Page 90 - A Study of Traditional Chinese Religions in Malaysia: The Decline and the Path Towards Revitalization

and B have successfully created an ecology that is able to revitalize Buddhism and at the
same time generate donations, a vital source of income to sustain its activities.

5.6 Conclusion

The TCR organizations must adapt and change their modus operandi. The Chinese

Malaysians today are different from their ancestors who migrated to this country one century
ago. Some of the activities and approaches may fit their ancestors’ expectations but not now.
The Chinese have been exposed to modern education. They have also been exposed to

multiple religions. In such a scenario, interventions by TCR organizations are needed. They
must take up the challenge to revitalize their religions.

Based on the discussions above, the TCR organizations play important roles in

upkeeping TCR. Without their leadership, TCR will not be able to revitalize and as a result of
this failure, more Chinese will convert out of TCR. However, noticeably, not all TCR

organizations are taking up this challenge. Some are even complacent with their current
conditions and have not started any plans to revitalize their organizations and TCR. Though
they are aware of the challenges posed by non-TCR organizations, some of them have not

devised any plans to counter them. For this matter, there are differences between the Taoist
and Buddhist organizations. As discussed above, some Buddhist organizations have formed
movements to spearhead their efforts in revitalizing Buddhism. Taoist organizations such as

the temples have not formed such movements. Many are still operating independently
although Federation of Taoist Associations Malaysia (FTAM) has already been formed. In
other words, there is a lot of work to be done for Taoist organizations to thrive.

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