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Christians only. Is Taoism a religion of the Devil?

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
While on this site, I have debated in favor of my syncretic views, which includes Christianity. Some Christians have responded saying that all these other religions are of the devil, and syncretism is no good. So, is Taoism an evil/misleading religion, I.e. a religion that is a result of Satan attempting to lead people astray? If you think so, what is your reasoning.
I’m not going to explain anything about Taoism. Point being is if a Christian thinks Taoism, which is another religion, is bad, but said Christian doesn’t know anything about it, surely their opinion on the matter is worthless.
 

Glaurung

Denizen of Niflheim
Christians do not need to investigate pagan religious systems to know that the first commandment prohibits pagan worship. So the relative worth of your interlocutors' opinions on Taoism are irrelevant. Can a Christian take up Taoist religious beliefs and not run afoul of the first commandment? Probably not.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
I point out to you that many Christians have no problem with Taoists or Taoism. I think if a devil were a spiritual thing then it would be healthy and would yield positive benefits like love and joy. A good quote by Jesus is "He who is not against us is for us." In Christianity the fruits of the spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control. That which spiritual is not harmful and yields these good fruits. That which is of the flesh does not give all of these. I think the confusing term 'Devil' comes from Jewish law: People who make false charges in court are devils.

I don't know much about Taoism but Confucianism is philosophical and is fine to study. I don't suggest believing in superstitions, but not every superstition will hurt you, either. Some can, like if you believe cigarettes will extend your life. I think the confusing term 'Devil' comes from Jewish law: People who make false charges in court are devils. There is a long story behind how 'Devil' became a superstitious term.
 
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Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
While on this site, I have debated in favor of my syncretic views, which includes Christianity. Some Christians have responded saying that all these other religions are of the devil, and syncretism is no good. So, is Taoism an evil/misleading religion, I.e. a religion that is a result of Satan attempting to lead people astray? If you think so, what is your reasoning.
I’m not going to explain anything about Taoism. Point being is if a Christian thinks Taoism, which is another religion, is bad, but said Christian doesn’t know anything about it, surely their opinion on the matter is worthless.
Any view that is not scripture backed is in some sense Satan's religion. Taoism isn't in line with what scripture teaches.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Christians do not need to investigate pagan religious systems to know that the first commandment prohibits pagan worship. So the relative worth of your interlocutors' opinions on Taoism are irrelevant. Can a Christian take up Taoist religious beliefs and not run afoul of the first commandment? Probably not.
Taoism isn’t pagan though. I’ll refer you to the last paragraph of the OP.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Any view that is not scripture backed is in some sense Satan's religion. Taoism isn't in line with what scripture teaches.
It is entirely in line with the scriptures, I argue. I suppose we can debate this topic; would you care to elaborate why you feel it isn’t in line with the scriptures?
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
I point out to you that many Christians have no problem with Taoists or Taoism
And this is good (I say)! My purpose of this thread is to reveal the mindset of Christians who do. Their issue with Taoism is a result of blind discrimination towards any belief that is not their own, I believe.
 

Wildswanderer

Veteran Member
It is entirely in line with the scriptures, I argue. I suppose we can debate this topic; would you care to elaborate why you feel it isn’t in line with the scriptures?
God isn't an impersonal cosmic force in Christianity. He's a personal saviour.
Good and evil as shown in scripture is very different than ying and yang

Taoist observers say “in their own way things are all right … generosity, strangeness, deceit, and abnormality. The Tao identifies them all as one.”

In stark contrast in Christianity, lies are evil and Satan is the father of lies. There's no perfect balance, there's a war between good and evil.

According to Taoism, “our self-interest makes us think that some events in life are bad and others are good” but “all things are natural."

Totally wrong.
Taoists speak to spirits by occult means. God finds sorcery “detestable” (Deuteronomy 18).

That's just a few of the differences.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
To some Christians God is extremely personal, someone who talks to them daily; but this is not easy to support in scripture and is not the typical Christian experience. Its the experience claimed by TV ministers, but daily miraculous events and communications are not widely reported by Christians. Many say God directs them rather then talks to them, and many believe God works through their own thought processes. I've heard ministers say so, and I know people who say so.


  • The Christian God inherits from statements about the L-RD, so good and evil are subject to God. In this sense there is a balance, because it is all about how we react to God. Thsi follows, because Christians inherit both Jewish canon and our own NT. The Jewish canon has statements about balance in it like the following:[Deu 30:19 NIV] 19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live
  • [Isa 45:7 NIV] 7 I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.
  • [Deu 17:11 NIV] 11 Act according to whatever they teach you and the decisions they give you. Do not turn aside from what they tell you, to the right or to the left.

