大多数西方人喜欢将这个词自然而然地与宗教绑在一起。他们认为,一个有信仰的人必然是某个宗教的信徒。因而,他们认为,中国人没有信仰,是非常可怕的。甚至还有文章指出,中国是无神论主导的国度,许多中国人将宗教信仰视为迷信,因而,中国人缺乏信仰,导致中国人没有统一的精神归属,每一个中国人都按照自己的意志行事,缺乏统一约束和共同凝聚力。然而,无论是这些西方人,还是这些无脑的文章,无不例外都犯了一个错,就是错误的将“信仰”与“宗教”这两个各自独立的词语人为地绑定在一起,混淆视听。在美版知乎Quora上,美国网友还问:如果你问一个中国人是否有信仰,他会怎么回答?我们看看各国网友的回答。





美国网友安哥维尔的回答

The Chinese are like any other people in many ways, and one example is their choice of religion.

中国人在很多方面和其他民族一样,其中一个例子就是他们对信仰的选择。

Chinese people may or may not follow any religion. Chinese people can be atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, Muslims, various Christian denominations, followers of traditional Chinese deities, Hindus, and even Jews.

中国人可能信仰任何宗教,也可能不信仰任何宗教。中国人可能是无神论者、不可知论者、佛教徒、穆斯林、各种基督教教派、中国传统神灵的追随者、印度教徒,甚至犹太教徒。



I have Chinese friends who are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Buddhist, agnostic (not sure if there is a God), and atheist (don't believe in God). I am a Baptist and in my area there is a Mandarin-speaking Baptist church and another church that teaches ESL classes for Chinese immigrants who have moved to the area. One thing I have found is that regardless of their religion, the Chinese as a whole seem to respect the beliefs of others. I also respect their right to believe (or not believe) whatever they want.

我有一些中国人的朋友,他们分别是浸信会教徒、卫理公会教徒、天主教徒、佛教徒、不可知论者(不确定是否有上帝)和无神论者(不相信上帝)。我是一名浸信会教徒,在我所在的地区有一个讲普通话的浸信会教堂和另一个教会,为搬到这个地区的中国移民教授ESL课程。我发现的一件事是,不管他们的宗教信仰是什么,中国人作为一个整体似乎都尊重别人的信仰。我也尊重他们相信(或不相信)他们想要的任何东西的权利。



If the person is a member of the Chinese Communist Party, then they must be atheist.

如果这个人是中国共产党党员,那么他们就必须是无神论者。

Westerners are misled or disinformation about China that there is no religion in China, or that China is hostile to religion, which is a misguided statement. There are many religions that are recognized in China. Many Chinese diaspora around the world believe in a variety of schools.

西方人被误导或造谣中国说,中国没有宗教,或者中国对宗教是敌对的,这是被误导的说法。在中国,有许多宗教得到了承认。许多散居在世界各地的华人信仰各种各样的流派。

If you ask a Chinese person if they have faith, they will probably give you a variety of answers.

如果你问一个中国人是否有信仰,他们可能会给你各种各样的答案。



中国台湾网友于赣的回答


They might ask which god you're talking about. In the coastal areas, Mazu is the most popular deity because she protects ships and sailors. She is also known as the "diva" and has been worshipped as far north as Tianjin. If you enter a Mazu temple, you will also see a healthy community of various deities sharing the temple with her. The more the merrier! Everyone has one!

他们可能会问你说的是哪个神。在沿海地区,妈祖是最受欢迎的神,因为她保护船只和水手。她也被称为“天后”,远至北方的天津都有人崇拜她。如果你进入一个妈祖庙,你也会看到一个健康的团体,各种各样的神与她共享寺庙。人越多越好!每个人都有!



妈祖


In any case, there are a variety of gods to choose from. The People's Republic of China is theoretically a pragmatic socialist country, and their people also worship gods, with more temples and activities in places like Hong Kong or Taiwan. For example, Taiwan Power companies learn from experience, so whenever they install large equipment, they hold proper ceremonies. Most businesses will hold simple rituals and offerings at appropriate times, and of course, people at home will also perform rituals according to their own habits.

