A few significant protestant christian denominations officially recognised by the vietnamese government in the approach through socio history from 2007 to present

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, Annette Wong Ai Khim Vương Tâm, declares that this master degree thesis title, “A Few Significant Protestant Christian Denominations Officially Recognised By

DEDICATION

To all Christians in Vietnam,

“Your labour is not in vain”

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding

in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15: 58 (NASB)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My deepest appreciations and gratitudes to:

My master degree thesis supervisor, Đỗ Quang Hưng of Vietnam National University - Social Science Humanities, Hanoi, for your guidance, wisdom and knowledge that gave me the courage to fulfil my dream to accomplished this thesis

The Director of Institute, Vice-Director of Institute and Staff of Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science (IVIDES) of Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi, for having faith in me, allowed me to study the Master Degree in Vietnamese Studies programme inspite of my academic discipline challenges

Senior Pastor, Eldership Board and Crossfields Missions of DUMC - Dream Centre, Malaysia, who have faith and believe in who I am

David Steven, for your generosity and great assistance in sharing your boundiful resources, in order to make this master degree thesis from a dream to a reality

Gerry Keener, USA, your humbleness and great assistance in sharing your experiences and materials that I needed for the master degree thesis

Nguyễn Quang Trung, President of Vietnam Mennonite Church, HCMC, for your time, materials and sharing of your experiences that touches my heart deeply

Lê Quốc Huy, President of Vietnam Baptist Convention, HCMC, for your time and sharing of the experiences that the denomination has gone through

Trần Thanh Truyện, Executive General Secretary of Vietnam Seventh-Day Adventist Church, HCMC, for your big serving heart, who willingly share materials

of all kinds in order for me to get this master degree thesis done

Lâm Hữu Đức, President of Vietnam Methodist Church, Dong Nai Province, Vietnam, thanks for your support, encouragements and timely advice as my godfather throughout these times You never give up on me!

Friends of Class K8 IVIDES, VNU, Hanoi - for your warm friendships and caring support throughout my master degree programme study

Friends of Class of K9 IVIDES, VNU, Hanoi – for your friendships and encouragements throughout my master degree programme study We made it, K9!

My beloved ones, for your understanding, encouragements and support Through good and bad times, you are always there for me! With you, I could go through all kinds of roller coasters in this journey of my life

Above all, I want to give thanks to the LORD God, the Almighty Father of Heavens and the Earth, for loving and choosing me at such a time like this, serving You as an empty vessel, be an impactor and to make known Your Name

Last but not least, my close friends who directly or indirectly, locally and overseas, have played your roles in keeping me insanity and in sober while I was writing this master degree thesis

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

I, Annette Wong Ai Khim (Vương Tâm), declares that this master degree thesis

title, “A Few Significant Protestant Christian Denominations Officially Recognised By The Vietnamese Government In The Approach Through Socio- History From 2007 To Present,” and the work presented in it are my own I

confirm that:

 Where the work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for the master degree with the Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science (IVIDES) of Vietnam National University, Hanoi

 Where I have quoted from work of others, the resources are always given with the exceptions and statements of such quotations; this master degree thesis is entirely my own effort of research work and writings

 Where the resources and materials I received, researched, collected and used including the Internet, have been fully identified, cited and referenced accordingly as required of me

Hanoi, Date _, Month , Year 2016

_

Annette Wong Ai Khim

(Vương Tâm)

ENDORSEMENT OF THE MASTER THESIS WORK

BY MASTER THESIS SUPERVISOR

I have read and agree with the content of this master thesis work done by the master degree student This master thesis work has been carried out under my supervision and is to my satisfaction

Hanoi, Date _, Month , Year 2016

The Master Degree Thesis Supervisor,

_

Professor Dr Đỗ Quang Hưng

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF PIE CHART

LIST OF PDF DOCUMENTS

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS

INTRODUCTION OF THE THESIS 1

1 The Rational Study of The Thesis Title 2

2 The History Challenges of The Research 4

3 The Objective And Scope of The Research 5

4 The Research Methods 6

5 The Structure of The Thesis 7

Chapter 1 THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY 9

1.1 Introduction 9

1.1.1 An Understanding of A Triune God 11

1.1.2 A Protestant Christian In Relations With His Triune God 16

1.1.2.1 The Definition of “Man” (Humankind in relations to God) 16

1.1.2.2 The Creation of Man (God’s purpose for Man) 20

1.2 The Views Between Two Major Religion / Philosophy And Protestant Christianity In Vietnam 22

1.2.1 The Views From An Atheist 24

1.2.2 The Views From Tam Giao (Triple Teachings) 25

1.2.3 The Views of Tam Giao and Protestant Christianity 28

Chapter 2: THE HISTORY MOVEMENT OF PROTESTANT

CHRISTIANITY IN VIETNAM BEGINNING FROM 1911 TO PRESENT 31

(Emphasised on CMA (ECVN) and three other significant Protestant Denominations that have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government Committee for Religious Affairs – GCRA) 2.1 The Official Beginning of Protestant Christianity In Vietnam From 1911 to Present: Christian Missions Alliance (CMA) and Evangelical Church of Vietnam (ECVN – Northern and Southern Regions) 32

2.1.1 The Socio-History of the Church Movement 32

2.1.2 The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal Based

42

2.2 Three Other Significant Protestant Denominations In Vietnam 43

2.2.1 Seventh-day Adventist Church of Vietnam (SDA VN) 44

2.2.1.1 The Socio-History of the Church Movement 44

2.2.1.2 The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal Based 57

2.2.2 Vietnam Mennonite Church (VMC) 61

2.2.2.1 The Socio-History of the Church Movement 61

2.2.2.2 The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal Based 77

2.2.3 Vietnam Baptist Convention (VBC – Grace Southern Baptist) 81

2.2.3.1 The Socio-History of the Church Movement 81

2.2.3.2 The Brief History of the Denomination and Basic Doctrinal Based 97

Chapter 3: THE CURRENT CHALLENGES FACING BY THREE SIGNIFICANT PROTESTANT DENOMINATIONS, WHICH HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED BY THE VIETNAMESE GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS (GCRA) 103

3.1 Vietnamese Traditional Culture vs Protestant Christianity 105

3.2 Freedom of Rights to Believe and Rights to Practice 108

3.3 Properties And Lands Were Confiscated From The Protestant Christian Denominations After 1975 111

CONCLUSION: TODAY THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS IN THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM 113

