Christianity is a minor religion in China despite its popularity overseas. Wondering why Christianity does not appeal to non-Christians and non-believers, CCD interviewed several non-believers and non-Christians as to why they do not want to convert to Christianity.
‘Taoism is Better than Christianity’ – Ms. Wang
According to clothing store owner Wang Ying, she found out that Taoism and Christianity are actually similar when she attended church twice. Because of this discovery, she thinks that religion persuades people to do good and even if she doesn’t convert, it would not matter because they preach the same things.
She also said that Taoism preaches that its followers to “let nature take its course” and to follow the course of karma, adhering to the traditional Chinese belief.
Taoism also teaches people to return to nature and follow Tao completely and without being influenced by anyone. It also stresses the development of relations between humans and nature, alongside human to human relationships. Taoism also enlighten its followers and assist in shaping one’s ideal character and strengthen themselves against any type of challenges.
‘I respect religions but I refuse to be a part of these movements’ – Ms. Zhou
For accountant Zhou Jie, she doesn’t want to believe in any type of religion.
It isn’t because she doesn’t respect religions and their doctrines, she acknowledges that each one is unique. She even uses the doctrines and teachings of these religions to build her perceptions in life. However, she does not want to be bound to a specific religion because it will restrict her freedom.
She also has Christian friends who teach her the gospel and she even went to church with them a couple of times. However, she was never attracted to convert to Christianity.
“There is no specific difference between Christians and non-Christians” – Brother Xiong
Brother Xiong was originally a Christian and joined the church in the past because if one has a religion, they can say they have morals and credibility that would boost their words and deeds.
At first, he was overwhelmed with the love given to him by the Christians and the freedom he felt was very new. However, as the days passed, he realized that there isn’t much difference when it comes to Christians and non-Christians as he saw followers who are not so holy, loving and noble. There are instances that they would cry “one cannot serve both money and God”, but they would pursue fame and wealth when they are outside the church.
He then added “Gradually I didn’t want to go to church that much, holding that it seemed no difference between Christians and us, normal people, so does it matter whether I have faith or not?”
These are just some of the opinions of Chinese who do not believe the faith and there are other reasons why they do not adhere to the faith.
China has long preserved its traditional customs and philosophy for the past thousand years and some of them fought for these traditions to death. It is because of this long history and culture that many Chinese believe that it is enough to adhere to the same religion and beliefs their ancestors believe in and act in accordance to these beliefs so peace and goodness can be attained.
Written by Elsie Hu of China Christian Daily
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