客家地區基督教信仰研究--以苗栗家庭教會為例

Abstract

台灣各族群信仰基督教比例中，以客家族群占最少。本研究以苗栗家庭教會為主要研究對象，藉由深入訪談與觀察，分析教會成員接受基督教之阻礙及需求因素，以了解基督教家庭教會在苗栗客家地區宣教及基督徒信仰基督教的情形，讓人們對客家地區信仰基督教的家庭有更深入、更客觀之了解。 本研究共分為五章，第一章緒論中陳述研究背景與動機、目的與問題、對象及方法。第二章則對本文相關文獻做一回顧。第三章介紹家庭教會在客家地區之宣教方式。第四章探討阻礙人們信仰基督教的因素。第五章則探討基督徒受洗之緣由。最後一章為結論。 研究發現阻礙人們接受基督教信仰，與基督教不拜祖先之因素最有關，阻礙之大小，因家庭結構、世代、性別、階層等因素而有不同。而影響教會基督徒受洗之因素，則與教會在人們受挫時，提供了傳統民間信仰所無法人們心靈的需要有關，另藉由參與教會，也改變了人們原來的生活價值觀，滿足自我實現的需求，使人們重新理解宗教的意義，進而認同基督教。 研究也發現，因人們接觸教會的原因與受洗阻礙程度及需求不同，而有不同的理性選擇。當人們對基督教的需求大於其受洗阻礙時，人們願意承受壓力受洗；相對在需求小於受洗將會碰到的阻礙時，人們選擇與教會維持一定的距離或離開。

關鍵詞：客家地區、基督教信仰、家庭教會、阻礙、需求

Among different tribes believing in Christianity in Taiwan, the proportion of Hakka is the least. In the proposed study, Miaoli Family Church will be the main research target. By deep-going interview and observation, and from analyzing the factors of obstruction and the needs of church members who accept Christianity, we can understand how Miaoli Family Church propagates Christianity and the common circumstances of Christian who believes in Christianity in Miaoli. For so doing, people can have much more thorough and objective understanding of Christian family in Hakka region. There are five chapters in this study. The First Chapter is the “Introduction” which relates the background and the motivation of the research. The Second Chapter is about the relative works cited—review. Chapter Three introduces Family Church’s way of propagation in Hakka region. Chapter Four explores the factors which obstruct people from believing in Christianity. Chapter Five explores the reason why people are willing to be baptized. Finally Chapter Five is conclusion. Research finds out Christian does not perform sacrifices for ancestors is the main reason why church members can not believe in Christianity. The result indicates that the obstructive level has significant difference in family structure, generation, gender, and hierarchy. For those factors which effect people to be baptized may have something to do with the needs of spiritual consolation when facing frustration. Besides, people change their original living values, fulfill their needs of self-practicing, re-understand the meaning of the religion and identify themselves with Christianity by taking part in the church ceremony of Christianity. Research also finds out people will have different reasonable choices which depend on the extent of and the needs for attending Christianity and the level of obstruction of being baptized. When the need for Christianity is stronger than the obstruction of being baptized, people would be willing to stand the pressure of being baptized. However, when the need is weaker than the obstruction which they are going to face, people would rather keep a certain distance with or just leave the church of Christianity.

Key words: Hakka region, Christian belief, Family Church, obstruction, need