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PRESENTATION ON CAODAISM AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NEW RELIGIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BORDEAUX, FRANCE

PRESENTATION ON CAODAISM AT THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NEW RELIGIONS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BORDEAUX, FRANCE

Updated 2024-06-20 07:05:54

(Bordeaux News, France June 16, 2024)

From June 12 to 15, 2024, at Bordeaux University, France, the international conference on new religions CESNUR 2024 (Center for the Study of New Religions) took place with the theme: “The Contribution of Minority Religions to Society" organized by the Center for Research on New Religions (CESNUR), University of Bordeaux, France, the Center for Cultural and Literary Studies of the English-Speaking World (CLIMAS – Cultures and Littératures des Mondes Anglophones) and the International Society for the Study of New Religions (ISSNR).

The International Conference on New Religions at Bordeaux University, France this year brought together many prestigious and outstanding professors in world religious studies such as:

- Professor Bernadette Rigal-Cellard - Conference Chair - Bordeaux University, France

- Professor Eileen Barker - London University of Economics

- Professor Massimo Introvigne - Director of CESNUR

- Professor Rosita Soryté - European Federation for Freedom of Religion, Rome and Turin, Italy

- Professor Susan Palmer - Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.

- Professor Gordon Melton - Baylor University, Texas, USA

- Professor Benjamin Penny - Australian National University

- Professor George D. Chryssides - York St. John University, England

- Professor David W. Kim - Australian National University and Kookmin University Korea

- Professor Fiona Hsin-Fang Chang – Weixin Shengjiao, Taiwan.

- Professor Edward Irons - Institute of Culture, Commerce and Religion, Hong Kong

More than 100 professors, scholars and religious researchers from 25 countries attended this Conference, divided into 23 presentation groups, sharing research content on the contributions of new religions minorities for the development of society. In particular, the Professors listed above have visited Tay Ninh Holy See and some attended the Holy Mother Goddess Great Festival in 2018.

The presentation delegation on Cao Dai consisted of 5 people, invited by the Conference Organizing Committee as Cao Dai believers and with experience in researching the development of Cao Dai for more than a decade. They are:

1. Rev Thuong Canh Thanh (Tran Quang Canh)- Former Chief of the Cao Dai Sacerdotal Council Overseas, Head of the delegation.

2. Deaconess Huong Thoan - Member of the delegation

3. Deaconess Huong Tru - Member of the delegation

4. Deaconess Huong Trang - Member of the delegation

5. Adept Tran Quang Trung - Member of the delegation

The presentation at the Conference by Rev Thuong Canh Thanh, along with Professor Bernadette Rigal-Cellard (University of Bordeaux), took place in the pleneray session, right after the opening of the Conference, with the title : “100 Years of Cao Dai: A Cao Dai Missionary's Reflections on Faith and Identity”.

In this session, Professor Gordon Melton (USA), Professor Massimo Introvigne (Italy), Professor Jason Greenberger (Korea), Professor Benjamin Penny (Australia) and Professor Fiona Hsin-Fang Chang (Taiwan) also gave presentations about their essays.

In addition, we would like to list a few topics among the 71 presentation subjects as follows:

- Wangchan Laozu in Weixin Shengjiao Practices

-Peace, Justice, and Tax Reform in Taiwan and Internationally: New Religious Movements, the Common Good, and the Case of Tai Ji Men

-The Jehovah’s Witness Test: Minority Religions and Religious Tolerance in the Contemporary World

-Unification Church and Japan: What exactly is going on?

-Ancestor Worship and Mediumship in The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints in France

-The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light: The Emergence of a New Religion

-A Comparative Study on the Social Responsibility of New Religions in South Korea

-Islam, New Religious Movements and Society

-Contributions of New Religious Movements to Society in Lithuania

-The Different Sectors of African Indigenous Spirituality

After the Conference, the Organizing Committee guided the participants to visit a Tibetan Buddhist Center (Dhagpo Kagyu Ling) in Saint Leon Sur Vezere City, France. Especially visit the Château de Losse built in 1576 by Jean II De Losse (1508-1580) in Thonac village, Dordogne/Perigord region, but in 1930, Princess Nhu May (1905) -1999), daughter of Viet Nam Emperor Ham Nghi, bought this castle and lived there until 1999. The mausoleum of Emperor Ham Nghi and Princess Nhu May is buried in Thonac village, more than 500m from the Château De Losse.

Cao Dai was once again presented to hundreds of prestigious professors and scholars from more than 25 countries at the CESNUR 2024 International Conference at Bordeaux University, France. A very encouraging result is that Professor Livia Kohn, Boston University, Massachusetts, USA, also wants to invite the Cao Dai Delegation to participate in an International Conference on Taoism, held at Transylvania University in Brasov City, Romania, in June 2025.

Hopefully in the near future, there will be more professors and scholars interested in, researching, and propagating the Cao Dai Religion created by the Supreme Being himself with his divine messages in Vietnam.

Here are some pictures of the Conference:

Please click this link to see all pictures (at the end of the Vietnamese news)

https://caodai.com.vn/vn/news-detail/thuyet-trinh-ve-dao-cao-dai-tai-hoi-thao-quoc-te-cac-nen-tan-ton-giao-tai-truong-dai-hoc-bordeaux-phap.html