Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Religion in Taiwan
A funny thing happened to Taiwan on the way to its future. Instead of losing
its religion as economic growth, mobility and education brought it into the
developed world, the very opposite happened. There are more Buddhists
today, for example, than ever before, and in fact, you'd be hard-pressed to
find a larger (per capita) monastic population in all of Asia.
But the old Taoist gods, and the old acts of worship, have hung on, too. When a modern
Mr Wang is troubled he is as likely to burn incense and joss paper, toss moon blocks
( bwah bwey ) and pray at the altar of a favourite deity as his ancestors were. Of course, be-
fore asking Baosheng Dadi to help cure his glaucoma, Wang will take the medicine his
doctor prescribed knowing full well which one is more efficacious. But if he is cured, it's
still the temple that will get the fat donation.
Perhaps the biggest change has been the way the media, feeding the public demand for
religious content, has made nationwide stars of regional temple cults and festivals. Reli-
gious associations understand this very well, and several Buddhist and Taoist groups now
control their own image by running independent TV stations. Probably only in the US,
with its tradition of fiery evangelists spreading the word of God on TV, can you find such
a potent fusion of technology with tradition.
All of which is to say that the more things change in Taiwan, the more they stay the
same. No matter what form it's received in or propagated, religion in Taiwan continues to
foster a sense of shared culture and identity, and to provide the individual with satisfying
rites of passage and intimations of the divine.
A god's ability to grant requests is critical to popularity. In the past he or she might be
asked for protection against plague. Today, it could be advice on which job to take; help
passing an important test; or even, as we saw once on a prayer card at Donglong
Temple, that the young believer grow to over 160cm tall.
A Brief History
The early immigrants to Taiwan faced conditions not unlike the settlers in the New World
did: a harsh environment, hostile natives, a lack of wives and a host of devastating dis-
eases. Faith in the local cults of their home village in China was vital in forming new and
strong community bonds in Taiwan.
 
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