真信无畏 大敬不黩——林则徐与城隍信仰

"To be Faithful and Undaunted to be Respectful and Never Insult"——Lin Ze-xu and His Faith in Town Gods

林则徐青少年时代,不仅清统治者提倡城隍信仰,且其特定的居住环境、家庭环境都洋溢着浓厚的城隍信仰的氛围。城隍信仰中"清正廉洁、勤政爱民"的吏治精神,对青少年林则徐起着潜移默化的浸润作用。在官宦生涯中,林则徐遵守国家礼规,组织、参与了城隍官祭活动。出于"忠君爱民",林则徐最频繁组织、参与的城隍官祭活动是水旱的"祈报祀"。林则徐对城隍信仰的基本态度是"真信无畏、大敬不黩"。

In Lin Ze-xu＇s youth, not only the Qing dynasty rulers advocated a belief in town gods, Lin＇s family background and his living environment were also brimming over with strong atmosphere of the faith in the town gods. Among all the beliefs, the idea of “to be honest and upright” unconsciously permeated into the young Lin Ze-xu and influenced a lot in his later years when he grew into a government official. He had always been abiding by the national regulations on ceremonies and had organized and participated in various official sacrifice activities during his officialdom. For the sake of “to be loyal to the monarch and to love the populace”, Lin Ze-xu most frequently participated in the official sacrifice “sacrifice of praying for good weathers” held on occasions of big floods and droughts. Lin＇s major attitude towards the town gods was “to be faithful and undaunted, to be respectful and never insult”.