Christianity and Chinese Popular Religion: the Success of Christianity in China - Literature review Example

Cheng Xue Journal Entry #13 Kang Oct 22 Christianity and Chinese Popular Religion: the success of Christianity in China Introduction This essay analyzes that how the Christianity got success in China through the story of Assunta Pallotta and True Jesus Church (TJC). This analysis begins with the summary of both the articles and also offer comments related to different aspects of the articles. Additionally, to compare these two articles, one thing is very notable that the success of Christianity in China gives credits to Chinese culture and popular religion. Furthermore, the superstition considered by general scholars becomes positive factors to establish foundation of Christianity in China, such as the process of beatification of religious figure and religious healing. Personally I think the reason that both religions of Chinese and Western converge together is that the function of religion is the same in society although Chinese and Western Religion established based on different philosophy and cosmology. Summary of Both Articles The first article that I read first is “A Messianic Deliverance for Post-Dynastic China: the Launch of the True Jesus Church (TJC) in the Early Twentieth Century,” written by Lian Xi. In this article Xi searches the growth of the TJC as element of a rising native Chinese Christianity (Xi: 407-41). According to him in 1917, under the American Pentecostalism’s control this TJC started. By the 1990s, the number of TJC members was more than a million as it sprang up rapidly into a popular religious sect. However, this article supports the Chinese side to tell the history as the author argues that the foundation and development of TJC gives credits to the history experienced by China and upheaval of China’s society. In order to prove his argument, he organized his paper followed by time sequence and divided it according to the important historical events and eras. To begin with the Pentecostalism came from America since the movement was turning to be international. The missionaries came to China and spread it in China (Xi: 407-41). Then the foundation of TJC by Wei Enbo who was banished from Christian church because of adultery was established. Even though TJC experienced damage and expel by Japanese and communists since it is a radical sectarian, it still exist in both mainland and Taiwan and continuously become stronger (Xi: 407-41). Indigenization is the key word throughout the whole article and first I found it at the very early period that foundation of TJC: “it is likely that Wei’s unhappiness with foreign missionaries and the denominational churches they controlled had roots in personal grudge.”(Wei 415) TJC is very representative and symbolic that its original Chinese revelation is against the corrupt tradition of Western Christianity, which the author thinks presumable by Chinese missionaries. Furthermore nationalism is another important fact of localization. The principle “self-support, self-government, and self-propagation” is the sign of independence of TJC from the Western religion (Xi: 407-41). In the second article with the title “Rethinking Missionaries and Medicine in China: the Miracles of Assunta Pallotta, 1905-2005” written by Henrietta Harrison argues that, unlike former argument by other researchers, the discovery of story of Assunta Pallotta illustrates Chinese and Western converge themselves into a single process on both science and religion. Such interaction between Chinese and Western not only influences the local in Shanxi but also impacts the globe as a whole. Basically the article opens the discussion of the unity of Chinese and Western on both science and religion around the miracles of Assunta Pallotta (Henrietta: 127-148). A miraculous death and incorrupt body made this nun an immortal and deity in the heart of civilian who heard of her story, even though we can see from the article that some of the ‘miracles’ were fabricated or involved in intervene of missionaries (Henrietta: 127-148). First, Assunta Pallotta as propaganda of Western religion in China had a huge influence locally and later all around the world. Furthermore it advocates that women should follow merits of devotion of oneself to God, which is quite like the approval for women in Chinese popular religion. Thirds in some stories the practice of Chinese medicine in Western religion or the blend usage of both western and Chinese medicine occurred (Henrietta: 127-148). Moreover in both Chinese religions and western religions non-scientific and supernatural healing which largely involve with the belief and pray took place and have a deep implication: if one obeys the order from God and missionaries, one could recover from the suffering illness. Specifically this article talks about female gender play a role of healing and caring in her family, and the expectation and position of women in China’s society. Generally it shows the similarity, between Chinese and Western, that all of them formed a framework or process that make people believe and convinced in terms of science and religions (Henrietta: 127-148). Analysis and Comparison The main purpose of both the articles seems to tell the reader about the rise of the Christianity in China. However, both of writers use different approach to explain the ways in which Christianity rises in China. As in the first article, Lian Xi presented the story of the foundation of the TJC and its spread throughout China. Whereas, in the second article Henrietta present some of the similarities that exists in the traditions of both china and West. To explain his aspect he presents some of the cases that are found similar in both traditions (Xi: 407-41). According to him, TJC right from its starting, TJC has been able to create its special power through opposing a purportedly unique, pure revelation of Chinese directly from Christ to the presumptively corrupt traditions that are associated with a Christian Church which