无论如何,有各种各样的神可供选择。中华人民共和国理论上是一个务实的社会主义国家,他们的人民也崇拜神灵,在香港或台湾地区等地有更多的寺庙和活动。例如,台湾电力公司从经验中吸取教训,所以每当他们安装大型设备时,他们都会举行适当的仪式。大多数企业都会在适当的时候举行简单的仪式和祭品,当然,在家的人也会按照自己的习惯进行仪式。

There are also those who believe in only one God, such as Allah or Jehovah, but they are a minority and are not as flexible. For most people, if you ask them if they believe in God, they may not know how to answer, but if you ask them if they do incense, the answer is often yes.

也有一些人只相信一个神,比如安拉或耶和华,但他们是少数,而且不那么灵活。对于大多数人来说,如果你问他们是否信神,他们可能不知道如何回答,但如果你问他们是否上香,答案往往是肯定的。



中国网友王丽迪的回答

First, Chinese religion focuses more on tradition, cosmic balance, personal balance, and ancestor worship than on gods.

首先,中国的宗教更注重传统、宇宙的平衡、个人的平衡和祖先崇拜,而不是神。

Of course, there are gods, but they are more like myths about powerful souls than gods.

当然,神是存在的,但它们更像是关于强大灵魂的神话,而不是神。

When Christians and Muslims - those who believe in God - began to spread their religion there, their religion was not Chinese at all. Not only are they not from China, but they are not adapted to Chinese culture. Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism are compatible with Chinese culture; Christianity and Islam do not.

当基督徒和穆斯林——那些相信上帝的人——开始在那里传播他们的宗教时,他们的宗教根本不是中国的。他们不仅不是来自中国,而且也不适应中国文化。佛、道、儒与中国文化相契合;基督教和伊斯兰教没有。

Then came the social revolution of modern China, which meant that Christianity and Islam were not only ill-suited to Chinese culture, but also to Chinese policies or power structures. So Christianity and Islam have only a small foothold there.

然后是中国近代的社会革命,这意味着基督教和伊斯兰教不仅不适合中国文化,也不适合中国的政策或社会结构。所以基督教和伊斯兰教只在那里并不是主流。



中国网友江绍的回答


The Chinese see China as their mother. The mother will always be there for the child, but the child will not ask the mother to help solve every challenge in life.

中国人视中国为母亲。母亲会永远在背后支持孩子,但孩子不会要求母亲帮助解决生活中的每一个挑战。

Likewise, China gives me a solid sense of security. I am a native Chinese who is currently studying overseas. For example, if there is a crisis or a terrorist attack in this country, I know that my country's embassy here will ensure my safety and bring me back to China immediately. I know that my country will always shelter and support me, and I will always be grateful to her.

同样,中国给了我坚实的安全感。我是一个土生土长的中国人,目前正在海外留学。比方说,如果这个国家发生了危机或恐怖袭击,我知道我的国家在这里的大使馆会确保我的安全,并立即把我带回中国。我知道我的祖国将永远庇护和支持我,我将永远感激她。

To put it bluntly, most Chinese don't think much of God in times of crisis. In many Chinese myths and legends, people use their knowledge and strength to save themselves from natural disasters, rather than waiting for God or supernatural forces to be their saviors. With recent cases, such as SARS and H1N1, most of the news has been about advances in how the latest vaccines work, rather than reports of religious gatherings with prayers for health as the theme.

坦率地说,大多数中国人在遇到危机时都不太看重上帝。在许多中国神话和传说中,人们用自己的知识和力量从自然灾害中拯救自己,而不是等待上帝或超自然的力量成为他们的救世主。最近的病例,如SARS和H1N1,大多数新闻都是关于最新疫苗如何起作用的进展,而不是关于以祈祷健康为主题的宗教集会的报道。

We respect religion. At the same time, we also believe in our ability to solve problems. Here's another example:

我们尊重宗教。同时,我们也相信自己解决问题的能力。还有一个例子:

In the West: Long ago, God caused a great flood in the world. God told Noah to build an ark to take refuge, and then God stopped the flood.

在西方:很久以前,上帝在世界上造成了一场大洪水。神要诺亚造方舟避难,然后神阻止了洪水。

In the East: A long time ago, there was a great flood in the world. A man named Yu the Great led the people to work hard and finally dredged the flood and overcome the natural disaster.

在东方:很久以前,世界上发生了一场大洪水。一个叫大禹的人带领人们努力工作,最终疏通了洪水,战胜了自然灾害。



大禹治水

Do you see the difference now?

