For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Faith Buckner
I just want to share the story of an friend of mine with whom I have since lost touch.
He is an older Chinese man. He is a confessed Christian who was born in China and raised in a Daoist family and culture. He teaches Tai Chi, and practices Acupuncture, Acupressure, and the application of other traditional Eastern forms of medicine.
When he came to faith in Christ, he recognized that it is Christ, who is the Dao...the Way...and the Holy Spirit living in us is the Chi...the power and life force that God sends through us. The Yin and the Yang...God and Sin...they cannot exist together in harmony. When one starts to "win" the other wages spiritual battle to "win back". His view seems to be that this is only the case because sin entered the world...before that there was no such struggle. There are many other interesting ways that this man has seen the true Triune God in terms of Daoist philosophy, but I think you may agree that it is, at the very least, an interesting way of looking at and reconciling these two world views.
I do not understand Daoism, but I do know that Christ was sent to redeem all...including those of other faiths. This may just be one of His method of meeting Daoists "where they are". It is at least common ground from which to begin a conversation with a Daoist.
May Christ bless us all in the work which He has prepared for us. Let us share the hope that he has given to us, and share His Word, so that we may help Him to reach and baptize all nations into His glorious resurrection.
Amen
Alistair Cotton
Thanks Faith - I know that your comment is very old now, as is the original post. But I feel that your explanation does a far better job at explaining Taoist philosophy and the concept of "Chi". As a Christian Tai Chi practitioner myself, I believe that Christ is the Alpha and the Omega. That He is the spirit of God that was hovering over the "waters" at the time of creation. He is the beginning and the end and He has always been with us.
I suspect that what the old Taoist philosophers bumped into was this spirit of Christ. The creator of all life. With nothing else to go on, they called the Holy Spirit of the living God "Chi". This "Chi" is the flow of creation and is in all of creation. Is that not what Christ sends to us? His Holy Sprit, the same Alpha and Omega? The same creative force that was at the start of creation and gives life to all creatures?
Why look for ill intent where perhaps there was none? Why look for the differences to pick on when ultimately it's amazing to see the similarities? Most of all, ask God Himself for guidance in these matters as He is the only source of knowledge about what is right, what is wrong and what is appropriate for you and what is best avoided.