1848 Great Qing Charcoal Burners

Chapter 7-Baptism
In the spring of the 24th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign (1844), Feng Yunshan, Hong Xiuquan, Feng Ruisong, and Feng Ruizhen left their hometown to preach Christianity.

Feng Ruisong and Feng Ruizhen were the first to drop out halfway through the journey because they could not endure the hardships of sleeping in the open and trekking.

Hong Xiuquan, who was staying at his cousin's house in Cigu Village, Guixian County, could not bear the impoverished life at his cousin's house. He returned to Guangdong in disgrace after only three months, citing his unwillingness to burden his cousin.

Only Feng Yunshan gritted his teeth, crossed the Qianjiang River, traversed the Lushui River, and ventured deep into the Zijing Mountains. He took off his long gown, put on a short tunic, and made a living by hoeing the fields, cutting grass, carrying loads to burn bricks, herding cattle, and collecting manure during the day. At night, he slept in the same sheds as local charcoal burners and day laborers, preaching and spreading his faith. Only then did he open up the path for missionary work and attract his first batch of believers.

Feng Yunshan deserves the greatest credit for the God Worshipping Society's current success in Xunzhou Prefecture, which boasts over four thousand followers.

During his four years of missionary work in Guangxi, Feng Yunshan came into contact with people from all walks of life.

He was an exceptionally shrewd man, and Feng Yunshan naturally wouldn't easily believe Peng Gang's claim that he had fulfilled his father's last wish.

“Your father joined the church before he died to pray for your safety and well-being, hoping that you and your siblings would live a peaceful and healthy life. He also prayed that God would bless you with success in your imperial examinations.” Feng Yunshan did not immediately respond to Peng Gang’s request to join the church, but instead looked Peng Gang in the eye and said, word by word.

"Joining a religion is no small matter. Is this what you joined the religion for?"

Feng Yunshan stared intently at Peng Gang, making Peng Gang very uncomfortable.

Peng Gang did not flinch. He calmly met Feng Yunshan's questioning and puzzled gaze and replied firmly, "I will naturally fulfill my father's unfulfilled wish by raising my younger siblings to comfort his spirit in heaven."

I have read the three books on the original way written by the cult leader.

Humans are made of flesh and blood, and are inevitably susceptible to disease. In a corrupt world, it is inevitable to suffer misfortune.

However, there is a difference between immortals and mortals. Even though the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother see the evil demons and monsters doing evil in the mortal world, they ultimately cannot interfere too much.

I am willing to join the religion, obey the call of the Heavenly Father and Heavenly Brother, cleanse the world of evil influences, and sweep away the filth of the world.

May all brothers and sisters in the mortal world have access to medical care when sick, relief from disasters, land to cultivate, food to eat when hungry, reward for their labor, care for the elderly, shelter, education, and support for the weak.

The God Worshipping Society was developed by Feng Yunshan himself. Over the past four years, he has personally guided no fewer than a thousand believers to join the society in Guangxi.

Feng Yunshan had long since developed the ability to see through people's hearts. He could easily see who was genuinely interested in joining the religion and who was just trying to take advantage of others.

Feng Yunshan's intuition told him that Peng Gang's words came from the bottom of his heart. In particular, when Peng Gang said that he wanted all his brothers and sisters in the mortal world to have access to medical care when they were sick and relief when they were in disaster, the burning intensity in his eyes was something that could not be faked.

However, Feng Yunshan always felt that the Peng Gang in front of him was completely different from the Peng Gang he had met before. Even with his ability to judge people, he couldn't see through Peng Gang.

"What a wonderful way to cleanse the world of evil and filth! May all our brothers and sisters in the mortal realm have access to medical care when sick and relief when in danger!" Feng Yunshan was also encouraged by Peng Gang's words and slapped his thigh in praise.

Since he began his missionary work, he has always been the one to inspire others; this is the first time he has been inspired in the opposite way.

"I never imagined you had such a broad mind!" Shi Dakai exclaimed excitedly. "Now that we've joined the sect, we're true brothers! With our brothers united, we can surely cleanse the world of evil and sweep away all the filth!"

"So, we weren't really brothers before?" Peng Gang laughed.

