Religion in Taiwan
Encyclopedia
A wide diversity of religions can be found on Taiwan
, due to its multicultural history, and religious freedom written in the constitution of the Republic of China
.
tribes traditionally practice nature worship
. With the arrival of the Dutch
in 1624, Protestant Christianity was introduced to Taiwanese via missionaries. The first converts were Indigenous Taiwanese
. Two years later, with the arrival of the Spanish
, Catholicism
was introduced into Taiwan. The Japan
ese brought Shinto
to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period which began in 1895. Chinese
migrants brought Buddhism
, and Taoism
with them to the island over a few centuries of immigration and settlement. The Japanese persecuted "foreign" religions in Taiwan during their rule, which resulted in Islam disappearing until it was reintroduced by the Kuomintang
Statistics for the following religions and new religious movements are missing from the table above:
The figures for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not from the MOI
rather they are based on self reported data from LDS Newsroom.
The figures for Jehovah's Witnesses
are not from the MOI
rather they are based on the Witnesses own 2007 Service Year Report.
, Tainan, Hualien, and Pingtung. Circa 2006 the Bahá'ís showed up in the national census with 16,000 members and 13 assemblies.
(CIA) of the USA, there are about 93% of people identifying themselves as Buddhists, Taoist
s, or practitioners of Chinese folk religion
. However, as with the majority of East Asian religious traditions in general, identification with these faiths does not necessarily mean actual affiliation as it does in many other parts of globe. It is also common for people to practice a blend of the three religions. Some people practice Buddhism exclusively, but most blend Taoist religious practices with elements from Buddhism and folk traditions. It is not uncommon to find a Buddhist temple adjacent to a Taoist temple, or even under the same roof. One example of this is Longshan Temple
in Taipei City. Religious diversity has never been a significant source of conflict in Taiwan. Those who consider themselves "pure" Buddhists are usually allied with the Zhaijiao
movement.
Another example of syncreticism commonly seen in religious life are the numerous sutra-chanting groups (誦經團) in Taiwan, which combine Buddhist, Taoist and folk religious spirituality, chanting, and ritual. In small rural areas where Buddhist and Taoist monastics are not readily available, trained sutra-chanting groups are hired by local villagers and townspeople to perform a variety of services, and are usually performed in the native Taiwanese Hokkien dialect rather than standard Mandarin. Chanting groups mainly consist of everyday men and women dressed in Buddhist monastic robes and playing traditional ritual instruments accompanied by an electronic keyboard
.
Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common, and can be spotted on roadsides, parks, and neighborhoods in Taiwanese cities and towns. These small pockets of religious atmosphere let people stop by and pray informally anytime. They also provide a safe environment for locals to practice meditation and various other forms of religious practice. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god
for success in a restaurant business. Students may visit a shrine to the Learning god for good luck before a test.
Taoist temples are highly decorative. Colorfully tiled sculptures of dragons and other mythological creatures highlight the roof, and temples are often filled with statues of many gods and semi-theistic historical figures, reflecting the polytheistic and ancestor worship tradition of Taoism and folk religion.
Festivities and picnics often take place at Taoist temples.
There are approximately 4.55 million or 4.5 million Taoists in Taiwan and 4.9 million Buddhists.
was introduced to Taiwan
in the late 16th century with the Chinese immigration. Several forms of Buddhism have thrived on Taiwan ever since. During the Japanese occupation, Japanese Buddhism (Shingon, Jodo Shinshu
, Nichiren Shu
, etc.) was introduced as part of the overall policy of cultural assimilation by the colonial government. Although many Buddhist communities affiliated themselves with Japanese sects for protection, they largely retained Chinese Buddhist practices. For instance, clerical marriage and meat-eating did not make the headway they did in occupied Korea. Today, approximately 94% of Taiwan's population is Buddhist.
Following retrocession, Taiwan was inundated with Mainland monks, including Yinshun
(Yìnshùn 印順). Tainted by the whiff of collaboration, outshone by these refugees, and underrepresented in the Chinese Buddhist Association (CBA) which served as a liaison with the government, the local lineages declined.
