Wuhan Journal of Cultic Studies
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Volume 1: Issue 2, 2021
ARTICLE
The Taiping Rebellion Perceived as a New Religious Movement Gábor Dániel Nagy University of Szeged Abstract An historical account of the so-called Taiping Rebellion starting with the history of the leader, Hong Xiuquan, and his fever-induced visions of being the second son of God and the brother of Jesus. Joining with Protestant missionaries and using the printing press to spread his version of salvation by overthrowing the ruling Qing dynasty, the movement spread across much of China’s territory. This paper examines the details of the socio-economic circumstances during the tumultuous time of the Opium wars, Britain’s dominance over China’s trading ports and how the unrest created fertile ground for a based on God worship and salvation through baptism, morality and killing demons. The movement led to significant changes in China, including planting the seed of Communist ideals, but at a great cost of life. To this day, the Taiping Rebellion is referred to by historians as a revolution, a New Religious Movement and a civil war. Keywords: Heavenly Kingdom Movement, Hong Xiuquan, Liang Fa, Opium wars, Protestant Christian Missionary, Qing Dynasty, Shangdi, Taiping movement, Taiping Rebellion, William Milne | ||