Portraits of an East Asian City: Taipei, Taiwan

Idols on parade in Taiwan

Emily Stockton | December 12, 2011

It started off as a typical Tuesday morning in Taipei (tie-BAY) for Southern Baptist missionary Erin Pendleton.* After she cooked breakfast for her husband and sons and got the boys off to school, she started down her to-do list for the day that included a trip on her bicycle to buy a Dustbuster. The young mom cycled past familiar neighborhood sights such as vegetable and fruit markets, Starbucks and the modern subway system in Taiwan's highly developed capital city.

Then she froze – partly because the road was blocked and she had to stop, but mostly because she was shocked at what she saw.

For 45 minutes, she watched a parade of idols, carried on floats, proceed down Roosevelt Road, a main road in Taipei. Blue utility trucks decked in flowers and colorful tissue paper pulled the heavy idols in celebratory fashion.

The eerie music, the haze of smoke, and the loud popping of firecrackers caused her to shudder. She looked around at the crowd. Some people exuded enthusiastic emotions similar to what she had seen at pre-game parades in America. Others looked bored. She was confused at first about what was happening, but sensed from the reverence being shown by the crowds that idol worship was taking place.

"Jesus, You are Lord. Show them Lord!" she cried out in anguish to God, only to have her voice drowned out by the popping fireworks and music so loud that even those closest to her couldn't hear her.

She returned home later that day, disturbed and heartbroken at the reminder of how many modern Taiwan people continue to be steeped in traditional idol worship.

The tutor explains

Later that week when Pendleton showed her Chinese language tutor, Chen Li*, the photos of the parade, she learned that the parade was a joint celebration of five temples. The idols were being carried through the streets to raise awareness and promote more visits to the temples.

"That's the one we worship in my home!" Chen suddenly cried out, pointing at one of the photos.

She and her parents have an "earth god" idol statue sitting on an idol shelf at their home, along with the ashes of her ancestors. Chen, a graduate of one of Taiwan's most prestigious universities, chose this idol for herself. Each morning and evening, the 28-year-old helps her mother make the climb to the third floor where the idol shelf is housed, and she bows to both the ancestor's ashes and idol. She talks daily to the unhearing effigy about her problems. Although the "earth god" is not considered a powerful idol, Chen likes him because of what she describes as his warm face, because he is here on earth rather than far away in the heavens, and because she claims he once smiled at her.

Chen has recently heard the Gospel many times. Erin believes she is interested in knowing Christ and is in the process of counting the cost; she's very close to having the courage to turn her back on her family's beliefs and follow Christ.

Please pray that she will truly make this decision despite her family's resistance, and that she will be a witness in her family so they may all believe in the true living God.

*name changed