Survey: What Do You Think is the #1 Difference in Teaching that Separates Christianity From Other Belief Systems?

Today I’m asking you to be part of a survey based on the blog series I posted about different belief systems and if they teach the same core truth. Over the last two weeks I’ve posted blogs about Hinduism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Islam, and Taoism. I contrasted their teachings to those of Christianity and came to the conclusion that each belief system has completely different teachings. There is no way you could say that they teach the same core truth. I’ve also shown how the New Age movement takes something from each of these systems and incorporates it into New Age spirituality.

Now I’d like to hear from you!

What do you think is the #1 difference in teaching that separates Christianity from other belief systems? There are many, but I want to know from you which one you think is the most significant! The following is a list of differences that I noticed right away. Which important element of Christianity do you think separates it from other religions?

• The belief in heaven and hell.
• The teaching of sin and the need for salvation.
• The belief that Jesus is God.
• The belief that Christians worship a personal/relational God and not an impersonal one.

These are just a few suggestions. Please leave a comment and let me know your answer. You can choose an answer from what I listed or add your own!

 

God Bless,

Gina

Clip art photo from Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Christianity vs. Taoism

Have any of you ever heard of Taoism (also spelled Daoism)? Or, perhaps you are more familiar with the Ying Yang symbol shown above? This symbol is very common in our society today. People wear the Ying Yang like it’s the peace symbol of the seventies, when actually the symbol is connected with the belief system of Taoism.

The founder of Taoism, Lao-Tse, is believed to have lived 500-600 years before the birth of Christ, around the time of Confucius. Taoism began as a philosophy, but evolved into a religious belief system around 440 A.D when people began to worship Lao-Tse as a deity. The religion become one of three religions practiced in China. Today, Taoism has 20 million followers and is centered mainly in Taiwan.

The following are some basic beliefs that make up Taoism:

• Tao (pronounced DAO) is described as the way or the path and must be experienced. It is the first cause of the universe and is the force that flows through all life. The Tao is indefinable.
• The goal of a person who believes in Taoism is to harmonize themselves with the Tao.
• Listening to the Tao around you will bring you enlightenment. You do this by meditation and outer observation.
• The Ch’i is the breath or air given to a person.
• Taoists do not pray to God but rather seek the answer to life’s problems.
• The Ying Yang symbol represents the opposites of the universe in balance. In some traditions it is taught that the Ying represents the breath that formed the earth and the Yang represents the breath that formed the heavens.
• This information has been taken from http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm. Check out this website if you want more info.

Do you think Taoism is similiar or different than Christianity?

The most noticeable difference between Taoism and Christianity is the recognition of sin. I didn’t find anything in my research of Taoism that acknowledged sin. In fact, they believe that if people are left to their own devices, everyone will eventually be compassionate to one another without expecting anything back. Taoism doesn’t recognize the need for redemption or salvation. Instead of worshiping the God who created the heavens and earth, Taoism says “God” is just a force that people need to harmonize themselves with. There is no personal relationship between you and the Tao.

As Christians we can pray to the Father that created us, we can have a personal relationship with Him, and we have the ability to know who God is from the Bible. In contrast, Taoists do not pray or have a personal relationship with anything. Their “God” is indefinable. In my research I wasn’t able to find anything that gave any clue to what Taoism teaches about the after life. If any of you know, please comment. My wild guess is that it teaches reincarnation, but I could be wrong.

After doing this research, I found many parallels between Taoism and New Age teaching. The most noteworthy is the need to harmonize ourselves with a force. This concept is taught all throughout New Age teaching. Where have you seen this concept taught? Books, television, or school?

In conclusion, is Christianity and Taoism teaching the same thing or the same core truth? NO

What do you think?