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Scitus Academics LLC Religion in Contemporary China Revitalization and Innovation by Kennith Rayne
In the 1970s it was commonly asserted that “Chinese religion,” atleast as it
had existed during Qingdynasty times, had ceased to existal together. But
something rather curious occurred between the 1970s to the late 1990s and
the present. Chinais home to more than 20million Muslims, and the number
of mosques, including women only mosques, has been rapidly growing.
Chinais also predicted to become the world’s largest Christian nation with
in ten years. Tibetan Buddhism, once aminor religion, now a d ays attracts a
large number of followers among the wealthy and educated Chinese middle
class. Periodically there is another crack down on religious activity, but it
would certainly appear that religion in China today, whichis clearly
derivative of traditional Chinese religion, with certain modern additions,
has come back within creasing force. For the most part, nowadays the
Chinese people have relative autonomy to practice any of the officially
approved religions, as long as that does not pose a challenge to the
established social order or the political status quo. An increasing number of
people are availing themselves to the varied opportunities for religious
engagement and expression. On the whole, there is a discernible trend
towards greater religious participation, although China still comes across as
being much more secular when compared to other countries with high
levels of religious belief and affiliation, such as the US or India. On the other
hand, there is probably more religious participation in China than in much
of Europe.
Religion in Contemporary China: Revitalization and Innovation provides
wide-ranging studies of contemporary religious practices in China. It
examines the different processes and me chzanisms of religious revivals
and innovations, and, more broadly, relates the Chinese example of
religious revitalization tolarger issues of social and cultural continuity and
change. Along with China’s a stonishing economic grow thin recent years,
Chinese religions have enjoyed aremarkable renaissance. Buddhist, Daoist,
and popular religious temples have flourished. It focuses on the fact or
sunderly ingtheon-going popularity of templecults, localdeities, temple
festivals, andt he privatization of popular beliefs—which are all
deeplyrootedin Chinese rural life. Inaddition, ittries to offers ome new
perspective sonthe study of urban religionin contemporary China.