Islam and the Taiping, twin heresies?

[Bobby-Joe]

I was reading about the monk Bahira and his encounter with the false prophet Muhammad. As the story goes Muhammed, a wee lad meets Bahira, a Christian monk, while with his uncle on a trip to Damascus. Bahira talks with Muhammad and declares Muhammed a future prophet.

All very quaint, but I think I heard this story somewere else. Namely with Hong Xiuquan, the so called "God's Chines Son" (ha!) and leader of the Taiping Rebellion in China in the 19th century. Xiuquan was also a heathen who received a limited amount of Christian instruction before going off and declaring himself the agent of God on earth and starting a new religion and trying to conquer the world.

The parallels are interesting

• Both are from a traditionally polytheist culture.
• Both were from cultures that were corrupt and in desperate need of reform.
• Both received only a limited exposure to Christianity.
• Both had a divine revelation during what we would consider a psychotic episode.
• Both decided their personal revelation was the truth and The Bible is somehow corrupted (and ignored the obvious logic flaw in that)
• Both placed themselves above Christ after their personal revelation.
• Both launched horrifically bloody wars of conquest to spread their faiths at the point of a sword in almost deliberate mockery of the spread of Christianity.
• Both beliefs torment the world to this day (terrorists bombers and Chines Communists)

So THE TRUTH™ and ignorant savages, a dangerous combination. That is why a good and TRUE Christian™ always trusts in The Bible (King James, 1611)

[True Disciple]

Re: Islam and the Taiping, twin heresies?

The parallels are interesting

• Both are from a traditionally polytheist culture.
• Both were from cultures that were corrupt and in desperate need of reform.
• Both received only a limited exposure to Christianity.
• Both had a divine revelation during what we would consider a psychotic episode.
• Both decided their personal revelation was the truth and The Bible is somehow corrupted (and ignored the obvious logic flaw in that)
• Both placed themselves above Christ after their personal revelation.
• Both launched horrifically bloody wars of conquest to spread their faiths at the point of a sword in almost deliberate mockery of the spread of Christianity.
• Both beliefs torment the world to this day (terrorists bombers and Chines Communists)

Maybe they just were the same person. Muhammad lead so many souls away from Christ, that Satan thought: "hey, that's a great idea," and as such granted him a return to earth again to pull off the same trick in China. I only don't know whether Satan has the power to release people from Hell and set them loose on earth, coming to think of it, I don't think he has. Maybe Muhammad and Hong were possessed by the same demons then.

[Bobby-Joe]

Re: Islam and the Taiping, twin heresies?

[/LIST]
Maybe they just were the same person. Muhammad lead so many souls away from Christ, that Satan thought: "hey, that's a great idea," and as such granted him a return to earth again to pull off the same trick in China. I only don't know whether Satan has the power to release people from Hell and set them loose on earth, coming to think of it, I don't think he has. Maybe Muhammad and Hong were possessed by the same demons then.

Well demons or human depravity? Hard to say. But all their followers and the people they butchered were hellbound already so Satan didn't need to do much. Me personally, I think it is the same human I-Follow-My-Own-Moral-Compass that caused the The Fall.


You know all of this applies to L Ron Hubbert and Joesph Smith.