Religion Post

I've been having a lot of computer wenti as well as getting sick last week, but I've still been thinking a lot about what I want to write about here. Or, less about what I want to write and more about what the purpose of this blog is.

The natural first place to start, after the pictures Boin sent me of our Longshan trip, is religion. Longshan temple was extremely crowded when we went to visit. It was fun to guess who was there for what - who's getting ready to take the college entrance exams? who's deciding if they should get married? Everyone had brought food to offer or incense sticks to pray, some were tossing these red wooden blocks which function kind of like less sophisticated magic eight balls. The place felt more like a bustling night market than a Western place of worship, but still a hint of solemnity that marked it as the serious business of religion.

The most interesting thing to me, besides the popularity of the temple accross age groups, was how different the atmosphere was from a Western church. My impression from Rome was that the most popular churches for tourists were not often the most 'sacred' feeling. Famous churches that were always crowded with tourists tended to be less popular with truly religious locals, whereas smaller, less attended, simpler ones really felt the most like actual churches.

Locals at Longshan, which is also "cross-denominational", seemed unbothered by the tourists. That is, the presence of tourists didn't seem to affect their own sense that the temple was a place of worship. And regardless, they were their to get in and get out: pray, get fortune told, go take test/get married/attend other major life event.

It seems every foreigner you meet in Taipei is there to: 1. learn Chinese, 2. teach English, or 3. convert people to Christianity. The other day while I was studying in a froyo place, one woman from a group of missionaries tried to introduce me to Jesus ("Oh, are you trying to learn English? well let me tell you about our Lord and savior..."). I finally got out that I was from Illinois, so that took care of that. But I still got to listen into their conversation with a Taiwanese girl that was there talking to them, obviously more interested in the opportunity for language/culture exchange than finding her faith:

So do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God?

Well...I don't disbelieve...I just don't really have any strong feeling about it

But - do you want to have a strong feeling about it?

Well...no, I can't really say that I do... But tell me more! [Sweet happy Taiwanese girl smile O:)]

Etc.

I don't envy the job of the missionaries. The general Taiwanese attitude to religion seems to be a kind of blithely luke-warm collect-'em-all suibian. I can't help but think of the distinction Hobbes draws between superstition and true 'religion', though I don't know if this is fair or not. From Ethan's language exchange family, who go to church on Sundays, but actually for the music and fun, to my cousin, who hasn't pierced her ears because she wants to "come back as a man", but doesn't really observe any Buddhist rituals, the lack of zeal but general willingness to try anything that might work seems to be the exactly opposite attitude of the Christian missionaries who come here to save souls.

Lastly, a conversation over dinner:

Me: So do you beleive in a religion?

Uncle: No. In history religion has always led to corruption, wars, etc. People who don't beleive in any religion are better people, do you understand?

[I think: ah! secular liberalism has reached here as well. he should go to Yale]

Cousin: Haha...how can you say that? -- When I take the college entrance exams, you go to the temple to pray!!!

[I think: oh.]

So I feel like that conversation really sums it up. Some are willing to identify with any religion that they think may help them out somehow or make them a better person, those who identify themselves as not 'religious'...are still something, at least on exam day.

I don't know if this is a Pascal's wager type of thing or maybe just the force of habit and culture. I'm also not too clear on why religious institutions have played such different roles in the East and West, or why such a free love approach to belief is so much more okay here than back home. Things to think about later.