During the Mid-late 100’s B.C., there was a great deal of political upheaval in ancient China. The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius sought to re-establish order by calling all people, including the emperor, to live according to the Tao — the underlying principle that he believed governed all existence. Another Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, rejected Confucius’ teachings. Instead of mandating everyone to live according to an established set of laws, Lao Tzu taught that peace and harmony could only be found if people aligned themselves with the Tao. His teachings are recorded in the Tao Te Ching, the scripture of Taoism. Another Chinese philosopher, Chuang Tzu, expounded on Lao Tzu’s writings in the Tao Te Ching and wrote more expansively on the mystical nature of the Tao. In their teachings we are introduced to the world of Taoism.
One of the fundamental aspects of Taoism is its exploration of the existence and nature of the Tao. The Tao is shrouded in mystery, so there is no specific way to define it. In essence, it is a force that underlies all existence. It is believed that by becoming more in tune with the Tao, we can reach harmony with the universe. This should be done via the principle of wu-wei. Wu-wei advocates doing something because it is a natural action, as opposed to doing something that goes against the natural purpose of something or someone else. Stated simply, wu-wei is performing an action because it comes naturally. By aligning ourselves with the Tao through this “purposeful inaction” of wu-wei, Lao Tzu taught that the Tao would be able to work through us to achieve harmony.
Taoism holds that the Tao is divided into two parts — the Yin and the Yang — that are constantly opposed to yet interact with one another. For example, where the Yin side represents dark, cold, and good, the Yang side represents light, hot, and evil. This idea is represented by a circle with two halves, one white and one black, curling into each other. While the opposite sides are opposed to each other, together they create balance and harmony. Everything is believed to have a Te, or inner connection with the Tao. Because the Te for one person, animal, object, etc. may be different from that of another, the characteristics present in one Te should not be imposed on that of another. Doing so will cause the oppressed to resist, thus disrupting the harmony of the Tao. According to Taoism, people should respect the different Te that others possess and abstain from imposing their own viewpoints on others.
Taoism teaches that while there is a degree of chaos and disorder in the world, this chaos can be remedied by aligning oneself with the Tao. As one is aligned more with the nature of the Tao, he achieves peace and harmony in himself and helps bring order to society. However, because good and evil are not only coexistent, but also considered mutually dependent, this harmony is achieved with no regard for moral absolutes. After all, if the Te of each person is different, what if the natural flow of the universe would require someone to perform horrendous atrocities, all in the name of maintaining the balance of the Tao? Since it is considered more worthy for balance and harmony to be achieved through the Tao, this is a necessary price that must be paid.
Taoism provides no standard for moral absolutes, and therefore no way of knowing justice. The Tao is supreme, and allowing it to produce balance and harmony is considered the highest order. However, approaching reality with such a relative attitude towards moral standards is extremely dangerous. If people are supposed to follow their Te in order to achieve harmony with the Tao, then we need to understand what the true nature of man is. Regardless of whether man should pursue harmony with the Tao or not, his natural character is going to come out. One can look at the world as a whole to see what happens when man follows his natural character. It’s not pretty. A look at the newspaper or news channel provides clear evidence that we live in a fallen world. Taoism would argue that the deterioration we see in society is a result of falling out of harmony with the Tao. The irony is that by telling people to follow their natural character, Taoism is encouraging the perpetration of brokenness and pain. It fails to take into account man’s nature: fallen, helpless, and incapable of achieving perfection on his own (Romans 3:10-18).
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith….” (Romans 3:23-25)
God’s Word tells us what man’s true character is. Man is sinful, and he has fallen short of God’s glory. He has no way of being justified on his own. Even so, God sent his Son, Jesus, to pay the price for man’s sinfulness and rebellion towards Him. The payment of Christ’s blood is sufficient for man’s sinfulness and satisfies God’s justice. Christ gave his life as a gift of grace, to be received through faith in Him. As a result, no one can claim that through his own works he is justified in God’s sight (Ephesians 2:8-9). Seeking to bring harmony to the universe by looking within oneself will only further the depravation in the world around him. The only way man can be rescued from the vicious consequence of sin and death is to look beyond himself, placing his faith in Christ.
“Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
