Taiwan Today

Taiwan has transformed into a democracy that embraces religious pluralism and tolerance toward all beliefs.

The faithful place food offerings on an altar as an expression of their sincerity, then make a series of bows before the statue of a deity, their hands clasped together holding burning sticks of incense. After murmuring prayers seeking divine guidance, they throw a pair of crescent-shaped wooden blocks on the floor to ascertain the god’s answers. Once these rituals are complete, they make a circuit of all the main shrines and deities inside the temple, place the incense sticks in censers and throw piles of joss paper into large chimney-like furnaces standing in the courtyard or outside the temple.

This is a familiar scene at Taipei City’s centuries-old Lungshan Temple, which houses a mixture of Buddhist, Taoist and folk deities. In fact, Taiwan is a melting pot of religions, influenced by a Chinese cultural heritage, European and Japanese colonialism and faiths from other parts of the world. Over the centuries, Taiwan’s religious environment has assumed the form of a syncretic, colorful collage.

Almost all adults in Taiwan—even those among the approximately 21 percent of society who do not consider themselves religious —engage in religious practices stemming from one or a number of religious traditions, according to the 2004 Taiwan Social Change Survey (TSCS), which is commissioned by the National Science Council and has been conducted by Academia Sinica every five years since 1984. The TSCS also found that more than 90 percent of adult respondents paid a visit to a temple, shrine or church in 2004, with almost 30 percent of the respondents visiting at least once a month. Meanwhile, a Ministry of the Interior (MOI) survey found that Taiwan had a total of 14,993 temples, mosques and churches as of the end of 2008.

Religious customs have permeated Taiwan’s society to such an extent that it is common to see homes and shops with illuminated shrines and burning incense to honor a deity or ancestor. Before children take school entrance examinations, their parents often take them to visit a temple to pray for good results and solicit divine guidance, while many drivers decorate their cars with charms and religious texts for protection against accidents.

Taiwan’s religious makeup is basically dominated by Buddhist, Taoist and traditional folk beliefs. Academia Sinica’s TSCS is based on a survey of 1,881 individuals and is designed to yield a representative sample of Taiwan’s population of 23 million. The 2004 TSCS showed that 30.6 percent of adult respondents believed in one or more folk religions, while 23.9 percent considered themselves Buddhist, followed by Taoist (15.3 percent), Protestant (3.2 percent) and I-Kuan Taoist (2 percent). The survey indicates that despite Taiwan’s remarkable transformation over the past few decades from a mostly rural, agricultural economy to one that is highly industrialized, traditional folk beliefs still flourish, as witnessed by the ubiquitous folk temples and local shrines around the island. Moreover, many who engage in folk religion practices also count themselves as Taoists and Buddhists.

Statistics collected in 2008 by the MOI were more targeted than Academia Sinica’s, focusing on the subset of those who practice their faith regularly. The ministry’s statistics indicated that, as of the end of 2008, approximately 1.54 million people in Taiwan, or less than 7 percent of the total population, were regular practitioners. Among this devout population, Taoism claimed the most adherents with 783,072, or 50.8 percent, followed by Protestantism (25.3 percent), Catholicism (11.1 percent) and Buddhism (10.7 percent).

The MOI study of religious devotees also employed strict definitions for members of different faiths. “In Taiwan, many folk religion believers also think themselves to be Buddhists,” explains Johnny Chang, vice president of the Taiwan Association for Religious Studies and professor of the Department of Religious Culture and Organization Management at Aletheia University. “But according to Buddhist organizations, you have to go through a religious ritual, or religious conversion, to become a bona fide Buddhist.”

The momentous events shaping Taiwan’s religious landscape date back to the 17th century, when Han people from southeastern mainland China immigrated to the island, bringing Buddhism, Taoism and traditional Chinese folk beliefs with them. Around the same time, Christianity arrived with the advent of Dutch and Spanish missionaries. The next big event came in 1949, when the Republic of China (ROC) government relocated to Taiwan after the civil war against the Chinese communists. The influx of more than 1 million soldiers and civilians from the Chinese mainland further enriched Taiwan’s religious culture by introducing yet more Chinese folk religions as well as adding to the number of followers of Western faiths. Former ROC President Chiang Kai-shek, for example, was born in mainland China’s Zhejiang province in 1887 and was baptized as a Methodist in 1929 before arriving in Taiwan in 1949.

The ROC Constitution guarantees freedom of religion as a right for all people, and no religion benefits from special privileges granted by the government. However, relations between the state and religion during the martial law period (1949−1987) were not always so harmonious. As a result of anxieties over espionage by Chinese communists and fears about revolts against government authority, the government was known to adopt coercive measures against any perceived “threat” to social order, including imposing limitations on organized religions and arresting some believers.

