An Unjealous God?

Abstract

Despite the immense success of Christianity in many parts of the Global South, Asian intellectuals have often resisted actual conversion by incorporating Christian elements into new, more universal forms of spirituality. Caodaism, a syncretistic religion that emerged in French Indochina, offers one case study of this process, which is also found in Hinduism, Bahaism, and several Chinese redemptive societies. The place of Jesus within this new pantheon is explored in this paper by looking at the ways in which Christian ideas have influenced the organization, doctrine, and self-image of Caodaists in Vietnam and how these ideas have gained new force among Caodaists in the North American diaspora. Caodai “saints” famously incorporate prominent historical and literary figures as spiritual teachers, including Victor Hugo, Jeanne d’Arc, Vladimir Lenin, and (in the United States) Joseph Smith. They provide new scriptures through spiritist séances, and through this mechanism they are able to “modernize” Caodai doctrine and expand it to fit new circumstances.