Is Taoism monotheistic

[RajputMaster24]

Friends, is Taoism monotheistic? I read that in Taoism, there is worship of Jade Emperor as the Supreme Deity. This is carried over from Ancient chinese religion which worshiped Shangdi as the Supreme. Can Jade Emperor be deemed as equivalent to Shangdi?

 

[The Emperor of Mankind]

Friends, is Taoism monotheistic? I read that in Taoism, there is worship of Jade Emperor as the Supreme Deity. This is carried over from Ancient chinese religion which worshiped Shangdi as the Supreme. Can Jade Emperor be deemed as equivalent to Shangdi?

No. Shangdi is a figure sacred to Wuism: Chinese folk beliefs and predates the advent of Taoism by centuries. He was the supreme deity of the Shang dynasty. And while there is a significant amount of syncretism between Wuism and Taoism, Taoism does not posit the Jade Emperor or Shangdi as being the only god - he is one among many, even if he (the Jade Emperor) is above the rest. Other deities include Hongjun Laozu who was the father of the Three Pure Ones (who are themselves regarded as gods), and Guan Sheng Di Jun who is the deified human Guan Yu who helped found the Shu Han dynasty during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He is worshipped as a god in both Wuist and Taoist traditions.

Further, the concept of the Tao lends itself to a pantheist view of the Universe, not a monotheist one.