新加坡潮州人的宗教信仰 = THE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF THE TEOCHEW COMMUNITY IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Religion is a complex social phenomenon which plays an important role in keeping social order in the development of the human society. However, religion does not exist alone but changes with times and as social conditions differ. Religion is closely related to people's social and spiritual needs, especially seen in the evelopment of overseas immigrant societies. Religion is not only the core of the community's culture, its also essential in unifying the immigrants and carrying on their heritage. This Dissertation explores the social functions of religious beliefs of the Teochew community in Singapore after the Opium Wars in the 19th Century, and how its functions changes with the needs of today's modern society. For the past century, religious beliefs ofthe Teochew community spread to Singapore with the arrival of Teochew immigrants from South China. Their religious forms and rituals are influenced by the local culture of the Fujian and Guangzhou provinces. The fundamentals of their beliefs, deriving from Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist sources, promote doing good deeds and being philanthropic. In my opinion, religious beliefs of the Teochew community in Singapore's early immigrant society are not limited to religious functions but performed many other social functions. Firstly, religious beliefs not only help immigrants to settle down in a foreign land and satisfy their physiological needs, it's also an important in unifying the community and act as the central link in establishing relationships. Due to cultural and historical reasons, Singapore's Teochew community protects its own interest by using religious temples as the center for coordination within the community, and as the representing institution when dealing with other institutions. Hence, the temples which flinctioned as a clan association or having temples within clan associations were common in early Singapore immigrant society. Secondly, as the needs of society changes over time, functions ofreligious beliefs ofthe Teochew community also evolved. Using the example of Teochew “Shan Tangs” (善堂）， we see how these religious institutions, extended their welfare services to people regardless of their native places, races, religions or social backgrounds, to became important charitable organizations in Singapore. Through their rituals and activities, the Shan Tangs gathered people of various walks of life and formed its own social network. Thirdly, I also found that religious beliefs impacted deeply on the Teochew community and merchants' moral values and way of thinking. particularly in the Teochew business community, religious beliefs form the basis oftheir business ethics and supported the expansion of businesses routes by sea. It is also through the worship of the same deity and other religious activities, which helped Teochew merchants to develop their people relations and business networks.