The CBA remained the dominant Buddhist organization until the end of martial law, when its government mandated monopoly was ended. Today there are several large Buddhist organization based in Taiwan. They include Dharma Drum Mountain
(Făgŭshān ) founded by Sheng Yen
, Buddha's Light International
(Fógŭangshān ) founded by Hsing Yun
, Tibetan Kadhampa Buddhism by The Kadhampa Dharmaraja 菩提精点睿贤甚盛慧源持金刚 and the Tzu Chi Foundation
(Cíjì jījīnhùi ) founded by Cheng Yen
.
Tzu Chi
is a large Buddhist organization, focusing on community service.
In the last few years non-Chinese forms of Buddhism, such as Tibetan Buddhism
, the Soka Gakkai International
and the Vipassana
movement of S. N. Goenka
, have also had followings...
churches exist on the Republic of China
(Taiwan
). According to figures given by the Central Intelligence Agency
(CIA), Christians which include Protestants, Catholics, Mormons
, and non-denominational Christians make up a total of 4.5% of the population of Taiwan.
Though Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula
, it had spread eastward to China as early as the 7th century AD. Muslim merchants married local Chinese women, creating a new Chinese ethnic group called the Hui people
. Islam first reached Taiwan in the 17th century when Muslim families from the southern Chinese
coastal province of Fujian
accompanied Koxinga
on his invasion to oust the Dutch
from Taiwan. Islam did not spread and their descendants became assimilated into the local Taiwanese society adopting the local customs and religions.
During the Chinese Civil War
, some 20,000 Muslims, mostly soldiers and civil servants, fled mainland China
with the Kuomintang
to Taiwan. Since the 1980s, thousands of Muslims from Myanmar and Thailand, who are descendants of Nationalist soldiers who fled Yunnan
as a result of the communist takeover, have migrated to Taiwan in search of a better life. In more recent years, there has been a rise in Indonesian workers to Taiwan. There are an estimated 88,000 Indonesian Muslims living in Taiwan, in addition to the existing 53,000 Taiwanese Muslims. All demographics combined, there are over 140,000 Muslims in Taiwan.
is banned in China
, people in Taiwan are free to practice it.
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, due to its multicultural history, and religious freedom written in the constitution of the Republic of China
Constitution of the Republic of China
The Constitution of the Republic of China is the fundamental law of the Republic of China . Drafted by the Kuomintang as part of its third stage of national development , it established a centralized Republic with five branches of government...
.
History
The original Native TaiwaneseTaiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
tribes traditionally practice nature worship
Nature worship
Nature worship describes a variety of religious, spiritual and devotional practices that focus on natural phenomenon. A nature deity can be in charge of nature, the biosphere, the cosmos or the universe. Nature worship can be found in panentheism, pantheism, deism, polytheism, animism, totemism,...
. With the arrival of the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1624, Protestant Christianity was introduced to Taiwanese via missionaries. The first converts were Indigenous Taiwanese
Taiwanese aborigines
Taiwanese aborigines is the term commonly applied in reference to the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. Although Taiwanese indigenous groups hold a variety of creation myths, recent research suggests their ancestors may have been living on the islands for approximately 8,000 years before major Han...