During this period, temples were required to register as Buddhist or Taoist to operate legally. This development really put I-Kuan Tao—a syncretic religion that first emerged in mainland China in the 17th century and has a doctrine that attempts to identify the common principles underlying Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam—in a quandary. After World War II, I-Kuan Tao followers moved across the strait from the mainland to promote their beliefs in Taiwan. Thanks to its compatibility with local folk beliefs, the religion soon attracted a substantial following, especially among intellectuals, government employees and even city council members. “However, its rapid expansion and ability to draw large crowds did constitute a potential threat to the government, which relied on martial law to maintain social stability,” says Chiu Hei-yuan, a researcher at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Sociology. “Consequently, I-Kuan Tao groups were either forced to develop underground or seek refuge by joining the Taoism Society of the ROC before they became legal in the late 1980s.”

Bold Expression

The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan did not always fare well under martial law, either. “The Presbyterian Church was bold in expressing political and social concerns by publishing formal statements and holding public activities, as seen in its support for Taiwanese citizens’ right to determine their own future. This flatly contradicted the Kuomintang government’s policy against Taiwan independence,” Chiu adds. In 1980, some Presbyterian leaders were arrested and accused of harboring criminals associated with the Kaohsiung Incident, an event in which a rally in Kaohsiung City organized by opposition groups in December of the preceding year turned into a riot.

As the process of democratization unfolded in the 1980s, it became possible for religious associations to play a stronger role than before. “Politics and religion were closely related back then,” Aletheia University’s Johnny Chang says. “On the one hand, a more open political environment favored the normal development of religious groups, and they no longer needed to worry about being suppressed by the government as long as they functioned legally. On the other hand, with the growing popularity of some newly emerged religious groups, candidates from all parties didn’t hesitate to frequent temples and churches during electoral campaigns, burning incense and shaking hands with religious leaders in obvious ploys to win their support,” he says.

Religious development entered a new phase with the lifting of martial law in 1987, and the revision of the Civil Organizations Act that followed in 1989 provided channels for more religious organizations to operate legally. Since then, religious institutions that were previously banned or forced to affiliate themselves with other religions have pushed for and obtained recognition from the MOI. In 1988, only 17 religious associations had successfully registered with the MOI, but by the end of September 2009, that number had risen sharply to 788.

The lifting of martial law and revision of the Civil Organizations Act also resulted in the introduction of new forms of religious activities, some of which have attracted a great number of participants, and new sects evolved from existing religions. Buddhist meditation has gained in popularity, especially among the middle class. Some religious groups have made full use of the mass media to recruit new members, strengthen members’ faith, and promote cultural, educational and humanitarian activities. Adherents can freely congregate, hold religious services and proselytize within the bounds of the law. In short, people in Taiwan now enjoy widespread religious freedom—a fact confirmed once again in the US Department of State’s International Religious Freedom Report 2009, which found that Taiwan’s “Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and other laws and policies contributed to the generally free practice of religion.”

On the other hand, some religions that had enjoyed a heyday during the martial law period began faring more poorly than before. Christianity is one of the traditional religions that began facing a bottleneck in development during the 1990s. “It’s a ‘foreign’ religion whose doctrines sometimes conflict with local traditions and customs. For instance, ancestor worship is not ‘allowed’ among Christians, making it difficult to attract new adherents,” Chang says.

The decline of the Buddhist Association of the ROC is another striking example of the links between politics and social change. “This organization monopolized Buddhist affairs during the martial law period, but saw its influence diminish sharply due mainly to its conservative way of promoting Buddhism,” Chang says.

Rising Influence

Buddhism itself, however, remained a strong force, as the influence of some newly emerged organizations rose quickly. Master Cheng Yen became famous for launching the vast Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, which operates hospitals and various programs to help those in need, while Master Hsing Yun and the late Master Sheng Yen emerged as the respective leaders of Fo Guang Shan and Dharma Drum Mountain, two prominent, dynamic monasteries.

“They’ve successfully blended their leaders’ charisma with compassion, so followers admire them just like fans,” Chang says of the reasons behind the rise of these Buddhist groups. “Furthermore, these organizations place more emphasis on the practice of good deeds and less on study of scripture, and their teachings are quite easy to learn and practice—basically they say ‘just do it, and you will be a Buddha, too.’”