你现在看到区别了吗?

Yes, even in fairy tales, we Chinese have always believed in ourselves instead of relying on God for salvation.

是的,即使在神话故事中,我们中国人也一直相信自己,而不是依靠上帝来拯救。



网友卡伦•李的回答

You may not believe it, but in ancient China, more people worshipped Guan Yu than Confucius. He is the most chivalrous general in the Romance of The Three Kingdoms.

你可能不相信,在中国古代,崇拜关羽的人比崇拜孔子的人还多。他是《三国演义》中最有侠义的将军。

关公读春秋

He is a learned general. His favorite book was Confucius' Spring and Autumn Annals, which earned him the respect of Confucian scholars.

他是一位博学的将军。他最喜欢的书是孔子的《春秋》,这使他受到儒家学者的尊敬。

He is a man of his word. He made an adoration to Liu Bei. After a military defeat, he gained the admiration of his enemy Cao Cao, who was the emperor's prime minister at the time. In order to serve the emperor, protect the two sister-in-law left behind by his runaway brother, and meet his brother in the future, he surrenders to the Emperor (but is not an enemy). He was bribed with money, beauty, and positions by his enemies, but he only accepted the positions that the emperor offered him. He was given new clothes and a red fast horse, and he was happy for the horse, because it would allow him to find his sworn brother Liu Bei more quickly.

他是一个有信用的人。他与刘备结拜。在一次军事失败后,他得到了敌人曹操的赏识,曹操是当时皇帝的宰相。为了侍奉皇上,保护他逃跑的哥哥留下的两个嫂子,并在未来遇到他的哥哥,他向皇上投降了(但不是敌人)。他被敌人贿赂钱财、美貌和官职,但他只接受皇帝给他的官职。他得到了新衣服和一匹红色的快马,他为这匹马感到高兴,因为这匹马可以让他更快地找到他的结拜兄弟刘备。

He killed two generals for his enemies, in the process, he saw his brother, so he took two sister-in-law to see the brother. He killed six generals stationed at the Pass because they stopped him. In all battles, he only needs to swing his broadsword once to cut off the head of his enemy.

他为仇人杀了两位名将报恩,在此过程中,他看到了自己的哥哥,于是带着两个嫂子去见哥哥。他杀死了驻扎在隘口的六名将军(过五关斩六将),因为他们阻止了他。在所有的战斗中,他只需要挥动他的大刀一次就可以砍掉敌人的首级。

Then, one time, he was wounded in the arm by an arrow. Since arrows are poisonous, a famous doctor, Hua Tuo, performed an operation on him to cut open his arm and scrape the poison from the bone. But he insisted on not playing Ma Fei SAN, and instead played Weiqi with his vice general.

然后,有一次,他的手臂被箭伤了。由于箭是有毒的,一位著名的医生华佗给他做了手术,把他的手臂切开,刮掉骨头上的毒素。但他坚持不打麻沸散,而是和他的副将军下围棋。



刮骨疗毒

Since his death, he has been worshipped.

他死后,一直受到人们的崇拜。

In the Sui Dynasty, he was canonized as a Bodhisattva by Buddhism. In the Song Dynasty, he was revered as the "true king" by Taoism. In the Ming Dynasty, he was named "martial Sage" by the emperor. By this time, he was as important as Confucius. Shanxi people were often engaged in commercial activities in ancient times. They worshipped Guan Yu to show their credibility. So Guan Yu became the God of wealth.Since then, he has more folk temples than Confucius.

隋朝,他被佛教册封为菩萨。在宋代,他被道教推崇为“真王”。在明朝,他被皇帝封为“武贤”。到了这个时候,他的地位已经和孔子一样重要了。山西人在古代经常从事商业活动。他们崇拜关羽,以显示他们的信誉。于是,关羽成了财神。此后,他在民间的庙宇比孔子还多。

The most interesting is modern. In southern China, especially Guangdong and the Hong Kong SAR, the custom of worshiping Guan Yu still exists: during the British colonial period, the two groups most fond of worshiping Guan Yu were the Hong Kong Gangsters and the Hong Kong Police. I don't know which side he'll bless.

