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Comparative Study on Taoism and Christianity

Introduction

The purpose of this essay is to compare Christianity and Taoism in terms of two basic aspects : God and Spirituality . The main point of reference is each religion 's respective scriptures : The Holy Bible and the Tao Te Ching . This comparative analysis shall be undertaken employing scholarly methods of analysis to include literary criticism sociological analysis , tradition criticism and source criticism

A detailed of the similarities and differences of each religion 's concept on God /Tao and Spirituality was undertaken and their respective

origin and contemporary expression are described . This also explored ways of possibilities for mutual interaction between the two belief systems by finding some common practice that their respective adherents can perform or undertake together without prejudice to each other 's faith . Through the personal witness of one representative of each faith , the internal dynamics of what it means to experience living out the formal teachings in their respective personal life

The Christian Meaning of God

God is depicted in the Bible as creator of the universe . The very first line of the scripture reads : In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1 :1 , RSV . The Hebrew word used for god is el which was the term most commonly used for god in the ancient Near East (Vine , et . al ,

96 . But as the sacred history of the Israelites moved on , this God becomes a God who acts and the word el was used...