How China Almost Became a Sabbath-keeping Nation! (Part 2)

by Leon J. Lyell

“In southern China in the late 1840’s, a unique brand of Christianity emerged — the Taiping Movement. Millions accepted its leadership, but foreign “Christian” missionaries rejected it. The Taipings revered the Torah and adopted the seventh-day Sabbath! This is the story of one man’s search for God. It is the corruption of that search by the counsel of politically motivated associates. It is also the story of an attempt to bring a better life to the people of China and how that quest was thwarted. In Part 1 we examined the history of the Taiping Movement. In Part 2 we will review some of the major beliefs of the Taiping Christians.

There is no doubt that the Taipings sought to create a theocracy. Their constitution insisted on high moral standards, church attendance, and compassion towards the needy. For example, opium smoking, the use of tobacco and wine, prostitution, foot binding, the sale of slaves, gambling and polygamy were all forbidden. Hong tried to model his government on the precepts of the Books of Moses to the extent that he understood these.

But what exactly was Hong’s message? Do we have enough evidence to make our own judgement about whether his form of religion was biblical? Where his beliefs differ from ours, how much of that is due to difference of culture and how much is about a substantial difference of understanding of the Word of God?…”

(this article is an excerpt from the November-December 2001 edition of the Sabbath Sentinel)

To read the rest of this article, which starts on page 15, click this link: https://biblesabbath.org/tss/492/tss_492.pdf