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From: mayne@sun16.scri.fsu.edu (Bill Mayne)
Subject: Re: Tao Teh Ching & the Bible
References: <1991Jun19.162650.13568@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 91 17:18:13 GMT
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In article <1991Jun19.162650.13568@nas.nasa.gov> J5J@psuvm.psu.edu (John A. Johnson)
remarks on some similarities between the Tao Teh Ching and the Bible.

>...I would like to know
>if a book on the parallels between Taoism and Christianity has ever
>been published.  I have seen many such books that compare and draw
>parallels between Buddhism (particularly the Zen variety) and Christianity,
>but not a book on Taoism and Christianity.

It is not surprising that you find similar passages in the
writings of various religions. They all arise out of the
same human experience.

I haven't seen any books specifically on similarities and
differences between Taoism and Christianity. I have seen some
mention of this topic in the popular writings of Alan Watts. One
passage which comes to mind is when he describes philosophical
Taoism as "the polar opposite of Billy Graham's muscular
Christianity." Watt's book which has the most to do with Taoism
is "Tao, the Watercourse Way", but many others touch on the
subject. I am not sure where I ran across the remark on Billy
Graham.

The thing that strikes me about philosophical Taoism is how unlike
Christianity it is. But then a striking thing about Christianity
as we know it is how different it is than the little we know of
the actual teachings of Jesus.

Come to think of it, one similarity is that both have been
corrupted almost beyond recognition by being turned into
organized religions. Traditional institutional Taoism as
found in China (especially pre-Mao) is said to be mainly a bunch
of superstition and folk medicine, with little obvious connection
to the laid back philosophy we in the west associate with Taoism.

This should not be taken as a criticism of Taoist philosophy,
which I admire very much and try in my limited way to apply to my
own life. It is more a comment on how difficult it is for any great
philosophy to survive becoming popular and then institutionalized.

Bill Mayne