最有趣的是现代。在中国南方,特别是广东和香港特区,崇拜关羽的习俗仍然存在:在英国殖民时期,最喜欢崇拜关羽的两个群体是香港黑帮和香港警察。我不知道他会保佑哪一方。



海外网友Gordon Hsu的回答

This question is too broad. If you ask how many religions are there in China? Thousands! Many people think that most Chinese people are atheists, but in fact it is not completely correct, but the following statement is very close: many Chinese believe in the existence of supernatural forces, but do not really rely on them. Some of us believe in different 'gods' for different purposes. Some of us believe in 'heaven and earth', which literally means the sky and earth, heaven and hell or the universe, and it controls everything. Some of us believe in souls: people have multiple lives, or their souls protect their families, and so on. Some people believe in 'yuan', which means that luck or fate connects two or more unrelated people together.

这个问题太宽泛了。如果你问中国有多少宗教?成千上万!很多人认为大多数中国人都是无神论者,但实际上并不完全正确,但下面的说法很接近:许多中国人相信超自然力量的存在,但并不真正依赖它们。我们中的一些人为了不同的目的相信不同的“神”。我们中的一些人相信“天地”,字面意思是天空和大地,天堂和地狱或宇宙,它控制着一切。我们中的一些人相信灵魂:人们会有多重生命,或者他们的灵魂会保护他们的家人,等等。有些人相信“元”,这意味着运气或命运将两个或两个以上不相关的人联系在一起。

Besides religion, there are other cultural or superstitious taboos. Some taboos may be related to homophones, such as the number 4 being unlucky in China because it sounds like "" (pronounced as si) "death"; People should not use clocks as gifts, because "giving a bell" (singing a bell) and "giving a bell" sound the same as "sending the end of the day", until "the last moment with someone before their death, their funeral

除了宗教,还有其他文化或迷信禁忌。一些禁忌可能与谐音有关,比如数字4在中国是不吉利的,因为它听起来像“”(发音为si)“死亡”;人们不要把钟表作为礼物,因为“送钟”(歌钟)“送钟”听起来一样的“送终”,到“陪有人最后一刻在他去世之前,他的葬礼。”



钟表

China is still a Humanism country. Many Chinese believe in the existence of supernatural beings, so they are not atheists; However, supernatural beings, whether ghosts or spirits, have no higher status in the universe than humans. The existence of supernatural beings can be dangerous or powerful, just like tigers, but their role in the universe is not as significant as that of humans.

中国还是一个人文主义国家。许多中国人相信超自然生物的存在,所以他们不是无神论者;然而,超自然的生物,无论是鬼还是灵,在宇宙中都没有比人类更高的地位。超自然的存在可能是危险的,也可能是强大的,就像老虎一样危险和强大,但他们在宇宙中扮演的角色不如人类。

Confucius said that we should respect supernatural beings, keep a distance from them, and stay away from them. Confucius did not give supernatural beings any opportunity to disrupt human society and politics. But this does not mean that Confucius did not believe in the existence of God.

孔子说,要尊重超自然的生物,与他们保持距离,敬而远之。孔子没有给超自然的人任何机会来扰乱人类社会和政治。但这并不意味着孔子不相信神的存在。

Chinese people do worship some gods, however, gods have no power over human affairs. Chinese people treat gods, if they believe in them, just like they do not have scientific means to deal with other natural phenomena. Chinese people negotiate with supernatural beings through various rituals, trade with them, and drive them out of their own lives. But they believe that humanity will always be the ruler of the universe, and that humanity is the center of the universe.

中国人确实崇拜一些神,然而,神对人类事务没有权力。中国人对待神,如果他们相信有神的话,就像他们对待其他自然现象没有科学手段一样。中国人通过各种仪式与超自然生物谈判,与他们交易,将他们赶出自己的的生活。但他们相信人类永远是宇宙的主宰,人类是宇宙的中心。



于中国经商的美国网友罗伯特•保尔森的回答

There are all kinds of people in the world. People are people. Having the same human nature. Chinese people are no exception.

世界上有各种各样的人。人就是人。拥有相同的人性。中国人也不例外。

Some people have reached the age of going to college and living outside. Leaving home, this group needs a new home/group/community. Under the influence of religious dissemination, they feel that weekly gatherings sound good. Who cares about Jesus. These people seek group support more than spiritual support. Once inside, they are under the control of the church.

