DAOISM

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A Paper

Presented to

Dr. James Lee Williams

The College at Southwestern

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In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for IDE 2103

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by

Wes Terry

December 6, 2007

DAOISM

Vernon Ferguson is a passionate missionary who eagerly shares the gospel of

Christ every chance he gets. During a mission trip to China, Vernon faced some

difficulties when sharing with others about Jesus and the truths of the Bible. How can a

Christian use the Daoist influence in China to share the Gospel? That is a dangerous

question to ask. Christianity and Daoism are two distinct religions with irrefutable

differences. Some would say that these differences exclude the possibility of

interchangeable truths or interlaced ethics. However, when a Christian, conversant with

philosophical Daoism, understands the Daoist teaching of aligning oneself with the Dao,

he will be better able to communicate the Biblical concepts of sin, the solution to sin, and

the hope of heaven. The following will not argue that Christianity and Daoism are similar

to one another but that there are areas of unique sameness which can be used to

communicate the absolute truths of the Bible and the salvation found in Christ.

Daoism is not a Religion

Before delving into the particulars of Daoism, a brief analysis of its history and

content should be discussed. Daoism is often mistakenly understood as a religion. This is

somewhat misleading because it does not share the attributes that most religions have in

common. For example, in Daoism, there is no creator or judge to open and close the

reality known as “life.” This is especially true of classical Daoism. Catherine Despeux

explains classical Taoism (Daoism) with these words, “…classical Taoism never existed

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as a social entity nor as a coherent unit of ideas of values.” 1 These misconceived notions

are most common in westerners who ignorantly dismiss the complexity of Daoism and

instead simplify (or pick and choose certain parts of) Daoism so that it fits into their mold

of an ideal religious system.

The Daoism explained here will be more philosophical than it is vitalizing or

religious. It is the opinion of this author that “philosophical” Daoism is the form that is

most influential in Chinese culture today and is thus most significant to this discussion.

Much of the content and nature of philosophical Daoism are derived from the Tao Te

Ching. According to Jonathan Herman, when handling the Tao Te Ching, is it best that

one “situate appropriately and dissect responsibly the multifarious, sometimes chaotic

particular discourses than to wed them prematurely into an alchemically conjured

harmony.”2 In other words, a person should read and interpret the texts of Daoism with

attentiveness and sensibility; not with haste.

This is even stated by well-known translator of the Tao Te Ching, Hua-Ching

Ni. “All cultural inspiration starts very simply, but after editing and reediting, the original

simplicity is lost. It is the same once a great conception, philosophy or system of thought

is turned into a religion, the original thought dies off.”3 This author would argue that

many in China (if not consciously then subconsciously) feel the same way. It is the

original simplicity of Daoism that affects day to day life in China. It is the philosophical

1Catherine Despeux, "Taoism: the enduring tradition," Journal of Chinese Religions, no. 33 (2005): 178.

2Jonathan R. Herman, "Dao Unto Others," review of The Tao of the West: Western Transformations of Taoist Thought, by J.J. Clarke, Religious Studies Review 28, no. 4 (October 2002): 321.

3Hua-Ching Ni, trans., The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching, by Lao Tzu (Santa Monica: Seven Star Communications, 1995), 4.

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content of Daoism that molds Chinese behavior.

So, in saying that, one must realize that Daoism, in and of itself, is not a

religion. Admittedly, throughout the evolution of Daoism, it has taken on various skins

that look like religion; but it would be better defined as a philosophical system that

addresses the ills of life through a unique form of passivity. The main goal of the Daoist

is to become at one with nature without trying to manipulate one’s condition. This is

called wu-wei, and is often translated as actionless action.4

This system is difficult for the westerner to understand because it contradicts

everything that most Americans hold essential for their social functionality. Despite that,

if a western missionary wishes to use the Daoist influence on Chinese culture to

communicate the Gospel, he must understand and appreciate philosophical Daoism and

be conversant with its teachings. With that premise in place it is now appropriate to

explain what it means for a Daoist to align himself with the Dao and what impact that has

on his life and the society in which he lives.

