Page 62 - A Study of Traditional Chinese Religions in Malaysia: The Decline and the Path Towards Revitalization

Chapter Four

Kenneth Lee and Angeline Wong

Returning to Traditional Chinese Religions: A Qualitative Analysis

4.1 Introduction

This chapter of the book attempts to provide an in-depth understanding into some
general views on religious conversion by individuals who have converted from non-TCR to
TCR. This part of the research involved one-on-one interviews with the four individuals as

provided below over the second half of 2022.

One of the challenges faced by the researchers was the difficulty of identifying

qualified and willing interviewees due to the smaller number of people who fall under this
category of non-TCR to TCR converts. Details of the four interviewees who agreed to be
interviewed are as follows (to protect their identities, their full names are not published):

Interviewee 1: John, 33, a bank manager turned full-time temple staff. Born a Buddhist-Taoist,
John converted to Christianity for about three years at around 26 years of age, before

converting again to Buddhism. He considered himself a pure Buddhist rather than a Buddhist-
Taoist – unlike his parents – at the time of interview.

Interviewee 2: Steven, 66, a Sabah-born retiree who now spends his retired life between

Singapore and Johor Bahru, the capital of the Malaysian state of Johor. He grew up going to
the Baptist Church every Sunday. Steven was exposed to Fo Guang Shan and Master Hsing
Yun in 1984. He attempted to understand Buddhism for three years before converting to

Buddhism in 1986.

Interviewee 3: Helen, 63, a human resource manager who actively helps out at religious
organization Fo Guang Shan (Malaysia). Helen was baptised as a Catholic as a child,

following her aunt who was married to a Catholic, and went through Confirmation as a
Catholic in Standard 6. She followed Tibetan Buddhism after finishing her high school, but

converted to Christianity again when she was facing some issues with her personal life. She
later converted to Mahayana Buddhism again.

Interviewee 4: Koh, 67, a businessman in Setiawan who is very active in temple activities.

Born into a Catholic family, Koh was baptized at nine but was exposed to the Taoist practice
at 15 when he went to work in Singapore. Since then, he has been practicing Taoism.

Of the four subjects, Koh has remained the longest “convert.” At the time of interview

in 2022, he had been practicing Taoism for approximately 50 years. Steven, on the other

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