Getting saved in America Taiwanese immigration and religious experience - Chen, Carolyn (Princeton University Press, 2008)
Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-225) and index
Becoming religious by becoming American -- From beautiful island to beautiful country : Taiwanese immigration and religion in Southern California -- Becoming Christian : breaking traditions and making traditions -- Becoming Buddhist : from embedded religion to explicit religion -- Becoming American men and women : otherworldly narratives and this-worldly selves -- Cultivating American saints : religious disciplines of the self -- Becoming Americans : from migrants to pilgrims
What does becoming American have to do with becoming religious? Many immigrants become more religious after coming to the United States. Taiwanese are no different. Like many Asian immigrants to the United States, Taiwanese frequently convert to Christianity after immigrating. But Americanization is more than simply a process of Christianization. Most Taiwanese American Buddhists also say they converted only after arriving in the United States even though Buddhism is a part of Taiwan's dominant religion. By examining the experiences of Christian and Buddhist Taiwanese Americans, Getting Saved