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Taoist fightback - 1980 30% - 1990 22% - 2000 8.5% - 2010 10.5%

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Alfrescian
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Taoist chief helps give modern face to religion
He gets nice surprise as latest Census figures show faith is reversing its decline
By Lee Siew Hua, Senior Writer

TAOIST chief Tan Thiam Lye, 62, who has played a relentless role in rebranding a once fading faith, is looking forward to a bustling Chinese New Year.

For the first time in 30 years, he is comforted that the decline in Singapore's Taoist population has reversed. Today, 10.9 per cent of residents count themselves Taoists, according to Census 2010 figures released last month. This is a surprising - if slight - upswing from 8.5 per cent in 2000.

The Taoist Federation chairman had expected a continued dip instead, so this is 'very comforting news' for him. But he sees no room for complacency as the 2,000-year-old faith is still battling attrition from the young, sceptical and English-educated.

'The number of people who relate to Chinese beliefs has been declining,' he says sombrely. 'This is the bigger picture we must reflect on.'

He was already reflecting mournfully back in 1990 when Taoist numbers stood at 22.4 per cent - a pronounced slide from 30 per cent in 1980.

The fragility of Taoism - once the island's most popular faith - haunted him at Chinese New Year in 1991 when he visited the temple of his childhood in MacPherson. When he saw how empty the Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple was, he wept.

'I was thinking, Buddhist temples were so full and festive. But at my temple, there were no activities or decorations,' he says in Mandarin.

'People were playing football and badminton on the empty grounds instead. My tears just flowed,' he recalls. 'I had to do something.'

The following Chinese New Year, he arranged for a Taoist priest at his temple to lead prayers to Tai Sui, the deity of the year. Taoists believe that 60 Tai Sui deities - or Star Lords - take turns to preside over the world each year.

That first year, about 170 people showed up to pray for good fortune.

But over the next two decades, the event grew, with queue numbers and yellow paper dispensed to devotees to write prayers for blessings to Tai Sui. Last year, more than 60,000 people surged to the Sheng Hong temple for the month-long event, beginning on the fourth day of Chinese New Year.

His idea to popularise a tradition, while taking into account the needs of devotees, worked. And he has continued to apply those principles today.

In the past, he notes, Tai Sui prayers were the profitable domain of fortune tellers, who sometimes charge a hefty fee to pray for each family. Now, the Sheng Hong temple accepts any donation from worshippers or sells them stacks of joss paper at inexpensive rates.

Since 1992, the Tai Sui rituals, which originated in China, have spread to many temples here, with his encouragement. At least 20 temples also have halls dedicated to all 60 Tai Sui deities.

All this has put Singapore on the Taoist world map. Visiting Taoist leaders from Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and China speak admiringly of the event. Even the Chinese in Beijing and southern coastal cities hope to revive the tradition by learning from Singapore's livelier version.

'In Singapore, it is a family event. Many young families take part too. In China, it is a more personal and individualistic practice,' observes the businessman, who travels to China frequently for work and to visit sacred Taoist sites.

Mr Tan owns trading company Hoeli Enterprise, which specialises in products and handicrafts from China and Taiwan, and passed the reins to his elder son a few years ago.

Meanwhile, his activism has gained pace. He became secretary-general of the Taoist Federation in 1998, and its chairman in 2002.

Under his watch, the Taoist Federation Youth Group was launched in 2007, followed by the Taoist College a year later. Earlier, he started the quarterly Taoist News in 2005.

While he does not speak much English, he has encouraged public outreach in the language and the rise of young, bilingual, tech-savvy leaders such as Master Chung Kwang Tong, 26, a priest who is also the federation's administrator.

His academic director at the Taoist College is a young woman, Professor Xu Liying, 33, from Xi'an, China. He reasons: 'The image of Taoism is changing. It used to be more associated with the elderly. But Taoists are more educated and bilingual now, and merely going to the temple to pray cannot satisfy their spiritual needs. They want to use and share their knowledge.

'We also have social media and traditional arts,' he says, indicating that Taoism can have a modern face and a traditional spirit.

The influx of new Chinese immigrants like Prof Xu is one factor in revitalising Taoism here, he reckons. And more importantly, temples have become more dynamic in recent years, he points out.

These places of worship now bustle with year-round grassroots activities, offering tuition, study grants, childcare, student care, dialysis centres, travel, tai chi and even karaoke in the heartlands.

'All these were initiatives from the ground. The temples learnt from one another,' he notes.

Women's wings, youth groups and senior citizen panels have also sprung up in some of Singapore's 1,000 Taoist temples. Nearly half of them are members of the federation, which is now trying to unify the body of believers.

With the Census showing that Taoists and Buddhists have experienced the largest shifts to Christianity or the non-religious group, he knows that Chinese religions will have to intensify their use of varied grassroots platforms to reach out to more - and soon.

