As the current economy goes down, my friends are under great pressure. The pressure is not only financial, like mortgages, car loans, and debts, but also spiritual, which is especially true for young people.
A friend of mine used to be a company executive who had more than ten years of experience, but he simply resigned and stayed at home because he felt the bottleneck in his career and was confused. After some time, he chose to volunteer at a temple. He gets up at six in the morning and goes to bed at nine in the evening. His main job is sweeping the courtyard and helping to cook in the kitchen. There will be two Buddhist lectures after lunch and dinner. Although it is much manual work, he chooses to be away from downtown and calms down.
When we met, it was the end of his volunteer shift. I recommended the church to him before, but he chose the Buddhist temple.
He said that when he first went to a church, he felt very good, and everyone was very friendly to him. However, after a week, he found several issues that he could not adapt to.
First of all, the church’s schedule is too fragmented in time. They have a meeting place, but it can only be used on Sundays. Although there are a variety of Bible studies, the time is not enough to enjoy a quiet moment in life.
In addition, when they met, members of the church regarded him as a beginner or a seeker, but not a believer. So he felt he was not treated as one of them. Feeling like a guest, it made his already overwhelmed mood more intense.
Third, although members of the church are very enthusiastic about him, there are too many rules and regulations. He quit his job because he was tired of the company’s complicated rules and regulations, poor performance, and interpersonal pressure. Then, in the church, he was subject to so many taboos that he was unable to relax.
Finally, he took part in activities in the church, but there were no non-religious activities except studying the Bible and attending testimonial prayer meetings. He felt as nervous and depressed as he was on the eve of his college entry examination in middle school or reporting his performance to his former employer.
Temples, on the other hand, recruit volunteers, provide accommodation, and do not focus on personal beliefs and religious identities. They usually volunteer for a month, and they can stay longer if they want to. Their voluntary activities do not have much religious content; they are simple jobs such as tending flowers and plants, cleaning, guiding orders, or handing incense to pilgrims. They will neither do Buddhist services nor be forced to participate in Buddhist activities, including giving lectures and preaching.
According to media statistics, the registration of volunteers in temples is enormous, and some even have to wait in line for several months. The trend has tripled compared with 2019. Like Buddhist temples, Taoist temples are also very popular. When the temple is open, anyone can enter, regardless of faith or identity, which has also contributed to the prosperity of today’s Buddhist and Taoist places.
In contrast, the closeness of the church is still based on the traditional acquaintance society. To some extent, only those who have been baptized and are still committed to or baptized in this church can be accepted as full members. Therefore, it is difficult for a member who does not meet the above conditions to be accepted into this church.
People are already tired physically and mentally under the social and economic downturn, and they want to have a rest and refresh their spirits. The activities provided by the church do not seem to meet the expectations of some young people today.
The biggest difference between the arrival of Jesus and Jewish culture lies in “resting in peace” and “light burden," while the constraints of Jewish laws on people make people physically and mentally exhausted. Looking at today’s church, it is obvious that the inherited tradition comes more from Jewish law.
The church can also arrange some activities to attract young people to take a rest, but the church should give up some strict positions.
- Translated by Charlie Li
最近经济不景气，身边的朋友都承受着巨大的压力。这压力不仅是物质上的，诸如房贷车贷等债务，还有生活与精神的压力，尤其是年轻人更是如此。
一个朋友原来是一家公司的高管，做了十几年，因为感觉到了职业的瓶颈，对未来充满迷茫。单身的他索性辞职，闲居在家。一段时间之后，他选择去一家寺院做志愿者。每天早上六点起床，晚上九点入睡。他的主要工作是洒扫庭院，在厨房帮忙做饭。中间会在午晚饭后有两次交流和佛经讲座。虽然做了很多体力活，但是远离闹市，让他心情平静下来。
我们见面的时候，正是他做志愿者的尾声。我之前曾经向他推荐过教会，但是后来他却选择了寺院。
他说，一开始去教会，觉得挺好，大家对他很热情。但是过了一周，他发现几个问题，这些是他无法适应的。
首先，教会在时间上太碎。尽管他们有聚会的场所，但是这个场所只能周日聚集。尽管其间有各种查经、见证，但是时间太短，无法为他提供一个远离生活，能让他安静的场所和时间段。
另外，教会成员在他聚会的时候，都把他作为一个入门者，一个慕道者，而不是一个信徒，不是自己人。好像是个客人一般，这让本来紧张的心情更加紧张。
第三点，教会成员之间尽管对他很热情，但是清规戒律太多。他辞去工作，本来就是因为厌倦了公司繁琐的规章制度和业绩以及人际的压力。现在在教会里，又要受到这么多禁忌约束着，让他无法放松。
最后就是，他在教会参加活动，除了学习圣经和见证祷告外，并没有其他非宗教的活动。他感觉自己就像在中学高考前夕，或者向领导汇报业绩一样，紧张而压抑。
