Are Christianity and Taoism compatible?

ABSOLUTELY! Christians have a name for Tao. They call it Calvinism (predestination more or less). I believe in a good mixture of Calvinism and Armenianism, which allows for a "way of the universe" and at the same time gives the individual responsibility for their own actions, operating within The Way and allowing for them to choose how they respond to The Way.

Last Edited by The Biss on 05/19/2017 12:35 PM

ego death

Just about every religion can be compatible with the the teachings of Jesus mostly because the older eastern religions is what inspired his teachings. These moral philosophies have been around a for thousands of years and the message of Jesus is really nothing new or uniquely profound.

Bullshit functionalism...

And God gives us free will so that we can have choice. Thank you!

TAO

THEOS

DEUS



Amen


_

He is profound in that He is God.

Doesn't Calvinism teach that we are predestined to be saved? In other words don't bother trying to save anyone? That part I don't agree with.

The Tao is the matrix and Jesus is the synchronicity that shows up within. How is that for an analogy?

I want to encourage you with this scripture:

Galatians 2:20-21
20I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

The peace that you receive through Christ is not dependent on your obedience....rather...your obedience is the natural result of you knowing, loving, cherishing, and treasuring Christ above all things. It is by grace that any of us have faith...it is by faith that we live, and breathe, and have our being...our minds and will turned to learning, knowing, and choosing him above what the world offers.

The time you spend getting to know God through scripture will create a wellspring of life that nourishes your soul.

A whole lot of ignorance in this thread.

Taoism is not a religion it is a Path.

Taoist do not necessarily believe in the celestial hierachy.

The Supreme Tian from Chinese culture has a lot of parallels to the Christian God.

And remember all you protestants. You are just rebellious catholics.

No....Calvinism is misrepresented in that way. Here is what the Bible says:

Romans 8
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Two chapters later we read this:

Romans 10
14How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

As a Calvinist...we know that God's elect are always saved...and because we gladly preach the gospel we get to be part of waking our brothers and sisters up from their slumber of worldliness that we also once knew.

If you are just exploring your faith...I would recommend you spend some time in the gospel of John:
[link to biblehub.com]

Circle back and run through all 4 gospels...then roll straight through to the end. It is best to read large chunks and not just little verses here and there to ensure you understand the context.

Hmm. . .that almost sounds kind of Christ-like, but I'm not sure His fanclub is into that shit ;)

Yes! They are absolutely compatible. Not only are they compatible, but Christ is THE WAY. The Tao is known as The Way. The Way is the path to perfection, it is a science if living.

Christ is the embodiment of the Way, The Path, the perfect man.

There is a book, written by an Orthodox Christian monk in California. It's called " Christ: The Eternal Tao, I think. Look for it.

That's crazy talk - who would rebel against a filthy-rich cabal of costumed perverts? What a bunch of crazy talk!

Thank you for nudging me in the right direction.

As with everything Jesus is the determining factor. If there is room for Jesus in the Tao then I am a taoist Christian.

truth.. its been decaptited in christianity.

So a goat can never become a sheep?

Do your own thinking. I wouldn't listen to most of the people here. At least some of Taoism is compatible. Dwell on this: who is the father, who is the son, what is the holy spirit? From the viewpoint of the eternal, what is the difference between being rich or poor, or healthy or ill, or young or old? I could say much more, as I think Christ's teachings are often misunderstood. But I'm only commenting because I like your 11:11 threads, otherwise I'd avoid a thread like this, since the resident GLP rabid uber Christians will now brand me a heretic headed towards utter damnation. Not that I care what they think, but they are annoying and sanctimonious.

Beware of anyone who claims to have all answers. No one does.

Thank you! I will look it up.

Christianity is an unnecessary religion. The Soul doesn't need to be saved. It needs to be realized; made Conscious. It's immortal by definition. You aren't your "character/body-mind". You ARE a soul. Taoism shows "The Way".

I don't know much about taoism, but the taoteching doesn't say anything that contradicts christianity, since beliefs are subjective it'd depend on ones personal views.

Okay so pratice Tao to harmonize and repent to Jesus.

Theological problem solved.

If the Christian God wants to keep you from perfecting yourself and being a better person... why would you worship that?

80% of christians were raised that way and never strayed. May have given it up for a few years in college or whatever, but they never researched or embraced another theology at all. They only know one thing, the religion of their fathers/mothers.

Why can't you read both and make up your own mind? I love Tao material which goes far deeper than anything that was ALLOWED in the bible. Few understood Jesus where he was 2000 years ago and most of you don't comprehend now.

Jesus did not start your religion. YOU ARE YOUR PATH . Jesus demonstrated the Path.

This is my favorite statement from the Tao. Its a nice version of "god is in all things"...


"The Great Tao flows everywhere, to the left and to the right. All things depend on it to exist, and it does not abandon them. To its accomplishments it lays no claims. It loves and nourishes all things, but does not lord it over them." - Lao Tzu