. Two years later, with the arrival of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
was introduced into Taiwan. The Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese brought Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period which began in 1895. Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
migrants brought Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, and Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
with them to the island over a few centuries of immigration and settlement. The Japanese persecuted "foreign" religions in Taiwan during their rule, which resulted in Islam disappearing until it was reintroduced by the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
Government figures
The table shows official statistics on religion issued by the Department of Civil Affairs, Ministry of the Interior ("MOI"), in 2005. The ROC government recognizes 26 religions in Taiwan. The statistics are reported by the various religious organizations to the MOI:| Religion | Members | % of total population | Temples & churches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buddhism Buddhism Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th... (including Tantric Buddhism) |
8,086,000 | 35.1% | 4,006 |
| Taoism Taoism Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists... |
7,600,000 | 33.0% | 18,274 |
| I-Kuan Tao I-Kuan Tao I-Kuan Tao, also Yīguàn Dào, or usually initialized as IKT is a new religious movement that originated in twentieth-century China. It incorporates elements from Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism, and recognizes the validity of non-Chinese religious traditions such as Christianity and... |
810,000 | 3.5% | 3,260 |
| Protestantism Protestantism Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the... |
605,000 | 2.6% | 3,609 |
| Roman Catholic Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity... |
298,000 | 1.3% | 1,151 |
| Lord of Universe Church Lord of Universe Church The Lord of Universe Church is an international religious organization based in the Republic of China which is devoted to the "T'ienti Teachings" proclaimed by the late Lee Yü-chieh. It is a splinter religion from Tiender which is closely related to Confucianism and Taoism... |
298,000 | 1.3% | 50 |
| Maitreya Great Tao | 250,000 | 1.1% | 2,200 |
| Tian De Jiao | 200,000 | 0.9% | 14 |
| Liism | 186,000 | 0.8% | 138 |
| Syuan Yuan Jiao Syuan Yuan Jiao Syuan Yuan Jiao is a new religion founded in Taiwan in 1957 by Wang Han-sheng. It is a synthesis of Confucianism, Daoism, and Mohism.... |
152,700 | 0.7% | 22 |
| Islam Islam Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~... |
58,000 +88,500 Indonesians | 0.3% | 6 |
| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
51,090 | 0.2% | 54 |
| Tenrikyo Tenrikyo Tenrikyo is a monotheistic religion originating in revelations to a 19th-century Japanese woman named Nakayama Miki, known as Oyasama by followers... |
35,000 | 0.2% | 153 |
| Universe Maitreya Faith | 35,000 | 0.2% | 12 |
| Hai Tze Tao Hai Tze Tao Hai Tze Tao is a new religious movement in the Republic of China based on Taoism.... |
30,000 | 0.1% | 55 |
| Church of Scientology Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is an organization devoted to the practice and the promotion of the Scientology belief system. The Church of Scientology International is the Church of Scientology's parent organization, and is responsible for the overall ecclesiastical management, dissemination and... |
20,000 | < 0.1% | 7 |
| Bahá'í Faith Bahá'í Faith in Taiwan The Bahá'í Faith in Taiwan, 巴哈伊教, began after the religion entered areas of China and nearby Japan. The first Bahá'ís arrived in Taiwan in 1949 and the first of these to have become a Bahá'í was Mr. Jerome Chu in 1945 while visiting the United States. By May 1955 there were eighteen Bahá'ís in... |
16,000 | < 0.1% | 13 |
| Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual... |
6,223 | < 0.1% | 85 |
| The Chinese Heritage and Moral Sources | 5,000 | < 0.1% | 5 |
| Zhonghua Sheng Jiao | 3,200 | < 0.1% | 7 |
| Mahikari Mahikari Mahikari is a Japanese new religious movement , with a number of variants or offshoots, founded in 1963 by Yoshikazu Okada... |
1,000 | < 0.1% | 9 |
| Red Swastika Society Red Swastika Society The Red Swastika Society is a voluntary association founded in China in 1922 by Qian Nengxun , Du Bingyin and Li Jiabai as the philanthropic branch of the Daodeshe "Society of Dao and Virtue", a syncretist Daoist school, which changed at the same time its name to Daoyuan... |
1,000 | < 0.1% | 6 |
| Huang Zhong | 1,000 | < 0.1% | 1 |
| Da Yi Jiao | 1,000 | < 0.1% | 1 |
| Total religious population | 18,724,823 | 81.3% | 33,223 |
| Total population | 23,036,087 | 100% | - |
Statistics for the following religions and new religious movements are missing from the table above:
- Xian Tian Jiu Jiao
- Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity
The figures for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not from the MOI
Moi
- Language :* The French language word for "me" , used idiomatically and informally by English speakers to facetiously indicate mock innocence or humility...
rather they are based on self reported data from LDS Newsroom.
