There are more people that speak Chinese than any other language in the world. Together with the Jews, Chinese is one of the earliest and the oldest enduring civilizations. It has a 4,500 years of unbroken history. Chinese history is recorded all the way back to 2500 BC. Daoism came about in the 6th century BC. Confucianism & Buddhism came about in the 5th century BC. Records show that China worshipped the true eternal God dating back to 2500 BC. They called God by the name of Shang Di (上帝) Shang Di (上帝) = "Emperor (or Sovereign) Above," "Lord On High," "Highest Lord," "the Supreme God," or "Celestial Lord." The Xia Dynasty is the oldest Chinese dynasty recorded in history (About 2500 BC.) The Xia Dynasty worshipped Shang Di Historical Records (Volume 10, Chronicles 10, Xiao Wen Volume 28, Book 6, Feng Shan) In ancient times, the son of Heaven of the Xia Dynasty personally and reverentially sacrificed to Shang Di at the border, that was why it is called the Border [(Sacrifice)]." Centuries later... The Xia Dynasty was succeeded by the Shang Dynasty who also worshipped Shang Di (1766 BC.) Centuries later... The Shang Dynasty was conquered by the Zhou Dynasty (1122 BC.) The Zhou people replaced Di with Tian (天) and called God by the name Shang Tian (上天) Tian (天) = Heaven Many centuries later... A wicked man named Qin Shi Huang became the 1st emperor of a unified China (221 BC.) Qin Shi Huang rejected the worship of the eternal God. Massive idolatry came into China during his reign. Daosim, Confuciansim and Buddhism grew and dominated the Chinese people in his time... Many centuries later... An Italian Jesuit Priest by the name Mateo Ricci traveled to China to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, (1552 AD.) He was very intelligent and full of wisdom, he studied the history, culture and science of the Chinese. Mateo Ricci was a well respected man and became the 1st foreign advisor of the Chinese Imperial Court. (1601 AD.) Mateo Ricci converted many chinese men to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many years later... The Roman Catholic church was wicked and demanded China to renounce their honor for their Chinese ancestors in order to be accepted by the Roman Catholic church. Several leaders of the Roman Catholic church wrongfully slandered and condemned all Chinese Emperors to burn in hell, The Chinese Emperor 'Kang Xi' was a Christian and he stated that they don't pray to their ancestors or worship them, they simply honor their ancestors as a manner of respect. (1715 AD.) Pope Clement 11th (XI) sent Papal missionaries to Kang Xi, they demanded China to renounce their honor for their ancestors, this demand was insensitive and offensive to Kang Xi. The Pope insulted the Chinese, their culture and even their fellow Jesuit Missionaries. A French Bishop confronted Kang Xi with insults and challenged the Chinese Emperor, Kang Xi stumbled and banned the Westerners permission to preach in China to avoid futher conflict. Evangelism was greatly hindered in China. (1721 AD.) When you read the historical records, Shang Di has the same character, nature and power as the God in the Old Testament. The Earliest-known religious system of the Han Chinese people who worshipped Shang Di was a monothelistic religion. They did not make any graven images or idols of Shang Di, he was known as the unseen one in heaven. The earliest references to Shang Di are found in Oracle Bone inscriptions of the Shang Dynasty. The inscriptions bear record that Shang Di is soverign over all nations and in complete control of all things. Apart from the Oracle Bone, Shang Di is mentioned 96 times in the Wujing (Collection of 5 classic books) And 79 more times in other Chinese classics. The emperor of every dynasty would function as a high priest and make a yearly animal sacrifice. During the ritual an unblemished bull would be slaughtered and presented as an animal sacrifice to Shang Di, where it was offered to the god's "spirit tablet" (神位) During an annual sacrifice, the emperor would carry these tablets to the north part of the Temple of Heaven, a place called the "Prayer Hall For Good Harvests," and place them on the throne. There are no physical representations recorded of Shang Di. However, there are many references to the attributes and character of Shang Di, including: maleness, emotion, compassion, intellect, judgment, mastery, and greatness.

• published: 13 Dec 2013
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