Matters of Faith

I was once asked by Chinese colleague in Weihai how I could possibly go to a country where I knew no one at first and without a grasp of the language. I told her I prayed. She said "I do not understand this word-- prayer."

I said it was conversation with God. She responded, "God is not real. Do you mean you get strength when you speak to yourself? How can this be?"

China is secular. Many Chinese cannot relate to religion at all and regard the faith of a Christian as charming superstition at best. This attitude arises partly from Marxism, where religion is viewed as a method of pacifying the masses.

But anthropologist Mayfair Yang suggests that part of the fault is the church's. She argues that missionary Christians taught the Chinese to despise their own robust spirituality. Here is the link to an interview she gave on Speaking of Faith. Credit to Michael Cody for finding this excellent broadcast: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/chinese_religiosities/

Above: Image of the ancient sage Confucius

Below: Buddhist Temple in Nanjing