The figures for Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
are not from the MOI
Moi
- Language :* The French language word for "me" , used idiomatically and informally by English speakers to facetiously indicate mock innocence or humility...
rather they are based on the Witnesses own 2007 Service Year Report.
Bahá'í Faith in Taiwan
巴哈伊教, The Bahá'í Faith in Taiwan began after the religion entered areas of China and nearby Japan. The first Bahá'ís arrived in Taiwan in 1949 and the first of these to have become a Bahá'í was Mr. Jerome Chu (Chu Yao-lung) in 1945 while visiting the United States. By May 1955 there were eighteen Bahá'ís in six localities across Taiwan. The first Local Spiritual Assembly in Taiwan was elected in Tainan in 1956. The National Spiritual Assembly was first elected in 1967 when there were local assemblies in TaipeiTaipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, Tainan, Hualien, and Pingtung. Circa 2006 the Bahá'ís showed up in the national census with 16,000 members and 13 assemblies.
Buddhism, Taoism, and folk religion
According to the Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA) of the USA, there are about 93% of people identifying themselves as Buddhists, Taoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
s, or practitioners of Chinese folk religion
Folk religion
Folk religion consists of ethnic or regional religious customs under the umbrella of an organized religion, but outside of official doctrine and practices...
. However, as with the majority of East Asian religious traditions in general, identification with these faiths does not necessarily mean actual affiliation as it does in many other parts of globe. It is also common for people to practice a blend of the three religions. Some people practice Buddhism exclusively, but most blend Taoist religious practices with elements from Buddhism and folk traditions. It is not uncommon to find a Buddhist temple adjacent to a Taoist temple, or even under the same roof. One example of this is Longshan Temple
Longshan Temple
Mengjia Longshan Temple was built in Taipei in 1738 by settlers from Fujian, China. It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers...
in Taipei City. Religious diversity has never been a significant source of conflict in Taiwan. Those who consider themselves "pure" Buddhists are usually allied with the Zhaijiao
Zhaijiao
The zhaijiao are informal Buddhist societies that became extremely popular in Taiwan under Japanese rule, albeit prominent throughout the Qing dynasty....
movement.
Another example of syncreticism commonly seen in religious life are the numerous sutra-chanting groups (誦經團) in Taiwan, which combine Buddhist, Taoist and folk religious spirituality, chanting, and ritual. In small rural areas where Buddhist and Taoist monastics are not readily available, trained sutra-chanting groups are hired by local villagers and townspeople to perform a variety of services, and are usually performed in the native Taiwanese Hokkien dialect rather than standard Mandarin. Chanting groups mainly consist of everyday men and women dressed in Buddhist monastic robes and playing traditional ritual instruments accompanied by an electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
.
Besides large temples, small outdoor shrines to local deities are very common, and can be spotted on roadsides, parks, and neighborhoods in Taiwanese cities and towns. These small pockets of religious atmosphere let people stop by and pray informally anytime. They also provide a safe environment for locals to practice meditation and various other forms of religious practice. Many homes and businesses may also set up small shrines of candles, figurines, and offerings. Some restaurants, for example, may set up a small shrine to the Kitchen god
Kitchen God
In Chinese folk religion and Chinese mythology, the Kitchen God, named Zao Jun or Zao Shen , is the most important of a plethora of Chinese domestic gods that protect the hearth and family with the addition of being celebrated...
for success in a restaurant business. Students may visit a shrine to the Learning god for good luck before a test.
Taoist temples are highly decorative. Colorfully tiled sculptures of dragons and other mythological creatures highlight the roof, and temples are often filled with statues of many gods and semi-theistic historical figures, reflecting the polytheistic and ancestor worship tradition of Taoism and folk religion.
Festivities and picnics often take place at Taoist temples.