(The ECVN Denomination, Three significant Denominations and

Other Protestant Christian Denominations / Sects)

REFERENCES 121

APPENDIX A - Interview Questionaires Sheets

APPENDIX B - List of Interviewees

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

The following tables describe the significance of various acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the thesis:

ECVN (Northern Region) Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Northern Region) ECVN (Southern Region) Evangelical Church of Vietnam (Southern Region)

(Evangelical Missions of French Indochina)

VBC (Grace - Southern

Baptist)

Vietnam Baptist Convention (Grace - Southern Baptist)

(VN) GCRA Vietnamese Government Committee Of / For

Religious Affairs

These are the Bible versions of various acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the thesis:

LIST OF PIE CHART

Figure 1.1 The Main Religion In Vietnam (Year 2014) 23

LIST OF PDF DOCUMENTS

As part of my master degree thesis at Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science (IVIDES) of Vietnam National University (VNU), Hanoi, I have requested and received these PDF documents with the permission of the authorised persons

Figure 2.2 An Official Document of Recognition and Approval

of Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam From The Vietnam Government Committee For Religious Affairs dated 4 DECEMBER 2008

59

Figure 2.6 An Official Document of Recognition and Approval

of Vietnam Mennonite Church From The Vietnam Government Committee For Religious Affairs dated

5 FEBRUARY 2009

79

Figure 2.11 An Official Document of Recognition and Approval

of Vietnam Baptist Convention (Grace – Southern Baptist) From The Vietnam Government

Committee For Religious Affairs dated 7 MAY

2008

100

LIST OF PHOTOGRAPHS

I, originally take the following photographs except for Figure 2.9, which is taken from the Internet The following photographs are used in the thesis:

Figure 2.1 Trần Thanh Truyện, the Executive General

Secretary of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, HCMC

(Trần Thanh Truyện is currently the Acting President of the denomination effective end of 2015)

55

Figure 2.3 The New Phú Nhuận Seventh-Day Adventist

Church, Phan Đăng Lưu Street, Phú Nhuận District, HCMC

60

Figure 2.4 The Seventh-Day Adventist Missions Centre (The

old Phú Nhuận Seventh-Day Adventist Church), it was also located along the Phan Đăng Lưu Street, Phú Nhuận District, HCMC

60

Figure 2.5 Nguyễn Quang Trung, the President of Vietnam

Mennonite Church, HCMC

76

Figure 2.7 The Vietnam Mennonite Church headquarters office

(It is also the Bình Thạnh Church) located at Bùi Đình Tuý Street, Bình Thạnh District, HCMC

80

Figure 2.8 Pastor Nguyễn Quang Trung, President of the

Vietnam Mennonite Church and Gerry Keener, Vice-President of Eastern Mennonite Missions, USA

80

Figure 2.9 Pastor Lê Quốc Chánh, former President of the

Vietnam Baptist Convention and also the former lead pastor of Grace Baptist Church, HCMC

93

Figure 2.10 Pastor Lê Quốc Huy, the current President of the

Vietnam Baptist Convention and also the current lead pastor of Grace Baptist Church, HCMC

96

Figure 2.12 The Vietnam Baptist Convention headquarters

office (It is also the Grace Baptist Church) located

at Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Street, Phú Nhuận District, HCMC

101

INTRODUCTION OF THE THESIS

Religion plays a vital role in Vietnam Some Vietnamese people said religion has got nothing to do with political stability and economic growth of the country I, somehow disagree with the statement because religion affects and influences the lives of the ordinary people in many different levels, where it provides people with religious ethical values; gives meaning to their worth of existence and to the world they inhabiting; and gives them solace and hope for the future The period of 19th century in Vietnam, religion was capable to inspire the Vietnamese people to built new communities that embodied their vision of the perfect world in the most desolate places Therefore, throughout the history in Vietnam, religion served both to integrate the Vietnamese people into a cohesive society and to reinforce its’ importance of embracing one’s religion, including Protestant Christianity in Vietnam

After more than a century of missionary work, today Protestant Christianity

in Vietnam has become a religious community with rapid development, diversity in organisations and denominations / sects, which has made significant contributions

to perservation and development of social moral values, and active participation in humanitarian and socio-cultural activities (Nguỹen Xuân Hưng 2011, 104)

However, Protestant Christianity and other five recognised major religions

in Vietnam today, still facing challenges, legally speaking: how recognised religious organisations (with two levels “having legal status” and “be allowed to register activities”) will continue to change (Đỗ Quang Hưng 2011, 227) Religious

“physical person” and “jurisdical person,” these are important aspect of legal for religious organisations as well as religious people, – a closely embedded into recognition of religious organisations, a current issue that is important to be addressed today (Đỗ Quang Hưng 2011, 282) A good legal system on religion is not only creates a legal framework to ensure the legitimate safety of individuals and

organisations in the religious practices but also serves as an efficient tool for the government to enforce their govenance power (Nguyễn Khắc Huy 2011, 302)

Yet, in some local religious organisations, denominations / sects, freedom

in religion often means people can believe with their own choice of religions and that should be given the freedom to practice and embrace religions in the country For some local Protestant Christian organisations, denominations / sects believe that the government wants them to get registered in legal status in order to follow closely the trail of their religious practices and activities, and if an organisation, a denominations / sect does not want to register is assumed to be intransigent or up to no-good There are observers mentioned that registration in legal status is more about maintaining stability rather than control Yet, if there was a real freedom, religious people and their organisations could be easily being governed under common civil laws, as are all people in truly democratic jurisdictions worldwide (Reigmer 2011, 106)

1 The Rational Study of The Thesis Title

As a Methodist Protestant Christian myself, I chosed the subject of Religion specifically Protestant Christianity, as part of my coursework of this Master Degree thesis, majoring in Vietnamese Studies, and so my research thesis title is “A Few Significant Protestant Christian Denominations Officially Recognised By The Vietnamese Government In The Approach Through Socio-History From 2007 To

Present.” Hence, there are five reasons as why I chosed this title for my thesis:

Firstly, besides the prominent denomination ECVN (Evangelical Church of

Vietnam), I would like to create an awareness of other significant Protestant Christian denominations that have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese

GCRA These denominations are the intangible herritage in the history of Vietnam

Secondly, it is to understand the background of the socio-history through

church movement specifically on the three significant Protestant Christian denominations: Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, Vietnam Mennonite