I list the above to point out that Christians don't generally think that evil is separate from or out from under the control of God.

Similarly the Christian canon has statements about God being completely in charge of both good and evil. This is one of the things Christians discuss about God, how evil exists etc. In the Christian letter Romans, people are treated as a balance of good or a war between good and evil. God is put forward as the one who sets us into this condition. This may not be Taoist (I wouldn't know), but seems oriental or Confucian in a way.
  • [Rom 7:14 NIV] 14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
  • [Rom 7:18-19 NIV] 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing.
  • [Rom 9:22 NIV] 22 What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath--prepared for destruction?
I list the above to point out that, no, Christians do not generally assume that God is unlike the Tao, not that we generally know anything about Taoism. For some there isn't even the free choice to be a righteous person. Its all sort of luck.


These are difficult passages and raise difficult questions for Christians and because of it entire groups of Christians (such as the Puritans) believe that people have no say in whether we will be vessels for good or for evil. They believe we are appointed to evil or to good by God. Its like questions about the balance of good and evil in Taoism. There is no sorcery though, I think. I don't think all Taoists are sorcerers though either. For some Christians being good is about being in harmony with God similar to how for Taoists it is about being in harmony with (I think) nature or the system or family etc.
 
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Glaurung

Denizen of Niflheim
I mean, Taoism doesn't even touch on gods or necessarily the supernatural. It's just a way of approaching life to be most in tune with yourself and the patterns of how reality operates. For your actions to be in harmony with your goals, and your goals to be in harmony with reality.
I keep hearing this claim, but a quick google search shows that polytheism is pretty much taken for granted in Taoism. Taoist deities brings up multiple supposed entities worshiped by the Chinese. The notion that Taoism is a non theistic philosophy (at least fundamentally) seems to me to be a western concoction.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
**MOD POST**
Threads created in Same Faith Debates with the "only" notation in the title or OP are restricted to those who identify with that group.

The title of this thread indicates "Christians Only," which means that only those who identify as Christian may participate in this thread.

Posts by non-Christians are subject to moderation under Rule 10 of the RF Rules.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
Good and evil as shown in scripture is very different than ying and yang
Yin and yang isn’t good and evil. Yin and yang is Heaven and earth. There is good yin and yang energy, and there is bad yin and yang energy. Sin, that is negative energy. Sinful spirits is what the Taoist calls temporal yang (negative). The dire state of the world is a culmination of the temporal yin. Sinless pure spirits, that is primordial yang. Adam and Eve were created with primordial yang energy. Garden of Eden was itself primordial yin. This is how I synthesize it.
There's no perfect balance, there's a war between good and evil.
This is central to Taoism. The purpose of Taoist practice is to correct this imbalance that exists within.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
I keep hearing this claim, but a quick google search shows that polytheism is pretty much taken for granted in Taoism. Taoist deities brings up multiple supposed entities worshiped by the Chinese. The notion that Taoism is a non theistic philosophy (at least fundamentally) seems to me to be a western concoction.
So I think your are confusing the indigenous beliefs of early Taoists with Taoism itself, which is understandable. The first practitioners synthesized Taoism with their indigenous beliefs, but it is separate. I practice Tai Chi (it’s like yoga). That makes me, by definition, a practitioner a Taoism, I need only to do this particular exercise to be considered a member of the religion by fellow Taoists
 

Glaurung

Denizen of Niflheim
So I think your are confusing the indigenous beliefs of early Taoists with Taoism itself, which is understandable. The first practitioners synthesized Taoism with their indigenous beliefs, but it is separate.
That distinction is what I am denying. From what I have read it seems to me that the distinction between 'religious' and 'philosophical' Taoism is entirely modern and of mostly western origin. Therefore I question as at least dubious the notion that an orthodox Christian can call himself a 'Taoist'.

Now there may be ideas and concepts within the Taoist tradition which a Christian may admire and even adopt without danger to his Christian faith. This is even more true of Confucianism. It would depend on those ideas are.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
That distinction is what I am denying. From what I have read it seems to me that the distinction between 'religious' and 'philosophical' Taoism is entirely modern and of mostly western origin. Therefore I question as at least dubious the notion that an orthodox Christian can call himself a 'Taoist'.

