The Writing of History: The Religious Practices of the Mediums’ Association in Taiwan

做為神、鬼，或祖靈的代言人，靈媒是中國宗教或臺灣民間信仰中源遠流長的宗教角色。他(她)們沒有隨著社會的理性化、現代化或家化而消失，反而與這與這幾個過程成一有趣而深富意義的並置與互動。民國七十七年，臺灣第一個由靈乩組成的團體「梅花聯盟同心會」成立。次年，經內政部建議更名為「中華民國靈乩協會」，正式成為宗教社團。靈乩協會的成立一方面是靈乩首度企圖以協會的組織方式彼此串聯，以「神職人員」自我界定，並提昇此宗教角色之品格與「靈質」的嘗試；另一方面也表達了靈乩如何以其獨特的視野，結合傳統文化資源以及現代教育的設計，回應臺灣社會當前的治處境與道德困境。本文以歷史書寫的架構來理宗靈乩協會成立初期的宗教實踐(道德紮根運動、會合演義、護國安靈法會、神州之旅)，分析靈乩協會如何在其宗教關懷進行其獨特的文化書寫與記憶形塑，他們的觀點又如何同時複寫而又扭轉了官方的國家論述。靈乩協會模擬國家論述的發展目的論(telos of development)，將靈乩自身寫入文明進程(化解共業，進人民權時代)。當靈乩協會將自身宗教傳統的救贖視野巧妙地編織入官方的啟蒙進步論述時，它既不是對國家論述的直接顛覆，也不能單純地理解為國際論述對宗教論述的收編。在宗教追求圓海救贖的視野中，靈乩的宗教論述對當前治境況不但提出個間接的批判，也呈了宗教理解架構如何為當代心靈提供國家論述無法提供之歷史文化視野。

This article explores how mediums in contemporary Taiwan engage themselves in the complicated project of modernity. In 1898-around the period when the government lifted martial law-a group of mediums founded their own association. This move represented the conscious self-recognition of a time-honored religious professional who strives to come to terms with modern frame of professionalization. This article explores the intertwining of religious mission and Nationalist concern through its consideration of the association’s religious practices and activities, including the Moral Maintenance Movement it promoted, the mediums’ meeting for visits by the spirits, the ritual of national protection and spiritual appeasement, and a pilgrimage the mediums made to the Mainland. This article argues that the association writes itself into the official discourse kaleidoscopically, creating a new topography by rearranging available fragments of that discourse. This practice neither reiterates the dominant discourse nor invents a new one; the association’s historical writing constitutes an exercise of reflexive thinking within the structure of normative codes and power relations.