hsin-yang 台灣的民間信仰 (Folk Beliefs of Taiwan). 3rd ed. Taipei: Woolin Publishing Co., Ltd., 1990. Chien-lung Chu-shih 潛龍居士. Chung-kuo min-chien chu-shen chuan 中國民間諸神傳 (Stories of the Chinese Folk Gods). Taipei: Chuan Yuan Publishing Co., 1992. Chu Hai-yuan 瞿海源. Tai-wan ti-chu min-chung te tsung-chiao hsin-yang yu tsung-chiao tai-tu 台灣地區民眾的宗教信仰與宗教態度 (Religious Beliefs and Religious Attitudes of People in the Taiwan Area). Taipei: Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, 1987. --Pien-chien-chung te tai-wan she-hui 變遷中的台灣社會 (Taiwan Society in Transition) ed. by Yang Kuo-shu 楊國樞 and Chu Hai-yuan. Taipei: Institute of Ethnology, Academia Sinica, 1987. Chuang Chia-ching 莊嘉慶. Tsung-chiao chiao-tan te chi-chu 宗教交談的基礎 (The Foundation of Religious Dialogue). Religion and Peace Series 宗教與和平叢書. Taipei: Yako 雅歌, 1997. Fang Li-tien 方立天. Chung-kuo fo-chiao yu chuan-tung wen-hua 中國佛教與傳統文化 (Chinese Buddhism and Traditional Culture). Taipei: Laureate Book Co., Ltd., 1990. Fu Tung-hsien 傅統先. Chung-kuo hui-chiao chih 中國回教史 (Chinese Islamic History). 2nd ed. Taipei: Taiwan Business Publishing Co., Ltd., 1996. Heirakawa, Akira 平川彰 (Hsu Ming-yin 許明銀, tr.). Fo-chiao yen-chiu ju-men 佛教研究入門 (An Introduction to the Study of Buddhism). Taipei: Dharma-tatha, 1990. Ho Shih-chung 何世忠, Hsieh Chin-yan 謝進炎. Ma-tzu hsin-yang yu shen-chi 媽祖信仰與神蹟 (Matzu: Beliefs and Miracles). The Religious Belief Series 宗教信仰叢書. Tainan: Shihfeng 世峰, 2000. I-kuan Tao chien-chieh 一貫道簡介 (Introduction to I-kuan Tao). Tainan: Tien Jiuh Book Store, 1988. Kung Peng-cheng 龔鵬程. Tao-chiao hsin lun 道教新論 (New Commentaries on Taoism). Religious Series 宗教叢書. Chiayi: Nanhua Management College, 1998. Nan Huai-chin 南懷瑾. Tao-chiao mi-tsung yu tung-fang shen-mi-hsueh 道教密宗與東方神祕學 (Tantric Religions of Taoism and Oriental Mysticism). Vols. I & II, 7th ed. Taipei: Lao Ku Cultural Foundation Inc., 1990. Tsung-chiao chien-chieh 宗教簡介 (Introduction to Religion). Taipei: Ministry of the Interior, 2000. Yang Sen-fu 楊森富. Chung-kuo chi-tu-chiao shih 中國基督教史 (The History of Chinese Christianity). Taipei: The Commercial Press Ltd., 1991. Yao Li-hsiang 姚麗香. Tai-wan te tzu-szu yu tsung-chiao 台灣的祠祀與宗教 (Worship and Religion in Taiwan). 2nd ed. Taipei: Taiwan Publishing Co., 1990. Copyright (C) July 2002, Government Information Office.   All rights reserved.   Site design by L.F. 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