Church and Vietnam Baptist Church (As to reason out that they deserved to be officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government) And along with brief

explanation of each denominationss basic theological and doctrinal based

Thirdly, for the Vietnamese Government and those who do not know Jesus

Christ to create an awareness of understanding the definition of Protestant Christianity actual meanings and the foundation of Christian doctrine To differentiate the uniqueness of the Protestant Christianity from other religions in Vietnam, particularly the Roman Catholicism, as there are many who are ignorant and / or still confuse in understanding the differences between these two religions such as both are using the same word, “Christian.” Secondly, the theological and religious practice differences

Fourthly, for the Vietnamese Protestant churches / housechurches /

denominations / sects - to stand unite, to light up their understanding on reasons as why some other denominations are legally recognised by the VNG and some others are still in the process, or yet to be done so

Lastly, the fifth reason, where Protestant Christianity is a religion that is

growing rapidly in Vietnam Vietnamese Government is doing their best to accommodate religions into the country, which is currently governed by the National Assembly of Vietnamese Government In the 21st century, Vietnam is a new emergent nation in the process of building its’ economy through intergrating herself into global economy, therefore, Vietnam is changing slowly, to be a competent global business partner, and so, paradigm shift will take place in the

thinking tank and cultural lifestyle of the citizens in Vietnam This does not exclude

religion The existence of religion of every country including Vietnam cannot be ignore because religion and / philosophy is the way of life for every human being that somehow has a sense of connection with the Supreme being, God, where it is

widely / commonly known as Ông Trời for the Vietnamese people

2 The History Challenges of The Research

In my opinion, there are three challenges of the research history:

Firstly, domestically, there are very limited resources For example: Almost

all bookshops (particularly in the cities) do not have Protestant Christian materials

on the shelves for sale except a handful of Christian bookshops or churches, that we are able to purchase Christian materials Therefore, Vietnamese people have “zero”

or “little” knowledge about Protestant Christianity Moreover, monocentric society such as Vietnam, where one common language is used nationwide, the Vietnamese language, which makes it difficult for most Vietnamese people to have wider range

of reading Christian materials in another language, namely, English language In addition to that, the national library that I have been a couple of times, hardly have reference books on Protestant Christianity

Secondly, it is also domestically challenge where the instability and

uncertainties due to foreign colonisation and war torn in the late 19th century have lost the “period of time” in writing and conserving the account of the history of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam Besides the lack of scholars majoring in Protestant Christianity, Vietnam depended much on foreign authors in writing the accounts of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam, yet not all denominations / sects,

who did “a more complete timeline” of their denominations’ roots and history

backgrounds Some documented materials or published materials may have some data errors, which in the result, it is time consuming, making extra effort to do more research study, so that information is accurate and valid

Thirdly, concerning internationally, there are many foreign authors

especially the foreign missionaries that have lived, pioneered and contributed almost all their life in Vietnam, that they wrote the accounts of Protestant Christianity according to their real life experiences while they were living in

Vietnam rather than writing the accounts using “third party” reliable resources But

the accounts were written decades ago and so, what about the recent years of the accounts, in example above the year 2000 till present day? Therefore, it is so

important to write / conserve the timeline of each Protestant Christian denomination / sect for our future generation of Protestant Christians in Vietnam

Personally, while doing research study for this thesis, I had to fly out of this country for ten days, just to collect datas and search for documents relating to my thesis title It was not an easy task but I managed to get as much datas and documents as I could to make this thesis a reality

3 The Objective And Scope of The Research

The objective of the research is to study and understand the roots of the socio-history of the church movement of selected significant Protestant Christian denominations, which have been legally recognised by the Vietnamese Government, and also to emphasised on its apostolic missionaries who pioneered

and contributed their time and efforts in Vietnam

The scope of the research has two limitations Firstly, the selected Protestant Christian denominations have limited documented resources due to the lack of local Protestant Christian historian scholars / religion historians / successor

of each denomination to have appropriate record, archive and conserve the timeline

of the socio-history of the church movement of the denominations Hence, I am honoured in doing a favour for the three significant Protestant Christian denominations, to record and preserve the socio- history of the church movements from the birth of its’ denomination to present day, so that they can narrate the account of the socio-history of the church movements to the next generation of Protestant Christians These are important because they are the intangible herritage

of the three significant Protestant Christian denominations It may not be valuable to most people and it has no price tag, yet, it has deep accounts of inheritance that we can learn from, and leaving a legacy for the next generation Secondly, unlike Roman Catholicism, the high officials and most people in Vietnam still struggling

to reconcile or understand fully with the theological beliefs differences and the uniqueness of religious practices among the Protestant Christian denominations

This thesis will help to enlighten some people about Protestant Christianity and its

theological beliefs without misunderstanding and in hostility

The location of the research was in different districts within the vicinity of

Ho Chi Minh City

4 The Research Methods

The thesis is able to proceed and completed with the assistance of these research methods:

Practical research: Practical Research which involves first hand research in

the form of face-to-face interviews with prepared questionnaires (Please view Appendixes A and B); by exploring and observing through the years that I am living

in this country – exploring the language, culture and traditions and observing the different religions of the Vietnamese community both city and village dwellers It does not only take one or two weeks, or even months to know Vietnamese culture and traditions but it takes years to be able to comprehend them; and by connecting with the Vietnamese people from the North, Central and South regions of the country, interacting with them, to understand their perspective views on religion and belief systems particularly Protestant Christianity

Theoretical research: Theoretical Research that involves published works

of others, academic journals and articles written by others, surfing Internet for the right resources in order for me to proceed and complete the thesis I have gained much knowledge from most of the authors who have some good insightful in the subject of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam

Interdisciplinary research: This thesis involves interdisciplinary research,

where it is not only just finding facts and datas on the subject of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam, yet this thesis does not exclude in examining religious culture and traditions, historical events, contemporary constitutional issues around individual rights to embrace a religion / rights to practice a religion, freedom of religion, day-to-day politics as well as political ideologies, sociological,

demographical, anthropological, philosophical, literary, and other methods and approaches to try to understand Protestant Christianity phenomena in Vietnam

My hope and prayers for this thesis is to be an assistant source for people who are interested in Protestant Christianity in Vietnam, to attain a better understanding of how Protestant Christianity in Vietnam has came into existence and the glorious development and great challenges in the past that is no doubt shall continue to function like how it would be in the foreseeable future beginning from today

5 The Structure of The Thesis

Besides the main contents of thesis, there are Dedication, Acknowledgements, Declaration of Authorship, Table of Contents and Lists of Acronyms / Abbreviations, Pie Chart, PDF Documents and Photographs, and Appendixes after the References section towards the last few pages of the thesis

