Is PJ the Lubbock of Malaysia?

Although Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, freedom of religion is assured in the Malaysian constitution so people are free to practice the religion of their choice (although all Malays are required to be Muslims and anyone marrying a Malay is required to convert to Islam). According to the 2000 census, 60.4% of Malaysians are Muslims, 19.2% are Bhuddists, 9.1% are Christians, and 6.3% are Hindus. Besides a few recent ugly incidents, it appears that the different religions generally coexist peaceably.

Anyone who has ever been to Lubbock, Texas would think that city law must require every house to be within at least two football fields of a church. I have heard it said that Lubbock has the most churches per capita in the country. I have no idea if this is true, but I would bet that we are in the top 10. Petaling Jaya, the city where I live in Malaysia, appears to the the center of Christianity in Malaysia. There is a much higher concentration of churches (gereja) near my house in PJ than I have seen anywhere else in Malaysia. Maybe PJ is the Lubbock of Malaysia!

First Baptist Church




Note that services are held in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Bible College of Malaysia







http://www.bcm.org.my/

Jenis Catholic School





I tried to take a photo of the chapel at this school, but the security guard told me that it was forbiden to take pictures. Because as a general rule I choose not to argue with guys with billy clubs, I decided not to take a photo.

Assemblies of God



http://www.ag.org.my/

St Francis Xavier Catholic Church



The prevalence of Catholic Churches might be explained by the long history of the Portuguese and Spanish in South East Asia.

La Salle Catholic School








These two La Salle students wanted me to take their picture, so I did.

St. Paul's Anglican Church



St Paul's viewed from my apartment window.




The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints



When I see young white men dressed in dark slacks, white short-sleved shirts, and neckties walking around (or riding their bikes) in pairs then I know I have spotted some Mormon missionaries. I would love to be a fly on the wall when they knock on doors in the Malay kampongs (villages).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_of_Jesus_Christ_of_Latter-day_Saints_in_Malaysia

Not a Christian Church, but still pretty cool: Thai Bhuddist Temple

This temple is located right next door to the Baptist Church.