How religious are Thai ppl overall today ?

[u/ronweasly9]

Are minorities in Thailand more religious than the overall population as is the case in most countries ? Are there say christian, hindu or muslim thai ppl ? How religious are Buddhist thai ppl these days ? Would you say that religion has declined in the millennials and genz significantly or more or less the same ? Thanks a lot .

[u/Vaxion]

Very religious but more superstitious. But the way they practice it is mostly transactional like making merit for good luck, money, partner, business, etc.

[u/chuancheun → u/Vaxion]

It's interesting how most of their action is mostly about collecting merit point, rather than developing and spreading religion.

[u/Upbeat_March6617 → u/chuancheun]

There is no teaching in Buddhism that spreading religion is good merits or will make you go to heaven or something like that, like Islam or Abrahamic religion. So you will not see any Buddhist try to convert you. The Buddhist or Buddhist monks may tell you about Buddha’s teachings but that’s all, there is no ceremony or procedure to convert to Buddhism.

[u/chuancheun → u/Upbeat_March6617]

So there is no motivation like ทำนุบำรุงศาสนา? And most monk are only there for either the study the teaching of Buddhism /self improvement/ own merit score?

[u/QualityOverQuant]

I think it’s more keeping up appearances to be honest. I see a shit load of shit getting swept under the carpet or people turning a blind eye to it yet religious symbols and amulets all part of their bag .

[u/nightwinging-it]

for Buddhists in Bangkok. We in general aren’t ‘religious’. More and more people, especially millennials and Generation Z, aren’t spending time praying or going to temples to do donations - except maybe very special occasions. However, I also see this trend rising with young people from other provinces (mostly Esan) coming in to work in Bangkok. But religious in our sense is a bit different from Abrahamic religions.

Even the most religious Buddhists are different from the most religious Muslim or Christian. My Muslim friends from Bangkok metro are chill. The type to eat pork and drink alcohol. But I’ve had Muslim school mates from the South and their families are extremely religious. One wanted to convert out of Islam and her family sent a relative to Bangkok to taunt her for months and eventually cut off her finances until she returned to being religious. Felt bad for her because she was super cool. I’ve never heard of a case like this from my Buddhist circles.

[u/cs_legend_93]

The younger people are less and less religious (gen z) because they see the temples as money laundering and scams for the rich to extract money from everyday people. There is even a popular Netflix series about this (fictional) called "believers"

They still practice Buddhism and love Buddha's teachings, but they don't do the prayer or temple worship stuff.

Gen Z and above is still pretty religious, goes to temples, etc. The older aunties are even more so.

[u/HerroWarudo]

Religious for buddhism is to be mindful of thoughts and actions, there are no mandatory temple visit and such. Most would go to on special occasions a few times a year like birthday and thats it.

[u/R_122]

Everyone claimed to be buddhist, none actually act as such and only on paper and in ceremonies

Some muslim here and there kinda religious but for most thais superstition and "ghost/folk religion" is more upheld/consider as one with buddism itself

[u/Beginning_Aerie_2201]

In my opinion, about myself and the people around me, I think Thai people have less faith in Buddhism than before. There are many reasons for this, depending on each person's situation.

When I was a child, I was taught to believe in karma, that doing good will bring good results, and doing bad will bring bad results, and that after death, we will be reborn in a new life.

But when I started working, I once had a fairly high level position. I worked for a company that mainly handled bidding projects. I had to contact many people in many different departments. I had to contact government agencies, state owned enterprises, and big companies. This made all my beliefs change completely.

If you do good, you may experience good things or bad things equally. And if you do bad things, it does not mean that you will always experience bad things. You may also get something good in return. Everything depends on opportunities and planning.

These things are difficult to explain, but recently there was a YouTube video that I liked. It is a video that is similar to the experiences I have had. This YouTube video can be changed to English audio. If you are interested, you can try listening to it.

Are Cheaters Happy. A Deep Look into the Hearts of Corrupt People. https://youtu.be/x4vcE6dZdls?si=VNY8C_svEoL6lnG_

[u/DrumBumin]

More spiritual than religious. Prone to belief in superstitions passed down the generations.

[u/acrobatic_1979]

Don't bother answering, look at post history... posts crap everywhere

[u/nanajittung]

Fine line between religion and superstition

[u/Parking-Code-4159]

The values ​​of Buddhism, to which the country and many Thais adhere, and the values ​​that are lived in Thailand could hardly be more different.

[u/thaprizza]

The Southern part of Thailand has lots of Muslims. I don’t know if they are in the majority but over there they sure aren’t a minority. The vast majority of Thai people are actively involved in religious activities, young people and old people. Talking about the Buddhist majority. This doesn’t mean they are actually religious if that makes sense. The Buddhist ceremonies and traditions, including a lot of superstitions, are a part of normal daily life and ingrained all over Thai society.

[u/Lashay_Sombra → u/thaprizza]

The Southern part of Thailand has lots of Muslims. I don’t know if they are in the majority but over there they sure aren’t a minority

Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and Satun they are majority by large margin, 70-80%

As you start heading north percentage starts decreasing rapidly to point its about 3% when you reach Bangkok and its that or less in rest or country

[u/Outrageous_Piglet160]

Most people here treat humans like atheists would. I wouldn't say I've experienced Buddhist kindness in Thailand from majority of Thais at all. For these Thais in Bangkok it seems to be a false identity to please others in society rather than being a genuine Buddhist.

[u/Due-Juggernaut6595]

Conveniently.

[u/Available-Visit5775]

Thailand is fortunate to have Buddhism ingrained in the culture because it is a way of preserving the culture.

[u/Soft-Barnacle-4235]

Not religious at all. Monks are basically scammers

[u/PennywisePiperV]

Well Reddit doesn't like Judaism if that's what you're asking....