A Training Log |
Un-Taoist T'ai Chi?
| Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
John 14:6, The Holy Bible, New International Version |
| But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Matthew 7:14, The Holy Bible, New International Version |
What is Taoism?
Taoism is a Chinese philosophy. Simply put, if the Tao is the "way," then a practioner of Taoism follows that "way." The "way" of what? Basically, the way of nature.
What is Christianity?
In short, Christianity as a religion states that man is separated from God and the only path back to a relationship with Him is through belief in Jesus Christ. Following this belief comes the steps of repentance, baptism, and a certain lifestyle as taught in the Bible.
Are Christianity and Taoism compatible?
A Christian cannot truly be a Taoist, in much the same way that a Christian cannot also be a Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, or Jew. Each system has its own path to Heaven, immortality, enlightenment, or whatever ultimate plateau. For Christians, Jesus is the path to be followed, not the Tao.
What is Taoist about T'ai Chi?
The specific martial philosophy of T'ai Chi is definitely influenced by Taoism. However, since T'ai Chi evolved over hundreds of years it is hard to say which famous practitioners actually studied Taoism religiously and which did not. This difficulty lies is the fact that individual ideas from the philosophical/religious systems of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism are so tightly interwoven into Chinese customs and culture that it is difficult to separate some of them.
What is Christian about T'ai Chi?
There is no Christian T'ai Chi; but there are Christians who practice T'ai Chi. As a Christian, T'ai Chi should be practiced as a beneficial physical exercise and martial art; not as a spiritual discipline.
*Notes:
Due to pre-establishment into the English language, I've selected the Wade-Giles romanization throughout this article for the terms T'ai Chi and Tao. The pinyin equivalents are Taiji and Dao. For more information about pinyin versus Wade-Giles romanization, please view the Wikipedia articles for each: