religion???.....omg

[steveandrong]

not wanting to get caught up in "political" issues any more, thought i'd bring this up.....just was curious how the "religion" issue is/was taken by your "SO"....how their position is on this....i touched on this early on in my relationship with rong and she said she has had no "training" in this area and i will not encourage any "training" in this area for her.....will let her choose her own destiny in this matter....as for her beliefs, she has stated of her belief of there being a "The God"....but really knows very little about the "story"...and i tell you, i really admire her innocence concerning this...not getting caught up in all the guilt that one can be made to feel by trying to read too much into it...just thought i'd throw this out for a fine sunday morning

[warpedbored]

This is an area that can cause some problems for those who are religious and expect their wife to share the same view. In our case it has never been an issue. We are both ambivalent about it.

[Yuanyang]

Raised Christian, currently inactive. Lao po was surprised by all of the churches she sees around. I make attempts at religion with wife and child for education and cultural purposes. I explain that some religions and their members are literal while others are figurative with their interpretation of their scriptures.

[chilton747]

Definitely Christian here...........My wife has a strong belief in God but she knew little if any of Jesus. Funny thing, the very first time I saw her on webcam, she was wearing a t-shirt that said "Jesus is Lord." She had no idea what the shirt said as she said she did not understand English. Coincidence? I think not.

[A Mafan]

It's been said that the Chinese are the least religious and most superstitious people in the world (taken as a general whole).

 

Neither my wife nor my ex-wife really understood Christianity, Jesus, sin and salvation, as far as I could tell from my perspective.

 

Particularly the sin part. My ex- apparently believes that she can lie, cheat, steal, manipulate, etc, and it isn't a sin because she goes to church. (to be fair, many westerners apparently think the same way). But she is amoral to a high degree: whatever she wants is right, and she lets nothing dissuade her from doing whatever necessary to get what she wants...

 

My wife thinks that as long as she doesn't intend to hurt anyone, it isn't a sin. She really seems to think of God as an impersonal karma effector, I think.

 

That being said, I attended a Chinese Lutheran church in Hawaii for years, and that was absolutely a Christian church, with a huge number of Chinese immigrants fully grasping Christianity and living their faith.

[Guest Tony n Terrific]

I am definitely a Christian. My wife is not. She is Buddist. She surprised me by taking me to a Catholic Church every Sunday we where together in Nanning. We met the Arch Bishiop there and they just finished building new Catholic Church. My SO is interested in learning more about my faith. Who knows I will not try and force this on her. It is up to her.

[heyjimi]

Definitely Christian here...........My wife has a strong belief in God but she knew little if any of Jesus. Funny thing, the very first time I saw her on webcam, she was wearing a t-shirt that said "Jesus is Lord." She had no idea what the shirt said as she said she did not understand English. Coincidence? I think not.

 

no coincidence!!!!! i know exactly what you mean.

I am Christian,also,My wifes mother is christian,my wife,she knows a

little about it,but doesn't speak much about it,when the conversation comes up, she will answer in a vague way,doesn't elaborate too much on the subject.But is open,has no problem,with the christian concept.My step daughter on the other hand,always asking questions about God(the Christian faith).Which i think is always the case,the more possessions you get in this world,the more success,it seems the less happier you are,the more you feel empty.So the thought"is this all there is to life"?

 

peace out

jimi

[Dennis143]

For the most part, Chinese view Christianity and religion as a whole with a tabula rasa.

 

Generally speaking, the Church in America is a social gathering place for all races. Our church has a Chinese intercultural pastor who reaches out to our large Chinese community to enlist their participation in our Church. Consequently, the Asian membership is the faster growing demographic in our 103 year old Baptist church.

 

Now, as far as their faith and believing in Jesus Christ as their redeemer, I am not so sure. Just as I am not so sure with the Anglo members. Ones personal view, belief, practice and lifestyle cannot be measured by others.

 

I do see how my wife translates her Christian belief with her Buddhist upbringing. We have a picture of Christ next to our kitchen table. Every morning Leiqin picks fresh flowers, along with fresh fruit she places the flowers and a lit candle next to the picture and says her morning prayer.

[Guest Rob & Jin]

We are agnostic in regard to any organized church/ religion.

 

moral/ spiritual = yes, need a church to achieve it = no

[steveandrong]

We are agnostic in regard to any organized church/ religion.

