hong xiuquan, and the heavenly hope.

singsongboi

one of the most instructive books i have read in my post-christian life, is called "god's chinese son" by jonathon spence.

it's the story of hong xiuquan, who became the founder of the taiping christian religion in china - and forced to fight for his/it's existence, came close to overthrowing the qing (manchu) dynasty..

it's an instructive story, because xiuquan after having studied the bible with missionaries, fell ill and in the time that he wavered between life and death, became convinced that he was the son of god.

here is my lesson --- how often, christian zeal, and conviction of a close (filial) relationship with god grows out of illness.

what do you think ?????

refiners fire

Well, I can tell you that Ellen G White, Prophetess of Adventism was an extremely sickly girl for a long time, once she nearly died. It was very soon after that near death incident that "God" spoke to her for the first time.
So there you go, thats 1.

Beck_Melbourne

Yes it is all too suss...I wonder if there is a chemical imbalance in the brain at the time of near death...who knows.

I also know of a lot of people who admit that the only time they pray is when themselves or someone they love is in danger. There is something that draws us to the mysteries of a creator or an almighty when death or the fear of death creeps up on us.

Good point.

Beck

anewperson

Nee founded the house-church movement in China in the 1920s and today it has some 50,000,000 members, and I'm not aware he had any health problems, just great sincerity and neighborliness. As a child he had sometimes been "mischevious" but was essentially always a kindly person.

Wren

It's not rare.

Mary Baker Eddy's Christian Science religion is based on faith/God overcomes illness. She relates that her ill health and paralysis from a fall on the ice was cured by faith, so started her writings.

Ellen G. White was hit in the head with a rock and regained full conciousness three weeks later. It doesn't surprise me she had some revelations afterward.

I'm sure there are others.