有些人已经到了上大学和住在外面的年龄。离开家,这个群体需要一个新家/群体/社区。在宗教传播之下,他们觉得每周聚会听起来不错。谁在乎耶稣。这些人寻求群体支持多于精神支持。一旦进去,他们就被教会控制了。

For some people, you give them money. They will go to the church. If you give them higher wages than farmers, they will become pastors and be willing to spread Jesus. This is just a job. A comfortable job.

对一些人来说,你给他们钱。他们将去教堂。你给他们比农民更高的工资,他们会成为牧师,乐于传播耶稣。这只是一份工作。一份舒适的工作。

Humans are afraid of death and the unknown. People say there is heaven. Okay, just in case, join in.

人类害怕死亡和未知。人们说有天堂。好吧,以防万一,加入吧。

Now it's your problem. Most Chinese people in mainland China do not believe in churches. One reason is that China also has creators and other gods.

现在是你的问题。大陆的大多数中国人不信仰教会。一个原因是中国也有造物主和其他神。

Many Chinese people also do not welcome churches because they undermine Chinese cultural traditions.

许多中国人也不太欢迎教会,因为他们破坏了中国的文化传统。

I study ancient civilizations. All cultures have creators. All creators have created the same sun, rain, people, animals, plants, mountains, etc. This means that it is the same creator. Some are monotheistic. Some are clustered. It's okay. It is the same creator who created the same thing.

我研究古代文明。所有的文化都有创造者。所有的创造者都创造了同样的太阳、雨、人类、动物、植物、山脉等。这意味着它是同一个创造者。有些是一神教。有些是聚的。没关系。是同一个造物主创造了同样的东西。

The Creator has given us different wisdom. Different wisdom=diversity=more than one religion or political system in the world. This is the design of the Creator.

造物主给了我们不同的智慧。不同的智慧=多样性=世界上不止一种宗教或政治制度。这是造物主的设计。

Why go to heaven? We don't need to join a religion, attend weekly gatherings, listen to others' chatter, or donate money. Very free. When it's time to leave, our underworld god must accept us unconditionally. Our god will not judge or threaten us, saying, "If you don't believe me, you will go to hell

为什么要去天堂,我们不需要加入宗教,不需要参加每周的聚会,不需要听别人喋喋不休,不需要捐款。很自由。该走的时候,我们的冥界之神必须无条件接受我们,我们的神不会论断我们或威胁我们说:“如果你不相信我,你就会下地狱。”



Organized religion is politics. This is about power and money. 3000 years ago, Confucius saw this and led China out of organized religion. Over the past 2000 years, China has gained freedom of religious belief and respect for other gods and religions. The West only gained freedom of religious belief after World War II.

有组织的宗教就是政治。这是关于权力和金钱的。3000年前,孔子已经看到了这一点,因此带领中国走出了(有组织的)宗教。2000年来,中国已经有了宗教信仰自由和对其他神和宗教的尊重。西方在二战后才获得宗教信仰的自由。

When it comes to power and money, it means that Christianity has harmed humanity.

当它和权力和金钱混杂在一起,这意味着它已经伤害了人类。

Article 8.2a of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples prohibits any action aimed at or actually depriving indigenous peoples of their integrity as distinct peoples, or of their cultural value or ethnic identity.

《联合国土著人民权利宣言》第8.2a条禁止采取任何旨在或实际上剥夺土著人民作为独特民族的完整性,或剥夺其文化价值或族裔特性的行动。

Cultural rights are a human right. The Canadian indigenous people went to the United Nations to sue the Canadian government for Cultural genocide. They won. The Canadian Government was wrong to impose European and Christian values on indigenous peoples.

文化权利是一项人权。加拿大土著人民去联合国起诉加拿大政府进行文化灭绝。他们赢了。加拿大政府把欧洲和基督教价值观强加给土著人是错误的。

I certainly hope that Chinese people are smart enough not to accept various Western sects. If you want to worship the Creator, then worship our 4000 year old religion. It is much more free than Christianity. It will not destroy Chinese culture.

我当然希望中国人足够聪明,不要接受各种西方教派。如果想崇拜造物主,那就崇拜拥有的4000年历史的宗教。比基督教自由得多。也不会破坏中国文化。