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Article: Gods and spirits: the many religions of Taiwan.
- Article from:
- Faces: People, Places, and Cultures
- Article date:
- January 1, 2003
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Taiwan is something of a "melting pot" when it comes to religion and philosophy (fil-OSS-uh-fee)--many of the major traditions of the world are represented on the island, and many people combine practices from all of them. In addition, most families keep altars or shrines in their homes, where they burn incense and make offerings in honor of their ancestors.
The Taiwanese people have embraced many beliefs over the centuries, but folk religion has lasted the longest and is still followed by most of the population. It is a combination of nature worship, ancestor worship, superstition, Confucianism (kon-FYOO-shun-izm), Taoism (DOW-iz-m), and Buddhism (BOOD-iz-m).
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