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Sources:

Followers:

http://boxspin.com/pav2/shenism-an-article-by-kami-newton/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_folk_religion#Theology_and_cosmology

https://sites.google.com/site/chinatude/home/sacred-scripture

http://www.faithology.com/chinese-folk-religion/overview

http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourchildlearns.com%2Fimages%2Fasia-map.gif&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.yourchildlearns.com%2Fasia_map.htm&h=567&w=512&tbnid=LgjSHdPKOtoUBM%3A&zoom=1&docid=C8HGz4T4J8BvNM&ei=YBK4VMuZL6n7ywPnyYAY&tbm=isch&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=305&page=1&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=0CCsQrQMwAw

Deities:

In china, more than 30% of the population believe in Shenism or Taoism. They are very similar and are usually counted as one religion. We are not sure if Taoism branches off of Shenism or if it is the other way around.

Below, there are some of the most important Deities:

  • Cangjie: the four-eyed inventor of the Chinese Characters.
  • Baxian (Eight Immortals): are important artistic figures that were deified* after their death. Now they are objects of worship.
  • Fushen: symbolizes joy and happiness. Looks like a Chinese lord with red clothing.
  • Lushen: God of success in work and life.
  • Heshen: Any Water-god.
  • Huoshen: The god of fire.

Story:

*deified: To make a god of.

Gods:

Shenism incorporates Chinese mythology and the worship of Gods, Goddesses, deities, animals and cultural heroes known as Shens. One of the most famous heroes in martial arts is the red faced hero, General Guan. The Sun and Moon play a very important role in Shenism. The Chinese calendar includes aspects of the lunar and the solar calendar. Mythical figures from Shenism have found their way into other religions.

Here are some of the most important gods and their representations:

Birth of religion:

  • Tian: represents "Heaven", although the correct translation is "Great One" "Great All".
  • Qi: "is the breath of which all things are made." Meaning he created the thought, gods, the living beings and the non-living beings.
  • Yin & Yang: "shady" & "sunny" or "dark" and "light". They both represent parts of the creations of Qi. Yin is the Qi in its dark and wet mode. Yang is the Qi in its dry, light and bright form. Also represented as "day" and "night".

Problems faced:

It is hard to trace back to the birth of this religion due to most of the information being passed on from generation to generation by word. Shenism continues thousands of years of tradition and beliefs.

As far as we know, there were no major problems the chinese religions had to overcome. These religions, teach you that it is not bad to believe in 2 things.

Changes in history:

Where is Shenism most common?

  • 1250 BCE: Ancient Chinese would inscribe questions on turtle shells.
  • Rulers were buried with goods.
  • 19th & 20th Centuries: The Chinese Folk Religion was subject to persecution.
  • Many temples were destroyed.
  • Recent years: Local governments have taken a positive and supportive attitude towards religions in the name of carrying on cultural heritage.

The chinese folk religion is most common in Southeast Asia. The Pew Research Center has collected statistics saying that 22% of the Chinese population practices the Chinese indigenous religion.

Ceremonies:

What Script do they use?

Shenism doesn`t have its own major sacred script. Most of it is passed on over generations by word. They do consider most of the Taoist texts to be attachments to their faith. Shenism is often considered as a branch of the Taoist belief. The holy script of Taoism is the Tao Te Ching.

" All in the world know the beauty in the beautiful, and in doing this they have (the idea of) what ugliness is; they all know the skill of the skillful , and in doing this they have (the idea of) what the want of skill is" - The Tao Te Ching

Rituals involving various folk gods and goddesses remain an important part of Chinese culture today. The chinese think, it is alright to worship other gods of an individual chosen religion as well. Above you can see people worshiping a god in front of a shrine.

Symbols:

Place of Worship:

Meaning, nobody really knows what e.g. ugliness is. They only know what beauty is, which means they have an idea what ugliness is.

Altar to

Baoshengdadi

Yin and Yang:

As earth (and the mountain) and heaven-sky (and the Seven Stars of the North) Heaven and Earth become one.

The "First Great temple by the Riverside", in Zhangzhou, Fujian.

The Earth, Heaven and various stars also play a central role in worship and folk tales.

Examples:

Shenism/ Chinese Folk religion

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