Contemporary academic study of traditional cults and the creation of a government agency that gave legal status to this religion have created proposals to formalize names and deal more clearly with folk religious sects and help conceptualise research and administration. The terms that have been proposed include "Chinese native religion" or "Chinese indigenous religion" (), "Chinese ethnic religion" (), or simply "Chinese religion" () viewed as comparable to the usage of the term "Hinduism" for Indian religion,. In Malaysia, reports the scholar Tan Chee-Beng, Chinese do not have a definite term for their traditional religion, which is not surprising because "the religion is diffused into various aspects of Chinese culture". They refer to their religion as bai fo or bai shen, which prompted Allan A. J. Elliott to suggest the term "shenism" (). Tan however, comments that is not the way the Chinese refer to their religion, which in any case includes worship of ancestors, not simply shen, and suggests it is logical to simply use "Chinese Religion". . "Shenxianism" (, literally, "religion of deities and immortals"), is a term partly inspired by Elliott's neologism, "Shenism." The notion of xian ling (), variously translated as "divine efficacy, virtue" or simply the "numen", is important for the relationship between men and gods.Zavidovskaya, 2012. p . 179–183 It describes the manifestation, activity, of the power of a god ( ling qi, "divine energy" or "effervescence"), the evidence of the holy.Zavidovskaya, 2012. p . 183–184 The term xian ling may be interpreted as the god revealing his presence in a particular area and temple,Zavidovskaya, 2012. p. 184 through events that are perceived as extraordinary, miraculous. Zavidovskaya, 2013. p. 184 Divine power usually manifests in the presence of a wide public. The "value" of human deities (xian) is judged according to his or her efficacy. The perceived effectiveness of a deity to protect or bless also determines how much he or she should be worshipped, how big a temple should be built in his or her honour, and what position in the broader pantheon he or she would attain.
Contemporary academic study of traditional cults and the creation of a government agency that gave legal status to this religion have created proposals to formalize names and deal more clearly with folk religious sects and help conceptualise research and administration. The terms that have been proposed include "Chinese native religion" or "Chinese indigenous religion" (), "Chinese ethnic religion" (), or simply "Chinese religion" () viewed as comparable to the usage of the term "Hinduism" for Indian religion,. In Malaysia, reports the scholar Tan Chee-Beng, Chinese do not have a definite term for their traditional religion, which is not surprising because "the religion is diffused into various aspects of Chinese culture". They refer to their religion as bai fo or bai shen, which prompted Allan A. J. Elliott to suggest the term "shenism" (). Tan however, comments that is not the way the Chinese refer to their religion, which in any case includes worship of ancestors, not simply shen, and suggests it is logical to simply use "Chinese Religion". "Shenxianism" (, literally, "religion of deities and immortals"), is a term partly inspired by Elliott's neologism, "Shenism." The notion of xian ling (), variously translated as "divine efficacy, virtue" or simply the "numen", is important for the relationship between men and gods.Zavidovskaya, 2012. pp . 179–183 It describes the manifestation, activity, of the power of a god ( ling qi, "divine energy" or "effervescence"), the evidence of the holy.Zavidovskaya, 2012. pp . 183–184 The term xian ling may be interpreted as the god revealing his presence in a particular area and temple,Zavidovskaya, 2012. p. 184 through events that are perceived as extraordinary, miraculous. Divine power usually manifests in the presence of a wide public. The "value" of human deities (xian) is judged according to his or her efficacy. The perceived effectiveness of a deity to protect or bless also determines how much he or she should be worshipped, how big a temple should be built in his or her honour, and what position in the broader pantheon he or she would attain.
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Zavidovskaya, 2013. p. 184