The other day I posted a Q&A done by a Taoist priest on the paper, a shanghai-based periodical. Today I want to do worldview analysis of Daoism/Taoism based on the Q&A.
According to Ravi Zacharias, every person has a worldview how they see the world. And every single worldview answers 4 questions about humanity: Origins, meaning, morality, destiny.
1. Origins
"Our soul's wisdom is to go through millions of years of evolution before coming into being. Our spirit has gone through millions of years of sediment taking shape to exist. Dust became life to eventually become the human body."
2. Meaning
"The meaning of life is to experience this state of affairs, experience nature, let the universe's experience have meaning."
"This is the greatest meaning of our lives, regardless of if we understand why, reacting calmly towards everything we come across, under the leadership of belief, reaching our own flexible and unhindered [goals]."
"The person who practices Daoism experiences nature, experiences the true meaning and way demonstrated by the ancestors and then undergoes a differentiation of self to make their true capabilities go forth."
3. Morality
"Self-respect, self-confidence, self-improvement, and self-dignity are all steps forward. Not being superstitious, nor extreme, nor brash, nor self-abased are also steps forward. Persevering in correct belief and correct mindfulness, being sensible, having a good heart, religious practice is the enlightened way to state one's genuine self."
"Work hard, do good to yourself and your loved ones, this is the most reliable thing."
"When every person is born, their good or bad fate is for the most part decided at that time. As for life after that point, 30% is determined by heave, 70% by hard work."
4. Destiny
"In any case, you have already come to this earth, so you can't plan when you live and when you return."
Conclusion:
This is a very light examination of their worldview and yes, cherrypicked from a Q&A, but enlightening. Origins are different - we focus on a Creator God more than the people he created. Meaning is completely different in Taoism and Christianity - in Christianity meaning is right relationship with God. In morality, there are some similarities to Christianity, but only in that we should do good to those who love us. However, Christianity is more outward-focused - we do good to our enemies as well as our friends. Destiny is a more central focus to Christianity than it seems to be in Taoism. It seems to me that in Taoism, actions, amulets, and things of that nature are more important than these other questions. It is more about the ritual than a relationship with god.
From this light analysis, we can see that Taoism and Christianity are very different religions.
Conclusion:
This is a very light examination of their worldview and yes, cherrypicked from a Q&A, but enlightening. Origins are different - we focus on a Creator God more than the people he created. Meaning is completely different in Taoism and Christianity - in Christianity meaning is right relationship with God. In morality, there are some similarities to Christianity, but only in that we should do good to those who love us. However, Christianity is more outward-focused - we do good to our enemies as well as our friends. Destiny is a more central focus to Christianity than it seems to be in Taoism. It seems to me that in Taoism, actions, amulets, and things of that nature are more important than these other questions. It is more about the ritual than a relationship with god.
From this light analysis, we can see that Taoism and Christianity are very different religions.
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