"We were brothers before." Shi Dakai scratched his head awkwardly, revealing his youthful spirit for once.

"Once we join the church, we'll not only be brothers who can confide in each other, but also brothers who can risk their lives for each other, becoming even closer than family."

"Get ready, I'm about to baptize you." Feng Yunshan was overjoyed, never expecting such an unexpected gain on this trip.

Although the God Worshipping Society has many members, those who are both knowledgeable and insightful, like Shi Dakai and Peng Gang, are extremely rare.

For scholars in the Qing Dynasty, worshipping Confucius was more appealing than worshipping God or Jesus.

The baptismal ceremony of the God Worshipping Society was learned and improved by Hong Xiuquan from American missionary Luo Xiaoquan in Guangzhou. Although Luo Xiaoquan believed that Hong Xiuquan's faith was not sincere, his intentions were not pure, and he valued money and personal gain too much, he refused to baptize Hong Xiuquan.

However, Hong Xiuquan had seen Luo Xiaoquan baptize others and learned some of the Christian baptism process, so he baptized himself.

The baptismal ceremony of the God Worshippers Church combines some Christian doctrines with local Chinese religious rituals.

The main procedures include singing hymns, signing and burning confessions, pouring water on hair for washing, and drinking tea.

The baptism ceremonies for joining the church vary in complexity depending on the type of believer.

For ordinary believers, simply pouring a ladle of water over their heads is considered baptism and conversion to the religion.

Clearly, Feng Yunshan did not regard Peng Gang as an ordinary follower.

He solemnly set up the altar, placed two candles on it, and then wrote a letter of repentance in his own hand and had Peng Gang sign it.

After signing, Peng Gang was asked to read the confession aloud in public and burn it, indicating that he had conveyed his repentance to God.

Peng Gang did as instructed.

After doing all this, Feng Yunshan made Peng Gang bend down, picked up a ladle of water and slowly poured it over Peng Gang's head, muttering incoherently as he did so: "Wash away the sins of the past, get rid of the old and start anew."

Finally, Feng Yunshan handed Peng Gang a cup of tea blessed with a talisman, demanding that Peng Gang drink it all and swear not to worship evil gods or do evil deeds.

Peng Gang and others, who were undergoing the baptism ceremony, were unaware that a group of uninvited guests had wandered to the outside of the courtyard wall, which was only a stone's throw away.

A dozen or so militia members from the neighborhood followed the scent to Peng Gang's tightly closed courtyard gate. One of them pressed his face against the crack in the door, sniffing like a dog. After catching the smell, he swallowed hard.
"Brother Ba, Old Man Peng really didn't lie to us! This family is indeed holding a funeral, drinking and eating meat!"

"Damn it! We brothers patrol day and night to guard against the bandits, living in constant fear, enduring wind and rain, while they're having a good time! They're eating meat and drinking wine in their courtyards behind closed doors!" Li Ba, the head of the Guixian militia, cursed.

"Knock on the door! We're coming in to ask for some wine and meat!"

“Brother Ba, what do you mean by asking for it?” A militia member with a mole the size of a soybean on his face approached Li Ba and said.

"Without us local militia members working day and night to suppress bandits and rebels, how could these common people drink and eat meat in peace? It is only right that they reward us."

This family is wealthy. Old Man Peng said the head of the household has died, leaving behind two young boys. Why don't we take this opportunity to collect this year's militia wages?

“That makes sense! Liu, you're the smartest kid! Knock on the door! Knock on the door! Knock on the door now!” Li Ba cleared his throat and said.

The knocking was rough and urgent; ordinary people wouldn't knock like that when visiting someone's home.

Shi Dakai figured the people knocking on the door must be local militia members.

"It's probably those good-for-nothing militia from Qishixu who came to our doorstep to plunder."

"A militia?" Peng Gang frowned.

The training session didn't happen earlier or later, but it had to happen at this exact moment.

Could it be that the militia is so well-informed that they know he will be baptized and converted to Christianity tonight?
Before his death, his father handled all the family affairs, and the original owner of this body had little contact with the local militia. Peng Gang didn't know much about the militia in Guixian County.

(End of this chapter)