Due to the economic downturn, the iron rice bowl of public service has become unusually popular. The National Center for Traditional Art’s Wenchang Temple is a temple for official created by the Council for Cultural Affairs. It is said that this temple is particularly able to help test takers pass the public servant examination. Recently, a lot of people taking the test have been praying at the temple to pass the examination.
As many private businesses are firing employees or giving them unpaid leave as a result of the general economic situation, public servants with their guarantees of employment are the targets of much praise and envy.
However, more people take the public service examinations than there are positions, and enrolment figures have reached a new low. So in addition to studying hard, some also ask the gods for help.
PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
The Wenchang Temple is one of the few temples in the nation that is built by the government, and many people believe that the temple’s main deity, Lord Wenchang, will help test takers pass the test and become public servants.
Lin Tsung-an, a guide at the National Center for Traditional Art, says the altar at Wenchang Temple is full of copies of test takers’ registration certificates, mostly of those taking the public servant exam. If they pass the test, most people will return to the temple bringing fresh flowers, vegetarian food and fruit to thank the god.
Although not everyone believes that praying necessarily means getting help, psychologically speaking, traditional religious beliefs provide spiritual support so if test takers take the test in a detached frame of mind, they will normally be able to display their strengths.
Mr Chen from Lotung is about to take the public servant examination. Because of the explosive increase in the number of people registering for the test, he is worried he won’t make the grade. As a result, he took the advice of a friend he met online and went to pray at the Wenchang Temple in the hope that the god would help him pass.
Apart from burning incense, test takers that go to the Wenchang Temple also write cards where they make a pledge to the god that they hang on the pledge wall. In the temple, there are 100 bamboo divination sticks that everyone can draw.
Lin says the content of the poem referred to on the stick is for reference only, and whether or not one will pass the examination will depend on one’s own efforts before the god can help. If one doesn’t do one’s best to pass, the god may not be able to help even if he wants to.
(TRANSLATED BY PERRY SVENSSON)
經濟不景氣，公職鐵飯碗格外搶手，國立傳統藝術中心文昌祠是文建會起造的「官廟」，據說比一般廟宇更能保佑考生考取公職，最近有不少考生到廟參拜，祈求金榜題名。
受到大環境衝擊，許多民營企業紛紛裁員或放無薪假，受到保障的公務員深受各界稱羨。
不過，公職考試錄取員額僧多粥少，錄取率屢創新低，有些考生埋首苦讀之餘，不忘向神明求助。
傳藝文昌祠是國內少數由官方興建的廟宇，很多人相信廟中主祀的文昌帝君，能庇佑考生考取公務員。
傳藝中心解說員林宗安說，文昌祠神案擺滿准考證影本，參加公職考試者占有極高比率。假使榜上有名，多數人會帶些鮮花素果返廟答謝。
雖然說「有拜有保佑」的觀點見仁見智，但從心理層面來看，傳統宗教信仰提供心靈寄託，考生若以平常心應考，往往能發揮應有實力。
家住羅東鎮的陳先生即將參加公職考試，由於報考人數暴增，擔心一旦落榜，所有心血將付諸東流，因此聽從網友建議，到傳藝文昌祠參拜，希望神明助他突破重圍。
考生前往傳藝文昌祠，除了燒香拜拜，還可寫許願卡掛在許願牆上，廟內備有一百首白話籤詩，供大家抽籤。
林宗安說，籤詩內容僅供參考，能否金榜題名，要先「自助」，才能「神助」，自己如果都不力求上進，神明恐怕也愛莫能助。（自由時報）
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