Zeitschrift für Junge Religionswissenschaft ()
Eine Einführung in das Religionsverständnis der zeitgenössischen chinesischen Religionswissenschaft
Abstract
Post-colonial studies of religions ask how the concept of religion can be scientifically defined when there is a consensus-based understanding of religion in everyday life. The subsequent investigation examines to which extent the Studies of Religion in contemporary China deal with this issue: namely, how a phenomenon can be scientifically defined or recognized as »religious«. For this purpose, the theories of three contemporary Chinese researchers in Studies of Religion – Zhuo Xinping, Lv Daji, and Mu Zhongjian – will be discussed in detail. The primary concern of these contemporary Chinese researchers is to emphasize the cultural character of religion in society instead of interpreting religion as an instrument of politics or as a psychological poison. To achieve this goal, Zhuo Xinping uses »Xuanzhi« (observing before judging) as the primary method to protect his objective and neutral position in the Studies of Religion. Lv Daji interprets »religion« as a unique system of cultural symbols in resuming the Marxist theory of religion. Mu Zhongjian tries to figure out the particularity of »Chinese religion« by clarifying the relationship between »Chinese religion« and Confucianism. This study claims, that as a result of their efforts, religion is increasingly treated as a normal cultural phenomenon in Chinese society.
Keywords
