Religions often form in very interesting ways. By taking a trip back through history, you can see how one religion became another, and then another, and so on. In most cases, a new religion will form out of the pieces of other religions. While this is an accepted aspect of studying ancient religions, many people forget that modern religions work in much the same way. This is most apparent when taking a look at a religion like Cao Dai. Originally formed in Vietnam in the 1920s, Cao Dai incorporates many attributes of some of the world’s leading religions.
The Formation
Cao Dai was originally founded in 1926 in Vietnam. The individuals who founded the religion were Ngô Phạm Công Tắc, Cao Quỳnh Cư, Cao Hoài and Văn Chiêu. These four claimed that God spoke to them to form a new religion for the people. Those who follow this faith also believe this story and have made it a part of the history of the religion itself. Though it has existed since 1926, it did not gain legal recognition by the Vietnamese government until 1997, more than 70 years later.
The religion of Cao Dai incorporates elements from many popular religions throughout Vietnam and surrounding areas. For example, it has a number of parallels with both Taoism and Confucianism, which were both large religions practiced in Vietnam’s northern neighbor: China. On top of this, Cao Dai also borrows from some of the world’s most popular religions. It specifically takes concepts from Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, and incorporates these elements into the daily rituals and larger practices of the faith.
Fantastic Origins
All religions have an origin story. This is the tale that explains how the world, as well as all of the people and creatures and plants of the world, came to be. In Cao Dai, the idea is that before the universe or God existed, there was the Tao. Essentially, the Tao is the “immortal source” where all life comes from and returns to. The scientific event known as the Big Bang plays into the origin story, stating that this event is what caused God to come into being alongside the universe.
God helped life to exist by creating the balanced idea of the Yin and the Yang. God tasked himself with controlling the Yang and created the Goddess to help control the Yin. The balance between the Yin and Yang is what led to all life in the universe. Once the God and the Goddess were able to control their respective halves, the universe was settled and teeming with life. This origin story incorporates many ideas from Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity, while also keeping the scientific concept of the Big Bang in the mix.
A Scientific Exploration
It is hard for many modern thinkers to accept that religion and science can exist side by side. In Cao Dai, however, there is something of a living example. The Big Bang is only one of many scientific ideas that have become a part of the religion. Most world religions, for example, do not refer to life on other planets. For these other groups, God only made life on Earth and that is the way it is. For Cao Dai, things are a bit different.
The Cao Dai not only believe that there is life on other planets, they believe they know exactly how many planets have intelligent life. In this religion, there are 72 planets in the universe with intelligent life. Of all of these worlds, Earth is listed as number 68. The Cao Dai believe that Heaven and Hell are more closely related to planetary bodies than some type of unseen realm where souls travel upon death.
Constant Evolution
Religions are constantly evolving. By exploring Cao Dai, it is easy to see how so many different ideas can come together to form one new religion.