Ngô Van Chiêu
Encyclopedia
Ngô Văn Chiêu was the first disciple of Đức Cao Đài
. His religious name is Ngô Minh Chiêu. He was born in 1878 and raised by his aunt. He developed an interest in Chinese folk religion
during this period. Later he served in the colonial bureaucracy and developed a fascination with spiritism
. He declined his appointment as the first Caodaiist Pope and was not involved in the official establishment of Caodaiism in 1926. Instead, he chose to withdraw to a life of seclusion. Thus, the role went to Venerable Lê Văn Trung
, who accepted on the condition that his title be Acting Pope. In 1926, Lê Văn Trung and over two hundred others signed the "Declaration of the Founding of the Cao Đài Religion"; Chieu was not among the signers. He had accepted another entity as Đức Cao Đài and is credited as founder of the Chiếu Minh sect of Caodaiism. His death date is uncertain. His nephew created a religion called Thien Khai Huynh Dao, which ceased to exist after he died.
Cao Dai
Cao Đài is a syncretistic, monotheistic religion, officially established in the city of Tay Ninh, southern Vietnam, in 1926. Đạo Cao Đài is the religion's shortened name, the full name is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ...
. His religious name is Ngô Minh Chiêu. He was born in 1878 and raised by his aunt. He developed an interest in Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion or Shenism , which is a term of considerable debate, are labels used to describe the collection of ethnic religious traditions which have been a main belief system in China and among Han Chinese ethnic groups for most of the civilization's history until today...
during this period. Later he served in the colonial bureaucracy and developed a fascination with spiritism
Spiritism
Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
. He declined his appointment as the first Caodaiist Pope and was not involved in the official establishment of Caodaiism in 1926. Instead, he chose to withdraw to a life of seclusion. Thus, the role went to Venerable Lê Văn Trung
Lê Van Trung
Lê Văn Trung was the first acting Giáo Tông of Cao Đài.The term Giáo Tông means “leader or head of a religious group”. Translators noticed similarities between the structural hierarchy of Caodaiism and the Roman Catholic Church, and, for lack of better words or whatever reasons, borrowed...
, who accepted on the condition that his title be Acting Pope. In 1926, Lê Văn Trung and over two hundred others signed the "Declaration of the Founding of the Cao Đài Religion"; Chieu was not among the signers. He had accepted another entity as Đức Cao Đài and is credited as founder of the Chiếu Minh sect of Caodaiism. His death date is uncertain. His nephew created a religion called Thien Khai Huynh Dao, which ceased to exist after he died.