Fu Jen Religious Studies, Issue 47

Theme: Religion and Boundaries

For religious studies, "boundary" is a crucial concept. Religious phenomena inherently involve the distinction between the "sacred" and the "profane"—a division that not only establishes conceptual boundaries for the sacred but also demarcates the boundaries of sacred time and space through mechanisms such as rituals. From an intra-religious perspective, different religions attempt to define their own boundaries to distinguish themselves from others; in practice, they also delineate boundaries for religious communities and individual daily lives, stipulating what is permitted or mandatory and what is strictly prohibited. From an extra-religious perspective, governments and the general public often seek to draw boundaries around various religions, confining their social functions to specific predefined roles or domains to support the ruling regime or reinforce dominant social values and norms.

However, throughout religious history, certain instances demonstrate the opposite tendency: religion can inspire individuals to challenge or even transcend established socio-cultural boundaries, and interreligious dialogues may likewise break through pre-existing boundaries between traditions. Finally, if God or ultimate reality transcends human conceptual and linguistic comprehension, whether and how the boundary between ultimate reality and human language can be crossed becomes an unavoidable question. This issue features five articles that examine these questions regarding religion and boundaries from five distinct perspectives.

Table of Contents

Defining Daoism: Perspectives from Cultural Fusion and Contextuality

Shih-Wei Hsieh — 1

The Construction of Ideal Daoism: A Study of Zhang Yuchu's Daomen Shigui (Ten Rules for Daoists)

Shih-Pei Yang — 31

A Study of Emperor Xuanzong’s Prefaces to the Yuzhu (Imperial Commentaries) on the Three Classics and His Concept of Governance through Confucianism and Daoism

Ho-Shu Li — 81

Symbol, Transgressing Boundaries, Faith, and New Life: Reshaping the Image of the Samaritan Woman in the Gospel of John through Literary and Feminist Perspectives

Ching-Yi Chen — 123

How to Write Theology: The Significance of the "Lyrical Tradition" in Chinese Literature for Christian Theology

Seung-Chul Kim — 141