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'''The Code of the Spirit''' (Simplified: 密码教; Traditional: 密碼教; Hanyu pinyin: mìmǎjiào; literally "religion code") is a term for a [[China|Chinese]] religious movement from the 1970s and 1980s. It was an effort to spread [[Christianity]] using familiar elements.
 
'''The Code of the Spirit''' (Simplified: 密码教; Traditional: 密碼教; Hanyu pinyin: mìmǎjiào; literally "religion code") is a term for a [[China|Chinese]] religious movement from the 1970s and 1980s. It was an effort to spread [[Christianity]] using familiar elements.
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===Origin===
    
It is not known when the Code of the Spirit was invented; however, the term was first used in the late 70s. It was used by groups of native Chinese who converted to Christianity in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. There is no official version of the Code, as it is more a way of teaching.
 
It is not known when the Code of the Spirit was invented; however, the term was first used in the late 70s. It was used by groups of native Chinese who converted to Christianity in the [[United States]] and [[Canada]]. There is no official version of the Code, as it is more a way of teaching.
    
The concept of ''mimajiao'' was teaching Christianity by attaching people and events from the [[Bible]] to people and events from Chinese stories. Usually, this was done with literature - [[Water Margin]] and [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]] were commonly used. Sometimes, works of philosophy were used instead. Parables would be compared to parts of the [[Analects]] or the [[Dao De Jing]]. This had two purposes: It allowed the teachers to keep their lessons secret, and it made the material easier for the students to understand. It was similar in some ways to [[santeria]], except that there was no mixing of the religions.
 
The concept of ''mimajiao'' was teaching Christianity by attaching people and events from the [[Bible]] to people and events from Chinese stories. Usually, this was done with literature - [[Water Margin]] and [[Romance of the Three Kingdoms]] were commonly used. Sometimes, works of philosophy were used instead. Parables would be compared to parts of the [[Analects]] or the [[Dao De Jing]]. This had two purposes: It allowed the teachers to keep their lessons secret, and it made the material easier for the students to understand. It was similar in some ways to [[santeria]], except that there was no mixing of the religions.
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===Today===
    
Because Christianity is more widely understood, the Code of the Spirit is rarely used today. It is still used on occasion in [[Xinjiang]] province, and there are similar movements in central Asia.
 
Because Christianity is more widely understood, the Code of the Spirit is rarely used today. It is still used on occasion in [[Xinjiang]] province, and there are similar movements in central Asia.
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