The main content of the thesis includes an Introduction which introduces the thesis research study, three chapters that comprises of:

Chapter 1: The Protestant Christianity has two main sections: Introduction that introduces an understanding of a Triune God and the Protestant Christian in relations with his Triune God The second section is to explain the views between two major religion / philosophy and Protestant Christianity in Vietnam, where the views from an atheist, the views from Tam Giao (Triple teachings - Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism), and the views from Tam Giao and Protestant Christianity are elaborated and explained in simplified form

Chapter 2: The History Movement of Protestant Christianity In Vietnam Beginning From 1911 To Present, emphasising on the first denomination, CMA (Now, ECVN), and three other significant Protestant Christian denomnations that have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government Committee For Religious Affairs (GCRA), which have two main sections The first section is to introduce the official beginning of Protestant Christianity in Vietnam from 1911 to

present through Christian Missions Alliance (CMA), currently known as ECVN (Northern and Southern Regions), in the areas of socio-history through church movements and a brief history of the denomination and basic doctrinal based The second section is to do a research study on three other significant Protestant Christian denominations in tbe areas of socio-history through church movements and brief history of each denomination and basic doctrinal based such as Seventh-Day Adventist Church of Vietnam, Vietnam Mennonite Church and Vietnam Baptist Convention (Grace – Southern Baptist)

Chapter 3: The Current Challenges Facing By Three Significant Protestant Christian Denominations, which have been officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government Comhmittee For Religious Affairs (GCRA), this chapter has three main issues that needed to addressed between the VNG and the Protestant Christian leaders in Vietnam: Vietnam Traditional Culture vs Protestant Christianity, Freedom of Rights To Believe and Rights To Practice, and Properties and Lands were Confiscated from the Protestant Christian Denominations after 1975

Right after the Chapter 3, a Conclusion chapter is included to address the Role of Protestant Christians In The Socialist Republic of Vietnam in the present day Lastly, a References section of more than seventy bibliographies, a list of all of the resources I have read and used in the process of researching my thesis study

Chapter 1 THE PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY

1.1 Introduction

In the 21st century that we are living in, with constant development and fast-pace tranformations of human communities through great science and high speed technology among humans, have somehow “unconciously” or

“subconciously” had drown humans into a deep sense of “naivity” or “almost infinity” from knowing the existence of God Many do not understand or know exactly what is Protestant Christianity As a Methodist Prostestant Christian – Tin Hữu Giám Lý1, allow me to explain the origin existence of Protestant Christianity and the fact of the existence of God later

What is Protestant Christianity? Protestant Christianity or Protestantism, the

word derives from Protestatio of the pro-reform representatives at the Diet of

Speier in the 16th century Reformation against the Roman Catholic practices, where most modern Protestant denominations can trace their heritage to one of the major movements that sprung up in the 16th century The origin of Protestantism lies in the teachings and actions mainly from Martin Luther, Huldrych Zwingli and John Calvin, and also other leaders of the Radical Reformation Protestantism is less a denomination than a general branch of Christianity, along with Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, encompassing numerous denominations and a wide theological spectrum ranging from Conservative Theology to Liberal Theology

Lutheranism is rooted in the teachings of the German Reformer, Martin Luther Presbyterians are indebted to John Calvin and Reformed theology, as well

as to John Knox and the Church of Scotland Anglicans and Episcopalians trace their heritage to the Church of England that resulted from King Henry VIII’s break from the authority of Rome Evangelicalism (and to a slightly lesser degree,

1 https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phong_Trào_Giám_Lý

Methodism) is indebted to Pietism, a 17th century Protestant movement emphasizing a holy life, individual study of the scriptures, and better training of church ministers From here, in the view of the world Protestantism, after the considerable spiritual and institutional creativity and formulation of the Reformation period, the development of the Protestantism has been much less dramatic in subsequent centuries Numerically and territorially, it has followed emigration from Europe to America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the considerable achievements of the missionary movements from Europe and America

in the 19th and 20th centuries to Africa, Asia and South America Many Protestant denominations have been formed during this period of time In broadest term it can

be divided into seven main Protestant denominations: the Lutheran, the Anglican, the Baptist, the Presbysterian or Reformed, the Methodist, the Congregationalist and those who standing in the heritage of the radicals of the Reformation and having the characteristic of the “sect” rather than the “church” or “denomination.” Within the mainline denominations there are also increasing movements in a more ecumenical direction These are reflected in the World Council of Churches, which of course includes Orthodox Churches, and in a variety of united churches

As for the fact of the existence of God, I would like to begin with the Bible2(Kinh Thánh), which Protestant Chistians believe that the Bible claims to be inspired and inerrant This means the Bible claims to be from God through the illumination of the Holy Spirit (Chúa Thánh Linh3) and that it is without error in everything it addresses The Bible does not attempt to prove the existence of God but it simply declares Belief in the existence of God is absolutely foundational not only to an understanding of the Bible but also to life itself In Hebrews 11: 6 from

the Bible, tells us that, “…he who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that

He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” This means that belief in the existence

of God is the prerequisite to have faith in Him personally If a person rejects the fact

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bible

3 https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chúa_Thánh_Linh

of the existence of God, he has no reference point for correctly understanding himself or the world around him Nothing can be received or known of God unless one believes in His existence through faith In Hebrews 11: 14 explains plainly that

it is the proof of the reality of things not seen God as a Spiritual Being is invisible

to the human eye, but it is through faith in Him, that His existence is substantiated

to Protestant Christians

Therefore, in order to have a better understanding of the existence of God, there are two important elements, which Protestant Christians need to know: God exists as three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), also called as Triune God (Ba Ngôi5), yet He is One God It will be explained in the section of “An Understanding

of A Triune God.” Secondly, a Protestant Christian in relations with his Triune God

is also an important element This section explained a divine personal relationship between him and his Triune God

1.1.1 An Understanding of A Triune God

The doctrine of Trinity or Triune God is one of the most important doctrines of the Protestant Christian faith In studying and understand the Bible’s teachings on the Trinity will give us a great insight into question that is at the centre

of all in seeking after God: “What is God like in Himself?” This part will give us an understanding that in Himself, in His very being, God exists in the persons of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet, He is One God The doctrine of the Trinity is progressively revealed in the Bible The Bible is divided into two parts: Old Testament and New Testament Therefore, explanation and scriptural basis are found from these two parts in the Bible:

4 Hebrews 11: 1 – “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what

we do not see.” NIV, Holy Bible, Copyright ©2011 by Biblica, Inc.