There are approximately 4.55 million or 4.5 million Taoists in Taiwan and 4.9 million Buddhists.
Buddhism
BuddhismBuddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
was introduced to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
in the late 16th century with the Chinese immigration. Several forms of Buddhism have thrived on Taiwan ever since. During the Japanese occupation, Japanese Buddhism (Shingon, Jodo Shinshu
Jodo Shinshu
, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
, Nichiren Shu
Nichiren Shu
Nichiren Shū is the name of a confederation of several Nichiren Buddhist schools that go back to Nichiren's original disciples...
, etc.) was introduced as part of the overall policy of cultural assimilation by the colonial government. Although many Buddhist communities affiliated themselves with Japanese sects for protection, they largely retained Chinese Buddhist practices. For instance, clerical marriage and meat-eating did not make the headway they did in occupied Korea. Today, approximately 94% of Taiwan's population is Buddhist.
Following retrocession, Taiwan was inundated with Mainland monks, including Yinshun
Yin Shun
Yin Shun was a well-known Buddhist monk and scholar in the tradition of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, particularly the Three Treatise school. Yin Shun's research helped bring forth the ideal of Humanistic Buddhism, a leading mainstream Buddhist philosophy studied and upheld by many practitioners...
(Yìnshùn 印順). Tainted by the whiff of collaboration, outshone by these refugees, and underrepresented in the Chinese Buddhist Association (CBA) which served as a liaison with the government, the local lineages declined.
The CBA remained the dominant Buddhist organization until the end of martial law, when its government mandated monopoly was ended. Today there are several large Buddhist organization based in Taiwan. They include Dharma Drum Mountain
Dharma Drum Mountain
Dharma Drum Mountain is an international Buddhist spiritual, cultural, and educational foundation founded by late Ch'an Master Sheng-yen. The international headquarters of this organization is located at Jinshan District, New Taipei City, Taiwan .Dharma Drum Mountain is one of the most...
(Făgŭshān ) founded by Sheng Yen
Sheng-yen
Sheng-yen was a Buddhist monk, a religious scholar, and one of the mainstream teachers of Chinese Chan Buddhism. He was the 57th generational descendant of Linji in the Linji School and a 3rd generational descendant of Master Hsu Yun...
, Buddha's Light International
Fo Guang Shan
Fo Guang Shan is an international Chinese Mahayana Buddhist monastic order based in the Republic of China , and one of the largest Buddhist organizations. The headquarters of Fo Guang Shan, located in Kaohsiung, is the largest Buddhist monastery in Taiwan. The organization itself is also one of...
(Fógŭangshān ) founded by Hsing Yun
Hsing Yun
Hsing Yun is a well-known Buddhist monk, as well as an important figure in modern reformation of Mahayana Buddhism in Taiwan and China. Hsing Yun is the founder of the Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order and the affiliated Buddha's Light International Association, one of the largest international...
, Tibetan Kadhampa Buddhism by The Kadhampa Dharmaraja 菩提精点睿贤甚盛慧源持金刚 and the Tzu Chi Foundation
Tzu Chi
The Tzu Chi Foundation, whose name means "compassionate relief," is an international humanitarian organization and the largest non-governmental organization in the Chinese-speaking world....
(Cíjì jījīnhùi ) founded by Cheng Yen
Cheng Yen
Cheng Yen is a Taiwanese Buddhist nun , teacher, and philanthropist. She is often called the "Mother Teresa of Asia." In 1966, Cheng Yen founded the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, commonly known as Tzu Chi; its motto is "instructing the rich and saving the poor"...
.
Tzu Chi
Tzu Chi
The Tzu Chi Foundation, whose name means "compassionate relief," is an international humanitarian organization and the largest non-governmental organization in the Chinese-speaking world....
is a large Buddhist organization, focusing on community service.
