Of Gods and Heroes
Of Gods and Heroes
Worship in Traditional Vietnam
Chapter 3 analyzes the many religious rites, including the worship of Heaven, nature, spirits, heroes, and religious figures in public cults as well as domestic rituals. It gives an introduction to the cultic life of the Vietnamese and a Christian evaluation of traditional worship. In particular, it describes prominent sacrifices—to Heaven and Earth; to the Divine Farmer and other spirits of nature; to imperial ancestors—as well as some of the important cults in Vietnamese society: the cults of Confucius and the military; of the three ranks of spirits (supreme, middle rank, and lower rank); and of religious figures: Mother Goddess, Lady Buddha of Compassion, and Jade Emperor. From a Christian perspective, these rites challenge the notion of monotheistic worship and display a reluctance on the part of the Christian to completely dismiss these rites.
Keywords: cult of spirits, civic ceremony, domestic ritual, ancestor worship, monotheism
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