Taoism Vs Christianity Essay Research Paper THE

Taoism Vs. Christianity Essay, Research Paper

THE WAY TO IMMORTALITY

A Comparison Between Taoism and Christianity and

the Paths They Take to Reach Immortality

By: Emily Capaldi

PH 200

The basic structure of both Taoism and Christianity

are parallel because they work to attain the same goal.

It is apparent in both religions that by following a

pure path, and devoiding ones self of earthly ambitions,

wealth, and desires, one may reach the ultimate goal of

immortality. But the way in which one reaches this goal

is very different. Both religions believe in an entity

that has existed before the universe, is the creator of

all things, and loves and provides for all of creation.

The Taoist believes in Tao, which remains a .formless.,

spiritual stare of mind. It rejects names and is

therefore .nameless. and unable to be spoken.

Christians, however, believe in God, which takes on an

active human form and is spoken as .the word. of God.

However, it is the differences between Tao and God that

present the most evident factors that separate Taoism

from Christianity. Unlike the Tao, God rules as a

supreme being, while the Tao is at one with all, and

does not master over anything. It is obvious that

immortality is the goal in both religions, but the

Taoist concept of immortality, and the way in which they

become immortal differs from the of the Christians.

Immortality, to the Taoist, is to achieve Tao, becoming

at one with the universe. Christian immortality is to

reach heaven, and walk along side God. Also, the Taoist

must follow an individual path, that comes from within.

While a Christian may reach heaven only by acts of

his/her own goodness in accordance with their

relationship with God.

Creation, in both Taoism and Christianity, is

stemmed from a source that always was and always will

be. Taoists base their beliefs around the Tao, and the

Christians believe in God. However, the essence of

these two separate ideas differ dramatically in many

other aspects. Unlike Tao, which claims to be

.formless., God takes on an actual form, the image of

man. The very first sentence of John.s Gospel states,

.In the beginning was the one who was called the

word…. This statement confirms the existence of a

single being. Later in the text it is said that .the

word became flesh and dwelt among us., thus becoming

like a human. In contrast, the great Tao is .infinite.;

it flows everywhere and is always present, yet it cannot

be seen or touched. It is .empty like a bowl. and

.bottomless. yet its capacity cannot be exhausted. The

Tao.s own intangibility demonstrates the notion that it

is frameless and therefore is not constructed into any

shape or form.

While speech and understanding remain the basis for

following Christianity, the Tao cannot be spoken, and

therefore can never be fully explained in words.

According to the Gospel of John, in the Christian Bible,

God sent John down to earth to speak .the word. and lead

the people to have faith. In order for Christians to

acquire an understanding of their faith, they must

receive some form of teaching or instruction.

Christians go to church to hear .the word. that is

verbally preached to them through the words of a priest,

who acts as a servant to God. With this being

understood it can be concluded that without language, as

the basis for understanding, Christianity could not

exist. Taoism, on the other hand, emphasizes the fact

that it is unspoken and therefore can never be verbally

told or explained. Tao is described as being

.nameless.. It is exceeds beyond verbal communication

and comprehension. .Words can be used to speak of it,

but they cannot be used to contain it..

Both Tao and God love and take care of all of

creation. Every living thing depends on them for life.

But the Tao is not a supreme being as God is to the

Christians because Taoism is not monotheistic. The main

focus in Taoism is not the worship of one god, but

instead coming into harmony with Tao. Tao .clothes and

feeds all things but does not claim to be master over

them.. Thus he says, .the universe and I exist together,

and all things and I are one.. God, on the other hand,

stands above the universe as a higher being. He rules

by power, setting certain standards which Christians are

to live by and obey in order to reach salvation. The Ten

Commandments, also known as .the law of man., are a set

of rules, developed by God, that people are to abide by

in order to avoid wrongdoing.

Another element that separates the Tao from God is

the way in which they guide the world. It is through

Gods own actions that Christians are guided, wher

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