CA community moving towards Christianity

[achtungbaby]

In recent years, Chinese immigrants have been converting to Christianity and aggressively proselytizing. Nearly a third of Chinese Americans now attend church, compared with the small fraction who did 50 years ago, said Fenggang Yang, a leading scholar on Chinese Christianity at Purdue University. In the same time frame, the number of Chinese churches in the United States has grown from 66 to more than 1,000.

full story

[rakovlam]

I always believe that if you choose a religion, Christianity is the way to go. Ideally, I would say Judaism, but you have to born one. According to WS Opinion Journal, Christanity is the fastest growing religion in the world, contrary to popular belief that Islam grows the fastest. The Christian movement is also strong in China, with 3-4% of its population (which is alot) attending state approved churches or secret chapels set up by foreign missionaries.

[ism]

You can convert to Judaism. It just doesn't pull in the numbers other religions do due to several reasons:
You need at least one rabbi.
They discourage you... well, to be fair, they make sure you are sincere.
You have to study Judaism.
There's a test.
You need to be circumsized.

[Azn Retribution]

HmM I prefer adventistism.
but then again thats bias. :D

[SunWuKong]

Originally posted by ism@Jan 19 2003, 11:49 PM
You can convert to Judaism. It just doesn't pull in the numbers other religions do due to several reasons:
You need at least one rabbi.
They discourage you... well, to be fair, they make sure you are sincere.
You have to study Judaism.
There's a test.
You need to be circumsized.

yeah whoopi goldberg is jewish

[angel nympho]

Organized religion can suck my nonexistent testicles.

[VV o n g B a]

most of my hometown chinese friends were youth group friends. the interesting thing about this revivalism is that for the most part, the conservatives ARE immigrant chinese. my friends and i (born or raised in the US) don't see the literal interpretation as realistic so most of us don't go (me for the most part) or go but subsume our true views so as to not be too controversial. as a result, the make up of these churches lack numbers at the undergraduate college age.

[thaite]

What do you think it is that attracts so many Asian to Christianity? Is there something lacking in traditional beliefs?

[enygma]

hey, i saw that article on my friend's xanga page. he goes to chinese christian church.

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What do you think it is that attracts so many Asian to Christianity? Is there something lacking in traditional beliefs?

if anything, asians would be against christianity.

personally, i think if the people who are converting are sincere in their professions of faith, that's great.

[rakovlam]

Originally posted by enygma@Jan 21 2003, 10:49 PM

if anything, asians would be against christianity.

personally, i think if the people who are converting are sincere in their professions of faith, that's great.

Why would Asians be against Christianity?

[powdermunkey]

What do you think it is that attracts so many Asian to Christianity? Is there something lacking in traditional beliefs?

I don't think "traditional beliefs", or lack of those beliefs have much to do with the attraction towards Christianity. As things traditional, they are just customs or procedures that are handed down from one generation to another, so can you compare that to Christianity as a religion? A religion that is not based on customs, but on faith? a faith that goes beyond generations?

[sandra]

Originally posted by buoywonder@Jan 20 2003, 08:37 PM
What do you think it is that attracts so many Asian to Christianity? Is there something lacking in traditional beliefs?

for the older chinese, from my limited experience of attending church with my grandmother in san francisco, it seems like they are drawn to the sense of belonging to a community more than the actual religion itself. would most attend every Sunday to worship God if their peers would not be there? my guess would be that they would not.

churches are a fun place for them to be. especially now that many of them are widows/widowers. they can chat with their friends, share dishes, exchange presents, etc., on a weekly basis. it creates a healthy environment for the elderly, in my opinion. temples - at least the ones i've been to - don't offer anything like this. my grandmother has become an all-around happier person after attending church, and that's enough reason for me.

this is not to say, however, that she doesn't believe in God or buy into Christian values. she, along with most of her friends, do. at the same time, many Christian values coincide with values in the Chinese culture.

[contra_diction]

Originally posted by kasia@Jan 22 2003, 12:01 AM
it seems like they are drawn by the sense of belonging to a community more than the actual religion itself. would most attend every Sunday to worship God if their peers would not be there? my guess would be that they would not.

that has a lot of merit to it. i'm not chinese or old, kasia, but i found that i used to go to church every Sunday when i lived at home, and was fairly well involved. now that i've moved out, and don't really know anybody at this church, i don't go as often as i used to.

[VV o n g B a]

anybody think that fitting in is part of the reason? the ppl in korea and the philippines are predominantly christian. it could be argued that in order to get into positions of power, they ditched their old religions and took up this new one since their "conquerors" (US and Spain respectively) were christians. and the chinese christians are converts b/c they too are trying to better fit into a white dominated society.

(of course this doesn't work if u consider japan)

[powdermunkey]

for the older chinese, from my limited experience of attending church with my grandmother in san francisco, it seems like they are drawn to the sense of belonging to a community more than the actual religion itself. would most attend every Sunday to worship God if their peers would not be there? my guess would be that they would not.

Yes, that is true, but this is true for young people also, some go to church mainly for the social gatherings, the fun, meeting new people etc. But I would think, that some or most of these people actually turn up to church to be around other Christians. Maybe they are drawn to God and His community? However, I don't see how you can say Christian values coincide with chinese "values", what values are you referring to?