I don't understand, after reading the Tao Te Ching a few times, how it became a religion. I understand the book very well and it has helped me greatly, but it states that it doesn't support or reject God. So how have people made it a religion more then just a way of life?
2006-09-02 04:16:22 · 6 answers · asked by FaerieWhings 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
A religion doesn't have to have as its center belief or disbelief in God. It can be based on a cause or principle that one observes ardently, or it can be a worship of the supernatural. However, in early times (440 B.C.) of Taoism, the Chinese did worship Lao-Tse, its founder, as a deity. (This is no longer the case, except probably in little isolated "sects.")
Lao-Tse (604-531 B.C.) was looking for a way to end the feudal warfare and other conflicts his his society. He wrote the Tao-te-Ching as a result of his thoughts about how to end the problems.
Confucianism is another Chinese religion that seems unreligious. Both Confucianism and Taoism are based on the psychological and philosophical musings of men.
2006-09-02 04:33:35 · answer #1 · answered by Gestalt 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Over time, certain rituals evolved around meditation, prayer, and sacrifice with the Taoist religion, not unlike Buddhism, which has also evolved into somthing very different than what it started as. Offerings, in certain sects, are made to various 'spirits', not unlike the Christian concept of saints. Ironically, Zen Buddhism, an amalgam of the two which deifies neither Lao Tzu nor the Buddha is closest to Taoism's original incarnation. I suppose the question you have to answer for yourself is, can a reverent and sacred set of beliefs and practices be called a religion in the absence of a central, unifying Godhead?
2006-09-02 11:36:49 · answer #2 · answered by Like An Ibis 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
from what i understand there are quite a few taoists in the world. the difference between a religion and a way of life is simply semantics. one does not have to believe in a god to follow a religion. the tao to ching is only an incomplete record of their beliefs. you must do much, much more research before assuming to know what their beliefs are.
2006-09-02 11:26:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
You don't need God for religion, you need FAITH IN A WAY OF LIFE.
Christians go to church on Sunday and worship a deity.
Taoists sit under a tree, take a nap, and watch the water flow, with a faith in their way of life. That is the definition of religion!
2006-09-02 11:22:25 · answer #4 · answered by powhound 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
All a religion is supposed to be is a way of life. It is not meant to be people running around quoting things they don’t live or understand.
2006-09-02 11:22:32 · answer #5 · answered by thewolfskoll 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Sounds modest
2006-09-02 11:23:15 · answer #6 · answered by dale 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