Alignment with the Dao

Before one can understand what it means for a Daoist to align himself with the

Dao he or she must know exactly what the Dao represents. How can one define the Dao?

That question would be a pointless one to ask the Daoist because, in essence, the Dao is

unknowable. The Dao can be best explained as the “integral truth of the universe” or

“The Way.”5 The Dao is described in chapter one of the Tao Te Ching with these words,

4Winfried Corduan, Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press Academic, 1998), 287.

5Hua-Ching Ni, trans., The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching, by Lao Tzu (Santa Monica: Seven Star Communications, 1995), 5.

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“Tao, the subtle reality of the universe cannot be described. That which can be described

in words is merely a conception of the mind. Although names and descriptions have been

applied to it the subtle reality is beyond the description.”6

That statement is just one of the many in the Tao Te Ching which describe the

Dao as something that exceeds definable conclusions and logical constraints. In addition,

with those being the first words of the Tao Te Ching, the initial reader should be altered

to type of philosophical foundation on which Daoism is constructed: alignment with the

Dao. Robert Ellwood describes the Dao quite beautifully by explaining the limitlessness

of its character. “Behind it all lay a vision of the Tao so great that it exceeded not only

what reason and society could comprehend, but even the widest limits of imagination.”7

Even though the Dao is unknowable there have been aims at describing it.

These are the words of Dr. De Groot, a past professor of Sinology in the University of

Berlin, “…Road or Way, that is to say, the Road or Way in which the Universe moves, its

methods and its processes, its conduct and operation, the complex of phenomena

regularly recurring in it, in short, the Order of the World, Nature, or Natural Order.” As

one can see, the Dao is an all pervasive fundamental reality. It can be experienced much

more readily than it can be defined. With those words, it would be easy for one to think

that the Dao was the creator of the universe.

What does the Daoist believe about creation? Despite what one may think, the

Dao, though it is the sustainer of everything, was not active in creation. Yin (the dark side

of things) formed the earth and Yang (the light side of things) formed the heavens. The

6Ibid., p. 7

7Robert S. Ellwood Jr, Heaven, Earth, and The Way: Religious Traditions of China, in Words of the World's Religions, (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc, 1977), 168.

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Dao “nurtures all forms of life, empowers the workings of nature, and restores cosmic

balance. The Dao harmonizes pairs of opposites in the world like light and darkness, love

and hate, male and female.”8

This is a helpful illustration of what part the Dao played after creation and how

it functions in the universe now, but leaves the Dao absent in the actual process of

creation. As mentioned earlier, there is no way to label or define the Dao. It is beyond the

limits of being just a creator. However, there are at least some areas in which the activity

of the Dao can be seen manifested.

The most obvious area of contact that a Christian can share with the Daoist is

seen in the religious term sin. The Christian would define sin as rebellion against God.

The Daosit, though not using the term sin, sees the source of all human problems flowing

from man not acting in harmony with the Tao (Dao). The key difference is that Christian

doctrine allows no room for the concepts of yin and yang. In Daoism, when one strives

against the Dao, the equilibrium between the yin and yang are disrupted and thus cause

turmoil and confusion. Further, if this imbalance is carried on long enough, it is possible

for an entire society to be thrown into disarray.9

Christians believe that sin is the cause of suffering in this world. The sin of

Adam has consequences for everyone on earth: past, present, and future.10 It is important

to make the distinction between the Christian concept of sin and the Daoist concept of

8H. Wayne House, Charts of World Religions (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006), 75.

9Ibid.,

10Romans 5:12-14 illustrates this principle well. All sin entered the world through Adam and the death that sin brings with it was imparted to all. This is the common teaching of sin throughout Scripture.

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disrupting the equilibrium between the yin and yang. Sin, in the Christian sense, is

rebellion against a holy and just Creator-Sustainer which has instituted that such action

will result in death. Striving against the Dao and disrupting the equilibrium between yin

and yang is an attack against the natural order of things in nature.

