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This thesis uses the method of text analyzing to research three texts of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (Tai-ping-tian-guo) – Tai-ping-tian-ri, Tian-li-yao-lun and San-zi-jing. I would like to discuss Hong Xiu-quan’s views on God.
1.Tai-ping-tian-ri: This text records the dream of Hong Xiu-quan in 1837. Hong Xiu-quan had failed on his examination at the third time in 1837. He returned to his home from Guangzhou. He had a serious illness. At midnight of March 1 of 1837, Hong Xiu-quan was taken by a lots of angels to the Heaven. In Heaven, he saw a old man with golden breed and in black dragon rope who is God the father Highest Emperor (Tian-fu-huang-shang-di). God told to Hong Xiu-quan, because the human was confused by the devils to sin, so they had forgotten to worship Him, they were also suffering in pain. Except for God, Hong Xiu-quan had seen Holy Mother (who is not mother of Jesus Christ – Maria), Holy Brother Jesus Christ, Holy Sister-in-law (Jesus’ wife) and his another wife in Heaven. God and Jesus taught Hong Xiu-quan how to kill the devils and gave him a sword (which name is “Snow in the Cloud”) and a golden seal. God send him back to the ground to kill the evils and establish a kingdom whose people worship God. 2.Tian-li-yao-lun: This text is adapted by Hong Xiu-quan from the missionary of London Missionary Society - Walter Henry Medhurst’s (1796-1857) original work (which has the same Chinese title). Hong extracted the original work’s chapter one to chapter eight and tried to adapt the contents for his own thinking. 3.San-zi-jing: This text is written by Hong Xiu-quan, he want to imitate the Chinese traditional children’s textbook - San-zi-jing’s pattern. It records: the history of Israel (Genesis and Exodus), the life of Jesus Christ, the history of China and the doctrine of Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.
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