 

moral/ spiritual = yes, need a church to achieve it = no

I'm with you on this one Rob...being born and raised going to church and sunday school as a kid and with all the ass whippins i got when i got home because maybe i wasn't too keen on listenin to the fire and brimstone sermons and just not as pious as maybe some people think i should have been pushed me right into the "time served" category....i think the moral/spiritual aspect has stayed with me, but i am not so sure it is because of my upbringing...i think the natural human behaviour leans toward good morals, family orientation and just is my opinion that to seek what is beyond is for each to do in their own time at their own pace to whatever suits them....but as for needing a church to do this, as you say...no.....BUT....please do not mistake me on this, I am not trying to bash anyone here....the intention of my op was to know how others feel about this, how others SO's percieve the westerners grasp of religion and how you and your SO are dealing with it

[Guest Rob & Jin]

my guess is it each to his/her own.

 

I was brought up "church of England" Jin a kind of "Buddhist/Taoist" mix, but neither of us feel the need to use a intermediary (church/ pastor/monk/priest )to be in touch with our spiritually and have a relationship with any "god".

 

No offense meant but most "churches" seem to be more about imposing their rules/behaviours,hierarchies and collecting revenue.

 

This became very apparent to me watching missionaries at work in Africa and South America

Edited September 7, 2008 by Rob & Jin (see edit history)

[jim_julian]

Lao Po and our daughter both believe in God. As with many Chinese, this was not accompanied by any more than the sketchiest knowledge of Christianity. However, even in our early discussions I did not see anything in their beliefs that was incompatible with the broad precepts of main line reformed Christianity.

 

Lao Po was well accepted in our church. We were married in a small ceremony and I've discussed that in other threads.

 

Lao Po attends church with me virtually every Sunday. I did not join the choir in this particular church, as I usually do, so that I could sit with Lao Po and help her understand. The Pastor provides her with a detailed outline of his sermon each week to help her understand the main points as he speaks fast and is pron to big words.

 

When our daughter joined us after 11 months she was also well accepted and joined the "College & Career" group of young adults where she made some of her first American friends. Lao Po and I participate in a dinner group. Daughter helped with Vacation Bible School and went on a missionary trip to Mexico to build two houses.

 

I have been very careful not to push either of them to join the church because they would, but for the wrong reasons. The Pastor of 30 some years is retiring at the end of the year and the girls decided that they wanted to go to his last New Members Class on September 28th, which is the step necessary to become church members. Sometime in October they will be baptized and join. The adult baptism makes them a little nervous and it turns out that was the thing holding them back but now it is offset by their wanting to join before their friend, our current Pastor, leaves.

 

They have a Chinese Bible but seldom use it as they try to understand the Bible in English. Some concepts, such as the Triune God, have been difficult for them to understand but they now have a basic grasp of the fundamentals of Christianity as practiced in the Presbyterian church.

 

I'm pleased with their gradual journey to accept Christianity and I have confidence that it was/is a journey that they want as opposed to something done just to please me.

[ameriken]

I guess I would call myself Christian based on belief in Jesus, however I am not a churchgoer for the same reasons other members stated.

 

Jie is buddhist and we do have conversations about our beliefs. We find there is far more to agree on than to disagree, it has never been a source of contention or argument.

 

While the names of dieties and the paths to the afterlife are different, how we should conduct ourselves, live our lives, and treat others are basically the same.

[Guest Rob & Jin]

I guess I would call myself Christian based on belief in Jesus, however I am not a churchgoer for the same reasons other members stated.

 

Jie is buddhist and we do have conversations about our beliefs. We find there is far more to agree on than to disagree, it has never been a source of contention or argument.

 

While the names of dieties and the paths to the afterlife are different, how we should conduct ourselves, live our lives, and treat others are basically the same.

 

 

 

good to see you back Ken

[chilton747]

I guess I would call myself Christian based on belief in Jesus, however I am not a churchgoer for the same reasons other members stated.

 

Jie is buddhist and we do have conversations about our beliefs. We find there is far more to agree on than to disagree, it has never been a source of contention or argument.

 

While the names of dieties and the paths to the afterlife are different, how we should conduct ourselves, live our lives, and treat others are basically the same.

 

Excellent post Ken!