State, Market, and Religions in Chinese Societies (Religion and the Social Order) (Religion and the Social Order)

This collection of original, new studies about Mainland China and Taiwan focuses on religious changes, and especially the role of the state and market in affecting religious developments in these societies. Information was gathered by participant observation and interviews primarily, and the analysis of documents secondarily. The topics covered are: the growing interest in the study of religion, the methods used by Christians to be able to coexist with a communist government, revival techniques being used by Buddhist monks, the strategies of Daoist priests and sect leaders to attract followers, the significance of mass-circulating morality books, and the ongoing debate about the significance and nature of Confucianism. The book will interest social scientists, religious specialists, journalists, and others who want to understand the changing nature of Chinese societies, and those interested in religious change in modernizing societies. Preface (William H. Swatos, Jr)......Page 7 Introduction (Joseph B. Tamney)......Page 9 1. Between Secularist Ideology and Desecularizing Reality: The Birth and Growth of Religious Research in Communist China (Fenggang Yang)......Page 27 2. The Cross Faces the Loudspeakers: A Village Church Perseveres under State Power (Jianbo Huang and Fenggang Yang)......Page 49 3. The Bailin Buddhist Temple: Thriving under Communism (Fenggang Yang and Dedong Wei)......Page 71 4. Of Temples and Tourists: The Effects of the Tourist Political Economy on a Minority Buddhist Community in Southwest China (Thomas Borchert)......Page 95 5. The Changing Economy of Temple Daoism in Shanghai (Der-Ruey Yang)......Page 121 6. Temples and the Religious Economy (Graeme Lang, Selina Chan and Lars Ragvald)......Page 157 7. Helping People to Fulfill Vows: Commitment Mechanisms in a Chinese Sect (Paul Yunfeng Lu)......Page 189 8. Morality Books and the Moral Order: A Study of the Moral Sustaining Function of Morality Books in Taiwan (Chi-shiang Ling)......Page 211 9. The Fate of Confucianism as a Religion in Socialist China: Controversies and Paradoxes (Anna Xiao Dong Sun)......Page 237 Contributors......Page 263 Annotation This collection of original, new studies about Mainland China and Taiwan focuses on religious changes, and especially the role of the state and market in affecting religious developments in these societies. Information was gathered by participant observation and interviews primarily, and the analysis of documents secondarily. The topics covered are: the growing interest in the study of religion, the methods used by Christians to be able to coexist with a communist government, revival techniques being used by Buddhist monks, the strategies of Daoist priests and sect leaders to attract followers, the significance of mass-circulating morality books, and the ongoing debate about the significance and nature of Confucianism. The book will interest social scientists, religious specialists, journalists, and others who want to understand the changing nature of Chinese societies, and those interested in religious change in modernizing societies This is a collection of original, new studies about religious changes in Chinese societies, focusing on the role of the state and market in affecting religious developments. It will interest people who want to understand China and/or religious change in modernizing societies