Cao Dai Delight
Right. That's it. I am so going to start a religion.
I am utterly inspired.by Chocin civil servant Ngo Van Chieu, who upon receiving messages from God via a spirit called Duc Cao Dai went on to "share his spiritual discoveries with others in Saigon". This intrigues me beyond comprehension. Not only did the guy have the chutzpah to actually admit that spirit/god creatures were speaking to him on behalf of God, but then he managed to convince dozens of others in 1920s Vietnam that it was for real. I am humbled.
Anyhow, Cao Dai passed on instructions to the first group of believers (henceforth known as mediums) to found a new religion. Lucky Le Van Trung was anointed acting Giao Tong (Pope) and Caodaism was formally founded on September 26, 1926 by a group of 247 disciples. And, lo, it's gone on to being the second religion (after Catholicism) in the country (although, in another North-South divide thing, it's found almost exclusively in South Vietnam).
And a real Life of Pi kind of religion it is, too (I plan to ask Yann Martel if he has ever been to Tay Ninh). By combining Catholicism, Buddhism, the more mystical writings of Judaism and Taoism with – and I am not making this up – the sacred texts of Saint Victor Hugo, the church is sure to cover all it's bases.
But t's not just the pick-and-mix approach to other belief systems that I love about Cao Dai: really I love it because it's like the great drag queen of religions. The Holy See at Tay Nihn (just like Rome!) with it's massive mostly pink Cathedral (that they are at pains to say is larger than St. Peter's) has to be seen to be believed.
The place is simply awash with ritual, symbolism and colour...There's the vibrant red, blue and yellow coloured robes for the various upper echelons of the psychic mediums that guide (but never lead) the congregation by Ouija-board like predictions, set off by the brilliant white robes of the disciples. The wildly discordant choir and instruments are audio cues used throughout the daily noon service to order the precise and ritualized movement of the ranks of people in an elaborate dance-like mass. And all this set in a razzmatazz and totally over the top Sacred See with divine eyes, checkerboards, pink and gold and gild and gilt everywhere, topped by a roof with both a giant cow and a globe. Fabulous.
I dunno, why not. Who the hell knows, maybe gods want some fabulousness for once. Predictions on wooden mystic markers might have as much weight as Revelations. Victor Hugo may be a Prophet. And maybe gods do like to mess with the heads of civil servants. This would explain an awful lot in public service, no?
http://www.religioustolerance.org/caodaism.htm
