Some believers say that the Bible has magical effects and can function as a talisman in life. They consider it to be the divine word with magical powers, and as a record of God's words, it possesses magical abilities. Therefore, in some zombie movies, scenes depict the Bible alongside Buddhist and Taoist artifacts during the exorcism of zombies. However, this is not only a scene seen in TV dramas but also occurs in real life.
A few years ago, I received a complaint from a believer. Her husband was working in Shanghai and was hospitalized due to an illness. She brought ten thousand yuan to the hospital for her husband, but her money was stolen at the train station. The reason she called me was that she wondered why it was still stolen, though she had placed the money in the Bible. She doubted that God's power was insufficient to deter thieves and protect her money.
During my university years, I had a roommate who was also a Christian. He liked placing the Bible by his pillow when sleeping. Once, jokingly, I said to him, "You're devout enough to read the Bible even when sleeping." He smiled and said that placing the Bible by his pillow could ward off demons to ensure a nightmare-free sleep. More surprisingly, he also liked putting money in the Bible. Of course, no one stole money from the dorm, but the psychological aspect of placing money in the Bible was to treat the Bible as a protective deity.
In the history of religions, how did Buddhist scriptures and statues acquire supreme magical powers and become objects of worship for many? When Buddhism entered China during the early Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D), it did not face severe suppression. On one hand, this was because Buddhism had a limited initial influence, and on the other hand, Buddhism initially aligned itself with Confucianism and traditional Chinese culture. However, after the social disorder caused by the large-scale plagues in the late Eastern Han Period and the Wei-Jin period, local folk religions and Confucianism declined. Buddhism became the best alternative to the prevailing difficulties, gradually gaining influence and even affecting the entire elite class. The philosophical concepts of "advocating existence" and "valuing nothing" in the Wei-Jin Period, the ideas of hell and retribution, and all the traditional beliefs we have today were shaped under the influence of Buddhism during that era. In a period when Buddhism had a significant impact, the local cultural elites began to react, and during that time, both worship and opposition to Buddhism coexisted.
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420–589), cultural debates were gradually replaced by political force in the form of military suppression. Faced with the destruction of Buddhist temples and statues, Buddhism introduced its protective measures. This involved creating diverse miraculous stories and attributing magical powers to Buddha statues and Buddhist artifacts. The book In Search of the Supernatural recorded many stories where local officials suffered reprisals after destroying Buddha statues. Another book Forest of Gems in the Garden of the Dharma documented a story about a person named Song Liuling who believed the words of a Taoist to burn Buddhist scriptures and statues. That night, he fell to the ground and could not get up, as if he had been beaten. He lay unconscious with only a faint breath. The Taoist who told him to destroy the Buddha also developed ulcers in his body and died.
It was during the process of Daoism and imperial force suppressing Buddhism that Buddhism, for its safety, fabricated stories to increase the magical abilities of Buddha statues and other idols. Over time, these Buddha statues, as well as Buddhist beads and scriptures, “acquired” magical powers and became objects of worship. Initially, it was a self-protective measure to intimidate those who destroyed Buddha statues; this cultural psychology eventually evolved into a cultural tradition.
In such a cultural background, when Christianity was introduced, it similarly followed suit. The Bible and other things related to Christianity also acquired magical effects. In some rural areas, churches are considered places with divine powers. When someone is ill or has mental problems and traditional healers in the village are ineffective, they may be taken to the church. People believe that the church is God's dwelling place, and the demons attached to them will be afraid and leave after entering the church. Holding the Bible, some individuals in the village shout at demons to drive them away as a method of healing.
In the history of Christianity, people regarded the Bible verses as sanctified, but the theology of Christianity itself rejects the worship of the Bible. Because once the Bible is worshipped as a magical idol, there is no need to engage in theological reflection on its content.
Therefore, if a person worships the Bible as a magical idol, his mind will stagnate, and he will not actively witness God's actions, with theology being unnecessary. Christianity contributed to Western civilization, while witchcraft and superstition cannot, as they can only lead to the stagnation of a civilization.
Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God's mouth." God created the world and history through the words written in the Bible, which is not a dead book treated as an idol.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
有一些信徒认为圣经这本书有着神奇的功效，能在生活中发挥驱邪功能。他们认为，圣经是有着神奇的能力的神的话语，因此这本记录神话语的书，就显然也同样具备了神奇的能力。因此，我们可以在一些僵尸片中看到，在驱除僵尸的时候，圣经和佛教道教的法器一同出现的桥段。然而这不仅是在电视剧中能看到的场景，在现实生活中，也同样如此。
前几年的时候，曾接到一个信徒的诉苦。她的丈夫在上海打工，生病住院了，她带着一万块钱去医院照顾丈夫。结果她的的钱在火车站偷了。因此她打电话的原因不是钱被偷了，而是她把钱放在圣经里，为什么还是被偷了。她怀疑上帝的能力不够，震慑不了小偷，保护不了她的钱。
我读大学的时候，有一个舍友也是一个基督徒，他睡觉的时候喜欢把圣经放在枕边。有一次我开玩笑地对他说，你够虔诚的，睡觉还读圣经。他笑着说把圣经放在枕边，可以驱除恶魔，晚上睡觉不做噩梦。更离谱的时候，他还喜欢把钱放在圣经里，圣经就这样放在枕边。当然宿舍也没人偷钱，但是这种放钱在圣经里的心理，就是把圣经看成一个保护神。
在宗教史上，佛经和佛像是如何具备无上法力而成为众人的崇拜对象？佛教在汉初进入中国之后，并没有受到太厉害的打压，这一方面是因为佛教在起初的影响较小，另一方面佛教在刚进入的时候，也是附会在儒家和中国传统文化之上。但是经过东汉末年大瘟疫以及魏晋时期大瘟疫所带来的社会失序，传统本土宗教和儒家文化的秩序崩溃，佛教便成为当时困境中的最佳替代品，而逐渐产生影响，甚至影响了整个精英阶层。魏晋哲学中的“有”“无”之论，地狱和报应说等等今天的传统观念都是在那个时代受佛教影响形成。佛教影响大的时候，本土文化精英就开始有所反应，因此那个时代，崇佛与抑佛是同时存在的。
到了南北朝时期，文化上的争论，开始被政治上的武力灭佛代替。因此面对佛寺被毁，佛像被砸，佛教就推出了自己的保护措施。那就是编造各种神奇故事，赋予佛像和佛教器物神奇法力。在流传后世的《搜神记》中记录了很多因为毁坏佛像，地方官惨遭报应的故事。《法苑珠林》中记载了一个叫宋刘玲的故事，因相信道士之言，回家焚毁佛经佛像。到了晚上，他就倒地不起，像被人打了一般，不省人事，只有一息尚存。而那个告诉他毁佛的道士，也体内发疽而死。
正是在道教以及皇权武力灭佛的过程中，佛教为了自身的安全而编造的故事，加强了佛像等偶像的神奇能力，久而久之，这些佛像，乃至佛珠、佛经本身也就具备了法力，被人们所崇拜。这在一开始是一种自我保护，恐吓那些毁佛的人，但是时间久了就形成了一种文化。正是从这种文化心理开始，宗教的圣物也便开始了具备法力的传统。
在这样的文化心理背景下，基督教进来之后，同样不能免俗，圣经乃至其他与基督教有关的东西，同样也具备了神奇效力。有些地方的农村，会把教堂看成具备神圣法力的地方。有的人生病或者精神问题，在村子的巫婆神汉那里没有效力之后，会把他带到教堂里。他们认为教堂是上帝的居所，因此带到教堂之后，附在身上的魔鬼就会害怕远离。还有的人会在村里拿着圣经，高举圣经喝退魔鬼，用来治病。
在基督教历史上，固然有对圣经神圣化的内容，但是基督教的神学本身就排斥对圣经的崇拜。因为圣经一旦被当做神奇法力、偶像来崇拜，就没有必要对圣经的内容进行神学思考。
因此，把圣经当成具有魔法的偶像来崇拜的结果，必然是思考的停滞，也必然不再需要神学，不再需要人自身积极主动见证上帝的行为。这就是为什么基督教能发展一种文明，而巫术和迷信不能。它们只能让一个文明停滞。
耶稣说：“经上记着说：人活着，不是单靠食物，乃是靠 神口里所出的一切话。”上帝口里所出的是有生命的话，这话创造了世界，创造了历史，而不是一本僵死的被作为偶像的书。
Some believers say that the Bible has magical effects and can function as a talisman in life. They consider it to be the divine word with magical powers, and as a record of God's words, it possesses magical abilities. Therefore, in some zombie movies, scenes depict the Bible alongside Buddhist and Taoist artifacts during the exorcism of zombies. However, this is not only a scene seen in TV dramas but also occurs in real life.
