Taiwan+-+Religion

Taiwan Religion

Taiwan has thirteen religions that include __Buddhism__ (the most popular), __Taoism__, __Catholicism__, __Protestantism__, __Hsuan-yuan Chiao__, __Islam__, __Li-ism__, __Tenrikyo__, __Baha'i__, __T'ienti Teachings__, __Tien Te Chiao__, __I-Kuan Tao__, and __Mahikarikyo__.

__Buddhism__- Practiced by almost 4.9 million individuals. Originating from India, Buddhism was introduced to Taiwan in the late 16th Century.

__Taoism__-Second most popular religion in Taiwan practiced by 4.5 million people of Taiwan.

__Catholicism__- 304,000 individuals are believers of Catholicism. Father Martinez a Catholic priest from the Philippines introduce the Catholic faith to the people.

__Protestantism__- Georgius Candidus was the first successful missionary to introduce Protestantism. In 1997, there were 2,700 Protestant churches, and 2,550 ministers in Taiwan.

__Hsuan- yuan Chiao__- Was established by an old legislator named Wang Han-sheng in 1957.Hsuan-yuan is the name of Huangti the Yellow Emperor who unified China. Chiao means teachings or religion in Chinese.

__Islam__- In 1949, 20,000 Muslims accompanied by the Republic of China (ROC) government came to Taiwan, and Islam was established as a religion.

__Li-ism__ - Was founded by Yang Lai-ju in the 17th Century. Li-ism accentuates traditional Chinese morals and ethics.

__Tenrikyo__-Is a Japanese religion founded in 1838 by Miki Nakayam, who was a daughter of a peasant family.

__Baha'i__-The Baha'i faith was founded in Iran in 1844 by Bab. They believe that the family is the foundation of human society and that God sent messengers like Moses, Buddha, and Jesus to fulfill his purpose.

__T'ienti Teachings__-Founded by Lee Yu-Chieh in the mid-1980s.

__Tien Te Chiao__ - The religion was brought into existence in mainland China in 1923. It is a combination of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. Founded by Hsiao Chang-Ming.

__I-Kuan Tao__-New faith and also the third most popular religion in Taiwan.

__Mahikarikyo__-Another Japanese religion, was founded by Yosikazu Okada in 1959. Mahikarikyo believes that anyone can attain healing powers by taking a three-day seminar on the Spiritual Art of Divine Light.

http://www.marimari.com/content/taiwan/general_info/religion/religion.html