More than a thousand years before the birth of Christ, the “philosophy of Taoism grew up from the peasant class during the Shang Dynasty.” Proponents of this philosophy say it is not a religion since religions are directive. Instead, their aim is to “go with the flow” since everything natural is good.
Mythical Origins
Believers are divided as to whether or not the philosophy’s origin story is true, but the tale of Lao-Tzu provides some insight into Taoism. He was a “natural philosopher” who became frustrated with “the corruption he saw in government, which caused the people so much pain and misery.” He favored exile over life amid this corruption, but he wrote a book for the people as a parting gift. In it, he explained how he thought the problem should be solved. This he passed on to the city’s gatekeeper before “vanish[ing] into the mist.”
His book contains advice about how to live peacefully with one another and the world. “Yield and overcome/Empty and become full/Bend and become straight.” Be at peace with self, with change, and learn to adjust. “Action in harmony with the Tao is called wu-wei,” literally “non-action.’”
A Cosmic Force
Taoism asserts that there is no “God” but an impersonal cosmic force connecting all things. The “Tao” or “way” is an “idea;” a “force, principle, or energy” in nature. “Cosmic balance [is] maintained and regulated by the Tao.” This natural flow involves both good and evil; “opposites in balance” otherwise known as “yin-yang.”
But the balance of opposites does not include “good and evil, life and death, because nature does not recognize anything as good or evil” and does not “recognize a difference between life and non-life.” Everything exists harmoniously with nature.” Taoist observers say “in their own way things are all right … generosity, strangeness, deceit, and abnormality. The Tao identifies them all as one.”
Morality and the Tao
According to this ancient Chinese philosophy, no one is bad; people merely misbehave. Any person can be trained to understand the universe and be a “good person.” Taoism rose out of corruption; the belief that people’s behavior had become unnaturally selfish.
According to Taoism, “our self-interest makes us think that some events in life are bad and others are good” but “all things are natural,” which should naturally lead us to make good decisions. In other words, morality is determined by personal perspective. Or, if one is uncertain, live by the “wu-wei” principle of non-action.
Spiritual World of the Tao
Taoists (or Daoists) “invite communion with the spirits and the gods” and see the “altar” as “the place where the earthly realm meets with the divine.” Ancestral and other spirits are honored during special festivals too expensive for regular observance. Such festivals unite a community in celebration or are held to ask for intervention in hard times.
Divisions of spiritual and earthly life are encompassed within the natural balance of Taoism, part of the mystery of being connected and obligated to one another. But those spirits do not direct or guide us. They do not intercede.
Taoists speak to spirits by occult means. God finds sorcery “detestable” (Deuteronomy 18). Rather, the Lord invites us to pray constantly; to reason with Him (Isaiah 1:18). Believers do not pray to angels or ancestors. They are not our guides; God’s word is “a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Relational Versus Removed
Humans “possess intellects, emotions, and wills. They are able to think, feel, and take considered action.” They can build relationships. The Christian God is also personal, while the “impersonal principles” of Taoism “cannot do any of these things.”
The Christian God is deeply involved in the lives of His creation. We are His masterpiece and are beloved by Him; created for the purpose of knowing Him. In contrast, the Tao provides no reason for our existence; no purpose or direction. In God, we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). In the person of Jesus Christ, He made Himself known. He loves tangibly. He showed us that He is more than an idea. God makes promises and keeps them.
Paul also encouraged believers to “bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). We do this as an outpouring of the Fruit of the Spirit rather than duty. Christian community reflects the Triune relationship. We have been taught to work together and help one another as an expression of our love for Jesus and to promote truth, something that is easily lost when one lives in isolation or is not motivated and changed by the love of God.
Morality and God
Can the Tao “be the source of objective moral values” if it is unable to “distinguish good from evil?” Besides, since good and evil do not exist, how can anyone be a “good person” or “behave badly?” Finally, “if the Tao makes no such distinctions, why should its followers?”
Taoists are not called to revere, worship, or obey a holy God but a morally neutral force. Without an objective standard, morality becomes relative, leading to either chaos or oppression. People do whatever makes them happy, often without consideration for others, or without realizing the long-term consequences. Since “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way,” (Isaiah 53:6) people need a single, reliable source of truth they can turn to.
The Taoist key to balance and harmony supposedly starts with inner harmony, yet there is a natural inclination towards discord. Christ leads but knowing we would wander, He left the Holy Spirit to help and convict us. We should not go with the flow if this means to accept sin: we are taught to resist sin, repent of it, and accept God’s forgiveness through Christ’s justification.
Only His blood makes us “good.” Before we believed in Him for salvation, we were “bad,” not merely behaving badly. Grace-based salvation is a moral fence where all people stand on one side or the other. Jesus is the door, and “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). God is not morally neutral; He is holy. He also acts — God sent His Son to intercede on our behalf. Although the life of a disciple involves discipline, we submit because He is trustworthy and loving.
Life and Death
Christians seek eternal life in the presence of God. Taoists are seeking happiness inwardly and peace with others. They also believe in eternity, but as heirs to the kingdom of Tao. Christians believe that we were “dead in our trespasses” (Ephesians 2:1). Only by Christ’s death and resurrection, and our belief in Him as our Savior, do we find abundant, joyous life with the Father as co-heirs with Christ. In order to find our lives, we must lose them (Luke 9:24).
On the other hand, death is unnatural; God did not originally create us to die but to live with Him forever, which believers will do. We resist loss, we grieve, and we even resist grieving. We mourn, even for the one who knows a spouse or child has gone to be with Jesus in Heaven.
Going with the Flow?
Lao-Tzu, the figurehead of Taoism or Daoism, did not reflect the beliefs written in his book but chose exile. If Tao leaders emulate this emotional disconnection, they impose a heavy burden on the people. Peace is not always realistic; such an expectation becomes a “heavy, cumbersome load,” a type of legalism which Christ spoke strongly against (Matthew 23:4). Powerful emotions are sometimes natural.
Christ wept (John 11:35) and grew angry (Mark 3:1-6) when the situation called for it. He demonstrated love actively, emotionally, and reasonably. We take comfort seeing that Christ knows how we feel. One who is emotionally connected to the living God knows when to turn the other cheek (adjust, withstand) and when to act. Certain tables must be overturned (sex trafficking operations and child pornography rings, for instance.) Through the fruit of the Spirit, we develop love, kindness, gentleness, but also self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).
Starting Point
Similarities between Christianity and Taoism include ideals of responsibility towards our communities and the earth; belief in a creative force greater than ourselves; and the need for purification prior to reaching out to our gods/God.
But whereas Taoists “bend to new ideas and new ways of living,” Christians believe that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He does not adjust to cultural norms. “The principles of Taoism [...] came from the people themselves” as a “natural expression of the way the Chinese understood the universe.”
Our understanding of life came from the Lord, not from the Jewish people. Christians ask God for guidance and forgiveness daily. Our ultimate goal is not personal happiness, but Jesus offers infinitely more than fleeting harmony. Our encouragement is the promise of future glory.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Peter Hofstetter
