I’m not contesting the relevance of your post, Xilin, in terms of feelings of cultural superiority, and the universal way power (perceived or real power) works. But if you know me and my comments here, you can take it for granted that I’m aware of such feelings. Obviously, I’m commenting from my personal perspective, not from the position of a CCP apologist.

It is clear to me that religion is between a Man and his God. Beyond that, you may call it religion, but it is really just association of MEN. In Taiwan, just as in the U.S., religion is BIG BUSINESS. They copy what the evangelists do in the U.S. – give away bibles and books, but ask for and get donations that are much more than what the publications are worth. The purpose? Allegedly to build more organization – both hardware and software, to proselytize even more.

It is also clear that there is no such thing as pure religion – most religious practices and teachings are affected by and infused with local culture. So it is not unnatural to mix the religious message with Chinese ethics.

‘This seems like a good counter-balance. Rather than just learning English or French, African children can now start to learn Chinese.’

I don’t know if you’re being ironic. I hope you are.

@JR,

You may not find this initiative remarkable, but perhaps you should. We are constantly being told, by those who will it so, that if China becomes a/the dominant super power, the world order will be different and China/the Chinese will not behave like previous powers. This example shows that at least one Chinese person is not immune to feelings of cultural superioty in an asymettrical power relationship.

@Dafuwong,

I assume from your comments that you saw the videos of the children singing and doing Shaolin Wushu. At least I’m not the only one who can see certain historical parallels.

@Zhu,

I meant ‘Chinese community in America’. I was typing on my phone. Religion in Taiwan is not representative of that on the mainland for a lot of reasons. Taiwan did not experience the CR. Furthermore, many missionaries came to Taiwan after 1949 when it wasn’t possible to go to the mainland. Lastly, religion is free in Taiwan: there are no state-run religions and, as far as I am aware, no religions are banned.

But the post is not just about Chinese religion. If you read the monk’s comments, you’ll see that he often refers to ‘Chinese culture’. For example, he is trying to instill Chinese ethics and morality through the rote memorisation of Qing dynasty works. And there are other changes to the children’s everyday lives – too many to mention here – which can be seen in their promotional video.

But, Zhu, what do you think about this charity and their aims?

‘Most Chinese I know are more agnostic than atheist.’

Are you saying that this is the case amongst the Chinese comy in America? In Taiwan and Chinareligion is alive and well. I agree with you that religion in Taiwan is not representative of that on the mainland.

Judging the matter from my individual perspective, I believe that children, as they grow up, will rather resent stuff like Master Li’s, than remembering it fondly. But obviously, that’s just my guess.

The problem with these approaches is that they think of themselves as the only possible “spiritual world” (even if they pay lip service to “diversity” – diversity meaning, in their context, that everything is “westernized and not pluralistic”. Their reality is bound to clash with too many other realities.

This seems like a good counter-balance. Rather than just learning English or French, African children can now start to learn Chinese.

Most Chinese (more than 90%?) truly do not have a religious culture in the sense of truly fearing a God. (Yes, to have faith is to fear the retribution of the God.). But the Chinese are in fact quite practical and plays multiple sides where it comes to faith. Most “Christian” Chinese that I know also believe in the most prevalent Chinese religious belief: “举头三尺有神明” (there is a greater power watching over you [so don't do bad things]).

Most Chinese I know are more agnostic than atheist. They suspect that there is something more enduring and more powerful than humanity. But they are not sure where that would be.

Besides, Taiwan is hardly “representative” of Chinese characteristics where it comes to religion. For example, much of Christianity in Taiwan is built around “bearing witness”, and often that drifts back to alleged “experience” of escaping the CR and somehow surviving the ill-treatment by the Red Guards on the Mainland. You would hardly find that in religion in China.