Divine Concept of the Belief in Datok Gong in Malaysia
Abstract
In this modern world, there are still beliefs in supernatural existence. These beliefs have undergone alterations in accordance with the worshippers’ socio-environmental changes. The study explored Datok Gong’s perceptions by his worshipers based on their relationships with him and examined factors contributing to this faith. This research endeavored to explore the anthropological and sociological interpretations of Sino-Malay spirit belief in Malaysia, commonly known as Datok Gong. This study was conducted in four different states in Malaysia on twelve respondents coming from different ethnicities and age groups. In-depth interviews and observations were used in this research. This research identified four main ideas of religious relationships, which were supernatural, socio-economic, daily routine, and symbolic. It also explored the factors contributing to the faith in Datok Gong that were unearthed and worshippers’ perceptions in relation to daily life experiences. The findings show that the majority of the respondents perceived Datok Gong as a living person with supernatural powers. This study would benefit society and the stakeholders to create new knowledge about belief systems.
Keywords: Datok Gong, Datok Keramat, Chinese, beliefs, religion, Malaysia.
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