With that distinction made, there are similarities between the two. The Chinese

person, most assuredly influenced by Daoism, has in his mind a concept of sin. Instead of

rebellion against God, the Daoist sees sin as one’s decision to be poorly aligned with the

Dao and thus consequently upsets the natural order of the world. By taking that idea, a

Christian missionary can explore the one thing that they both have in common: the

realization of what effect sin (or disharmony) has on the world. This assumption allows

for the possibility that Christianity and Daoism share truths in common and requires

additional discourse over the limitations of such interlacing truths.

Consider this quote from W.R. Matthews in his work Religion and Religions.

“It is no longer denied that gleams of revealed truth may be found in the higher religions

and the aim of the more enlightened missionary is to show that in the gospel of Christ the

partial truth enshrined in the ancestral faith finds its completion.”11 Though many

disagree with Matthew’s conclusions at the end of his work (this author included), it is

still a statement worth consideration.

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, has a very unique ability to embody the truth.

Everything that is said, done, or represented in Christ is absolute truth. Jesus even makes

11W.R. Matthews, "Religion and Religions," in Religion in the Modern World, (London: Unwin Brothers Limited, 1952), 64.

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this claim of himself.12 So, it would not be out of place to say that all truth is God’s

truth.13 In saying this it is necessary to point out that one should not use this interpretation

of truth as a license to become inclusive in their Soteriology. Doing so would cheapen the

sacrifice of Christ and ignore Scripture’s clear teaching that it is only though Jesus that

men are saved and reconciled to God.14 However, this does open the possibility for bits

and pieces of truth to be found between world religions: as far in as they are rooted in

Jesus and consistent with Scripture.

With those boundaries in place, how does a Christian missionary use the

Daoist teaching of aligning oneself with the Dao as a means of communicating the

problem and solution to sin in the world? This will be answered by borrowing the ideas

of author Dean Halverson. The Daoist, in order to refrain from the consequences of

imbalance in nature, relies on his ability to become aware of the way in which the Dao

operates in the world and then align himself with it.

“Transformation comes from our (the Taoist’s) purposeful inactivity (wu-wei)

and to ‘go with the flow’ of the Tao”15 Quite oppositely, the Christian relies on what God

has accomplished on our behalf through Jesus Christ. Transformation comes as we repent

of our sins, trust in the forgiving and reconciling work of Jesus Christ, and allow the Holy

12John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (NIV)

13This excludes subjective truth or man's attempt to categorize truth into humanity's felt need at the moment. Only "absolute, objective, and Christ-centered" truth can be God's truth.

14Wayne Grudem, Bible Doctrine, ed. Jeff Purswell (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999), 224.

15Kent Kedl and Dean C. Halverson, "Taoism," in The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed. Dean C. Halverson (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), 224.

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Spirit to give us new life.

The result for the Taoist is that he has order and harmony in society and peace

within himself. The result for the Christian is much more significant. Upon the

repentance of sins and the placing of one’s trust in Christ alone, he will have peace with

God, peace with himself, meaning in life, and society with be more ordered.16

Unlike the Daoist, the worldview of a Christ-follower presupposes the

existence of a Creator and punishment for one’s own spiritual depravity. The Augustinian

definition of man’s sinful condition states that, “all persons possess an inherent,

hereditary depravity, which involves both guilt and corruption. We are offensive to God’s

holiness because of deliberate acts of transgression and the absence of right affections.”17

Despite that difference, the Daoist does see the effect that “sin” has on the

world. Further, that person is already striving to alleviate that effect of “imbalance” (sin)

by aligning himself with the Dao. These two similarities are a great conversation starter

for the missionary who is wishing to share the solution to sin, Jesus Christ, to an

unbelieving Daoist. How exactly does one go about explaining that?

Explaining the Gospel to a Daoist

The first step has been established. One must understand that Daoism is not a

religion in the same way that Christianity is. Step two is just as significant. A missionary

must be conversant with philosophical Daoism to the point that he can see how it

influences Chinese culture. Step three is to find themes in Daoism that parallel with

Christianity. One example of that, as mentioned earlier, is the burden that both Christians

16Ibid.,

17H. Wayne House, "52. Theories on the Nature of Sin," in Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992), 90.

