Religion and Democracy in Taiwan

Cheng-tian Kuo is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Graduate Institute of Religious Studies at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan. He is the author of Global Competitiveness and Industrial Growth in Taiwan and the Philippines and Economic Regimes and National Performance in the World Economy: Taiwan and the Philippines.

• List of IllustrationsPreface1. IntroductionTheories of Religion and DemocracyResearch MethodologyChanging Political and Religious Environment2. Taiwanese BuddhismGeneral DescriptionThe Buddha Light MountainBuddhist Compassion Relief Ciji FoundationThe Dharma Drum MountainThe Zhongtai Zen MonasteryOther Buddhists3. ChristianityGeneral DescriptionThe PresbyteriansThe BaptistsThe Local ChurchOther Denominations4. Daoism and Folk ReligionsDefinitionDaoismYiguandaoThe Mazu Belief5. Statistical Analysis (with Kuan Ping-yin)Taiwan’s Religious ProfileReligion and Party PreferenceReligion and Democratic ValuesReligion and Democratic BehaviorComparison of Taiwanese BelieversComparing Taiwanese and Korean Believers6. ConclusionSummary and ComparisonMethodological, Theoretical, and Practical ImplicationsNotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

"…convincingly argues that religions do matter, but their actual roles depend on their beliefs, organizations, and interaction with state … raise[s] important questions pertaining to our understanding of religious traditions in China today, as well as their role in China's modernization during the Republican era." — China Quarterly"…an important and timely contribution not only to the study of politics in Taiwan but to comparative politics in general … the author gives an excellent overview of the religious scene in Taiwan." — Journal of Chinese Religions"This is a timely and important addition to the existing scholarship on religion, democracy, and Asian politics." — Dennis Van Vranken Hickey, author of Foreign Policy Making in Taiwan: From Principle to Pragmatism