The Confused Minds of Chinese Syncretists

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The Chinese New Year is approaching and while there's nothing inherently wrong with celebrating it (just get away from the pagan mumbo-jumbo) - I felt like it's best to talk about the problem of Chinese syncretists and how confused they are. Syncretism is defined as the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures or schools of thought. Others may define it as blending Christian and pagan beliefs.

So what's with Chinese syncretism? I don't find it surprising that you have Chinese Roman Catholics, Buddhists or Taoists who aren't exactly solid in their adherence to one of these religions. It's really disturbing how many of them may go to the Roman Catholic masses during the morning and they would pray and offer incense to other false gods in a Buddhist and/or Taoist temple. A Chinese Buddhist or Taoist may also be offering incense to the idols of Roman Catholicism or go to other temples. A Chinese Taoist may be praying in a Buddhist temple and a Chinese Buddhist may be praying in a Taoist temple. Some even go as far as to have an altar with Roman Catholic, Taoist and Buddhist idols on them! Then you've got some Chinese Roman Catholics who would soon offer a service for their departed deceased in a Buddhist temple as soon as the nine days prayer for the dead is over. It's not really surprising considering it's the last days, isn't it?

The Bible warns in James 1:8 that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. The problem of Chinese syncretism is that Roman Catholicism, Taoism, Buddhism and other Chinese folk beliefs have many contradictory differences. Here's a few examples of how this syncretism is a mess even if all these religions involve in idol worship:

  • Roman Catholicism is monotheistic and Trinitarian. The Roman Catholic's basic beliefs that they share with born again Christians start with the belief in the Trinity and that there's only one God existing as three Persons and that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. Yet why would Chinese Roman Catholics mingle with Taoism and Buddhism when these religions deny that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God? A Buddhist or Taoist may only view Jesus as another good teacher but not the eternal Son of God!
  • Buddhism believes in reincarnation or several chances after death. The Roman Catholic system of Purgatory doesn't mean that the dead have a second chance after death. Rather, it's a doctrine that says those who died in the grace of God must still purge their sins off in Purgatory for as long as it takes. They believe Hebrews 9:27 but add an unnecessary doctrine of people having to purge their sins in Purgatory if they died in God's grace - all before they can enter Heaven!
  • Taoism and Buddhism both try  to reconcile with each other yet there are many differences. Both may believe in many gods and goddesses, even worship historical figures yet both of them have this difference. However Taoism believes man is basically good while Buddhism teaches man isn't basically good. You can't reconcile those differences can we? Besides, even the key figure of Mother Guan Yin is taught differently in both religions.

Don't the Roman Catholics have other idols they can turn to such as blessing for a certain favor? So why would one pray to to the Taoist god Tu Di Gong for business purposes while praying to Mama Mary for the family? You may even see them offer red incense to Roman Catholic idols. Shri Krishna Temple in Singapore even welcomes Chinese devotees to pray to their idols. Worse, some of them even went as far as to put Mama Mary (which is not the Mary the earthly mother of Jesus of the Bible) and Guan Yin who are both but idolatrous Queen of Heavens (and Taoism has Wang Mu Niang Niang as the Empress of Heaven) which are all condemned in Jeremiah 7 and 44. The Queen of Heaven has gone under many versions where one isn't the other meaning Guan Yin can't be Mama Mary, Mama Mary can't be Guan Yin and every country has their own version of said deception. 

More importantly, you have some so-called messianic figures appearing in religions today. Buddhism teaches that eventually a final Buddha called the Maitreya Buddha will appear at the end of the world to teach the final dharma. Taoists believe that the Jade Emperor (who many call God the Father in their religion) would eventually hand over his throne to the Heavenly Master of the Dawn of the Jade of the Golden Door. Hmmm doesn't Jesus call Himself as the Door of the sheep in John 10:9-16? Wouldn't this all point to the Antichrist?

It's really a mess when you think about it how syncretism has become more and more common in these last days. Also, to say that if you're Chinese that you must still follow tradition even after converting to Christianity - it's a lie! Any Chinese Christian is no longer bound to the foolish tradition of Chinese pagan worship. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 says that anybody who is in Jesus Christ is redeemed from idols to serve the living and the true God. Chinese Christians would no longer have anything to do with Chinese pagan beliefs because they were called out from it!

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