On Sept. 29, Dr. Li Lin, researcher of Institute of World Religions at CASS, gave a lecture on "What is Religion ---From the traditional west to modern China ". The lecture was held by the chairman Wu Wei and over 200 people attended it.
Dr. Li explained the question "What religion is" in a specific background. Starting from the works and achievement of Wilfred Cantwell Smith, he analyzed the changes, turns and fetters of "religion" in different periods, interpreting deeply the internalization, materialization and differentiation of "religion" and explaining the origin of the word "religion" in China and the modern fate "religion" faces, turning from "theory of Religion as opium" to "theory of religious culture", then to " theory of religion as tradition".
Doctor Li pointed out that we shouldn't involve in the disputes between "Experience and Transcendental ", "Objective and Subjective" and " Theism and atheism". We should make the religion and society understand each other and interact well with each other, stick to the direction of sinicization and play a positive role.
