Cao Dai

Cao Dai (Cao Đài) is a religion founded in 1926 in Tay Ninh, southern Vietnam, by God, who revealed himself to Ngo Van Chieu, a civil servant in the French colonial government. It is a synthesis of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Spiritualism. It is notable for its colorful houses of worship.

Adherents engage in ethical practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the goal of obtaining a favorable rebirth or escape from the cycle of birth and death. Three Saints revered in Cao Dai are Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925), Victor Hugo (1802-1885), and Nguyen Binh Khiem (1492-1587). God, the Supreme Being, is symbolized by the Divine Eye.

The faith has a hierarchical organization resembling that of the Roman Catholic Church, with a pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests. Ordained women may attain ranks up to cardinal.

Cao Dai currently has an estimated seven to eight million adherents in Vietnam, and an additional 30,000 (primarily ethnic Vietnamese) in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

This article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by fixing it.