Wolf's Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors

Arthur P. Wolf’s article Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors, shows Chinese religion significance through the eyes of the worshippers and their social construction of the social world. This is important to explain as this shows the religion is able to adapt to various people and their world views. It is mentioned that a poorer person’s religious views will be different compared to a businessperson's. This adaptivity is interesting to further explore as it a characteristic of this specific religion that is not always found in other kinds. I think this is an important quality of Chinese religion. 

This article looks at three parts of Chinese religion, which are gods, ghosts and ancestors. Each one having their own perspective and individual association to each person. 

Pertaining to the gods category is Tu Ti Kung. This is a deity that is worshipped as an earth god as it reigns over agriculture (Wolf 1974: 134). Furthermore, Wolf states, “Tu Ti Kung serves localities, not kinship groups” (1974: 135). This shows that the gods manifest themselves into local levels, which are more accessible to everyone. A more localized connection through agriculture for the selected people within the article, we see that they are able to manifest their religion through this way. 

One’s perspective must switch now, as the topic of ghosts and ancestors is covered. These two topics go together as mentioned in the article, “one man’s ancestor is another man’s ghost (1974: 146). This is very interesting to note as it shows that each person has the ability to understand how ghosts and ancestors are similar but also differentiated. Also important to note regarding this quote is the maintained relationship that a person has with its relatives after death. The focus on relationship can be seen through this religion as one must respect it. This notion is further mentioned with the quote, “the ancestor, though dead, is a person with rights and duties; the ghost, also dead, is a person with neither rights nor duties. The one is usually a kinsman; the other is always a stranger” (1974: 146). It seems that a main focus in determining whether a person is a ancestor or a ghost is the obligation that one has in maintaining the relationship after death. There is a central focus on this obligation, however it can be completely disregarded if there is no proper lineage relationship. This can be connected to the marriage and lineage rules within the society as well. Women, once married, belong to the husband’s family and thus her rights and duties pertain to his lineage rather than her blood family. Ultimately, the idea of ancestor vs. ghost has relative meaning. The personal experience and relation one has to others is key to understanding their association of ghosts. 

All three parts of Chinese religion emphasize personal associations. This allows for an individualistic relationship through religion and its rules towards gods, ghosts, and ancestors. 

References

Wolf, Arthur. 1974. "Gods, Ghosts, and Ancestors" In Arthur Wolf (ed.). Religion and Ritual in Chinese Society. Stanford: Stanford University Press, pp.131-182.