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and Daoists share in regard to the effects that sin has on the world. Using that point of

reference, the missionary can then utilize the manifestation of that problem in the world

to show that it is beyond human control and demands divine intervention. The Daoist will

agree! In order to remain in harmony with nature, the Daoist is constantly striving to stay

in alignment with the Dao.

What is problematic for the Daoist is that he cannot call sin what it is because

there are no absolutes in Daoism. This moral relativity is caused by two things. One is the

teaching of yin and yang. This blurs morality by teaching that the absence of evil allows

for good and that the absence of good allows for evil. Further, there is always a little bit

of good in the bad and a little bit of bad in the good. Good and evil exist because they are

mutually dependant on one another. Two, the Dao is incapable of declaring good from

evil because it cannot be limited to the point of making moral distinctions. The Dao is

above everything.18

In Daoism sin is not sin: it is disharmony. The hardest thing for a Christian

missionary to do is to help the Daoist understand that he is incapable of remedying the

problem of sin through his own effort. Regardless how good he becomes at “wu-wei” or

“purposeful inactivity” he will never meet the standards of what it means to live in

harmony with the Dao. The Christian must explain to the Daoist that he needs a “radical

work of inner transformation” and that “transformation” is the only solution to one being

able to align himself with God (Dao).19

If one explains that well, the Daoist is faced with the same dilemma that the

18Dean C. Halverson, "Taoism," in The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed. Kent Kedl and Dean C. Halverson (Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996), 227.

19Ibid., p. 228.

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Christian is (and every other living creature in the world). Sin is a problem that cannot be

solved without divine intervention. Further, the Dao, who was once impersonal and

above the point of defining morality, could now be one that initiates judgment on

“disharmony” (sin). The disharmony that was evident to the Daoist has been given a

whole new level of significance. Even more troubling, once the Daoist has realized his

own spiritual depravity, he is faced with the penalty that such disharmony (sin) brings.

The Solution to Sin

Now comes the glorious opportunity for the Christian to share with his Daoist

friend the solution to sin in the world. This will be broken down into two levels: the

solution to sin in one’s own life (individual) and the solution to sin for the world and

creation (community). The Daoist already has instilled in him the effect of disharmony in

himself and likewise knows that such disharmony, when ignored, will bring disharmony

to society (the world). Is it possible that the solution to sin is in himself?

The Tao Te Ching acknowledges that reaching “harmony” is impossible. In

this passage, becoming as water resembles well what it means to be aligned with the Dao.

“Everyone knows that the soft overcomes the hard, and the weak the strong, but no one is

able to carry it out.”20 So, even in Daoist literature, achieving harmony with the Dao

cannot be achieved by anyone!

However, just a few lines later, an assertion is made that could present the

solution to sin in the person of Jesus Christ wonderfully. “He who can take the trouble of

the people of the world is qualified to rule the world. He who can tend to calamities for

20Lao-Tse, Tao Teh Ching, trans. James Legge (Stepney: Axiom Publishers and Distributers, 2001), 122.

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the sake of all beings is the right person to be the sovereign of the world.”21 This paints a

beautiful picture of the “God-Man” Jesus Christ.

This would be a great chapter in the Tao Te Ching to show the sovereignty that

Jesus deserves and has; both in this world and in Heaven. The Christian might point to

Colossians 1:15-22 to explain how, in Christ, man is reconciled (aligned) to God and

lives in peace (harmony) by the blood of the cross. This scripture will be given in its

entirety to show how it addresses the previously discussed parts of Daoism.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the first born from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation”

Praise be to God the “LORD OF HOSTS” who has sent his son as a sacrifice to pay

for the sins of the world and become the “KING OF KINGS!” This single passage

addresses everything that philosophical Daoism aims to do in removing disharmony from

life.