5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity

 Partial revelation of the Trinity in the Old Testament

There are some people still think that the doctrine of Trinity is found only

in the New Testament especially three simple yet profound statements concerning

God all appeared in the Johannine writings of the New Testament: God as the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit; and not in the Old Testament Nevertheless,

although the doctrine of the Trinity is not explicitly found in the Old Testament, several scriptures in the Bible suggest or imply that God exists as more than one

person: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is only one God These are the examples that

imply God exists as more than one person: Genesis 1: 26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ” Here, we can understand what do the plural verb, “Let

us” and the plural pronoun, “our” mean? There are some people have suggested

they are plural of majesty, a form of speech a king would use to saying, for example, “We are pleased to grant your request.” However, in Old Testament (Original writings in the Old Testament is written in Hebrew language), there are no other examples of a royal family using plural verbs or plural pronouns of himself in such a “plural of majesty,” therefore, this suggestion has no evidence to support it Another suggestion is that God is here speaking to angels But neither angel participates in the creation of man nor was man created in the image and likeness of angels, so this suggestion is incorrect and unconvincing The best explanation is from the first chapter of the Bible, the book of Genesis which we have an indication

of a plurality of persons in God Himself This scripture, Genesis 1: 26, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness ” We have no evidence as how many persons,

and we have nothing approaching a complete doctrine of Trinity yet; this scripture did imply that more than one person is involved The same can be said of: Genesis

3: 22a, “And the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” Isaiah 6: 8, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Isaiah 63: 10 says that

God’s people, “rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (NIV), apparently suggesting

both that the Holy Spirit is distinct from God Himself (It is “His Holy Spirit”), and that this Holy Spirit can be “grieved”, thus suggesting emotional capabilities characteristics of a distinct person In Isaiah 48: 16,6 the speaker, apparently the

servant of the LORD says, “And now the LORD GOD has sent me and His Spirit.”

It is understood that the Spirit of the LORD is like the servant of the LORD that has been “sent” by LORD GOD Himself on a particular mission The parallel between

two objects of sending “me” and “His Spirit” indicates that both ore different and

distinct persons In fact, from the perspective view of the New Testament (The Bible has two parts: Old Testament and New Testament), this verse 16 is a prophecy and

and recognises Jesus the Messiah to be the true Servant of the LORD, which

Protestant Christians believe that Isaiah 48: 16 has trinitarian implications: “And

now the LORD GOD has sent me and His Spirit,” if spoken by Jesus, the Son of God, refers to all three persons of the Trinity

 More complete revelation of the Trinity in the New Testament

New Testament shows us the way into the history of the coming of the Son

of God, Jesus Christ to this earth We can understand more about the Trinitarian nature of God by looking at a few passages in the New Testament where all three persons of the Trinity are named together Firstly, Matthew 3: 16-17,7 when Jesus was baptised, God spoke these verses and at this moment, we know that there are three persons in the Trinity performing three distinct activities: God the Father is speaking from Heaven; God the Son is being baptised and is then spoken to from

6 Isaiah 48: 16 – “Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in

secret, from the time it came to be I have been there And now the LORD G OD has sent me and His Spirit.” RSVB, copyright © 1971 the Division of Christian Education of the

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

7 Matthew 3: 16-17 – 16 And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like

a dove, and alighting on him; 17 and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” RSVB, copyright © 1971 the Division of Christian

Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA

Heaven by God the Father; and God the Holy Spirit is descending from Heaven to rest upon and empower Jesus for His ministry work on earth Secondly, at the end

of Jesus’ earthly ministry work, He tells the disciples that they should, “…go and

make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father and of the

Son (Jesus Christ) and of the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28: 19.8 The words of

“Father” and of “Son,” drawn as they are from the family, the most common of

human institutions, and when the word of “Holy Spirit” is put into the same

expression and on the same level as the Father and the Son, it is no doubt that Jesus

is referring the Holy Spirit as a person, and of equal standing with the Father and the Son Thirdly, all three persons of the Trinity are mentioned together in the opening sentence of 1 Peter 1: 29 and also in Jude 20-21.10

Besides studying and understanding of Trinity through a few scriptures from the Bible, I will also explain and to examine the origins of the dogma of the Trinity/Triune God as this was developed in the early and medieval church that was recorded later in the confession of faith of the Protestant churches during the Reformation period This part will help us to know the ecclesial dogma and appreciate the biblical vision of the Trinity and the concept of the development of doctirne

From the section, “More complete revelation of the Trinity in the New Testament” on page 12, refer to the New Testament, John chapters from 14 to 16,

shows that the Holy Spirit, Who is sent into the world by the Father for the sake of

8 Matthew 28: 19 – 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit NIV, Holy Bible, Copyright ©

2011 by Biblica, Inc

9 1 Peter 1: 2 – 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the

Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and

sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance NIV, Holy Bible,

Copyright © 2011 by Biblica, Inc

10 Jude 20-21 – 20 But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith

and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy

of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life NIV, Holy Bible, Copyright © 2011

by Biblica, Inc

the Son, is described in personal terms where the Holy Spirit dwells within the disciples, teaches them, and bears witness to and glorifies Jesus, the Son From these chapters together with John chapter 17 where Jesus prays for Himself, for His disciples and for all believers (the Christians), is an answer to the revelation of the identities and relations of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

I believe since the inspired revelation of God Himself towards humankind

on this earth, in relation to us as the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit in the scriptures of the book of John, it is obvious that the Father is first in order, and the Son and the Holy Spirit are subordinate – that is they are second and third in order Yet, these two persons is a natural and logical priority of the Father To better understanding of the Trinity of the three persons precisely, metaphysically or onyologically in relation to the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit with each other had to wait several centuries for the deliberations of the ecumenical councils

of Nicea (325 A.D.)11 and Constantinople (381 A.D.).12

The Dogma of the Trinity – to understand the full explanation of the ecclesial, ontological doctrine of the Trinity did not occur overnight It took a long time and developed in contrasting but essentially complementary ways in the East and West after the production of the creeds of the ecumenical councils of Nicea and Constantinople The First Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D was held to settle two basic issues: the deity of the Holy Spirit and the true humanity of Christ After a long discussions and considerations in regards to the Holy Spirit matter, the

