The British historian Arnold Toynbee once said that there are three conditions for a "higher religion": First, a higher religion teaches that mankind is imperfect, and therefore needs to be instructed and cultivated, and in particular to learn how to transcend the problem of death. Second, a higher religion declares war on sin and evil, and engages in good works. Third, a higher religion teaches individuals to be courageous in the face of life's hardships, as opposed to being simply a tool to forestall calamities (like illness or natural disaster) or even to reap material benefits in the mundane world.
Can these standards apply today in Taiwan? Everyone has a personal yardstick; what is your standard?
According to the Ministry of the Interior, currently in Taiwan there are only 16 legal religions. Several belief systems that are well known in society are "unlicensed." Do religions need legal legitimization? This has long been a matter of debate among scholars.
Based on an extensive study done by the Academia Sinica about new religions, new religions have only a small "market share," accounting for probably only about 10 percent of all religious believers.
As Lin Pen-hsuan, an associate professor of religion at Aletheia University, says: "Most people still prefer to take the well-trodden path, and follow a famous monk, or else just donate money to charity on a regular basis and burn incense in the temple twice a day, rather than have to become a truly practicing believer."
Generally speaking, personal relationships are the major basis on which people choose a religion. The number of people whose friends or family say "just come to the service and sit for a while" or "I'll introduce you to a great personage" far exceeds the number who first understand a religion deeply before becoming a practicing member.
However, others follow a religion based on their personal experience of its apparent utility. If a person falls ill, for example, and a certain religion promises to be efficacious in curing him or her, then they fervently practice that religion. If the religion doesn't seem to work, they find another the next time they fall ill. You might call this the "grazing" type.
Whatever your reason for considering becoming a member of a religion, there are some simple guidelines that can help you understand the religion before you join. Unfortunately, these guidelines are just words on paper. Only if you have a lively and wary mind can you get past the dazzling religious packaging, and understand whether a belief system is wisdom or waste. Here are some questions to ask:
1. Is the religion based on doing good?
"Wisdom, compassion, and karma." According to the Venerable Dharma Master Hsin-tao Shih of the Ling Chiu Shan Monastery, these are the three principles for testing whether or religion is genuine. "Do the teachings seek to inspire your intelligence? Do they develop your sense of charity and concern? Do they make you feel in awe and focus on the good?"
Li Wei-sheng, primary messenger of the T'ienti Teachings Association, says that the core doctrine of a genuine religion should be strengthening the individual believer, not reliance on the religion's leaders. There are also higher and lower forms of religion in terms of purpose: Some religions have concern for all mankind or all living things, and seek harmony among Heaven, man, and earth, while others seek personal utility.
2. Is the theoretical structure complete and internally logical?
Few believers are much concerned with doctrine when they first enter a religion, and can't see whether or not there are any contradictions in it; their difficulty is further increased by the mix of beliefs that characterize most new religions. The simplest method is to see if the beliefs pass the test of debate. If a friend wants to challenge your belief system, don't evade the test. Truths should emerge even stronger and clearer the more they are debated.
3. What objects are worshipped and how?
The object of veneration of a religion, whether it be Buddha or God or whatever, should be a good and great figure (as opposed, say, to some idol or evil spirit). Moreover, the more dignified and open the rituals of the religion, the better. The more obscure and mysterious rituals are, on the other hand, the more possibilities there are for misuse and abuse.
4. In what sense is the supreme leader holy?
The leader of a religion or a sect should come from a clear line of succession with core beliefs. Some religions have no textual authorities, so whatever the leader says becomes "truth." Some "holy men" are nothing but quacks who spout the first thing that comes into their head. Some claim special powers, such as the ability to "split their essence" and be everywhere at once, so their followers can feel their presence at all times.
"Faith in a religion means faith in its precepts, not faith in some individual," says Master Hsin-tao Shih. Blind belief in a "cult of personality" is dangerous. The relationship between a leader and followers should always be based on the principle of strengthening the individual, not on dependence.
5. Does the religion claim mystical powers?
In some religions, when the congregation convenes, people are asked whether they are possessed by demons. In some religions, every problem is the work of evil spirits. If your husband is having an affair, he must have met a fox-spirit. If your child is ill, she must be possessed. If your business is failing, there must be some unfulfilled debt from a previous lifetime. And, it goes without saying, the only one who can dispel evil forces is the religion's leader.
This type of religion, in which everything is the work of otherworldly forces, is full of potential traps to cheat people out of their money or draw people into sexual relations. In the end, use of "mystical powers" is not for the general good, but only specific cases, whereas legitimate faith is based on the well being of all.
6. Can you freely come and go?
A spiritual quest should in principle be "introduction by the master, self-cultivation by the individual." There should be no compulsion involved. Moreover, many spiritual figures have themselves studied under famous teachers, so they should have no patience for keeping reluctant followers at their sides.
But some religions, especially those that emphasize secrecy and unorthodox beliefs, do not allow members to freely come and go. Members who wish to leave are seen as "traitors," made victims of threats and harassment, or even put in fear for their lives.
These types of religions consider those within the group to be "saved," while those outside are the "damned." This division into the good (us) and evil (them) makes the group increasingly closed and exclusivist. In serious cases this may lead to "anti-social" behavior.
7. Does the religion make extreme demands?
Since the exposure in the media of religion-based swindles, many people are amazed that some believers will still do things like spend millions of NT dollars to buy a final resting place for their ashes that has been specially blessed by a master. Yet such things are common: Out of faith, people spend huge sums for dZi beads or statues of the Buddha, or donate huge sums for charity or disaster relief.
Scholars of religion warn: If a religion emphasizes or requires material objects, this is usually not a good sign. Wisdom and spirituality cannot be purchased, no matter how much is spent on material objects. A person who has a correct view of what constitutes a sound religion will not easily be hooked by con artists.
Although the pursuit of spirituality is important, always remember that people still live in the "real world" and have real obligations. Before becoming a monk, didn't Jia Baoyu, hero of the novel Dream of the Red Chamber, get married and have a son? Thus, beware of a religion that is emotionally manipulative or makes demands on believers to commit too early or too much. For example, if believers are required to move away from their original environment and live with other believers, or are encouraged to leave home and become monks at a tender age, or to provide large sums of money to support the religious leader, you have to think carefully about whether such actions are your own will or not. Don't go along with something under pressure from others.
8. What do current members have to say?
The depth of a religion can sometimes only be felt, not conveyed in words. When you look into a religion, see how many senior believers there are. Are their life experiences, levels of education, and character similar to yours? After long exposure to the religion, are they happier and more open, thoughtful, and kind? Or are they angry and worried? If you follow them, will you feel at ease?
In the end, it should be up to the individual-not the government-to choose a religion. Li Wei-sheng says that the more open government policy on religion is, the better, and everything should be left to the "market." Religions should definitely not be forced underground. "People can only understand a religion that is aboveboard and transparent."
Pointing to the case of the Catholic Church punishing Galileo as a heretic, Lin Pen-hsuan says that we don't want government to repeat the same mistake, and be in the position of deciding who is "acceptable" and who "heretical." Amidst talk of the "end of religion," new religions are popping up all over. The most important task now is to improve education about religion and increase understanding of what constitutes a genuine religion. As for the rest, it is all up to the individual believer.
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