A few years ago, I received a complaint from a believer. Her husband was working in Shanghai and was hospitalized due to an illness. She brought ten thousand yuan to the hospital for her husband, but her money was stolen at the train station. The reason she called me was that she wondered why it was still stolen, though she had placed the money in the Bible. She doubted that God's power was insufficient to deter thieves and protect her money.
During my university years, I had a roommate who was also a Christian. He liked placing the Bible by his pillow when sleeping. Once, jokingly, I said to him, "You're devout enough to read the Bible even when sleeping." He smiled and said that placing the Bible by his pillow could ward off demons to ensure a nightmare-free sleep. More surprisingly, he also liked putting money in the Bible. Of course, no one stole money from the dorm, but the psychological aspect of placing money in the Bible was to treat the Bible as a protective deity.
In the history of religions, how did Buddhist scriptures and statues acquire supreme magical powers and become objects of worship for many? When Buddhism entered China during the early Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to 220 A.D), it did not face severe suppression. On one hand, this was because Buddhism had a limited initial influence, and on the other hand, Buddhism initially aligned itself with Confucianism and traditional Chinese culture. However, after the social disorder caused by the large-scale plagues in the late Eastern Han Period and the Wei-Jin period, local folk religions and Confucianism declined. Buddhism became the best alternative to the prevailing difficulties, gradually gaining influence and even affecting the entire elite class. The philosophical concepts of "advocating existence" and "valuing nothing" in the Wei-Jin Period, the ideas of hell and retribution, and all the traditional beliefs we have today were shaped under the influence of Buddhism during that era. In a period when Buddhism had a significant impact, the local cultural elites began to react, and during that time, both worship and opposition to Buddhism coexisted.
In the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420–589), cultural debates were gradually replaced by political force in the form of military suppression. Faced with the destruction of Buddhist temples and statues, Buddhism introduced its protective measures. This involved creating diverse miraculous stories and attributing magical powers to Buddha statues and Buddhist artifacts. The book In Search of the Supernatural recorded many stories where local officials suffered reprisals after destroying Buddha statues. Another book Forest of Gems in the Garden of the Dharma documented a story about a person named Song Liuling who believed the words of a Taoist to burn Buddhist scriptures and statues. That night, he fell to the ground and could not get up, as if he had been beaten. He lay unconscious with only a faint breath. The Taoist who told him to destroy the Buddha also developed ulcers in his body and died.
It was during the process of Daoism and imperial force suppressing Buddhism that Buddhism, for its safety, fabricated stories to increase the magical abilities of Buddha statues and other idols. Over time, these Buddha statues, as well as Buddhist beads and scriptures, “acquired” magical powers and became objects of worship. Initially, it was a self-protective measure to intimidate those who destroyed Buddha statues; this cultural psychology eventually evolved into a cultural tradition.
In such a cultural background, when Christianity was introduced, it similarly followed suit. The Bible and other things related to Christianity also acquired magical effects. In some rural areas, churches are considered places with divine powers. When someone is ill or has mental problems and traditional healers in the village are ineffective, they may be taken to the church. People believe that the church is God's dwelling place, and the demons attached to them will be afraid and leave after entering the church. Holding the Bible, some individuals in the village shout at demons to drive them away as a method of healing.
In the history of Christianity, people regarded the Bible verses as sanctified, but the theology of Christianity itself rejects the worship of the Bible. Because once the Bible is worshipped as a magical idol, there is no need to engage in theological reflection on its content.
Therefore, if a person worships the Bible as a magical idol, his mind will stagnate, and he will not actively witness God's actions, with theology being unnecessary. Christianity contributed to Western civilization, while witchcraft and superstition cannot, as they can only lead to the stagnation of a civilization.
Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of God's mouth." God created the world and history through the words written in the Bible, which is not a dead book treated as an idol.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