11 The First Council of Nicea: Nicea Creed (325 A.D.) – It was the first ecumenical

council of bishops held in 325 AD at Nicea in Asia Minor (modern Turkey) The purpose was to resolve disputes in the church The council produced the first truly ecumenical creed which is known as the Nicene Creed which became a test of orthodoxy and set a precedent

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Nicene-Constantinopolitan_Creed;

http://www.theopedia.com/first-council-of-nicaea

12 The First Council of Constantinople: “Nicene Creed of 381” or the

“Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed” (381 A.D.) to distinguish it from that of the First Council of

Nicea-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Constantinople;

http://www.earlychurchtexts.com/main/constantinople/creed_of_constantinople.shtml; http://www.theopedia.com/first-council-of-constantinople

council’s decision on the Holy Spirit, an official endorsement to the concept of the Trinity Therefore, Niceno – Constantinpolitan Creed (381) was produced By the end of the 4th century, the Byzantine Emperor Theodosius issued a decree that the doctrine of the Trinity was to be the official state religion and that all subjects shall adhere to it

However, the doctrine of the Trinity was still an on-going debate and discussions after Niceno – Constantinpolitan Creed (381) through the modern times such as between 17th century and mid 20th centuries Nevertheless, in one sense the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery that we will never be able to understand fully

We only can understand something of its truth by summarising the teaching of

scriptures in three statements: firstly, God is three persons, secondly, each person is fully God and finally, there is One God (Monotheism) Peter Toon expressed Trinity in a manner of harmoniously in his book, Our Triune God (1996):

“…To speak of God is to speak of “the Father.” To speak of God is

also to speak of “the Father and His only Son.” Further, to speak

of God is to speak of the Father, His only Son, and His Spirit, who

is also the Spirit of His Son.”

1.1.2 A Protestant Christian In Relations With His Triune God

In order to understand a Protestant Christian in relations with his Triune God, I would like to begin with two important points Firstly, to define the word,

“Man” (Humankind in relations to God), and the second point is to understand the creation of man (God’s purpose for man) Here are the followings:

1.1.2.1 The Definition of “Man” (Humankind in relations to God)

The study of man (humankind) has also been called Anthropology This word, Anthropology comes from two Greek words, “anthropos” meaning “man,” and “logos” meaning “word” or “discourse.” Throughout the centuries, the

evolved of humankind’s generations after generations on the earth; humankind

wants to know where he or she came from, why he or she is on earth, what is the purpose of living on this earth, and where he or she is going after life on earth There are three theories concerning man’s origin: Atheistic Evolution,13 Theistic Evolution14 and finally, Theistic Creation As a Protestant Christian myself, in the views of those three theories, I hold on to the third theory, which is Theistic Creation Therefore, I would only explain briefly on the Theistic Creation theory, which it is more relevant to the subject of this section Theistic Creation holds to the Scriptural base on the Bible that God is the original designer of creation, the life-source, and maintainer of all forms of life, and the One who created all to reproduce

“after their kind.” 15 As a Protestant Christian who studies the scriptures in the

Bible, I believe that God created the Heavens and the earth, the universe of worlds and galaxies (Genesis 1: 1); the fish of the seas, the birds of the air, the animals of the land and every living creatures (Genesis 1: 21-25; John 1: 1-3) The final creative act of God was man (humankind), the highest and sophisticated creation of

13 Atheistic Evolution: A belief of a theory that is spontaneous genearation – that all forms

of animal life evolved from more primitive forms of life, which is through “cell” concept matter that evolved into life forms, and then to fish, birds, animals, apes and finally man (humankind) Until today, it is still remains a theory, not a proven fact because of the

missing links in the transitional stages have never been found It fails to adequately

account for the origin of matter and life because it rejects God the original designer of

http://www.gotquestions.org/theistic-evolution.html; is-the-difference-between-creation-evolution-intelligent-design/

http://www.strangenotions.com/what-14 Theistic Evolution: The higher forms of life evolved from lower forms, but the lower

forms were created by God This is partly the truth in that God is acknowledged as the Creator of part of the creation However, it is also partly false in that the Bible teaches the creation of the species, not their evolution All fish, birds, animals and man (humankind) were created in their order to reproduce “after their kind, ” not to evolve into some higher form A reptile can only produce a reptile; a horse can only produce a horse; and a monkey can only produce a monkey, never a man Further brief reading:

http://www.gotquestions.org/theistic-evolution.html; is-the-difference-between-creation-evolution-intelligent-design/

http://www.strangenotions.com/what-15 Genesis 1: 24 – 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their

kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so

NASB Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

God on the earth, Genesis 1: 26-27.16 The original man (humankind) was the direct result of a creative act of God What is man? Man is a divinely created being, a masterpiece of God’s creation The unity of a human race points to the creation act

of God of the original pair, man and woman (Adam and Eve), Genesis 2: 21-2317; Acts 17: 26.18 Therefore, all the nations of today, are of one blood for all were “in Adam” when he was created The true answer to the questioning of the origin of

man basically is God’s answer that solely found in the Bible: Man is a created

being There are five elements that proves man is a created being:

 Man is a dependent being

Reality is that man owes his existence to the Creator, God, which makes him a dependent creature Whether realising it or not, man totally depending on God for his very breath Acts 17: 28 proves that, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”

 Man is an intelligent being

Man is a being that can reason, a capacity for intelligence, imagination and the ability to express his thoughts in language, which differ from animal creation that are simply creatures of habit and instinct Job 35: 11 that says, “Who teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and make us wiser than the birds of the air?”

16 Genesis 1: 26-27 – 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to

Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and

over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the

earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them NASB Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman

Foundation

17 Genesis 2: 21-23 – 21 So the L ORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place 22 The L ORD God fashioned into a woman the rib, which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the

man 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” NASB Copyright © 1995 by The

Lockman Foundation

18 Acts 17: 26 – 26 and He made from one man (ADAM) every nation of mankind to live

on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of

their habitation NASB Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

 Man is a moral being

God created man with a will, the ability to choose Because of will, it makes man a moral and responsible creature Man is not created as a robot, a machine or a will-less creature God desires every human He created would respond

free-to Him willingly and freely God placed within man a conscience, which gives Him

a moral sense, distinguishing right from wrong, good and evil – called as

conscience Conscience means “a knowledge of self in relation to known law of

right and wrong.”

