Are east asians the least "religious" people?

[Regnera]

I thought Scandinavians are as atheist as us east Asians.

[Pascoal]

I thought Scandinavians are as atheist as us east Asians.

You though wrong. They aren't much atheist in real life.

[Nausevar]

I have a work colleague of chinese descent. Recently he was asked what was his religion. He said he was atheist.
I asked before communism what was the religion of China and he replied "always atheist". Very wierd moment.

[Sacrificed Ram]

The question is:

Is "religion" a valid concept/term to apply in East Asians?

[Regnera]

I have a work colleague of chinese descent. Recently he was asked what was his religion. He said he was atheist.
I asked before communism what was the religion of China and he replied "always atheist". Very wierd moment.

We Chinese are not always atheistic,we were very spiritual before 1949,in fact there're a non-religious believing system called"Chinese folk-believe" on Wikipedia.

[Hexachordia]

I do not think most common chinese people really understand their own history and culture. Random chinese will always speak the stereotypical answers to everything as it being the norm for being a chinese anywhere. In depth discussion about religion you can hardly find a willing chinese citizen like me. Although I do not represent the majority of chinese people, but I am not historically groundless. I am as distinctive as in biological traits as well as in my religiosity, so distinctive that I can not sum up in an essay, but in books? I am not that vain. Rather than making a book for fame or distinction, I would rather look for similar predecessors or contemporary like-minds for inspirations. Socrates was one of these.


Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World
Tim Whitmarsh

His dialogue Phaedo, set on Socrates’ last day, argues for a kinship between the soul and the forms. On death, the souls of the virtuous are permanently released from the confines of the body, whereas those that are beholden to bodily pleasures are condemned to reincarnation. These theories depend on a series of parallel oppositions: body/soul, matter/spirit, this world/the next, senses/mind, particulars/forms. Whereas the Socrates of the early Platonic dialogues had thought it his mission to live a virtuous life in this world, the later Socrates puts the emphasis on escaping from it into a pure, transcendent realm of the soul, free from bodily impurity.

Plato laid the ground-rules for Greek philosophy, and his theistic swerve towards the end of his life had a major influence. For the Stoics, the Timaeus’ model of cosmic design was the proof-text. The Christian fathers, too, expended much energy on blending the Platonic and Judaeo-Christian metaphysics and creationism. It is no exaggeration to say that the design-based arguments for the existence of God that proliferate even now were stabilised by Plato. And yet the execution of Socrates for ‘not recognising the gods of the city’ is an integral part of that story of how Plato came to that position. Before Plato’s theism there was Socrates’ playfully subversive humanism: based, to be sure, in a sort of divine revelation, but its ultimate message was that you make your own principles and you live by them.

Socrates`s famous excution was a result of his religious reformation, but according to Plato, he clearly was not an atheist but had created his own principle of life based on daily practices which were not religious , but spiritual and virtuous. Sounds a bit like Buddhism, but however, in a context of his own self-confessed theistic conviction. I am the Socrates of China? China need countless Socrates not just one like me(So does the world).

From the same essay:

But while Xenophon tries to present him as a regular Athenian, in religious terms, Plato takes the bull by the horns. His Socrates is a pious one–but in a wholly new way, which threatens to subvert the very foundations of conventional Athenian religious sensibility.

This spiritualism can hardly be definitely categorized into any established religious denomination, but each might claim different kind of religious backgrounds like Socrates still claimed he confirms he believes in god or gods however he was not acquitted of atheism and sentenced to death. Still Plato confirmed his faithfulness. So from this famous case, if some chinese people adopt similar spirituality even by oath Buddhism, they could still be considered as atheists. Our modern people are quick to stereotype and put epithet on people(even on themselves, say sheepleness). So I think when comes to serious considerations of matters like religious culture and identity, you can never conclude anyone is atheist simply by his words, untill he swear on the book of Das Kapital or sacred texts. For myself, you can hardly say how religious I am but I can swear upon my heart, I am not an atheist !! Summing up, it is safe to say, China lack a dominant religious denomination, not that China being atheistic.

[Incal]

I do not think most common chinese people really understand their own history and culture. Random chinese will always speak the stereotypical answers to everything as it being the norm for being a chinese anywhere. In depth discussion about religion you can hardly find a willing chinese citizen like me. Although I do not represent the majority of chinese people, but I am not historically groundless. I am as distinctive as in biological traits as well as in my religiosity, so distinctive that I can not sum up in an essay, but in books? I am not that vain. Rather than making a book for fame or distinction, I would rather look for similar predecessors or contemporary like-minds for inspirations. Socrates was one of these.


Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World
Tim Whitmarsh

His dialogue Phaedo, set on Socrates’ last day, argues for a kinship between the soul and the forms. On death, the souls of the virtuous are permanently released from the confines of the body, whereas those that are beholden to bodily pleasures are condemned to reincarnation. These theories depend on a series of parallel oppositions: body/soul, matter/spirit, this world/the next, senses/mind, particulars/forms. Whereas the Socrates of the early Platonic dialogues had thought it his mission to live a virtuous life in this world, the later Socrates puts the emphasis on escaping from it into a pure, transcendent realm of the soul, free from bodily impurity.

Plato laid the ground-rules for Greek philosophy, and his theistic swerve towards the end of his life had a major influence. For the Stoics, the Timaeus’ model of cosmic design was the proof-text. The Christian fathers, too, expended much energy on blending the Platonic and Judaeo-Christian metaphysics and creationism. It is no exaggeration to say that the design-based arguments for the existence of God that proliferate even now were stabilised by Plato. And yet the execution of Socrates for ‘not recognising the gods of the city’ is an integral part of that story of how Plato came to that position. Before Plato’s theism there was Socrates’ playfully subversive humanism: based, to be sure, in a sort of divine revelation, but its ultimate message was that you make your own principles and you live by them.

Socrates`s famous excution was a result of his religious reformation, but according to Plato, he clearly was not an atheist but had created his own principle of life based on daily practices which were not religious , but spiritual and virtuous. Sounds a bit like Buddhism, but however, in a context of his own self-confessed theistic conviction. I am the Socrates of China? China need countless Socrates not just one like me.

From the same essay:

But while Xenophon tries to present him as a regular Athenian, in religious terms, Plato takes the bull by the horns. His Socrates is a pious one–but in a wholly new way, which threatens to subvert the very foundations of conventional Athenian religious sensibility.

This spiritualism can hardly be definitely categorized into any established religious denomination, but each might claim different kind of religious background like Socrates still claimed he confirms he believes in god or gods however he was not acquitted of atheism and sentenced to death. Still Plato confirmed his faithfulness. So from thsi famous case, if some chinese people adopt similar spirituality even by oath Buddhism, they could still be considered as atheists. Our modern people are quick to stereotype and put epithet on people, so I think when comes to serious consideration of matter like religious culture, you can never conclude anyone is atheist simply by his words, untill he swear on the book of Das Kapital or sacred texts. For myself, you can hardly say how religious I am but I can swear upon my heart, I am not an atheist !!

Quality post.

I miss this kind of discussions, nowadays people only post stuff like "Can I pass in Europe?", "Who looks closer to Spaniards? Timorese or Balochi?", "Is my neighborhood in northern Mexico the whitest place in Latin America?" and related BS.

[Hexachordia]

I miss this kind of discussions, nowadays people only post stuff like "Can I pass in Europe?", "Who looks closer to Spaniards? Timorese or Balochi?", "Is my neighborhood in northern Mexico the whitest place in Latin America?" and related BS.

Thanks for appreciation. The religious perception of chinese culture has been a major problem for me, and, also the better religious perception of the world as well: what we should call ourselves in religious terms? just atheist or theist, this dichotomy is too instigative rather than informative. Most of modern cultural and religious deominations are instigative, typical marxist operation. Anthropological discussion when based on cultural diversity can be fun but too often it is applied to racist insults and making the whole thing smelly. I always think: "Before you can borrow money from the Rothschilds, all your race theories are useless, they gottcha. If you can not, think the way you do not need their money."

[tk'es]

there are no atheists on turbulent airplanes

[Hexachordia]

One important reason why I do not try to publish my ideas in a book is that I do not believe in effecacy in words in our days, too many books, distractions. But I am trying to leave, but not in conventional literatures, but in rediscovering ancient wisdoms(actually interpreting them better for people), also including to post random internet posts about various concerned topics. Rather than making many points and ideas as my own, finding ideas in the past or from great people from any epoch that confirm to mine and then share them is a better way of dissemination of good ideas. If I would publish, I probably will have to title it as "Ancient Wisdoms", or "Lost Ideas/Virtues".