Even those who claim not to identify with any creed venerate their ancestors by burning incense and leaving offerings at temples. A report just published by the Pew Research Center on Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam highlights the difficulties of research linked to the term “religion”, which in local languages is often only associated with hierarchical organizations. The transition from one religion to another is greater than in other regions of the world.
Milan () – At first glance it might seem that there is no place for religion in the lives of East Asians. Adults are rarely seen praying and many say they do not consider it important, to the point that rates of disaffiliation (people abandoning the faith in which they were raised in childhood) are one of the highest in the world. However, an in-depth analysis shows that the majority of the population today continues to practice traditional rites, especially in relation to their ancestors, and retains a strong spirituality.
The data is derived from latest report published by the Pew Research Centerwhich conducted a survey of more than 10,000 adults in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Vietnam.
The research notes that an important point of the research concerns the term “religion” itself: “Common translations of ‘religion’ (such as ‘zongjiao’ in Chinese, ‘shūkyō’ in Japanese, and ‘jonggyo’ in Korean) to “They are often understood as referring to organized and hierarchical forms, such as Christianity or new religious movements, not to traditional Asian forms of spirituality,” the report says.
That is why a large number of adults – with percentages ranging from 27% in Taiwan to 61% in Hong Kong – declared that they “have no religion.” But of these people, approximately half make offerings or burn incense to their ancestors; at least four in ten believe in God or other higher entities; and more than a quarter believe in the spirits of natural elements such as mountains, rivers or trees.
“In other words – the report continues – when we measure religion in these societies based on what people believe and do, before the fact that they declare having a religion, from a religious point of view the region is more alive than that it might initially seem.” In this sense Buddhism, which historically characterizes several Asian countries, has been defined by members of different religions not so much as “a religion that one chooses to follow”, but rather as “a set of ethical teachings to guide actions” and “a culture of which one is a part”.
In Japan, for example, 42% of the population does not identify with any religion, while those who say they are Buddhists are 46%. But those who claim to have brought offerings to the temples in the last year were 70%. In Hong Kong, those who pray to Guanyin, the Buddhist deity of compassion, are 30%, despite the fact that declared Buddhists are 14% and Christians are 20%. In Vietnam, the only Southeast Asian country included in the survey, 48% of respondents said they had no religion, compared to 38% of Buddhists and 10% of Christians, but 86% had performed rituals. of ancestor veneration in the last 12 months. Among people not affiliated with any faith, the percentage even rises to 92%. In general, the importance of the ancestors is confirmed throughout the region, whose support many say they have felt and continue to feel in their lives.
The report also confirms the famous Japanese saying that one is born a Shinto, marries a Christian and dies a Buddhist. The rate of change from one religion to another ranges from 17% in Vietnam to 53% in South Korea and Hong Kong, to 32% in Japan and 42% in Taiwan. These are the highest percentages recorded so far by the Pew Research Center in various countries around the world. Additionally, several people said they felt a personal connection to the “way of life” of another religion or philosophy. For example, 34% of South Korean Christians said they felt connected to the Buddhist lifestyle, compared to 26%.
However, in general – says the research -, regardless of the fact that the religion of origin has been Buddhism, Christianity or Taoism (this especially in Taiwan), there has been a clear increase in disaffiliation in all the countries considered. , except in Vietnam, where the figure is only 4% and the proportion of people who declare themselves Buddhist has increased.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the percentages of people who believe that religion is very important in their life are very low: 11% in Hong Kong, 6% in Japan, 16% in South Korea, 11% in Taiwan and 26% in Vietnam. However, those who believe in karma are 87% in Taiwan, 75% in Vietnam and 76% in Hong Kong. In Vietnam, 42% of those interviewed said they had received an apparition from an ancestor in their dreams, compared to 40% in South Korea and 36% in Japan and Taiwan. In South Korea, 59% practice or have practiced meditation and 21% pray daily.
Add Comment