I grew up in a strict Church of God in Christ environment. I was taught to read using the bible. As a small child I found it fascinating and was inspired by so much of what I read. As I grew older though I began to have questions. I have always been invigorated by the words of Jesus. But there were other testimonies, especially in the old testament that seemed to contradict the words of Christ and this confused me for years. I know I'm not the only one who has thought this way. While there are numerous issues I could talk about along this line, today I will choose the one that was most important to me. Throughout my life I have been perplexed by the disconnect between the model Jesus gave us for living our lives and understanding why it seems to be so difficult for so many to be able to strictly follow his example. For many years it was a principle road block between me and my ability to fully go forth in faith. Telling me that evil is the work of the devil just never satisfied me, after all, why would an all powerful God allow any entity to corrupt their works? And why do some seem to flourish despite their evil acts? Saying that they will get their just desserts on judgement day still did not explain to me why they would be allowed to stand as an example to those struggling to stay in faith.
For me, I found the answers to my questions in the writings of the Tao. The Tao Te Ching was written 2500 years ago in China and is attributed to a man named Lao Tzu. In the Chinese language Tao is The Way, Te is strength/virtue (in this concept strength and virtue are the same thing), Ching is scripture. I translate Tao Te Ching as The Way to strength/virtue, written. It is not a religion but is the writings that a philosophy called Taoism is based. Within the Tao, I found the frame of thought that for me illuminates the wisdom of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The most important principle of the The Tao for me is the idea that everything that exists is neither inherently good or bad, but contains elements of both. A perfect balance between the two leads to a satisfying life. Too much movement one way or the other causes problems in your life. I believe Jesus was saying this same thing when he warned his disciples not to think that how obedient they were to Gods will ever made them any more righteous or deserving of Gods love than anyone else. This was a basic principle of Christs teachings that has been downplayed and even lost over the centuries. In order to truly understand the Tao, one must understand the idea of Yin and Yang.
In Chinese philosophy, the rhythm of life, which pulsates through the universe, is the action of complementary principles Yin and Yang. The T’ai-chi T’u diagram (above) illustrates this principle. The symmetrical disposition of the dark Yin and the light Yang suggests cyclical changes.
Yin is the quiet, female, intuitive, receiving force that is associated with earth. The earth is the source of life; it provides us with what we need to survive. Yang is the strong, male, creative, giving force that is associated with heaven. The heaven above us is always in motion and brings about change.
When Yin reaches its climax, it recedes in favour of Yang, then after Yang reaches its climax it recedes in favour of Yin. This is the eternal cycle. The dots inside the white and
black halves indicate that within each is the seed of the other. Yin cannot exist without
Yang and vice versa. The ideal state of things in the physical universe, as well as in the world of humans, is a
state of harmony represented by the balance of Yin and Yang in body and mind. Learn more at the place I got this explanation, .http://www.thebigview.com/download/tao-te-ching-illustrated.pdf
For me when I consider this principle, I see the wisdom of God in the way we were created and it helps me to understand the role that free will plays in our lives and the glory of salvation when we triumph in Gods name. It also helps me to understand why God will judge us as we judge each other and why we must not presume to know what Gods judgement will be of any of us. Our goals should be to do the best we can to walk in the light of the wisdom provided by Jesus Christ, understanding what he meant when he said that only through him and his teachings can we ever expect to reach heaven.
The true strength of the Tao is that it does not try to define who God is, it only seeks to provide understanding of his works, and to remind us how humble we must be because we have little real ability to affect the way life must play out other than in our ability to be in control of who we are. But yet by being in control of who we are and sharing that with the universe, we do have a profound effect on how things turn out. Many call this karma, I call it The Way.
If you would like to support this ministry to spread this message around the world, please use this link below
For me, I found the answers to my questions in the writings of the Tao. The Tao Te Ching was written 2500 years ago in China and is attributed to a man named Lao Tzu. In the Chinese language Tao is The Way, Te is strength/virtue (in this concept strength and virtue are the same thing), Ching is scripture. I translate Tao Te Ching as The Way to strength/virtue, written. It is not a religion but is the writings that a philosophy called Taoism is based. Within the Tao, I found the frame of thought that for me illuminates the wisdom of the teachings of Jesus Christ. The most important principle of the The Tao for me is the idea that everything that exists is neither inherently good or bad, but contains elements of both. A perfect balance between the two leads to a satisfying life. Too much movement one way or the other causes problems in your life. I believe Jesus was saying this same thing when he warned his disciples not to think that how obedient they were to Gods will ever made them any more righteous or deserving of Gods love than anyone else. This was a basic principle of Christs teachings that has been downplayed and even lost over the centuries. In order to truly understand the Tao, one must understand the idea of Yin and Yang.
In Chinese philosophy, the rhythm of life, which pulsates through the universe, is the action of complementary principles Yin and Yang. The T’ai-chi T’u diagram (above) illustrates this principle. The symmetrical disposition of the dark Yin and the light Yang suggests cyclical changes.
Yin is the quiet, female, intuitive, receiving force that is associated with earth. The earth is the source of life; it provides us with what we need to survive. Yang is the strong, male, creative, giving force that is associated with heaven. The heaven above us is always in motion and brings about change.
When Yin reaches its climax, it recedes in favour of Yang, then after Yang reaches its climax it recedes in favour of Yin. This is the eternal cycle. The dots inside the white and
black halves indicate that within each is the seed of the other. Yin cannot exist without
Yang and vice versa. The ideal state of things in the physical universe, as well as in the world of humans, is a
state of harmony represented by the balance of Yin and Yang in body and mind. Learn more at the place I got this explanation, .http://www.thebigview.com/download/tao-te-ching-illustrated.pdf
For me when I consider this principle, I see the wisdom of God in the way we were created and it helps me to understand the role that free will plays in our lives and the glory of salvation when we triumph in Gods name. It also helps me to understand why God will judge us as we judge each other and why we must not presume to know what Gods judgement will be of any of us. Our goals should be to do the best we can to walk in the light of the wisdom provided by Jesus Christ, understanding what he meant when he said that only through him and his teachings can we ever expect to reach heaven.
The true strength of the Tao is that it does not try to define who God is, it only seeks to provide understanding of his works, and to remind us how humble we must be because we have little real ability to affect the way life must play out other than in our ability to be in control of who we are. But yet by being in control of who we are and sharing that with the universe, we do have a profound effect on how things turn out. Many call this karma, I call it The Way.
If you would like to support this ministry to spread this message around the world, please use this link below
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