RR0217/C Vietnam: Caodaism

(27 Apr 2002) SHOTLIST various shots of Caodai service at Holy temple, Tay Ninh Province; Halong Bay; Jade Emperor pagoda, Saigon; Catholic Cathedral Saigon; exterior Holy See; Caodai high priests in foyer of temple; Divine Eye altar; details on ceiling of Temple; Sot in Vietnamese, Hai Tring, Caodai follower; apron above altar; various shots of painting of three saints; various of four times daily service; Sot in Vietnamese, Hai Tring, Caodai follower; exteriors temple and Holy See; various Tay Ninh Province; Communist posters Tay Ninh town; gates of Holy See; garden in Holy See; priest and follower; Sot in Vietnamese, Hai Tring, Caodai follower; various shots of funeral in Caodai graveyard Tay Ninh town. (APTN) STORYLINE Vietnam is imbued with religious fervour. Almost three-quarters of the population practises Buddhism, but a small minority follows the uniquely Vietnamese religion of Caodaism, a fusion of beliefs and ideas from east and west. Caodaism started in the 1920s when a civil servant received revelations through seances. These messages outlined what was said to be the perfect religion - a mixture of Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam, together with native Vietnamese animism and Western humanism. The communist victory in 1975 sent Caodaism into decline, but it still appeals to a devoted few. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...