Dharma Drum Mountain, however, now finds itself working to fill the void left by Master Sheng Yen’s death in February 2009. “Basically, the charisma of a religious leader is not obtained overnight, but has been cultivated over a long period of time,” Chang says. “It remains to be seen whether the successor to Master Sheng Yen will have the same charisma. Still, for a religious group to sustain its popularity, the most important thing of all is to institutionalize its operations, thereby avoiding excessive dependence on any individual’s personal influence.”

According to Academia Sinica’s Chiu Hei-yuan, other belief systems that have enjoyed growing popularity over the past decade also include those involving “mystical experiences,” such as Scientology, which claims to have attracted nearly 10,000 adherents in Taiwan; as well as those involving a blend of physical and spiritual practices, such as Falun Gong, which emphasizes the practice of qigong, or breathing techniques to promote the circulation of energy in the body. “People tend to be at a loss in this fast-changing society, and these newer religions can play an active role in helping them cope with stress and anxiety,” Chiu says.

Traditional Backbone

In Taiwan, religious organizations have traditionally served as the backbone of social services. Sharing a common concern for the poor and needy, many Buddhist associations, as well as Catholic and Protestant churches, have contributed tremendously to the improvement of social welfare in Taiwan. Statistics from the MOI indicate that, as of the end of 2008, for example, religious groups were operating 24 hospitals, 11 clinics, 26 retirement homes and 27 institutions for the disabled around the island.

The efforts of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation may best exemplify religious contributions to society. Currently, Tzu Chi has several million members worldwide and has expanded its work into the fields of bone marrow donation, environmental protection and community volunteerism. More importantly, its humanitarian efforts have transcended national borders and religious differences.

“I was a Christian when I began to participate in public service activities sponsored by Tzu Chi in 1990,” says Chou Hsiu-ming, a volunteer worker at the Tzu Chi Foundation. “Since then, I’ve been so touched by Tzu Chi’s unselfish dedication to the whole world. No matter where calamities take place, it always mobilizes volunteers to send relief to the disaster areas. It doesn’t care who you are or what religious beliefs you have—all it cares about is whether you need help.”

In 1996, Chou decided to convert to Buddhism. “My husband is Catholic, but we both respect each other’s faiths,” she says. “Of course, he is welcome to join us in Tzu Chi any time.”

Judy Lao was once a Christian, too, but became a Buddhist soon after becoming a volunteer worker at Tzu Chi in 1998. “To me, the practice of Buddhism is a way of life,” she says. “Tzu Chi often teaches us to help those who are not as fortunate as we are. From their smiles and the look in their eyes, you will find that what you get is much more than what you give.”

Media Landscape

Taiwan’s religious media landscape is dominated by Buddhist organizations, too. Among the television stations with a presence across the island, the only one that is Christian-based is Good TV, while Da Ai TV, Beautiful Life Television, Hwazan TV, Buddha Compassion TV Station, Universal Culture Television and Life TV are all Buddhist-based. In terms of programming, while Da Ai, Beautiful Life and Good TV air a wide variety of content to cater to different tastes, the others focus on propagating specific religious ideals.

Da Ai, which was established in 1998 as an affiliate of the Tzu Chi Foundation, is the most widely watched religious television station. Neither broadcasting commercials nor receiving financial assistance from the government, Da Ai stays on the air through donor support. The donations do not come from just a few wealthy sponsors, however, as one-fourth of Da Ai’s funding is supplied by the earnings of more than 50,000 volunteers who sell collected recyclables.

“Thanks to these volunteer workers’ dedication, Da Ai TV can continue to produce news and programs that aim to promote truth, goodness and beauty in the whole world,” says Dylan Yang, associate manager of the marketing department at Da Ai. “By providing a variety of wholesome programs on topics ranging from spiritual enlightenment to the arts or social issues, we hope to attract more viewers, no matter what their nationalities and religious beliefs, to make this world a better place for all.”

Da Ai’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. A 2008 survey conducted by Shih Hsin University that assessed Taiwan’s media, for example, revealed that Da Ai ranked first in the categories of the “most influential on society,” “most influential on an individual,” “most impartial and objective reports” and “best quality TV channel.” In addition, Da Ai programs also ranked first in a 2008 Yahoo! Kimo survey on the media in Taiwan in the categories of “most global views,” “most caring for society,” “most in-depth,” “most culturally integrated,” “most trustworthy,” “most accurate” and “most educational.”

Tzu Chi’s remarkable works have demonstrated a sense of inclusiveness and compassion that transcends religious barriers. Likewise, in Taiwan, greater freedom of religion has not led to a war among religions. Instead, adherents of all faiths live together in peace and show respect for other beliefs, to the point that following more than one religion is not uncommon. In this sense, Taiwan is setting a good example for the whole world.

Write to dennis0602@mail.gio.gov.tw