What is Hoa Hao?

In today's post we will be taking a brief look at a Vietnamese religion known as Hoa Hao. I also have included bible passages that relate to the various beliefs of this specific group. Shall we begin?



Hoa Hao is known is a Neo-Buddhist sect that stresses home worship and it also combines Animism with Confucian doctrine. It was founded in the year 1939 by a man named Huyen Phu So. It supposedly has three to four million adherents.

There are Four Major Precepts that Hoa Hao teaches and it is, Honor your parents, love your country, respect Buddhism and it's teachings, and love your fellow man. I have no problem adhering to three out of those four teachings. It is the respect for Buddhism that I have issues with.  Although it is good that Huyen Phu So stressed that Marriage partners should be faithful and that officials are to be just, there are some of the teachings of this religion that goes against biblical precepts. I will cover just a few.

While this religion forbids the consumption of alcohol, this is a topic for another time. Though they teach they're followers not to  smoke opium, which is a good commandment they also teach that you shouldn't kill oxen/buffalo for food. This is a false teaching as it is perfectly fine to do so according to 1Ti 4:3 -4. They also believe that Salvation is the result of personal achievement, this is anti-scriptural as well as we know that works cannot save us (Eph 2:8 -9).

Finally we have all the Prayers and offerings to Buddha, Vietnamese national heroes, as well as their personal ancestors. This is quiet similar to the Catholics praying to all the dead "saints". They also claim to not pray to other deities or spirits, saving for some small offerings of various incense which is used to scare away the bad ghost who might be around. This just further confirms the word when it tells us that the gentiles sacrifice to devils and not to God (1Co 10:20).

In conclusion while Hoa Hao does teach some good doctrine such as honoring your parents and being faithful in marriage, they also teach several things that isn't true as well. Since they think that they can earn eternal life, and pray to false gods they need the true gospel brought to them so they can be delivered from their sin and know true salvation.

http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Vietnam/sub5_9d/entry-3379.html

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