Page 77 - A Study of Traditional Chinese Religions in Malaysia: The Decline and the Path Towards Revitalization

For John and Koh, Christianity is relatively more ‘aggressive’ than TCR in the aspect of
member recruitment and it is also generally more ‘organized’ and strategic in coming up with

programs and activities that might be more appealing to potential members. They both feel
that Buddhism and Taoism do not focus on ‘converting’ people.

Helen, on the other hand, explained that humanistic Buddhism, or 人间佛教, takes

the less traditional approach of organizing activities that are related to Chinese culture as

well as skill-learning types of classes. According to Helen, this approach of incorporating

humanistic and cultural elements into Buddhism makes the religion more relatable to its

followers, specifically as she herself feels that she enjoys being involved in the activities and

classes.

It can be implied from the respondents’ sharing that the issue of conversion from non-
TCR to TCR can also be studied in terms of the roles of non-TCR and TCR institutions /

leaders in organizing and managing religious activities and member recruitment initiatives.
The sustainable ways in which religious bodies strategize their approaches in involving

members’ active participation are crucial in attracting, recruiting and retaining members in
the organization.

4.8 Conclusion

This chapter records the findings gathered from the in-depth interviews with the four selected
interviewees who converted out of non-TCR to TCR have been discussed according to
aspects of family support and approval, reasons for their conversion, the challenges that they

faced after conversion, and their general perceptions on religious conversion.

To summarize, all the interviewees converted to TCR due to the sense of contentment
that they have found in their respective religion. It could be concluded that all four of them

had been in search of a religion that fits their own needs and the current religion that they
profess seems to provide them with the sense of belonging which they did not have in their

previous religions. In addition, the recurring notions of filial piety, acceptance, peace, active
involvement, and enlightenment in the discussion of the respondents’ experiences could be
an indication of what practicing TCR means for them.

However, their experiences have also highlighted the role of the family in religious
conversion. As reported in the earlier chapters, the family is not only one of the reasons that
might cause some Chinese to convert to non-TCR, but it also plays an important role in

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