Religions in China

China’s approach to religion has been less structured than that of the West. The Chinese religions are more family-oriented and do not rely on a religious congregation or leader. Some scholars say that Chinese religions should not be called “religions” at all, and instead should be referred to as “cultural practices” or “thought systems.” The suggestion no longer referring to Chinese religions as so, comes from the fact that most people in China do not consider themselves “religious people” even though they are followers of Buddhism, Taoism, or one of the other Chinese religions.

Brief History

Buddhism was brought to China, from India, in the first century, and is still one of the most popular religions in China. The most widely followed religion in China is Shenism, also called, Chinese folk religion. Shenism is a religion that started during the Han Dynasty and combines the ideas of Taoism with the worship of the shens. The religion is based heavily in mythology and the shens themselves are a mixture of deities, heroes, ancestors and other characters from Chinese mythology.

Christian missionaries began coming to China in the 7^th century, but did not become popular until the 18^th and 19^th centuries when the Chinese became more accepting of Western ideals. Christianity’s height in China is marked by the Taiping Rebellion, which is one of the most deadly military conflicts in history with around 20 million people dying. The rebellion was headed by Hong Xiuquan, who believed himself to be Jesus Christ’s younger brother, and was set against the traditional religious and feudal aspects of China. Moa Zedong, after taking power in the 1940s, commanded the Taiping Rebellion and said it was an early resistance to the oppressiveness of feudal China. While in power, Moa Zedong enforced strict separation of church and state, making most religions, especially those of Western influence, unpracticed.

Contemporary China

In contemporary China, Shenism-Taoism and Buddhism, are the most widely practiced religions. China is home to over 100 Buddhist temples and some of the world’s highest statues, which depict Buddha or other deities from Chinese folklore. Since the 1980s, the Chinese government has become less restrictive and thus allowed for more religious involvement, though there is still a large non-religious or atheist sect (15%).