This is on my list to read. Written by an Orthodox Hieromonk.
Dao de Jing / Tao te Ching
4/81
This is where it starts to appear that the Dao is the Spirit in Christianity. Translator pointed out that "ancestor" as written in Chinese can also mean emporer or God. So, the Dao is pervasive, the smallest thing, and the first cause.
It reminds me of the spirit whispering in the wind in the mountains - there was a verse somewhere in the Bible describing that.
Compare with the Greek word, 'zoe,' found in John 14:6 (life)
The use of "zoe" instead of "bio" should catch your attention here. This means the cause of life, not the process. Its the thing at the root - without it, the fantastic machine that is a cell doesn't move and the fantastic machine that is a brain carries no Self.
Here's the breakdown of that verse in the original Greek:
https://biblehub.com/text/john/14-6.htm
#Philosophy #daoism #taoism
Discussion
I have that book. Same cover. I was initially very enthusiastic about it, but became less so as I've learned what Eastern Orthodoxy really is. The book makes some really great points, which I think Christians can benefit from more than Daoists, but also makes some errors, such as the Maryology nonsense. Its an interesting look into syncretism and how religions can speak to each other. Supposedly the Chinese artists who's art is featured all converted... Whether that's a good thing, idk - believing in the Spirit, which is the Way, without reducing it to an image of a man, seems like a more efficient path. The image of Christ can be an idol, and IMO usually is.
the same thing happens with prophets of other religions too, they just turn into cults
i think, if Jesus said "I am the Way" then i'm supposed to be following the Way, that is what Christ is supposed to mean anyway
How do you feel about EO?
It was born as a state weapon of murder, and it still persists in some countries as a state apparatus, even if its not officially connected to the state. Theologically, its interesting and it does make good points which have been lost in the west, but it also has the same "accretions" that it talks a lot about - just, earlier accretions than the ones they point to in Protestantism. EO arrived at its current state via a succession of purity tests, where they first defined which books go into the Bible (325 ad) and murdered people who continued using other books, then selectively narrowed how to interpret verses in those books, and again murdered people who taught/believed earlier interpretations. The worst tyrannies are only possible when the state and religion merge - and that is EO's singular goal.
Beware of them. They are extraordinarily dangerous, and not interested in honest conversation about theology.