而寺院就不同了，他们招募志愿者，提供住宿，而且不问信仰和宗教身份。而他们做志愿者一般都是一个月，想留下来还可以更长。他们的志愿活动，也没有多少宗教内容，就是修理花草，打扫卫生，引导秩序或者为香客递香这些简单内容。他们既不要做佛事，也不会被强制参加佛教活动，包括讲经弘法。
据媒体统计，寺院的志愿者报名已经爆满，有的甚至要排队数月，与2019年相比增加了三倍之多。与佛教寺院同样，道教寺观也是火爆异常。庙门打开，任何人都可以进入，不问信仰，不问身份，因此这也造就了今天的佛道场所的繁荣。
而与之相比，教会的封闭性，依然建立在传统的熟人社会基础之上。某种程度上，只有那些已经受洗，并且还是要委身于本教会或者在本教会受洗的才能被接纳为正式成员。因此，一个不符合上面条件的成员，很难被接纳进本教会。
人们在社会经济下行的情况下，身心本已疲乏，他们想得到休息，也想得到精神的提升。而教会提供的内容，好像并不契合当下年轻人的期待。
耶稣的到来与犹太文化最大不同在于“安息”，在意“轻省”，而犹太人的律法对人的约束，让人身心疲惫。而纵观今天教会作为，显然继承的传统更多来自犹太律法。
教会也可以安排一些活动，吸引年轻人参加，让他们得以休息，但是教会要放弃一些严格的立场。
为何今日教会不如寺庙契合年轻人的期待？
As the current economy goes down, my friends are under great pressure. The pressure is not only financial, like mortgages, car loans, and debts, but also spiritual, which is especially true for young people.
A friend of mine used to be a company executive who had more than ten years of experience, but he simply resigned and stayed at home because he felt the bottleneck in his career and was confused. After some time, he chose to volunteer at a temple. He gets up at six in the morning and goes to bed at nine in the evening. His main job is sweeping the courtyard and helping to cook in the kitchen. There will be two Buddhist lectures after lunch and dinner. Although it is much manual work, he chooses to be away from downtown and calms down.
When we met, it was the end of his volunteer shift. I recommended the church to him before, but he chose the Buddhist temple.
He said that when he first went to a church, he felt very good, and everyone was very friendly to him. However, after a week, he found several issues that he could not adapt to.
First of all, the church’s schedule is too fragmented in time. They have a meeting place, but it can only be used on Sundays. Although there are a variety of Bible studies, the time is not enough to enjoy a quiet moment in life.
In addition, when they met, members of the church regarded him as a beginner or a seeker, but not a believer. So he felt he was not treated as one of them. Feeling like a guest, it made his already overwhelmed mood more intense.
Third, although members of the church are very enthusiastic about him, there are too many rules and regulations. He quit his job because he was tired of the company’s complicated rules and regulations, poor performance, and interpersonal pressure. Then, in the church, he was subject to so many taboos that he was unable to relax.
Finally, he took part in activities in the church, but there were no non-religious activities except studying the Bible and attending testimonial prayer meetings. He felt as nervous and depressed as he was on the eve of his college entry examination in middle school or reporting his performance to his former employer.
Temples, on the other hand, recruit volunteers, provide accommodation, and do not focus on personal beliefs and religious identities. They usually volunteer for a month, and they can stay longer if they want to. Their voluntary activities do not have much religious content; they are simple jobs such as tending flowers and plants, cleaning, guiding orders, or handing incense to pilgrims. They will neither do Buddhist services nor be forced to participate in Buddhist activities, including giving lectures and preaching.
According to media statistics, the registration of volunteers in temples is enormous, and some even have to wait in line for several months. The trend has tripled compared with 2019. Like Buddhist temples, Taoist temples are also very popular. When the temple is open, anyone can enter, regardless of faith or identity, which has also contributed to the prosperity of today’s Buddhist and Taoist places.
In contrast, the closeness of the church is still based on the traditional acquaintance society. To some extent, only those who have been baptized and are still committed to or baptized in this church can be accepted as full members. Therefore, it is difficult for a member who does not meet the above conditions to be accepted into this church.
People are already tired physically and mentally under the social and economic downturn, and they want to have a rest and refresh their spirits. The activities provided by the church do not seem to meet the expectations of some young people today.
The biggest difference between the arrival of Jesus and Jewish culture lies in “resting in peace” and “light burden," while the constraints of Jewish laws on people make people physically and mentally exhausted. Looking at today’s church, it is obvious that the inherited tradition comes more from Jewish law.
The church can also arrange some activities to attract young people to take a rest, but the church should give up some strict positions.
- Translated by Charlie Li
Why Today's Churches Don't Meet Expectations of Young People as Buddhist Temples Do
