Chinese Culture & Christ

What Is Culture?

Customs

Traditions

Beliefs

Language

“The sum total of ways of living

built up by a group of human beings and transmitted

from one generation to

another…”

Origin of Chinese Civilization

CreationGen 1 Fall of Man

Gen 3

Biblical Record:

Origin of Chinese Civilization

Great Flood & Noah’s Ark (Gen 6)

• 2348 B.C.

• Men’s wickedness

• Rain: 40 days

• Flood: 150 days

• 370 days in ark

• Mt Ararat (Gen 8:4)

• Rainbow

• Only 8 were saved

Origin of Chinese CivilizationGen 8:20… “Then Noah built an altar to the Lord… he sacrificed…”

Noah’s Sacrifice / Religion

Origin of Chinese Civilization

The Tower Of Babel (Gen 11)

• 101 yrs later (2247 B.C.)

• One common language

• Moved east and settled in Shinar (Babylon)

• “Let us build….”

• “… make a name for ourselves…”

Origin of Chinese Civilization

• Dispersion of people

• Beginning of nations

• “Let us go down…”

• Confusion of language

Origin of Chinese Civilization

Chinese records:

• China’s first dynasty, the Xia dynasty, started in c 2205 B.C.

• Tower of Babel incident: 2247BC.

• The time it took for the proto-Chinese to migrate to China from present-day Iraq (the site of the Tower of Babel): 42 years

Origin of Chinese Civilization

1. Record of Flood in Chinese history

2 historical facts:

Origin of Chinese Civilization2. Chinese Border Sacrifice

• Shu Jing, oldest Chinese History book

• In 2230BC, Emperor Shun “sacrificed to Shang-Di”

• “Supreme Ruler” or “Emperor Above”

“Present Day” Chinese Religion“Assimilation” of

• Taoism• Confucianism• Buddhism

“Original” Chinese Religion

• “Shang-Di-ism”

1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival

- Religious & Demonic

- Cultural & beneficial

- Neutral

1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival

Chinese New Year

• Reunion Dinner

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

• Reunion Dinner• New Year visitation

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

• Reunion Dinner• New Year visitation• Ang Pow

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

• Reunion Dinner• New Year visitation• Ang Pow

Promote & strengthen family relationship

Respect & honour elders

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – religious & demonic

• All forms of idol-worship• Superstitious beliefs &

practices• Sweeping floor• Opening business• Inverted “Fú”• Lucky dragon bamboo

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Couplets (Dui Lian)

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Couplets• Yee Sang

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Couplets• Yee Sang• Lion Dance

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Couplets• Yee Sang• Lion Dance• “Shou Shui”• Family Tradition

• Represented by 12 animals, each for a year

• A person’s personality or events in his or her life is influenced by the person’s relationship to the cycle

• Begins with lunar new year

12-Animal Cycle

Four Animal Trines

Effect on Life:

• Love Compatibility

• Family relationship

• Business partnership

• Bad luck on own Chinese Zodiac year (本命年)… wear red every single day

• Birth of babies – couples shuns year of sheep babies; welcome dragon babies

Chinese Zodiac CalendarRM135 – RM1339

Chinese Zodiac Jade EarringUSD 119

Chinese Zodiac Chopsticks

Christian Response:• Our lives are not influenced by Zodiac… “In His

hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10)

• Unscientific

• Superstitious; with possible undesirable consequences…

• Nurture vs nature… “self-fulfilling”???

• AVOID REFERRING TO CHINESE ZODIAC

1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival

QingMing

Festival

• Family gathering

• Memory of ancestors

• Cleaning of graves

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Repair of tomb-stone

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

• Ancestral worship – at home and at grave-site.

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

• Food offered @ ancestral worship.

• Ancestral worship – at home and at grave-site.

1. Retain – Cultural & Beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & Demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Filial piety

1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival

Dumpling Festival

Dragon Boat Festival

• Duānwǔ Jié -- 端午节 (Duān – opening; wǔ – 5th month in lunar calendar); summer solstice

• Rice Dumpling Festival• 5th day of 5th month (Chinese lunar

calendar)…. June 20, 2015• Commemorate Qu Yuan, a great patriot

and poet in China

Dragon Boat Festival

The Story of Qu Yuan

Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices

• Fore and stern of the boat is in a shape of traditional Chinese dragon

#1 -- Dragon Boat Racing

Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices

• Pyramid-shaped glutinous rice wrapped in reed or bamboo leaves

• Used to be home made

#2 – Eating Zongzi (Rice Dumpling)

Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices

#3 – Worship of Qu Yuan & Ancestral Worship

Dragon Boat Festival Custom & Practices

• Perfume pouches to decorate children’s clothing

• 5-Colour silk thread tied to wrists, ankles or neck.

• Protect children from evil

#4 – Perfume Pouch & 5-colour Silk Thread

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

• Eating rice dumpling

• Promote values of patriotism and hatred towards corruption

• Family time

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & demonic

• Dragon boat race

• Ancestral worship

• Perfume pouch & 5-colour silk thread

1. Retain – cultural & beneficial

2. Reject – Religious & demonic

3. Redeem – Neutral

• Non-dragon boat race???

1. Chinese New Year2. Mid-Autumn Festival 3. Dragon Boat Festival4. QingMing Festival5. Winter Solstice Festival

Jellyfish Porcupine

Jellyfish

• Not a fish, plankton• No brains, elementary nervous

system• 2 basic life stages: polyps &

medusa• “watermelons with tentacles”: 95-98% water• Box jellyfish can kill a person by stopping his

heart within 2 minutes• Not strong swimmers; at the mercy of ocean

currents

Porcupine

• Rodent with soft hair.• Mixed with sharp quills on

back, sides and tail.• Quills cannot be shot, but

will be easily released.

• Quills have sharp tips and overlapping scales or barbs; difficult to remove once stuck in another animal’s skin.

• Quills can be 30 cm long.• Embedded quill can be fatal.

Jellyfish Porcupine

“Let your light shine….”Matt 5:16

“Be prepared to give an answer… with gentleness and respect….”

1 Peter 3:15

Candle Oil Lamp

Oil Lamp

2015 - Year of Breakthroughs: Wholesome Living

Just knowing the Truth does not change lives. We need to apply the TRUTH. (Col 1:9 – 10)

Are you willing to invite the Holy Spirit to breakthrough in your life this CNY?

Putting God first above all that we do

Breaking away from Personal & Family sins & fleshly desires which are contrary to the Spirit

Restoring & Reuniting Family Relationships

Breaking forth to be Salt & Light to our families, relatives & friends. (Col 1:11-14) & Show love!