Talk:Chinese folk religion

Popular religion

Has anyone ever heard of "Chinese folk religion" being referred to as "Chinese Popular religion"? --68.239.240.144 14:22, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

I wonder the existence of such a Chinese folk religion

non one once tried to mix so much different belief in one dubious folk religion.--Ksyrie 19:21, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Religious classification absurdity

As a Chinese, I found the classification of this "combined religion" absurd, since we Chinese do not identify it as a unified form of religious belief or practice. There is no word in Chinese, as far as I know, that would represent this as a religion.

Fundamentally, an individual can be multi-religious, and it is common for Chinese people to believe in elements of different religions. The practice of believing in only a single religion is a byproduct of Western monotheism. The three major monotheisms all have doctrines telling their followers to denounce other forms of religion. Additionally, the practice of identifying an individual by a religion is also a byproduct of this religious exclusion.

The fact that this article discusses the multi-religious nature of Chinese people as a single religion is absurd. I know Wikipedia is not the first to do it. I have read similar stance on Britannica. --Voidvector 21:38, 9 July 2007 (UTC)

The fact that there is no equivalent article in the Chinese wikipedia seems to confirm this!--Sonjaaa 10:33, 9 August 2007 (UTC)

Let's just say, religious beliefs, which evolved into religions, are absurb anyway. 81.159.81.190 (talk) 00:16, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

The meaning of the term 'religion' in English has really no equivalent in Chinese. It is simply translated as 'Belief-Teaching'. Whereas in the West, there is the implicit assumption that religion is the truth, this does not come over in Chinese. Your 'Belief-Teaching' may very well not be the truth, it is merely your belief and your teaching, no proof is attached; in Wiki terminology it is simply your POV. 81.132.63.38 (talk) 00:09, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I am sure your 'Belief-Teaching' is the truth. By enforcing your religious perspective on the state of Chinese religious believes, you are holding a POV. Also, you might want to research into etymology before making assertions like that. Here is a link for you: 宗教#宗教的词源. --Voidvector (talk) 02:29, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

'Zong-jiao' is the noun, and 'Xin-jiao' is the verb. 'Zong- jiao' means 'ancestral-teaching', which is the translation given to the word 'religion' in English. Thus the word religion has really no equivalent in Chinese. This article is about Chinese Folk Religion, which is not a religion by the western definition of religion because it really has no dogma, thus it is called Folk Religion. The so called Chinese Folk Religion is a collection of stories and fairy tales, no more and no less. The Chinese people do not believe them in the same way the Jews, Chrisitans or Muslims believe in their respective religion. I have not enforced any religious perspective, but however traditional Christians, Muslims and Jews all claim their respective religion and only their respective religion to be the true religion, and thus the troubles of this world is ensued. 81.132.63.57 (talk) 23:43, 14 June 2008 (UTC)

This article has basically been copied from the following website:

http://www.lightplanet.com/chinese_folk_religion.html

No, that site is a copy of this article :-) (In the right-hand margin, it says "Content courtesy of Wikipedia".) --Bonadea (talk) 08:54, 23 February 2009 (UTC)

Article reconceptualised

I have recently reconceptualised the entire article, and I've tried to do the same also to the related articles, since as the previous discussions have already highlighted the Chinese Ethnic Religion is NOT a mix of Chinese Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism (which is not a religion but a social system) but a definitely distinct religion, the worship of the traditional ethnic deities and ancestors of the Chinese people. --79.54.82.168 (talk) 14:57, 20 November 2010 (UTC)

I've just reverted those edits, and this edit against Germanic Neopaganism, as they seem POV and the previous text seems less so. If you want to make that change, can you try rewording it, and leaving the link to Chinese folk religion without piping it. If you wish to see that article title changes, you should look at the Requested Moves process. — OwenBlacker (Talk) 14:59, 28 November 2010 (UTC)

Your arguments have nothing to do with this article. My edit was not "against" Heathenism, i just removed the link to that "Shanghai Heathen Association" since I think it's a joke and the association actually does not exist. --79.45.50.120 (talk) 12:51, 18 December 2010 (UTC)

Demographics

Can someone supply info on the literacy/educational level of the adherents? 72.228.177.92 (talk) 22:35, 16 December 2010 (UTC)

It has adherents from all the strata of the Chinese populations of Mainland China and Taiwan, even Government authorities take part into yearly worship ceremonies in honor of figures such as Huangdi. --79.45.50.120 (talk) 12:48, 18 December 2010 (UTC)

• I like the pictures. Let's keep them (though a bit more spaced out than before). The Sound and the Fury (talk) 20:50, 13 February 2011 (UTC)

• It seems that much relevant information was lost in this edit? The Sound and the Fury (talk) 03:13, 22 February 2011 (UTC)

Taoism ≠ Chinese Folk Religion

Doubtless pointed out by others, flagged statement that 400 million chinese are adherents of something not even well defined, organized, etc. The formulation of this statistic is like that where 2 or three billion Christians are arrived at by summing all the populations of the countries counted as Christian. A base reality corresponding to the lower third of education and cultural attainment in the Chinese population also undoubtedly supports this, albeit not in the manner in which "adherents" are (properly) counted for the Abrahamic cults, Buddhist varieties, etc. Apparently it's also repeated at Taoism, presumably from the same source, no such statistic appears in 道教. Lycurgus (talk) 01:20, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

Demons

According to the Society and culture of the Han Dynasty, which refers to this page, "People of all social classes believed in various deities, spirits, immortals, and demons." But there is no mention of demons on this page. Can someone clarify this issue? ChangMei (talk) 21:32, 15 November 2011 (UTC)