'Otherwise, the next generation may not feel comfortable visiting a temple. And like the community centres, if there are no activities, nobody will come,' he worries.

But in trying to contemporise his faith, he finds himself more than ever tangled with the basics.

Many times, town council members have asked him to intervene when high-rise flat-dwellers refuse to reposition their incense burners, which hang over parapets to face the heavens, to a less perilous place inside their homes.

Busy as he is, the adviser of more than 50 temples personally visits the families in places like Tampines and Bishan, often during Chinese New Year.

He recounts: 'They will demand, 'Where are you from? The HDB?'

'I say, 'No, I am from the Taoist Federation'.

'Then they say, 'Oh come in. Tell me what to do'.'

His preference for the personal touch was also evident when he called on 27 religious leaders to invite them to the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Taoist Federation last December.

Mr Tan, president of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), decided to turn the event at the Singapore Expo into an interfaith dialogue for 3,000 faith leaders.

'As the IRO president, I had a vision to unite leaders of prominent organisations. Now, we are friends,' he says, noting that Taoists are 'very embracing' of other religions.

He quotes from the Tao Te Ching, the classical Taoist text believed to be penned by Lao Tzu, to underscore the inclusive nature of the faith: 'All things end in the Tao as rivers flow into the sea.'

He adds: 'Taoism emphasises harmony and balance, in society and among faiths. So we take the first step to build bridges and to take part in the interfaith movement.'

At the anniversary, he and New Creation Church deacon Matthew Kang crooned a contemporary Hokkien ballad, Jit Lang Jit Puah - meaning One Half Each.

With that song, they put behind a painful year when Taoism hit the headlines for the wrong reasons. Taoists were offended that pastors of two megachurches - New Creation and Lighthouse Evangelism - made light of Taoist tenets in sermons uploaded on the Internet last year.

He says: 'The song has a profound meaning. The idea of one half for each person is that we can all co-exist and enlarge our common space.'

He, himself, was quick to pick up an idea from New Creation when he popped into its studio on two occasions to rehearse the song. He spied drums and modern instruments, and thought to himself: 'Taoists can do that too.' Religions can share best practices, he adds.

City Harvest Church is now a 'friend' too. Leaders from Singapore's biggest church, with an attendance of more than 33,000, and other faith leaders will visit the federation for a Chinese New Year lo-hei lunch for about 50 people on Saturday.

Chinese New Year is the most hectic season on his calendar, and an unmatched opportunity to rally the troops. For a whole month, he will be at his temple, day and night, to oversee operations.

He will not even pause to enjoy reunion dinner with his wife, two sons and three grandsons. The family will relish a steamboat feast at his temple instead.

But, no complaints. This Chinese New Year is bigger and brighter than ever for him.

[email protected]
 

Maximilian Chua-Heng

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《老子》第七十四章:“民不畏死,奈何以死惧之.”

The wise old sage in his Dao De Jing said the above many thousand years ago and it still holds true today.

May all in this forum have a fruitful Chinese New Year! :biggrin:
 

Devil Within

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Taoism is another fuck up religion of polluting the environment with burning of incense and "hell money" and whatever "hell" shit they made with paper. It make it's believers dumb and stupid and scare of whatever stupid supernatural nonsense. I say let this retarded religion die of nature course! That will do good for the people and the environment. The only thing good from Taoist is Tai-Chi and Bagua chuen.
 

sukhoi-30

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If Taoist leaders and temples continue to spread their faith actively to the grassroots level, they can shift the trend here in Singapore. They are studying the activities of churches and the evangelistic methods and have been applying a little of that to its outreach program minus the tithes.
For many years, Taoism and Buddhism are just sleeping when the Christian faith is aggressively spreading the faith. The Chinese population, due to many reasons were being converted in huge numbers but the main reason was the "bo-chap attitude of temples. No activities, no social services,no facilities for young people, no explanation for the rituals..who wants to be part of it/Taoists parents were embracing of all religion until they experienced the drastic changes their converted children have brought to the family. Many were just shocked.
They did not understand the Abrahamic and monotheistic religion of their children and thought the children are just believing in another deity within the same pantheon of deities they are familiar with !!!!!
 

Ramseth

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If I-Jing and Daode-Jing are canonical Taoist scriptures, where did all the patheon of dieties and superstitious practices come from? Very simple. It came from later embellishments via Chinese novels, from Canonisation Of The Gods to Romance Of Three Kingdoms to Journey To The West. The learned and imaginative authors intended to be literature and meant no harm. In fact, they meant to satirise religious and superstitious beliefs and practices. But somehow, many of their colourful characters, historically based or imagined, were somehow adopted as dieties in the name of Taoism.

