Chinese folk religion - why it's not more popular?

[Manna]

I hope this is the right place for this question otherwise it would be good if it would be moved to the right place.

My question is about Chinese Folk religion. It has almost half a billion adherents yet it does not seem to be treated like a religion. For example, on surveys asking about religion I do not see an option for this, there are no worship places for Chinese Folk Religions in the UK where I'm from (whereas mosques, synagogues, churches etc do exist), and I have not met a person before saying they are part of this religion.

My question is why is it that so many people follow this religion but it's not treated as a world religion alongside the Abrahamic or Indian religions for example. Is it because it is not very organised and it doesn't have a strict set of beliefs? Or is it because it's more of a way of life rather than a strict religion?

 

[LuisDantas]

I believe similar questions apply to Shinto (the native Japanese religion), and the answers may well be similar as well. There is no need for such things, apparently.

 

[Quintessence]

Paganisms in general are never treated as a world religion - or sometimes even as a legitimate religion - except for by a handful of scholars like this guy (who classifies both Chinese Folk religion and Shinto as Paganisms). Part of that is probably a legacy of Western, Abrahamic-centric bias that was an ethnocentric plague on academia a while back and still holds sway today. You might want to interlibrary loan York's book that I linked to, because it addresses your question better than I can.

 

[Jainarayan]

Is it because it is not very organised and it doesn't have a strict set of beliefs? Or is it because it's more of a way of life rather than a strict religion?

Both.

Chinese folk religion is very much a syncretization of Taosim, Buddhism and older indigenous beliefs, e.g. animism.

It's not unusual to see Buddhist deities in Taoist temples in China, and vice versa. One Chinese Taoist deity is Guan yu (a deified historical person), a warrior and protector god. In Buddhism he is 'Sangharama Bodhisattva', a protector of monasteries and the Buddhist community. He is revered in Confucianism also.

I believe similar questions apply to Shinto (the native Japanese religion), and the answers may well be similar as well. There is no need for such things, apparently.

Shinto is pretty much a given in Japan. Newborns are automatically registered by Shinto temples as Shinto, whether the family practices or not. I suppose the priests get birth records from hospitals? Shinto is the de facto religion of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Part of that is probably a legacy of Western, Abrahamic-centric bias that was an ethnocentric plague on academia a while back and still holds sway today.

My guess too.

 

[LuisDantas]

Paganisms in general are never treated as a world religion - or sometimes even as a legitimate religion - except for by a handful of scholars like this guy (who classifies both Chinese Folk religion and Shinto as Paganisms). Part of that is probably a legacy of Western, Abrahamic-centric bias that was an ethnocentric plague on academia a while back and still holds sway today.

For the record, I agree as well.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

My guess would be that UK is more influenced by Western civilization and that Chinese folk religion is probably practiced more by the Eastern civilizations.

 

[Ablaze]

With Chinese folk religion, one finds substantial overlap with other paths and philosophies, making the boundaries far less clear-cut than is the case with most "organized" religions.

 

[LuisDantas]

I very much doubt Chinese Folk Religion is practiced in any significant numbers outside China and neighbooring regions, or where Chinese people and their descendants live.

Although a good case can be made that a version of it lives on Mahayana Buddhism, of course. But that is a bit misleading. CFR isn't really Buddhism, nor is it quite Confucianism or Taoism. And I am willing to guess (a bit boldly, admitedly) that it has considerable internal variety among regions, and some versions of it are probably on the animistic side (as happens almost anywhere; "folk" religions are usually animistic despite their nominal doctrines).

 

[Jainarayan]

Adherents.com has this to say about Chinese Folk/Traditional Religion Major Religions Ranked by Size and Wikipedia Chinese Folk Religion demographics. I suppose this is as good a source as any.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Adherents.com has this to say about Chinese Folk/Traditional Religion Major Religions Ranked by Size and Wikipedia Chinese Folk Religion demographics. I suppose this is as good a source as any.

Doubt the first link, Judaism can't be that low.

 

[Jainarayan]

I wondered about that too, but it may in fact be correct
Jewish population by country - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
World Jewish Population | Latest Statistics
Total Number of Jews Grows - Jewish World - News - Israel National News

 

[Quintessence]

Doubt the first link, Judaism can't be that low.

It is, actually. Estimates vary somewhat, but Judaism is a very small religion by adherents.

Small numbers doesn't translate into small influence, culturally.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Hmm, very interesting. Learning something new every day.

 

[Benst]

To add to what people have already said, the issue with Chinese Traditional Religion is that it is more a grouping of regional traditions tied together into Chinese identity. A god might be worshipped in one region only, and a lot of the practices such as ancestor worship is so ingrained into the culture that they're not really regarded as religious. Likewise, because of Buddhism and Taoism and later Communism, there is no need for a communal religiosity because those aspects of the culture are represented through those other philosophies.

Likewise, when it comes to Chinese culture in general, the family is the centre of life and so a lot of worship happens in the home. If you go to any Chinatown, you'll come across shops selling items for home worship such as statues or paper money to burn.

Also, I doubt very much that the entire population of China identifies or even sees it as a religion, or even identifies themselves as adherents of it. Plus, being an ethnic religion strongly tied to ethnicity... there may not be a need for a second label. Judaism didn't exist as a title until the community was spread out. Identity is as important in the formation of a religion as anything, and if you're primary identity is not based on but incorporates elements such as religion then you're likely to identify yourself as... a Shintoist, a Chinese Folkist, etc,.