- 母語
- Foochow
- 來自
- Canada
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34#
发表于 2008-8-1 23:11
卢公明对福州天主教的描述
红笔为我所添加
http://www.gnudoyng.cn/christianity/1865_social_life.htmlNear the South Gate, outside the city, is a Roman Catholic church, built, according to report, since the treaties opening this port to foreign residence and tolerating Romanism in China were formed. The number of native converts to Romanism living in the city and suburbs is not known, but it has been vaguely estimated at several thousand. Some of the boat population are Roman Catholics. Masses are said regularly every morning and evening during the week; occasionally other religious services are held on week days. Worship is also conducted statedly on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not observed as a day of rest from labor, and there is nothing in the general conduct of the Chinese Catholics which distinguishes them from the pagans among whom they live. They do not worship the ancestral tablets in their houses.
Usually one or more European priests reside on the premises connected with the church. They dress in Chinese costume, shaving the bead and braiding the cue. The priests and the Chinese Catholics shun the acquaintance of Protestant missionaries and converts connected with Protestant Missions, and are very wary and silent in regard to matters which concern the Roman Catholic Mission. A boarding-school for boys is sustained on the Mission premises. Some or all of the pupils are trained thoroughly in the doctrines and practices of the Roman Church preparatory to entering on the functions of the Roman priesthood. Near the church is a new and convenient building, erected expressly, a few years ago, for the purpose of saving alive and bringing up the little girls found deserted by their parents, or who should be brought there by them. There is a very appropriate inscription, in large Chinese characters, over the front door of this asylum, saying, “When thy father and thy mother forsake thee, the Lord will take thee up.” This institution is under the oversight of several nuns, or sisters of Mercy, from Manilla. It is reported as being in a flourishing state.
The church is well built. It has an inscription in large gilt characters upon its front, implying that it is erected in accordance with the especial permission of the emperor. Upon its roof is a large cross, which may be seen from a considerable distance. No seats are provided in the church for the worshipers, but mats on which they kneel. The men use one side of the church and women the other. Near the pulpit or altar is an image or picture of Mary, and an image of the Savior on the Cross, and on the walls are numerous pictures of Romish saints. A tablet to the emperor, having upon it the usual inscription which is applied only to him, several years ago was to be seen near the altar, in such a position that when the worshipers bowed toward the altar, and the images and pictures near it, they necessarily also bowed toward the tablet.
The Roman Catholic priests here operate secretly. Perhaps they labor principally among the descendants of Roman Catholics of former generations. During about two hundred years there have been native Romanists at this place. Sometimes they have been severely persecuted by the government, and some have remained faithful to their professions through all their trials, and have brought up their children in the Romish faith.
The doors of the church are not open to all Chinese who desire to attend the worship, as all the Protestant missionaries open the doors of their chapels and churches to the public. Only members of the Romish community, or those who are properly introduced, are permitted to enter the church and remain during service. The foreign priests or their native assistants hold no public preaching service where their doctrines are explained and enforced. Here, as elsewhere, Romanism is evasive, and screens itself from observation, working in the dark and secretly. Protestantism boldly and openly solicits examination. Romish missionaries to the Chinese shut the door against all except the initiated and the well-disposed. Protestant missionaries throw open the churches and chapels to all, whether friendly, inimical, or indifferent, whether strangers or acquaintances.
The Romanists do not distribute the Bible, or even religious tracts, to the public nowadays. It is doubtful whether they have made into Chinese a complete translation of the Bible for the study of the native priests or for their own use. They have a large variety of tracts and books, which may be obtained by proper persons by applying at the proper quarters. Some of them were prepared over two hundred years ago by converts in high stations at court. The Catechisms and books used in schools by their catechumens and converts are intensely characteristic – e.g., in a certain Catechism, the second commandment is expunged from the Decalogue, in accordance with the practice in Western lands, and, to make up the requisite number, the tenth is divided into two.
Only one public distribution of Roman Catholic books is known as having occurred at this place between 1850 and 1863. Among the books which were given away on that occasion was one which had a singular stamp or imprint of six Chinese characters in red ink. These characters, taken in connection with other characters in red ink also stamped upon the book, informed the reader that the religion of the Lord of Heaven was different from the religion of the kingdom of the Flowery Flag. It is necessary to explain that the distinctive name in China for the Roman Catholic religion is the “religion of the Lord of Heaven,” while the common name for the United States of America is the “kingdom of the Flowery Flag,” a term derived doubtless from the unique appearance of the stars and stripes of the national flag. The meaning intended to be conveyed by the imprints was that Romanism was different from Protestantism. It would seem that the Romanists had been aroused, by the zeal of Protestant missionaries in distributing books, to an unwonted exhibition of zeal in the distribution of Roman Catholic books. But, in order to protest against Protestantism, and not knowing any better name to give it than the name denoting the nationality of the greatest number of Protestant missionaries at Fuhchau, they caused some or all of the books given away on the occasion referred to, to be stamped in a prominent place and in a color which would attract attention, with a sentence meaning that the religion of Heaven’s Lord was not the same as the American religion!
There are many points of similarity between Roman Catholicism and Chinese Buddhism. The common people here do not discover many points of dissimilarity between the lives of the converts to Romanism and the native adherents of Buddhism. The prominent points of similarity are the vow of celibacy, monastic seclusion, monastic habit, holy water, counting beads, fasting, forbidden meats, masses for the dead, worship of relics, canonization of saints, use of incense and candles, bell and book, purgatory – from which prayers and ceremonies deliver – use of a dead language, and pretension to miracles.
Huc, the Lazarist, seems pleased with this striking similarity, and says, Buddhism has an admixture of truth with holy Church.
Premare, another distinguished Romanist, says, the devil has imitated Mother Church to scandalize her.
Protestants ask, Has not Romanism borrowed from paganism? 和我一样,卢公明一定是带着某种高超程度的优越感来形容福州天主教会的。但他的话绝对不是无凭无据——尤其今天发生的某件事情更加深了我的这种想法。天主教比新教早来福州好几个世纪,却从未为福州话设计罗马字或发表任何本土作品(not to my knowledge)。在新教光明的照耀下后,他们只得就把目标锁定在被福州人百般排挤的曲蹄囝身上……卢公明的高姿态不是没有道理的,换是我,亦然。
那在黑暗和秘密中的我的朋友啊,我多么努力地在你身上试图找到哪怕只是一丝丝的理性的热情,却总以失败和被伤害而告终。卢公明说的没错,你们总是活跃在黑暗和秘密中,痛苦的我永远也无法了解你,永远,永远…… |
Three C's define me: Chinese by birth; Canadian by choice; Christian by grace. |
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