Balancing Environmental Protection and Folk Belief: Surveying the Attitudes of Local Worshipers

Abstract

This research explores conflicts arising between local indigenous beliefs and environmental protection through the case of a local Land Deity temple that decided to eliminate the practice of using incense burner and sticks to encourage worshipers to improve the community’s air quality. However, this new directive was widely questioned by local worshipers. To improve the understanding of and ascertain the worshipers’ perceptions of such phenomena, this article draws implications through focus group discussions and descriptive statistics. Finally, the study suggests how to reach a balance between environmental protection and local belief center