On Mar 5, 1:39 pm, pa...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> On Mar 3, 10:44 pm, al <a...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> [snip]> I noticed your mention of "religion" here and there. I am not
sure=
> > what your image of a religious Chinese society is like. I know where I
> > grew up there was no church, no preacher, no Sunday school, no bible-
> > like literature, no Hell either. Avoiding gambling was just a wise
> > thing to do. I started playing mahjong at age 15 maybe. No law against
> > it. Come to think of it. There was no policing in small towns and
> > villages. Criminals could not hide or run away when no vehicles
> > anywhere. People seldom do bad things. Never need for confessions.
>
> [snip]
> [..]
> Unlike your experiences growing up in China, the following excerpts
> from the basic do***ent of the Taiping called "The Land System of the
> Heavenly Kingdom" published in 1853 will give you some idea of how
> religion and church was viewed by the Taiping:
>
Dan, this is new to me. I never heard of the word "church". Land and
buildings were to valuable to be used only on Sundays.
Was this Christian churches? When did Christianity first enter China?
I never read about its history there.
> "In every circle of twenty=ACfive families, all young boys must go to
> church every day, where the sergeant is to teach them to read the Old
> Testament and the New Testament, as well as the book of proclamations
> of the true ordained Sovereign. Every Sabbath the cor****als must lead
> the men and women to the church, where the males and females are to
> sit in separate rows. There they will listen to sermons, sing praises,
> and offer sacrifices to our Heavenly Father, the Supreme Lord and
> Great God...."
>
I had never seen anything like that at all in my part of the world in
the 1940's. It's hard for me to imagine what is described above.
> And
>
> "Within [the court] and without, all the various officials and people
> must go every Sabbath to hear the expounding of the Holy Bible,
You mean the Holy Bible had been translated over 150 years ago? I
certainly was unaware of that.
> reverently offer their sacrifices, and wor****p and praise the Heavenly
> Father, the Supreme Lord and Great God. On every seventh seven, the
> forty=ACninth day, the Sabbath, the colonel, captains, and lieutenants
> shall go in turn to the churches in which reside the sergeants under
> their command and expound the Holy books, instruct the people, examine
> whether they obey the Commandments and orders or disobey the
> Commandments and orders, and whether they are diligent or slothful. On
> the first seventh seven, the forty=ACninth day, the Sabbath, the colonel
> shall go to a certain sergeant's church, on the second seventh seven,
> the forty=ACninth day, the Sabbath, the colonel shall then go to another
> sergeant's church, visiting them all in order, and after having gone
> the round he must begin again. The captains and lieutenants shall do
> the same."
>
I notice no punishment provisions. It seemed to say the people were
all obedient and followed supervision (or else).
> And
>
> "Throughout the empire all officials must every Sabbath, according to
> rank and position, reverently present sacrificial animals and
> offerings, sacrifice and wor****p, and praise the Heavenly Father, the
> Supreme Lord and Great God. They must also expound the Holy books;
> should any dare to neglect this duty, they shall be reduced to
> husbandmen. Respect this."
>
Here is the reward/punishment system, though not too clear. The
vocabulary is foreign to me. The writing must have been done by some
one other than Chinese. Those are not Chinese religious terms that I
ever know.
> Dan
+++++++++++
Sorry, Dan, I can't comment much. I just don't know Chinese history
other than my own experience. I grew up without visits to libraries.
Cheers......al
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