Taipei History

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The second reason that makes this religion unique is the spirits that they associate with. These visions include;

- Tutelary or the guardian spirits - these include the founders of the nation or the ancient patriots of the land. They are either the ones who were worshiped by the villagers in old times or those instituted by the early chines in the Taiwan. They also include past male and female heroes of the land the former able ministers who served in the previous government.

- Nature spirits of the caves - or also the minds of the rocks, trees, hills and other physical features present in the area.

- Immortals and holy sages – in the Taiwanese or somewhat Asian folk traditionalists who believe in this religion, together with lady lieu Hanh including the Mandarin snakes and the five tigers forming the perfect ensemble in the belief of the great shamans and even mediums.

- Deities of Cham and Khmer origin – this includes the whale spirits, the Neak Ta and Po Yan Inu Nagar

- Founding patriarchs of the arts and crafts – this include martial arts, marginal domestic spirits, domestic deities and the lonely ghosts that they believe in.

The second last in this list is the extent of influence of this religion in the culture of the Taiwanese. The present behaviors of the Taiwanese and even those who don’t believe in this religion are inclined and or naturally reflect theses concept of the faith. The Taiwanese do not make clear the distinct difference between the secular and sacred as clearly as other westerners precisely do. And therefore, the total lives of Taiwanese people are more affected by the religious concepts that seem to be more of an American pattern or way of life. And in this part of the world, the main religion is the Chinese folk tradition that nearly all the ethnic groups are part of. But not to ignore, animism is found in the most or critical religious faiths in this region, which is a notable feature of this religion.

This religion seems to be more liberal in sexual aspects. The religion presents a dozen of examples that show this attitude from the very beginning of the faith till to date. Lingam and Yoni worship is the most common that promote these reactions. Although there is also the worship of No Nuong. These worship centers are located in the centers of these genitals symbols by the village chiefs or elders as commonly known in these areas. The small boys and girls are called out Tung Tung which is according to the beats. Apart from these, there is also a game of grabbing eels placed in a jar. Where each team consisting of young men and feminine looks into the pot, but the young men keep only one hand on the young ladies breast. Also at the same time, a panel of judges observes along with the experienced or aged elders of the village who call out to tease them.

Part 3

Although I never noticed several sacred things about this religion I must admit that unlike the western religion back in America which most are henotheistic, this religion comprises several different other belief systems. Its syncretize nature allows the combination of other local or borrowed beliefs and practices from other religions which make sit weird in a way. This is because I feel there is no need to drop the Chinese religion in favor of that of other indigenous groups.

Also, this religion is somehow a combination of several other small religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Therefore many people instead of following the religion they develop a collection of several believes. These beliefs include shamanism, ancestor worship, magic and even ghosts. This makes the doctrine quite tricky for an individual to understand and define. This is since it has all phrases for an unofficial mixture.

Reference

Pearlman, E. (2002). Tibetan sacred dance: A journey into the religious and folk traditions. Rochester, Vt: Inner Traditions.

Campbell, T. (n.d.). Gods & Goddesses of Ancient China. New York: Rosen Digital.

Chamberlain, J. (2009). Chinese gods: An introduction to Chinese folk religion. Hong Kong: Blacksmith Books.

In Jia, J. (2014). Gendering Chinese religion: Subject, identity, and body.