Buddhist Churches of America - Timeline Event
Time Period
1944
Description
The Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) traces its roots to the arrival of Japanese immigrants on the West Coast during the late 19th century. These adherents of Jodo Shinshu, or Shin Buddhism, opened their first temples in San Francisco.
In 1914, as more and more Japanese American temples opened in the U.S., the Buddhist Mission of North America (BMNA) was formalized as an umbrella network. In 1944, the BMNA changed its name to the Buddhist Churches of America. Its goal: establish an American Buddhism that would take its place alongside other faiths in the U.S. Using the word "churches" drew criticism from some Buddhist leaders for mimicking Christian terminology.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the BCA currently has more than 60 independent temples with 16,000 members.
In 1914, as more and more Japanese American temples opened in the U.S., the Buddhist Mission of North America (BMNA) was formalized as an umbrella network. In 1944, the BMNA changed its name to the Buddhist Churches of America. Its goal: establish an American Buddhism that would take its place alongside other faiths in the U.S. Using the word "churches" drew criticism from some Buddhist leaders for mimicking Christian terminology.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the BCA currently has more than 60 independent temples with 16,000 members.
Interactive Timeline(s)
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Religious Groups
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: BuddhistBuddhist: Other ARDA Links
Buddhist: Religious Family Tree
Related Dictionary Terms
Adherent, Buddhism, ChristianityPhotographs
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Buddhist Church of San Francisco- Hathi Trust- from Woman's Work, vol 36 (1921)
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Buddhist Church of Lodi, a BCA temple- Flickr- photo by Michael Hicks (CC BY 2.0)
Book/Journal Source(s)
Tweed, Thomas A. and Stephen Prothero (Eds.), 1999. Asian Religions in America New York: Oxford University Press.Web Source(s)
https://www.buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/about-bcaBuddhist Churches of America website
https://books.google.com/books/about/North_American_Buddhists_in_Social_Conte.html?id=sAy1s626lE0C&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button#v=onepage&q&f=false
Numrich, Paul David (Ed.). 2008. North American Buddhists in Social Context. Boston: Brill.
Web Page Contributor
Sandi DolbeeAffliated with: Former Religion and Ethics Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune
