What is Taoism?
Fast Facts About Taoism
Origins of Taoism
Like other Eastern religions, Taoism has not firm origins but emerged as a composite teaching several centuries before Christ.
Taoist Beliefs
Taoism is as much a philosophy as it is a religion. Taoists have many gods and goddesses, none of whom are eternal or omnipotent. All deities are the products of celestial energy. Taoist teachings emphasize harmony among humanity, nature and the divine. Behavior and interactions with others are important in the Tao culture. Like Hindus, Taoists believe the earth is in an endless cycle of creation and rebirth.
Their Holy Book
Taoists do not have one particular holy book but instead look to stories, such as those about Laozi, a man whose very existence is questioned among historians but who has been immortalized in the Tao faith.
Who Jesus Is to Them
Because they do not embrace monotheism or the concept of an eternal and omnipotent God, Taoists do not view Jesus as relevant, though as pantheists they do not openly reject other faiths.
How Many Followers?
From 2.7 million to 20 million
Taoist Teachings on Salvation
Taoists do not believe in eternal redemption. Salvation, as they understand it, means living in harmony with nature and the cosmos as they participate in the earth’s endless cycle of destruction and creation.
The Taoist Path To Accept Jesus Christ
The Way
There is one way. You have sought it. The way you seek is a force, an eternal spirit. Christ-followers believe that eternal spirit is the God of the Bible.
God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 40:28)
This one eternal spirit is the Creator and Sustainer of all the universe.
“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” As some of your own poets have said, “We are His offspring.” Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone – an image made by man’s design and skill. (Acts 17:28-29)
The Truth
You shun the God of the Bible because you believe there is no absolute truth. Everything is relative. Maybe you think that truth is revealed to individuals at different times and in different ways. What’s true for you today may not be true for you next year, or even tomorrow.
So the one truth that many acknowledge is that absolute truth doesn’t exist. But there’s a problem with that very reasoning. If no absolute truth exists, then the very concept of no absolute truth cannot exist. That philosophical reality in itself points to a universal truth. Christ-followers believe God is the source of all truth and that His Word – the Bible – is His revealed truth.
Your word is truth. (John 17:17b)
The existence of absolute truth means there is right, and there is wrong. We call wrong sin. And the truth is, you are a sinner. Everyone is. No matter how hard you try to become one with God, you will fail because you are imperfect.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
The Life
The Bible – which is truth – teaches that we don’t get opportunity after opportunity to get it right in this world. Life begins, and it ends. We live, we die and we face judgment.
. . . just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. (Hebrews 9:27)
But though God is just, He is also merciful, and He has made a way for us to experience eternal life. That life can be found in Jesus Christ.
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6).
Are you ready to ensure you will experience eternal life with God? Are you ready to accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord?
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