[Worldview miniseries 1/3]
A while ago I started writing a three-part miniseries on worldview, but never got around to finishing the last episode. So here are the first two again, this post on Daoism and [2/3 on Confucius], along with the third and final instalment [3/3 on Buddhism]…
Why write about worldview?
I don’t know if you’ve got a favourite thing to listen to on car journeys. When my family are travelling together, Colin Buchanan’s “Fam Bam Bible Jam” has been getting a lot of airtime. But on my commute recently, I have been listening to a podcast called “Philosophize This!”
Last week, I reached the three episodes on ancient Eastern philosophy: Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism.
It got me thinking how deeply some of these ways of seeing the world are embedded in the lives of our friends in the patch of South East Asia where we live.
Harmony, going with the flow, and Star Wars
What kind of a universe do we live in? How did it get here? How should we live in it? Daoism has shaped the unspoken assumptions of lots of our local friends.
Daoism builds on the teachings of Lao Tzu, who lived in China around 6 centuries BC. He taught that the Dao (the Way) is the fundamental principle behind the universe. The Dao is beyond knowing, and all things proceed from the Dao.
But instead of a Creator who made all things, the Dao is in everything. The best way to live is to let go and flow with the Dao, living simply, and seeking harmony with nature and others. Take the path of least resistance (very good advice for driving in South East Asia’s traffic!)
If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll find Daoism in the background of all the films. Yin and Yang are a bit like the light and dark sides of the force – peace and harmony are only possible when there’s balance between opposites. The Jedi are most powerful when they choose not to act, and when they’re in tune with the universe’s ‘flow’ (the Force).
To me, this idea comes across most strongly in the more recent, Disney Star Wars movies. The Rey trilogy strongly hammers home the message that the stronger the forces of light rise, the more powerful the dark side will become to maintain balance, and vice versa. However strong Rey becomes, the universe will throw up a Sith lord able to challenge her, and bring misery to millions in so doing. This leaves us trapped! The dark side can never be finally defeated.
Back to reality. I don’t think many of our neighbours here would say they are Daoists, but in the background, for many, their view of the universe is probably shaped by a steady trickle of Daoist philosophy, absorbed over the last couple of thousand years:
- There isn’t one Creator who intentionally made all things
- ‘God’, if he exists, isn’t really knowable
- There’s a confusing spirit world of gods and natural forces which affects our everyday lives
- Religious rituals, dances and offerings can bring peace and harmony
- Harmony in relationships is really important
- The community is more important than the individual
Good news for Daoists
So what might the good news of Christianity sound like good news to a Daoist?
There is a Creator God who made the universe, and isn’t contained by it. He’s not some impersonal force. He is wise and perfect in love, joy, and power. He is one God in three persons, for ever. He loves the world.
Our problem is that we’re not able to ‘flow’ in obedience to God’s life-giving commands. By nature we swim against them, ignore our Creator, and hurt ourselves and others. This isn’t just an imbalance – it’s deeply wrong. We have caused a deep break in the most important relationship – the relationship between humanity and the God who sustains our lives.
No amount of ritual, religious offering, or meditation can repair that relationship and restore harmony with God. But the Creator sent his own Son to his creation, to show us exactly what God is like. Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is Immanuel – God present with us. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). He taught us how to live lives of love, freedom and forgiveness. He died in our place, and healed the relationship between God and all who believe in him.
He was raised to life, and promises us that we will also be raised to live for ever in perfect harmony with God – if we recognise who he is and follow him.
He pours out his Spirit into his people, to teach us and empower us to live in step with him now, as God’s children in God’s world.
Praying for Daoists
If you’re a Christian wanting to pray for your Daoist neighbours, here are a few suggestions:
- Thank God for who he is!
- Thank God for sending Jesus to us, to show us what God is like and to save us
- Pray for God to reveal himself as the Bible is read and the gospel is preached
- Pray for God to give the gift of faith in Jesus, the true ‘Way’, to many
- Pray for those who have believed and are seeking to love their community at the same time as living for God
- Pray for strength and courage to go against the ‘flow’ of what everyone else expects when it’s a choice between sin or Jesus
- Pray that believers who walk in step with the Holy Spirit will be a powerful witness to the peace, joy, and transformation to be found in Christ
If you’re a Western Christian, does this glimpse into a Daoist worldview make you reflect on your own worldview? What’s in the background of your thoughts and beliefs about the universe – especially its beginning?
If you’re interested, here’s 5 more minutes on Daoism by a British man who went to China to learn from a Daoist master.
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