In the last few years non-Chinese forms of Buddhism, such as Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, the Soka Gakkai International
Soka Gakkai International
is a lay religious movement within Nichiren Buddhism, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism derived from the teachings of the thirteenth-century Japanese monk, Nichiren Daishonin....
and the Vipassana
Vipassana
Vipassanā or vipaśyanā in the Buddhist tradition means insight into the true nature of reality. A regular practitioner of Vipassana is known as a Vipassi . Vipassana is one of the world's most ancient techniques of meditation, the inception of which is attributed to Gautama Buddha...
movement of S. N. Goenka
S. N. Goenka
Satya Narayan Goenka is a leading lay teacher of Vipassanā meditation and a student of U Ba Khin. He has trained more than 800 assistant teachers and each year more than 100,000 people attend Goenka sponsored Vipassana courses....
, have also had followings...
Christianity
ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
churches exist on the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
(Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
). According to figures given by the Central Intelligence Agency
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
(CIA), Christians which include Protestants, Catholics, Mormons
Mormons
The Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
, and non-denominational Christians make up a total of 4.5% of the population of Taiwan.
Islam
Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula is a land mass situated north-east of Africa. Also known as Arabia or the Arabian subcontinent, it is the world's largest peninsula and covers 3,237,500 km2...
, it had spread eastward to China as early as the 7th century AD. Muslim merchants married local Chinese women, creating a new Chinese ethnic group called the Hui people
Hui people
The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...
. Islam first reached Taiwan in the 17th century when Muslim families from the southern Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coastal province of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
accompanied Koxinga
Koxinga
Koxinga is the customary Western spelling of the popular appellation of Zheng Chenggong , a military leader who was born in 1624 in Hirado, Japan to Zheng Zhilong, a Chinese merchant/pirate, and his Japanese wife and died in 1662 on the island of Formosa .A Ming loyalist and the arch commander of...
on his invasion to oust the Dutch
Taiwan under Dutch rule
Dutch Formosa refers to the period of colonial Dutch government on Formosa , lasting from 1624 to 1662. In the context of the Age of Discovery the Dutch East India Company established its presence on Taiwan to trade with China and Japan, and also to interdict Portuguese and Spanish trade and...
from Taiwan. Islam did not spread and their descendants became assimilated into the local Taiwanese society adopting the local customs and religions.
During the Chinese Civil War
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, some 20,000 Muslims, mostly soldiers and civil servants, fled mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
with the Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
to Taiwan. Since the 1980s, thousands of Muslims from Myanmar and Thailand, who are descendants of Nationalist soldiers who fled Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
as a result of the communist takeover, have migrated to Taiwan in search of a better life. In more recent years, there has been a rise in Indonesian workers to Taiwan. There are an estimated 88,000 Indonesian Muslims living in Taiwan, in addition to the existing 53,000 Taiwanese Muslims. All demographics combined, there are over 140,000 Muslims in Taiwan.
Falun Gong
Even though Falun GongFalun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
is banned in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, people in Taiwan are free to practice it.
See also
- BuddhismBuddhismBuddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
- CatholicismCatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
- Demographics of TaiwanDemographics of TaiwanThis article is about the demographic features of the population in Taiwan, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
- History of the Jews in TaiwanHistory of the Jews in TaiwanUnlike mainland China, the Jewish presence in Taiwan is relatively young, and was never numerous. The first sizable presence began in the 1950s, when religious services were held in the United States military chapel, to which civilians also had access....
- I-Kuan TaoI-Kuan TaoI-Kuan Tao, also Yīguàn Dào, or usually initialized as IKT is a new religious movement that originated in twentieth-century China. It incorporates elements from Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese Buddhism, and recognizes the validity of non-Chinese religious traditions such as Christianity and...
- IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
- Protestant Christianity
- ShintoShintoor Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
- TaoismTaoismTaoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
External links
- Introduction to Religion in Taiwan
- Marimari.com - Religion in Taiwan
- Taiwan Yearbook 2004
- Government Information Office
- The Glyphomancy Factor "Observations on Chinese Conversion" by David K Jordan (essay on voluntary religious conversion in Taiwan)