Now there may be ideas and concepts within the Taoist tradition which a Christian may admire and even adopt without danger to his Christian faith. This is even more true of Confucianism. It would depend on those ideas are.
The central text of Taoism is the Tao Te Ching. It’s a smaller book, I recommended reading it. I believe that the text perfectly aligns with the Bible, and it is not polytheistic or pagan in anyways. It deals with your inner self
 

Samantha Rinne

Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
While on this site, I have debated in favor of my syncretic views, which includes Christianity. Some Christians have responded saying that all these other religions are of the devil, and syncretism is no good. So, is Taoism an evil/misleading religion, I.e. a religion that is a result of Satan attempting to lead people astray? If you think so, what is your reasoning.
I’m not going to explain anything about Taoism. Point being is if a Christian thinks Taoism, which is another religion, is bad, but said Christian doesn’t know anything about it, surely their opinion on the matter is worthless.

I'm a syncretic Christian. That's alot of crap.

Christianity has a problem of extremism. Taoism is a useful philosophy if you divorce it from three major problems:
1. Moral relativism (Taoism is still better than black and white moral extremism though, and it's important to understand traditional Judaism, which was monistic. It is also important to study because Christianity has become dangerously polluted by the non-biblical idea of hell and eternal damnation. Taoist-influenced Christianity is very similar to the idea of Sheol)
2. Atheism (Taoism can only be adapted if one maintains firmly that one believes in God. Taoism isn't atheist like Buddhism, or like atheists for that matter. Rather, they have a sort of position of apathy to the question of whether or not deities exist)
3. The idea that Taoism is a religion (modern Taoism is more of a philosophy. It is useful for understanding the idea of the relationship between God and self, and loving self as others. Most of Christianity is unfortunately too focused on sin, and has forgotten about grace. Or they are too liberal and wish-wishy. Jesus calls his way a narrow way. He doesn't mean rigid or judgemental. He means it's a tightrope walk between a "church" that rejects that Christ's death is perfect offering for the forgiveness of our sins, and a "church" that tells people things like homosexuality aren't sins. Our sins are forgiven, but if we say that we have no sins we deceive ourselves)

Hear what Galatians 1:8 says,
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

This is not speaking about other religions. It's not speaking about other philosophies. These things call themselves other faiths. And I firmly believe that people from other faiths can find their way to salvation. This is not the same as "all ways lead to God." Nobody comes to the Father but from Jesus, because Jesus is the Savior. All other faiths have their own laws and rituals and such, but Jesus is Savior because Jesus offers us all grace.

I am the good shepherd. I know My sheep and My sheep know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them in as well, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock and one shepherd.

These other faiths are eventually intended to reconcile themselves to the gospel (don't ask me how). But no, this is speaking of false teachers, people who say they speak on behalf of the gospel, yet distort it. The Muslims for instance tell us that they have the "same god" yet deny the Trinity, the crucifixion, and several other issues. The Catholics don't really follow the Trinity but have idol worship going on, both in statues to the saints and in the rather disgusting image of Mary as Mother of God. There's the Mormons, and other Christian-like groups that teach things which are not actually in the Bible. The most common type of false gospel though is explained later on Galatians.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The idea that we are choosing to obey the law or disobeying it, that we are choosing good or evil. This is not Christianity but the law. Taoism sets us straight. As humans, we are not good or evil. We are good and evil.
 

IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
While on this site, I have debated in favor of my syncretic views, which includes Christianity. Some Christians have responded saying that all these other religions are of the devil, and syncretism is no good. So, is Taoism an evil/misleading religion, I.e. a religion that is a result of Satan attempting to lead people astray? If you think so, what is your reasoning.
I’m not going to explain anything about Taoism. Point being is if a Christian thinks Taoism, which is another religion, is bad, but said Christian doesn’t know anything about it, surely their opinion on the matter is worthless.
What specifically about Taoism do you think would be "satanic"? It's not as if it advocates the worship of Satan or promotes selfishness. Note: I'm assuming that you are talking about philosophical Taoism, or practicing practical Taoism such as Tai Chi.
 

an anarchist

Your local anarchist.
What specifically about Taoism do you think would be "satanic"?
I don’t think it is satanic. I practice Tai Chi and have taken in Taoist philosophy, so I consider myself a Taoist. The reason I made the OP is because some Christians will label any other belief system as satanic, even if they know nothing of it. I think it’s silly to label Taoism as satanic.
 

IndigoChild5559

Loving God and my neighbor as myself.
I don’t think it is satanic. I practice Tai Chi and have taken in Taoist philosophy, so I consider myself a Taoist. The reason I made the OP is because some Christians will label any other belief system as satanic, even if they know nothing of it. I think it’s silly to label Taoism as satanic.
Oh yes. I'm familiar with the type. It's the same sort that says doing Yoga is idolatry.
 
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