In Daoism, “the Dao” (God) is unknowable and beyond human imagination. In this

passage the “image of the invisible God” is made visible in Jesus. In Daoism there is no

true creator. With this passage it is by Christ that “all things were created: things in

heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, … all things were created by him and for

him.” In Daoism, the Dao that nurtures all forms of life and harmonizes the opposites of

21Lao Tzu, The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching, trans. Hua-Ching Ni (Santa Monica: Seven Star Communications, 1995), 99.

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the world. In this passage Christ is not only active in creation but it is “in him that all

things hold together.”

Most importantly, “God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and

through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in

heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Herein lays the solution

to sin not only for the individual but for all creation. The single stipulation is that this

peace is only made possible through Jesus’ blood, shed on the cross. It is not made

possible by the human effort of aligning oneself with the Dao. It is not made possible by

virtue or harmony. It is only made possible though reconciliation to God by the blood of

Christ.

So, the Christian missionary can tell the “good news” of Jesus Christ in the context

of philosophical Daoism. He must first understand, appreciate, and become conversant

with the themes pertaining to Daoism. Secondly, he must use that knowledge to bridge

biblical concepts, namely sin and the consequences thereof, to the idea of that concept in

the Daoist philosophical system. He must then expose that problem or concept for what it

really is in the world. If it is sin, show sin for what it really is: separation from God and

the cause of death. Lastly, he must offer the good news of salvation found in the person

of Jesus Christ and show how “in Him” all is made complete.

The creation is accounted for. Peace with God is made possible. Harmony is

brought about by “internal transformation” and not “effortless action.” The struggles of

sin in one’s individual life are defeated by the blood of the cross and the hope of eternal

life is given. The Daoist is given hope that someday the sin-stricken world he lives in will

be renewed and that the powers of “sin” or “disharmony” will be defeated forever. The

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greatest thing is that none of this comes through human effort, achievement, or

enlightenment. Rather, all is given as a gift by the grace of God and the blood of the

cross.

So, yes, the Christian missionary can communicate the Gospel of Christ using

Daoist themes without sacrificing the truth of the Bible. All truth is God truth as long as it

finds fulfillment in the embodiment of truth: Jesus Christ. So, maybe the Christian

missionary who is unfamiliar with philosophical Daoism will find time to study it. Know

it. Become conversant with its content. In doing so, he will be better equipped to share

the Gospel of Jesus with all of those whose culture is so heavily influenced by it. A

conversation about the Daoist pursuit to align himself with the Dao is an open door to

share the good news of Jesus with intelligence, passion, and commitment to the truth.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Corduan, Winfried. Neighboring Faiths: A Christian Introduction to World Religions. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press Academic, 1998.

Despeux, Catherine. "Taoism: the enduring tradition." Journal of Chinese Religions, no. 33 (2005): 178-180.

Ellwood, Robert S. Jr. Heaven, Earth, and The Way: Religious Traditions of China. In Words of the World's Religions. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall Inc, 1977.

Grudem, Wayne. Bible Doctrine. Edited by Jeff Purswell. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.

Halverson, Dean C. "Taoism." In The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed. Kent Kedl and Dean C. Halverson, 216-234. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996.

Herman, Jonathan R. "Dao Unto Others." Review of The Tao of the West: Western Transformations of Taoist Thought, by J.J. Clarke. Religious Studies Review 28, no. 4 (October 2002): 319-321.

House, H. Wayne. "52. Theories on the Nature of Sin." In Charts of Christian Theology and Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.

________. Wayne. Charts of World Religions. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

Kedl, Kent and Dean C. Halverson. "Taoism." In The Compact Guide to World Religions, ed. Dean C. Halverson, 216-234. Minneapolis: Bethany House Publishers, 1996.

Matthews, W.R. "Religion and Religions." In Religion in the Modern World. London: Unwin Brothers Limited, 1952.

Tse, Lao -. Tao Teh Ching. Translated by James Legge. Stepney: Axiom Publishers and Distributers, 2001.

Tzu, Lao. The Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching and Hua Hu Ching. Translated by Hua-Ching Ni. Santa Monica: Seven Star Communications, 1995.