were brought in from the West (Xi: 407-41). Through this the growth of the TJC turned into an accepted revolution in opposition to overseas power in China for the period of the early Republican. Xi continues to present the progress of Christianity in China through the TJC and said that TJC represent a substantial chain of Chinese patriotism among the community of Christians. He further said because of some reasons TJC was also considered as a more high-spirited, articulate and sustained kind of patriotism in comparison with a few of the virulent eruptions of the practices and policies which shows hostility toward foreigners, foreign customs, in the 1st part of the 21st century (Xi: 407-41). In the history of China, the TJC’s growth looks to follow a developmental pattern which according to C K. Yang is "diffused religion." Yang said during the social disintegration, economic deterioration and civil strife, neither the traditional practices of social organizations nor the traditional ideology of once authority stayed sufficient. According to Yang, these conditions were “conducive to the development of popular movements in which superhuman powers, miracles, and a host of other supernatural ideas and phenomena . . . transcended the limits of mans earthly abilities and efforts to wrestle with overpowering situations” (Xi: 407-41). According to Xi, among various well known religious movements like Buddhist, Protestant, and Daoist were there but TJC is the only movement that develops during the period between the Qing and Communist (Xi: 407-41). Xi continues to present the involvement of Christianity in China and said by this way, the growth of the TJC and other local churches during the interval of the Republican indicates the development of accepted religion in modern China, while Christianity together with the local religions furnishes the main sectarian movements beliefs. With the beginning of the 21st century, the TJC made and an energetic return within China and the emergence of their byproduct groups which in many cases give expression to a flamboyant principles and practices of Pentecostal religious groups; characterized by religious excitement and talking in tongues along with fiery declarations regarding the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world proposes that such development is well currently in progress (Xi: 407-41). In the second article, the writer Henrietta Harrison in comparison with the article of Lian Xi present the success of the Christianity in China by showing the similarity of Chinese and Western traditions. He begins with the story of that occur in 1904 with Assunta Pallotta who as a member Mary’s Franciscan Missionaries came to China. She got died because of the misunderstanding of the Chinese doctor, who consider as illness as mild one (Henrietta: 127-148). During her dying prayers of Assunta, Marie Symphorien the superior French mother felt the sweet fragrance which according to the people present their was coming from heaven and soon after the death of Assunta the sweet smell gone. The sweet fragrance that was observed at time of death of Assunta was only a miracle (Henrietta: 127-148). This miracle got importance in the entire women community that were living in the little village orphanage where this miracle took place. According to Harrison this happens as this miracle was represented as a blessing of god with the highly contested qualities of obeisance to the superiors that are associated with a Christian Church, and particularly Superiors of Europe which Assunta had substantiated for them that year (Henrietta: 127-148). Later on Harrison explains the similarity of Chinese and European tradition by saying that healing by relics, holy water and ashes is feature of both traditions. He presented some examples of this similarity and said the usage of Xavier-water and Ignatius-water for the purpose of healing in Europe was created by plunging a relic of St. Francis Xavier or St. Ignatius in water and using it externally or internally, was one of the of the feature of the Jesuits (Henrietta: 127-148). Whereas, similarly in Daoist priests tradition in China healing by drinking water that contains the ashes of writing of a talisman, which after burn burning mixed in water. In the end he present an example of the practice that Buddhist monks in China do with bodies are similar to the practices that Catholic saints follow in the churches of Italy (Henrietta: 127-148). Conclusion Though both the articles show the success of Christianity but the approach that is adopted by the both the writers are different. Lian Xi in his Article presents the emergence and evolution of TJC whereas; Harrison explains the Christianity success by showing the similarities in both traditions. According to Xi, TJC right from its starting, TJC has been able to create its special power through opposing a purportedly unique, pure revelation of Chinese directly from Christ to the presumptively corrupt traditions that are associated with a Christian Church which were brought in from the West. He further said the TJC spreads so rapidly throughout China. However in the second article Harrisons started his ideas by presenting the miracle that happened in the little village of orphanage and Christians started following the concept that is similar to the concept that Buddhist follow in China. He said that the concept of the saint’s power and the folk medicine tradition in both China and Europe are similar. The research that made by Xi is better than that explained by Harrisons because Xi presented the evolution and development of TJC in China, whereas Harrisons only provides the similarities of traditions that are present in Europe and China. Work Cited Henrietta , Harrison. "The Journal of Asian Studies."Journal of Asian Studies. 71.1 (2012): 127-148. Print. . Xi, Lian. "A Messianic Deliverance for Post-Dynastic China: The Launch of the True Jesus Church in the Early Twentieth Century." Modern China 34.4 (2008): 407-41. Jstor. Sage Publications, Inc. Web. . Read More