The Taoism
the Way to God
By David Cox
[cult17] v1 © 2019 www.folletosytratados.com/
This tract can be photocopied and printed freely
We examine Taoism, which promotes the way to God. But Taoism removes the personality of God, making it a force and nothing more. Heaven is to be with God who loves us, and who we love. This is true joy, happiness. TOPICS: Belief in Deity | Yin and Yang: Good versus Evil | The Salvation of your Soul from Evil | What is salvation? The Way to God | conclusion
. Contents
Founder and Principle
Taoism also is known as Daoism, is a religion associated with a Chinese text, Daode Jong, which is a philosophical and politic text. It was supposedly written by Laozi (Lao Tzu) in the third or fourth century BC. His concepts are known as Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, and it is very involved in various forms of martial arts thinking.
Their Beliefs about Deity
Taoists believe that God or the Supreme Being is beyond us, such that there is no way of expressing or really understanding God. But they call this being “Tao, ” or “the Way,” and the power of this Supreme Being is called “Te.” They describe it as the divine path of the universe. (It is more the way to live or pass through life or existence in the universe than an actual place that one goes there.) The focus of Taoism is to realize these concepts in your life. They believe that man, when he interferes with the Tao, is harmful to the realization of the Tao.
Job 21:14 Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Note: The Taoists do not believe in a personal God who can be known as a person. But they are correct in that one has to know the Way of God, that is, his attributes and moral character, and what things he does not like, and what moral character he wants to see in us. There are still people who identify with the true God of the Bible but do not know Him (1 Sam 2:12). On all who refuse to know God, this is studying to know what God reveals himself and order his life under these principles, God will cast his wrath upon them (Psalm 79:6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.).But the true God of the universe has revealed himself in the Scriptures of the Bible, not the Daode Jong texts. If it is impossible to know God by our normal abilities, then we have to understand that God has to help us by revealing Himself. God did in the Scriptures of the Christian Bible, and God kept the process error free through his Holy Spirit by inspiring human authors. Taoism is condemned to error and contamination because it does not have this divine help.
Yin against Yang Good against Evil
Jeremiah 9:3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant (strong) for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.
The Taoists believe that there is a form of balance in the universe, and for each “good” there has to be a counterpart “evil.” Here the concept of Yin (evil) and Yang (good) enters. But there are problems with this.
Evil is not equal in strength and counterbalanced with good. In their concepts, evil and good are equal in power, and in origin. That is, as they do not counterbalance against each other if one exists, the other must exist. Why? They have no explanation as to why this has to be so. How did this come about?
The Bible explains that God existed first (and always) in the past, present, and in the future. God created Satan as a good angel but empowered him to decide his own actions like a human being which has the same ability. Satan decided to rebel against God, and so this how the dynamic of good against evil, and evil against good came into being.
Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
The Apostle John reveals the very moment in heaven when God cast the creators of evil out of God’s presence. That is, there are backgrounds and specific personalities involved in evil (Satan) and good (God). Without understanding those who are behind the spiritual movement of good and evil, you will not win evil. You cannot handle the dynamic in your own life correctly. Moreover, evil has a moral negative value, in that it damages our lives, and God judges us for evil.
1 John 3:8 He that committeth (practices) sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Taoists almost have the truth here in that dynamic of the struggle between evil and good, yin and yang. But if you do not see the Scriptures where God helps us by divine hand, you do not see the powers on both sides very well, nor can you deal with sin within one’s self, and how to get out of evil. It is only through knowing and fellowshipping with Jesus Christ, our Savior that one overcomes sin’s power.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Evil has taken residence within each human, and fights to control the person for the purposes of evil. This is not just an impersonal moral force (although the idea of man’s flesh is exactly this) but includes the person of Lucifer, who is now known as the Devil or the opponent or the Accuser. (His demons are included with him.)
Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Our sin separates us from any real joy or happiness. Our problem is our sins, of not walking in the way of God, the true God. We do not know him, and this is the lack of a relationship we have with the person of God.
John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Taoism claims that the divine path is clean or separate from the person of God, that there is no person in the Supreme Being. But God is a person, and only those who receive him, who know him, will enter into the joy of this same God. Sin separates us from God.
“As salt taints every drop in the Atlantic, sin affects every atom of our nature. It is so sadly there, so abundantly there, that if you cannot detect it, you are deceived. ”- Charles H. Spurgeon
“Kill sin or it will kill you.” – John Owen“The great power of sin is that it blinds men so that they do not recognize its true character.” – Andrew Murray
“The recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.” – Martin Luther
The Salvation of your Soul from Evil
Psalm 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight:… Taoism has no idea of the soul’s salvation. Taoists do not believe in sin, which is an offense before the person of God. They have a relationship with the yin and yang, who make a life of joy as the highest goal they must seek. But the Bible clarifies that all sin is against the person of God, against his moral character and the principles he follows (his “way”).
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Here again, the Bible is filled with details and colors our understanding when Taoism is empty and dry of this information. Evil contaminates us in the way we live, or walk in this life (our path). The power to change and be happy is only to deal with sin, the offense against the person of God. The remedy is to receive Jesus (who is God incarnate, and who died on the cross as a sacrifice for us to provide us with the possibility of victory over evil, and to enter heaven to forever live with God.
God declares that there is life after death, and there are two destinies in this life, one of punishment and one of joy and pleasure. The punishment is for those who never make their peace with God for believing and receiving Jesus Christ (Jesus, or “Jehovah is salvation,” and Christ, the Savior). Heaven is the destiny of those who receive Jesus Christ in their person as Savior who died on the cross for oneself, and also, receiving Jesus implies that one receives the divine morality that the Bible teaches us. The punishment is declared to be a second death, and salvation is declared to be a new birth, that we are a new creature because we change ourselves, that is, God changed us and now dwells within us so that we live in harmony with the principles and character of God, and we are happy. Hell is eternal separation from God who gives us happiness and joy.
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Taoists believe that neither life nor death is neither good nor evil, and they believe that we should not desire death. But the Bible explains that physical death is a door to their eternal destiny, decided by your relationship (or the lack of one) with God, and God is a person (actually three people in one God) which we have to deal with. If you know Jesus Christ then you are saved, and if not, you will experience the second death, punishment and wrath of God.
What is salvation? The road to God
Actually, salvation is the only way to God, to get to live with God in joy and peace. The greatest joy of the universe is to be in communion with God. The Bible declares that this great joy is a place (heaven) and is dwelling with a person (God). Salvation is living in great joy in his presence for eternity, and without sin (evil).
Isaiah 62:5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Salvation is “a living” forever in a state of joy. But to live in perfect joy or great joy, this joy has to be with another person who loves you, and that you love him. This is the relationship with God, person loving another person. Taoism steals the personality of God that is what causes us to have great joy.
Conclusion
1 Chronicles 28:9 And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
A carpenter making his own tools is an explanation of why I, Pastor-Missionary David Cox, write my own material. I like the idea of producing the material that we use in our ministry and also for evangelism.
Read the short article: A carpenter making his own tools.