Philosophy Analysis of Tao Te Ching, Genesis, and City of God
Analytic Paper on Tao Te Ching, Genesis the Bible, and City of God
By: Majik Maji
The philosophies of Christianity and Taoism, as different as they may be in full body, share the similarity of unshakeable destiny. Though Taoism is rooted in the idea that nature can be used as a blueprint for understanding vice Christianity’s use of a holy book and Gospel, both ideologies have a reverence and respect for the power and uncontrollability of nature and its will. This respect, in summation, is that nature and all things naturally occurring will impose its agenda one way or the other and it is out of the direct control of humans. In both views, human beings are of nature and are behoove to learn and understand its intricacies regardless of the relationship stance between the two views. In the following text, literary works Tao Te Ching, Genesis Chapters One and Two, and City of God, Book XIV will be compared and contrasted to highlight the relationship between that of Christian perspective and the Taoist one.
In Tao Te Ching, nature is identified as the ruling force in our lives and provides a framework for how humans should live their lives. The piece highlights that learning to live within the boundaries of nature seamlessly will lead to an ultimately efficient and smooth lifestyle. This is also portrayed as a form of modesty that humans should have with regards to nature. Nature being the utmost authority, Lao-tzu writes in almost a mocking fashion toward non-Taoists: “The best leaders know the Tao accomplishes everything anyway. They smile when the people say ‘Look what we did!’.” In the City of God, there is a similar sentiment, indicating that human actions are not powerful enough to stand in the way of the natural pathway: “Furthermore, the wicked are unable to disturb the overarching harmony that embraces all God has created.” These two literary works provide similar references to just how much man is responsible for all the accomplishments that are
By: Majik Maji
The philosophies of Christianity and Taoism, as different as they may be in full body, share the similarity of unshakeable destiny. Though Taoism is rooted in the idea that nature can be used as a blueprint for understanding vice Christianity’s use of a holy book and Gospel, both ideologies have a reverence and respect for the power and uncontrollability of nature and its will. This respect, in summation, is that nature and all things naturally occurring will impose its agenda one way or the other and it is out of the direct control of humans. In both views, human beings are of nature and are behoove to learn and understand its intricacies regardless of the relationship stance between the two views. In the following text, literary works Tao Te Ching, Genesis Chapters One and Two, and City of God, Book XIV will be compared and contrasted to highlight the relationship between that of Christian perspective and the Taoist one.
In Tao Te Ching, nature is identified as the ruling force in our lives and provides a framework for how humans should live their lives. The piece highlights that learning to live within the boundaries of nature seamlessly will lead to an ultimately efficient and smooth lifestyle. This is also portrayed as a form of modesty that humans should have with regards to nature. Nature being the utmost authority, Lao-tzu writes in almost a mocking fashion toward non-Taoists: “The best leaders know the Tao accomplishes everything anyway. They smile when the people say ‘Look what we did!’.” In the City of God, there is a similar sentiment, indicating that human actions are not powerful enough to stand in the way of the natural pathway: “Furthermore, the wicked are unable to disturb the overarching harmony that embraces all God has created.” These two literary works provide similar references to just how much man is responsible for all the accomplishments that are