Vancouverites, like most Canadians, were once predominantly Christian. A few decades ago, a large majority of Vancouverites identified as Christian, even if that didn鈥檛 mean weekly church attendance. As the number of people self-identifying as Christian declined for a range of reasons, the number of Chinese-Canadians living in 麻豆传媒映画increased substantially. Much has been written 鈥� and perhaps much more spoken in quiet voices 鈥� about real or perceived conflicts caused by these changes.
Someone who has given a great deal of thought to the similarities and differences between these two cultures is Yonghua Ge, a post-doctoral fellow at Regent College on the UBC campus. Part of his research is comparing Christian theology with Chinese philosophy, a pursuit he says makes 麻豆传媒映画an ideal place for his work.
Not every Vancouverite of Chinese descent is interested in Chinese philosophy, just as not every Vancouverites with a Christian family history is interested in Christian theology. But our cultures 鈥� and we 鈥� are influenced by these factors and in recent papers and lectures Ge has explored some of the ways these two world views collide and coexist. This duality exists in his own life, as someone raised in China, educated in North America and who came to Christianity as an adult.
First of all, he says, it is notable that almost everyone everywhere has asked very similar existential questions.
鈥淚t is amazing that all people asked the same questions from different cultures and even across different times,鈥� says Ge. 鈥淎s human beings, you have to face these fundamental questions about existence, about our lives, about the universe and why we're here, what we鈥檙e supposed to do 鈥� these are questions that all the people across the globe and across history try to wrestle and try to answer.鈥�
Ge first sought answers through science. He has undergraduate and master鈥檚 degrees in physics and for several years taught science and math in China.
鈥淭he reason I studied physics was that I was asking about the fundamental existential questions, about the meaning of life, and if there's anything that's eternal,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hen I observed the world, I realized that the world is continually changing, people die and things perish. I was a little bit anguished because I was trying to find something that is unchanging, something that is permanent. That's why I decided to study physics because I realize that the laws of nature are always constant.鈥�
But science could not answer what Ge calls the 鈥渉uman questions鈥� 鈥� how we face the reality of people dying, of human suffering.
鈥淪cience is impersonal,鈥� he says. 鈥淪cience to me is silent on these things, the human questions.鈥�
While studying in Ohio, he met some Christians and began discussing theology and reading the Bible.
鈥淲hat was really attractive to me was the phrase 鈥榯he word became flesh,鈥� that the word became human,鈥� he says, referring to the Christian concept of the embodiment of God鈥檚 promise in the figure of Jesus. 鈥淪cience was not adequate to answer human questions. I realized it is there [in Christianity] that I can find my human answers.鈥�
When comparing Chinese philosophy 鈥� primarily Daoism 鈥� with Christian theology, Ge does not offer a revolutionary thesis that blows the lid off either the idea that the two are incompatible or, conversely, that they are completely simpatico. On the contrary, he falls quite in the middle.
鈥淚'm trying to argue against two kinds of extreme positions,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here is at least some possibility to have a meaningful dialogue between Christian theology and Chinese philosophy. I want to argue that there are some similarities but there are profound differences between the two.鈥�
While Ge is content to accept that there are similarities and difference between these two world views, and that these represent an invitation for discussion, he is emphatic on what some other people perceive as a conflict. As both a scientist and a theologian, Ge rejects the suggestion that there is any conflict between these two disciplines.
鈥淚t's a deep misconception that I think has been propagandized,鈥� he says. 鈥淔or me, there is no such thing as a conflict between the two. The two really are addressing different realms of reality. For my PhD thesis, my research focused on the Christian doctrine of creatio ex nihilo, creation from nothing, [it鈥檚] really a fundamentally metaphysical statement about the existence of the world. It is not about a scientific description of how the world began. 鈥� I think it's an unfortunate misunderstanding that there is a conflict between the two.鈥�
Ge鈥檚 research is intensely thoughtful and complex, but ultimately he is making a fairly simple case about the relationship between Chinese philosophy and Christian theology 鈥� and, by extension, the cultures they helped create.
鈥淲ith a clear understanding of each one, we can have more meaningful dialogue instead of conflating different traditions into one,鈥� he says.
As for location, as any realtor will tell you, 麻豆传媒映画is where it鈥檚 at.
鈥溌槎勾接郴璱s really where the East meets the West,鈥� Ge says. 鈥淚t makes 麻豆传媒映画a more relevant place for us to discuss this topic.鈥�
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