 Man is a love being

One of God’s vital attributes is love God is love and love must not only have an object but must have that which can reciprocate that love, 1 John 4: 16-19.19Man is a being with a will and intelligence; capable of choosing to love and be loved Indeed, man was created by love, for love and to reciprocate love Without love, a man’s heart remains empty and void

 Man is a Triune being

Basically, there are two theories concerning a man’s being: The Dichotomous Theory 20 and The Trichotomous Theory As a Protestant Christian, I

believe in the later theory The Trichotomous Theory holds that man created in the

image and likeness of a Triune God (The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – One

in three persons), was created a triune being consisting of spirit, soul and body The

triunity man can be explain in three centers of consciousness within a man’s being:

Spirit: The God-conscious part of man, capable of knowing God

Somehow, no matter who a person is, every human being on earth has some kind of

19 1 John 4: 16-19 – 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us God is love Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus 18 There is no fear in love But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment The one who fears is not made perfect in love 19 We love because he first loved us NIV, Holy Bible, Copyright © 2011 by Biblica, Inc

20 The Dichotomous Theory: Man is a dual or bi-partite being, consisting of a spirit / soul

(two terms which are synonymous and interchangeable) and a body

“sense of belonging” to a Supreme Being When God created man, He formed the

spirit of man within him, Zechariah 12: 1, “The LORD, who stretches out the

heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the human spirit within a person.” Therefore, the spirit is the eternal part of a man that is capable to worship God who is Spirit, John 4: 24, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” The faculties of the spirit are intuition,

conscience and communion

Soul: The self-conscious part of a man, capable of knowing one’s self The faculties of a human soul can be divided into three parts: mind, will and emotions The mind includes the thoughts, imaginations, understanding, memory, reason and intellect The will is the ability to choose and make good decisions Finally, the emotions involve the feelings, good or bad, which are the result of good or bad

behaviour, or good or bad attitude

Body: The sense or world-conscious part of a man; capable of knowing and

receiving things from the world around him It is the visible physical part of a human body that consists of basic components: skin, flesh, bones, organs and blood

1.1.2.2 The Creation of Man (God’s purpose for Man)

The only way that man (humankind) will be able to find fulfillment in

life is to discover the reasons why he or she was created and fulfill them The Bible

clearly reveals God’s purpose for man, which can be summarised as being four-fold:

Relationship, Character, Function and Reproduction Here are the basic explanations:

Relationship: The first reason God created man was for the purpose of

relationship God wants man to have a personal relationship with Him in his life’s journey The sin, which caused Adam to hide from God, has hampered man’s relationship with God Yet, it is only through Jesus Christ that God’s purpose of relationship with man is fully accomplished Therefore, God dwells in each Christian believer making fellowship consistently available

Character: The second reason God created man was to reproduce His nature and character God wants man to partake of his divine nature – 2 Peter 1: 4- 7; to be conformed to the image of His Son – Romans 8: 28-29; and to be changed into His image by the Spirit – 2 Corinthians 3: 18; 4: 4 Because of sin, God’s desire

is to see the self-centred element in man’s nature and character to be replaced by holy, loving and self-giving nature of God

Function: The third reason God created man was to have someone share

in His function of ruling the universe God wants man to be involved in His plan and purpose on this earth

Reproduction: The fourth reason God created man was to share some of

His creative powers God wants man to reproduce more biological children to be in

a family God told Adam and Eve to “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth,” Genesis 1: 28 (ASV version) This speaks of reproduction by biological birth, but there is more to it than just giving birth to babies into existence The seed

of sin in Adam was reproduced in his first-born son Cain This necessitates the

“new spiritual birth” in which also called as “born again,” 21 and have become the

children of God by the redemption through Jesus Christ, the Christians

Therefore, firstly, a Protestant Christian is a believer who begins a new life

when he or she is “born again,” 22 by the Holy Spirit, 1 Peter 1: 3b – “In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (NIV), also called as “Regeneration.” Regeneration is

an analogous to a spiritual relationship of the soul with Triune God It brings a

person into spiritual union with the Triune God – Father and son/daughter relationships, bringing him or her into the family of God It is likened to a marriage

21 Born Again – To be born again is to undergo a “spiritual rebirth,” or a regeneration of

the human spirit from the Holy Spirit Further brief reading:

“Born Again (Christianity)” – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Born_again_(Christianity);

“Born again Christians” – http://www.allaboutreligion.org/born-again-christian.htm

22 “Born again” – Refer to page 16-17, “Reproduction” section and its’ footnote for

clearer clarification

where the believer is “married to Christ,” 1 Corinthians 6: 17, “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit” (ASV)

Secondly, the regenerated Protestant Christian is God’s son or daughter by

adoption The Triune God places the regenerated believer as privilege and

responsible son/ daughter in His family, that enables him or her to call or cry out,

“Abba Father,” Galatians 3: 26, “For you are all sons (daughters) of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (NASB), and to be heirs of the Triune God, Galatians 4: 6,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” (NASB)

1.2 The Views Between Two Major Religion / Philosophy And Protestant Christianity In Vietnam

The official ideology of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is basically atheistic, yet in recent years, the Vietnamese government recognises six official religions: Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, and two indigenous religious traditions that emerged during the French colonial period, Cao Dai and

Hoa Hao Vietnam is considered as one of the least religious countries in the world

According to official statistics from the Vietnamese government, as of year

2014, there are 24 million people identified with one of the recognised organised religions, out of a population of nearly 95 million (July 2015), in comparison with the census of year 1999, that showed 80.8% have no religion affiliation, except for religion is defined by shared beliefs and practices, which remain as an integral part

of Vietnamese life And as in year 2014, among the nearly 95 million population, 73.2% are Non-Religion / Vietnamese Folk Religion; 12.2% are Buddhists (Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism); 6.8% are Catholics; 4.8% are Caodaists; 1.5% are Protestants; 1.4% are Hoahaoists and less than 0.1% are Muslims

(75,000), Bahais (7,000), Hinduism (1,500) and other smaller sects Vietnamese folk

religion 23 is very popular among the Vietnamese people, which had experienced a revival since mid 1980s

Figure 1.1: The Main Religion In Vietnam (Year 2014)24

Although there are six religions that are officially recognised by the Vietnamese Government, but I would like to concentrate on the first two major religion or lifestyle, which are popular among the local Vietnamese people of today;

23 Vietnamese Folk Religion (worship of deities and ancestors, often combined with Triple

Teaching – Tam Giao), was suppressed in different periods from 1945, the end of the dynastic period until the mid 1980s Debates and criticism of cultural destruction and loss began in the 1960s Yet, on the eve of Doi Moi reformation from 1985 onwards, the state government gradually returned to a policy of protection of the religious culture, and the Vietnamese folk religion was soon promoted as the “backbone of a progressive culture and imbued with national identity.” Today, the local Vietnamese has practiced Vietnamese folk religion with an average percentage of 45.3% of the current population

