“For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.” – Ps. 96:5

“What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils” – (1 Cor. 10:19-20)

What is Taoism?

Taoism (or spelled Daoism) is a tradition that’s as much a “way of life” as it is a religion. Taoism is thriving with tens of millions of followers. One can find its temples scattered across places like Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Taiwan.

Scholars usually break it down into three buckets:

• Philosophical: Focusing on the teachings and the flow of the universe.
• Religious: Involving rituals and specific spiritual practices.
• Folk Religion: Blending local customs and ancient traditions.

Because it’s so diverse, Taoist beliefs can range from worshipping a pantheon of deities to ancestor worship, which is idolatry. If you see a Taoist home during a holiday, you will notice families setting out food as a sacrifice or even burning “spirit money”—paper currency meant to rematerialize in the spirit world for their loved ones to use.

And if you’ve ever watched a Tai Chi class in a park, you’ve seen Taoism in motion! Martial arts such as Tai Chi and Bagua Zhang are deeply rooted in these ancient ideas of balance, energy, and flow.

Disclaimer: This content may be disturbing to some viewers.

The following from the article gives quick facts about Taoism:

• Formed: As with many ancient religious traditions, an exact date is impossible to determine. Taoist ideas and early writings long precede any organizational structure. The date given here (c. 550 B.C.E.) is generally the time period when a variety of spiritual thinkers were putting their ideas into writing. These writings were not collected as a composite teaching of the “Tao” until the 4th or 3rd century B.C.E.
• Deity: While Taoists recognize a vast pantheon of gods and goddesses, they do not acknowledge any that are omnipotent or eternal. All the gods, including Laozi, are divine emanations of celestial energy.
• Headquarters: Taoism has no centralized authority, and different sects have different headquarters. However, the White Cloud Temple in Beijing is a key center for priest training and administration.

Source

Another article, from a Christian perspective, gives details about Taoism:

The Tao

In the ancient Chinese religion of Taoism, the impersonal Tao is the source of all that exists. But the Tao supposedly cannot be described in words. In the famed Taoist text from the 3rd/4th centuries B.C., the Tao Te Ching, it states, “the Tao that can be spoken of is not the Tao”. (Of course, saying anything about the Tao, even claiming it cannot be described, is describing it).

The Tao is defined as literally ‘the path’ or ‘the way.’ It is a universal principle that underlies everything from the creation of galaxies to the interaction of human beings:

“The Tao (or Dao) is hard to define but is sometimes understood as the way of the universe. Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe, and the energy found in it. Ch’i, or qi, is the energy present in and guiding everything in the universe.”

Following the Tao involves the principle of Wu-Wei:

“Wu Wei means living by or going along with the true nature of the world – or at least without obstructing the Tao – letting things take their natural course.”

According to Taoist teachings, the truth of the Tao can only be understood indirectly, through experiences, or through a process of enlightened living. Happiness is gained by living in the flow of the Tao, which is the flow of the universe. This belief has no personal God (though Taoism has non-eternal deities and divine beings, which may come from the blending of Taoist teachings with indigenous animistic religions).

Referring to the Tao, Taoist teacher Wen-Tzu states that

The Way has no front or back, no left or right: all things are mysteriously the same, with no right and no wrong.
(Wen-Tzu, Further Teachings of Lao-Tzu [Boston: Shambhala, 1992], 109)

There is no life and death because “Life and death are one, right and wrong are the same,” (from the Chuang Tzu as quoted in World Religions, Geoffrey Parrinder, 333).

From this and other sources, we see that the Tao is impersonal, cannot be described, is a principle, is amoral, and is part of the created universe.

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How do we compare Tao with the God of the universe? The same article notes:

Summary of the Tao and God

• The Tao is impersonal; God is personal
• The Tao cannot be described or known; God has revealed His attributes and is known through Jesus Christ
• The Tao is part of creation; God is distinct from creation
• The Tao is amoral; God is holy and righteous
• The Tao cannot offer love or mercy; God is love (1 John) and merciful
• The Tao is remote: God is transcendent and imminent and has revealed Himself through His son, the God-Man Jesus Christ

Source

In the following video, the Taoist practitioners open themselves to demonic spirits (though they may think of them as gods). The cutting of themselves is reminiscent of the Baal worshippers who cut themselves with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out in Mount Carmel in the famous Elijah showdown (1 Kings 18:20-40). [The following video shows the piercing of skin and bloodletting of Taoist idolaters, which may not be suitable for some viewers.]

From the same article quoted before gives some insight into the reality of satan [click here for a more thorough article]:

Satan and Evil

Satan, which is a title meaning “adversary” and is not a proper name, was created as one of God’s angels. God did not create Satan as an evil angel. Satan chose to rebel and other angels joined him in this repudiation of God’s authority and rule, setting up a kingdom of darkness. Satan continues to defy God and to deceive people though his power and time are limited and he will be utterly vanquished.

God, who has no beginning, existed before creation, and creation includes all of the angels, including Satan. Satan is not an opposite to God since he (Satan) is a creature; God has no opposite since there is no one like God. God has never needed Satan as yin and yang supposedly need to exist for each other, because God does not need anything or anyone. God’s existence is not dependent on anyone or anything.

The yin and yang are dynamic, constantly merging with each other; thus, there are no absolutes. However, God is totally righteous.

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5)

Nor is there a balance sought between God and Satan or good and evil. In fact, Jesus came to destroy the devil’s work. One day, the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire. There is only light in God’s kingdom. Jesus never taught there is a world of complementary opposites needed for each other’s existence.

Evil is not a force but is the result of sin, which is rejection and defiance of God’s will and holy nature. Evil is found in everyone’s nature as the desire to do one’s will versus submitting to God, and manifests in behavior and actions. Since evil is not a force, it does not exist in any way on its own.

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Jesus

Jesus Christ, the son of God and God the son, is the light of the world.

I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness (John 12:46)

The evil nature of man, a result of disobedience to God, cannot be fixed through human means. Religious acts, moral living, purification rituals, meditation, acts of service, kindness, or altruism, can never balance out evil nor defeat it. Since God is righteous, he cannot abide this evil (sin) and must judge it. The penalty is death, eternal separation from God. Only the God-man Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life on earth as man, was able to pay this penalty through death on the cross, and conquer death through his bodily resurrection on the third day after his crucifixion.

Through faith in Jesus Christ as the one who paid this penalty, one is credited with the righteousness of Christ and free of the penalty for sin, which is eternal separation from God. This salvation from eternal death is called redemption.

He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.(Hebrews 9:12)

Summary

The Tao is the “Way” in Taoism but Jesus said

“I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6)

The Tao is impersonal and offers no love. But we are told

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8)

Yin and Yang are darkness and light, needing each other for balance. But Jesus is all light. Those who believe in Jesus as the Savior who died and took on the penalty of eternal death for sins walk in light.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can receive Him into your heart, and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere, you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”