Page "Jesus Family" Paragraph 4

Compared with the surrounding society, the social life of the Family exhibited many distinctive utopian characteristics.

First, it adopted the communitarian principle and denied private ownership.

The family initially copied the idea from the Home of Onesiphorus, and even its first three looms were bought from that institution.

However he encountered many problems as soon as he convened his followers to live together as the Home of Onesiphorus did.

The most important thing was that he had no funds to support his small community and often lacked enough food and appropriate shelter for his followers.

He could not pay them anything for their labours, as the missionary Anglin had done.

In this way, Jing's group adopted utopianism at the beginning of its history.

Like all Christian utopians, he advocated that the true Christian should follow what Jesus asked the young man to do in Matthew 19: 16, and he called on members to follow the mode of life of the primitive Christian community in the 1st century ( Acts 2: 43 ).

This meant no private property, the sharing of all goods, and not paying much attention to one's family ties or material concerns.

The Family was, Jing said, the best life a Christian should practice.

The communitarian system naturally led to an egalitarian way of life.

Adult members of the Family shared the same standards in food and dress and all lived in the same rooms except for babies and older people who received some special treatment.