24 Figure 1.1: Main Religion In Vietnam (Year 2014) – United Nations Human Rights,

“Press Statement on the visit to the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam by the Special

Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief” (Internet Article),

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=14914&LangI D=E, 31 July 2014, Hanoi

their views on Protestant Christianity in Vietnam Firstly, Atheism; and secondly,

Tam Giao (Triple Teachings)

1.2.1 The Views From An Atheist

Generally, an Atheist is someone who holds on to non-theistic views, where God does not exist Because of Atheism’s long-standing association with free thought, anti-clericalism, and dissent from religion, many people seem to assume that Atheism is the same as anti-religion This lead people to assume that Atheism is itself a religion / at least some sort of anti-religious ideology, philosophy, etc… Well, this is incorrect Atheism is the absence of theism; by itself, it is not even a belief, much less a belief system, and as such cannot be any of those things

In theoretical understanding, there are a few types of Atheistic views However, currently, there are two categories of Atheism in Vietnam, which I observed Firstly, Dogmatic Atheism; and secondly, Practical Atheism:

2 Denying an absolute morality, affirming their own right to decide what is right and wrong; denying accountability to God, choosing to

be accountable to only their own independent ways in life

3 Denying the soul and the spirit, claiming the body is all; denying existence after death, believing that life in this world is all; denying

purpose, living for this world; denying all hope, embracing the present; denying Christ, choosing death

 Practical Atheism

- A practical atheist is one who believes there may be a God but lives as

if there is none Practical atheism focuses on the idea that one disregards belief in gods and the existence of gods when it comes to professed beliefs Therefore, a practical atheist might profess

theism,25 but in practice be closer to atheism

- Two views of practical atheism on God (particularly Protestant Christianity):

1 Possibility he or she acknowledge the existence of God, yet does not live his or her life as though God exist Many practical atheists claim a belief in God, attended churches but there is no reverence before God

or worshipping God from the hearts

2 Possibility of their acknowledgement of God is enough They give their minds to God, but not their hearts and lives They acknowledge the existence of God but do not serve Him They acknowledge Him as Creator, but not as Lord Therefore, many practical atheists have convinced themselves that they are pleasing God by their intellectual acknowledgement

1.2.2 The Views From Tam Giao (Triple Teachings)

Tam Giao (Triple teachings / religions) is a form of syncretic combination

of Mahayana Buddhism, Confuciansm and Taoism, added with Vietnamese Folk Religion (the indigenous customs of spirit worship, ancestors veneration, and deification of Vietnam’s patriotic heroes); which incorporate into one primary

25 Theism (noun) – 1 The belief in one God as the creator and ruler of the universe,

without rejection of revelation (distinguished from deism); 2 Belief in the existence of a god or gods Further brief reading: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theism

religion and philosophy that shape the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people for hundreds of years This special mix explains why Vietnamese people find it hard to say exactly which religion they belong to The majority of Vietnamese people classify themselves as non-religious, although they visit religious temples several times every year Their everyday behaviours and attitudes are dictated by the synthesis of philosophies, which can be traced from Tam Giao The brief teachings

that incorporate into Tam Giao as one religion:

Mahayana Buddhism: Mahayana Buddhism derives from Buddhism which

is a non-theistic religion or philosophy that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachingsattributed to Gautama Buddha, commonly known as Buddha (The Awakened One) There is two major branches of Buddhism are generally recognised by scholars: Theravada (The School

of the Elders) and Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) But Mahayana Buddhism has quickly become the faith of most Vietnamese, whereas, Theravada Buddhism was confined mostly to the southern delta region of Vietnam Today, having been influenced by both China and India, Vietnamese Buddhism incorporates both of the two main branches and is influence by all three large sects: Zen, Pure Land and Tantrism Therefore, Mahayana Buddhism is easily conformed to indigenous Vietnamese beliefs, which combined with Confucianism and Taoism teachings Mahayana Buddhism has built up a tradition which is closely linked to the nation and country, and played a vital role in building a national culture by creating many features which are deeply embedded in the mentality, morals, and lifestyle of the people

Confucianism: The Chinese brought Confucianism to Vietnam during the

one thousand year of Chinese domination (Thời Kỳ Bắc Thuộc Lần 1 - 1.000 năm) Therefore, the Vietnamese came to know the teachings of Confucius well Basically, the Vietnamese understand Confucianism in terms of morality rather than metaphysics The Vietnamese Confucianists emphasised Tam Cương (Three Principle Precepts) namely quân – thần, phụ – tử, phu – thê, means the appropriate

relationships between king and subject; father and son; husband and wife They also focused on Ngũ Thường (Five Cardinal Virtues), namely nhân, nghĩa, lễ, trí, tín, means benevolence, loyalty, politeness, intelligence and trustworthiness The ancestor veneration by filial pintu and observance of rites for ancestors was required As for women, they were demanded to live with Tứ Đức (Four Virtues), which are công, dung, ngôn, hạnh, which means their handicrafts, graceful appearance, refined speech and modest demeanor Confucianism also teaches women to be bound on Tam Tòng (Three Obligations) which means before a woman marries, she was to obey her father, as a wife obey her husband and when widowed obey her son During the French colonisation, Confucianism declined and lost its’ dominant position, yet its’ basic concepts remained deeply imbedded in

Vietnamese morality and values till today

Taoism: Taoism is a religion founded by Lao Tsu of China even earlier than

Confucianism Taoism (also called Daoism) is a philosophical, ethical or religious tradition of Chinese origin that emphasises living in harmony with the Tao (also romanized as Dao) Taoism is mainly divided into two distinct components: philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism The term Tao means “way,” “path,” or principle.” Taoism proposed a way of life by which human beings can attain harmony with nature and the mystical currents of the spiritual world The concept of Tao (The Way) and Lý Vô Vi (The Wu Wei Principle – Non Reacting Doctrine) These doctrinal principles have strongly rooted in Vietnamese view of life and can

be found in the oral and written literature and art As a religion, Taoism did affected the cultural patterns of the Vietnamese regardless of religion, level of living status and education, or ideology, are influenced by such practices as such as astrology, geomancy (Phong Thuỷ - Implication of Ying and Yang) and sorcery Today, less Vietnamese practice this religion but many have been somewhat influenced much

by its practices and tenets