I-Jing (Book Of Changes) is just probability maths and actuarial science for what's between order and randomness in nature and Daode Jing (Book Of The Way & Morals) is about natural immutable order between heaven, earth, human, animal and vegatation as the way (dao) and how human should fit in, live in it and through it with morals above animals (de). There wasn't any diety or superstitious practice to begin with, just philosophy and teaching. The only truly original Chinese religion is ancestor worshipping, ironically in common belief with Jews, Muslims and Christians in one life one soul forever. Then Buddhism came in with doctrines of rebirth and all hell is open.
 

Forvendet

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Sorry to all Taoists, I think Taoism is the most socially inconsiderate religion of all.

Noise pollution - The gongs and drums that Thaipusam can never match.

Air pollution - The burning of incense that only garbage incinerators can match.

It can only survive in societies with sizeable Chinese communities. Elsewhere, it'd be outlawed outright.
 

vamjok

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Sorry to all Taoists, I think Taoism is the most socially inconsiderate religion of all.

Noise pollution - The gongs and drums that Thaipusam can never match.

Air pollution - The burning of incense that only garbage incinerators can match.

It can only survive in societies with sizeable Chinese communities. Elsewhere, it'd be outlawed outright.

at least taoist don't declare Jihad or shout Allahu Akbar. among the 2 evil i prefer the noise
 

shOUTloud

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Is Taoism really making up grounds? I am not so sure. THe statistics in the papers showed that many of the "new" Taoists are those in the 40s and above. Basically they just change from Buddhism to Taoism. The real battleground is the youths which the Christians are winning hands down at the moment.
 

UseYourBrain

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The surge in taoism and chinese queing back in temples started when the casinos started opening their doors. which other religions give away lucky charm, 4D numbers etc etc? you can only find that in taoist temples. so, it is all about $$$$
 

shOUTloud

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The surge in taoism and chinese queing back in temples started when the casinos started opening their doors. which other religions give away lucky charm, 4D numbers etc etc? you can only find that in taoist temples. so, it is all about $$$$

Please lah. Only Taoists gamble meh. I am sure there are enough Christians and Muslims inside as well. Stop maligning the religion.
 

UseYourBrain

Alfrescian
Loyal
Please lah. Only Taoists gamble meh. I am sure there are enough Christians and Muslims inside as well. Stop maligning the religion.

You are either not able to comprehend simple 3 liners or simply being over defensive. No where did i say others who are not taoist do not gamble. What i am saying can you get 4D, lucky charms for gambling from churches, mosques or synagouge ......?
 

Ramseth

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
The surge in taoism and chinese queing back in temples started when the casinos started opening their doors. which other religions give away lucky charm, 4D numbers etc etc? you can only find that in taoist temples. so, it is all about $$$$

Yeah, can't find Jews, Christians or Muslims praying for lottery or gambling luck. But Buddhists do that too. Not so sure about Hindus.
 

Jah_rastafar_I

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Sorry to all Taoists, I think Taoism is the most socially inconsiderate religion of all.

Noise pollution - The gongs and drums that Thaipusam can never match.

Air pollution - The burning of incense that only garbage incinerators can match.

It can only survive in societies with sizeable Chinese communities. Elsewhere, it'd be outlawed outright.



What's your religion?


Yeah only in a tolerant society like sg can a minority like you go around insulting the chinese religion. That's cos chinese ppl are super tolerant but you just take yards and start to find fault with every aspect of chinese culture and tradition.

Why not you say bad things about indians in india for eg?

Or malay drumming and noise and shouting during weddings?
 

Jah_rastafar_I

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
at least taoist don't declare Jihad or shout Allahu Akbar. among the 2 evil i prefer the noise



Guess what that fool is just a racist trying to find fault with everything chinese. If the chinese religion had ppl shouting allah akbar i can bet you 10000% that asshole would be condemning it to hell.
 

Forvendet

Alfrescian
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What's your religion?

I'm an atheist.

Yeah only in a tolerant society like sg can a minority like you go around insulting the chinese religion. That's cos chinese ppl are super tolerant but you just take yards and start to find fault with every aspect of chinese culture and tradition.

Not every aspect, just some aspects.

Why not you say bad things about indians in india for eg?

Or malay drumming and noise and shouting during weddings?

Thaipusam and all kinds of such procession that cause traffic jams should banned. All religious activities should be conducted inside their temples, churches and mosques. Malays wedding dinners should be held at restaurants; Chinese funerals should be held at funeral parlours.
 

Himerus

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maybe now the chinese population is dwelling,old man is scared,so now they are trying to bring back old tradition and encourage chinese to produce more babes.
 

Leckmichamarsch

Alfrescian
Loyal
Sorry to all Taoists, I think Taoism is the most socially inconsiderate religion of all.

Noise pollution - The gongs and drums that Thaipusam can never match.

Air pollution - The burning of incense that only garbage incinerators can match.

It can only survive in societies with sizeable Chinese communities. Elsewhere, it'd be outlawed outright.


Prophet Mohd fucked 9 yr old girl........ socially and morally acceptable?:biggrin::biggrin:
 
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