Taoism and Christianity are both systems of
religious and philosophical thought based on ancient texts, the origins of which are at
least
somewhat obscure. Tao Te Ching, the central text
of Taoism, is attributed
to a philosopher called Lao Tzu, of whom nothing is
known, though various myths and traditions
surround him. It may have been the
work of more than one hand and was written in the third or
fourth century
BCE. The Christian Bible consists of the Jewish Tanakh
together with the much shorter New Testament, which deals principally with the life
and
teachings of Jesus Christ. It was written over several centuries and
compiled by the Church
Fathers long after the crucifixion of Christ. This
makes it quite a different type of book from
the shorter, more unified
Tao Te Ching, even if the latter was composed by
more
than one author.
Although the Tanakh or
Old
Testament was clearly composed in a polytheistic society, by the time of
Christ, Judaism had
become a monotheism, and Christianity is similarly
monotheistic, though the doctrine of the
Trinity holds that there are three
Gods in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Taoism, Lao Tzu
himself is
regarded as a deity and forms part of an immense pantheon, from which the Taoist
can
choose to concentrate on whichever gods seem most appropriate to the time
and place. None of
these gods are regarded as omnipotent or even eternal.
They represent the energy of the
cosmos.
The Tao in Taoism
is usually translated as the way. Jesus Christ
also referred to himself as
the way. However, while the Taoist way refers simply to the
correct way to
behave, the most harmonious way and the way which causes least suffering to
oneself and others, most Christians make far larger claims for Christ, claiming that he
is the
only way to God, the path of salvation by which one may attain Heaven
and avoid Hell. Taoism
originally had no concept of Heaven and Hell. In
China, however, these ideas were adopted and
grafted onto Taoism from other
religions, but they were never a central part of Taoist
philosophy and are
most prominent in religious art.
Taoists, like Christians,
believe in eternal life, but Taoists take a somewhat different perspective, since they
believe
that nothing really dies and each apparent death is merely a
metamorphosis into something else,
which ultimately leads to immortality in
becoming one with the Tao. Christians generally believe
in a personal God and
the resurrection of the dead. Christians also often regard suffering as a
positive thing if it leads the sufferer to penitence and ultimately to God. A Taoist,
however,
would view suffering as a sign that one had departed from the true
path of the Tao.
The Christian position on good works is
divided, with the Catholic tradition generally
encouraging them as pleasing
to God, whereas most Protestant churches, while sometimes
performing good
works for their own sake, emphasize that works have no effect on salvation,
which can only be achieved by accepting the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and transferring
your sins
to him. Taoism teaches that one who is following the Tao will act
virtuously and harmoniously.
This involves keeping to the laws of nature,
which Lao Tzu says people are too inclined to
violate. Justice is achieved by
the same process, whereas in Christianity, Justice comes from
God. However,
since the Christian God is personal, he also shows mercy (principally in
sending
his son to bear the burden of sin). Mercy is the suspension of
justice, and such a suspension
cannot occur in Taoism since there is no
omnipotent personal God.
It is
important to bear in mind
that these two systems of thought, which have influenced countless
people for
millennia, have been interpreted in extremely diverse ways. In Christianity,
particularly, every person who claims to be a Christian is regarded as a heretic by
someone else
who claims to be a Christian. About the central precepts of
Taoism, particularly the Tao itself,
there is more agreement, but this is far
from universal.
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