Religion- Daoism

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Daoism /Taoism

I . Introduction

Taoism is a Chinese philosophy and a religion that developed from it Taoism ranks with Buddhism and Confucianism as one of China 's great systems of ethical and religious thought . Many scholars , both Western and Oriental , study the Taoist philosophy . The philosophy 's emphasis on man 's oneness with nature has had a strong influence on Chinese art and on the development of Zen Buddhism

Thesis Statement : The purpose of this study is to (1 ) know the historic development

of the religion including its founder (2 ) be aware of the basic beliefs , practices and sacred writings associated with the religion (3 ) figure out the value and impact that the religion has added to society and compare it to Buddhism , Confucianism , Jainism Sikhism , Hinduism , and Shinto

II . Background

A . History of Daoism

According to tradition , The Way and Its Virtue was written in the sixth century B .C . by a Chinese philosopher name Lao-tzu . He is regarded as the founder of Taoism . The Taoist religion probably began to develop in the second century A .D . It combined the Taoist philosophy with ideas and practices from other philosophies and religions , especially Buddhism

By the end of the fifth century A .D , the Taoist religion had priesthood , temples , rituals , a system of ethical teachings , and a belief in many gods . Taoist priests , however , began to emphasize the practice of alchemy and the religion became increasingly superstitious in nature , embracing such practices as fortune-telling , sorcery , and...