What is the light of Christ?

[manol]

7 hours ago, marineland said:

Taoism, with other eastern religious philosophies, reject the atonement of Christ.

I don't know enough about Taoism to know whether it outright rejects the atonement of Christ, or simply does not include the atonement among its teachings.

But I do know enough about Mormonism to know it teaches (paraphrasing here) "all truth may be included within one great whole".  

Edited July 26, 2024 by manol

[CV75]

8 hours ago, marineland said:

Taoism, with other eastern religious philosophies, reject the atonement of Christ.

CFR. By that I mean cite the Tao Te Ching text that formally and specifically rejects the atonement of Christ.

Edited July 27, 2024 by CV75

[CV75]

I think the conversation about the Tao Te Ching reflects other conversations about science, guns and so forth. These are not in themselves dangerous, but they can be used dangerously. Proper use of Tao Te Ching can lead someone to recognize and accept Christ and His atonement. once they have that option to choose. Improper use of a Christian denomination, including our Church, can lead someone to reject the fulness of the gospel, including the proper use of the atonement of Jesus Christ.

Those who dispute the points of the fulness of the gospel and contend with anger are using their denomination wickedly. I think this describes it well: "they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” Those who use the doctrines and commandments of men in good conscience will be led to Christ eventually (what else activates a good conscience if not the light of Christ?). A good conscience will not dispute the points of the fulness of the gospel and contend with anger.

God's grace advances all we can do into the realm of all He can do if we are willing.

Edited July 27, 2024 by CV75

[marineland]

On 7/26/2024 at 8:46 PM, CV75 said:

CFR. By that I mean cite the Tao Te Ching text that formally and specifically rejects the atonement of Christ.

I don't have that. I also don't have a Tao Te Ching text which formally and specifically
accepts the atonement of Christ.

[marineland]

On 7/26/2024 at 7:54 PM, manol said:

I don't know enough about Taoism to know whether it outright rejects the atonement of Christ, or simply does not include the atonement among its teachings.

But I do know enough about Mormonism to know it teaches (paraphrasing here) "all truth may be included within one great whole".  

From what research that I've done, Taoism, as a spiritual and philosophical tradition,
does not specifically address or comment on the Christian concept of atonement.

[CV75]

1 hour ago, marineland said:

From what research that I've done, Taoism, as a spiritual and philosophical tradition,
does not specifically address or comment on the Christian concept of atonement.

I agree, but I don't think that renders it dangerous since the Lord draws the pure in heart to Him no matter how little, or when, they learn Christian spiritual and philosophical traditions and the fulness of the Gospel. Being pure in heart can range from acting in good conscience with the light one has to conversion with the greater and greatest light that additionally come by the baptism by fire (or the power, gift and companionship and promise of the Holy Ghost) when the word of the gospel is received.

[mfbukowski]

On 7/26/2024 at 9:29 AM, marineland said:

Taoism, with other eastern religious philosophies, reject the atonement of Christ.

Simply because they don't see it as "opposition in all things" in a lived life.   Yin and Yang.  Evil vs Good.

That's ok we also reject their views for the same reason- we do not understand them while they are rejecting ours because we do not understand them.

We all have a little studying to do to figure this stuff out. 

 

[mfbukowski]

On 7/26/2024 at 4:54 PM, manol said:

I don't know enough about Taoism to know whether it outright rejects the atonement of Christ, or simply does not include the atonement among its teachings.

But I do know enough about Mormonism to know it teaches (paraphrasing here) "all truth may be included within one great whole".  

Yep. that's the deal!

[Zosimus]

On 7/28/2024 at 11:35 PM, marineland said:

From what research that I've done, Taoism, as a spiritual and philosophical tradition, does not specifically address or comment on the Christian concept of atonement.

What is this Taoism you speak of?

I'm reading a fascinating book about the historical encounter between Syrian Christians and Taoists, this would have happened around the 6th century AD around Xi'an China, in a Christian church built by a Tang emporer near the mountain where Lao Tzu is said to have written the Tao Te Ching. 

Its hard to fathom, but Christian monks were in active collaboration with Taoists and Buddhists, and they forged what could be described as a new branch of Christianity that was a sort of hybrid mix of Taosim, Christianity and Buddhism that held Jesus (the Messiah) as the light that illuminates darkness. They called it Jingjiao, or the religion of light, and they have scrolls!

@Rain after you finish the Tao Te Ching, you might enjoy this

The Jesus Sutras: Rediscovering the Lost Scrolls of Taoist Christianity

Edited July 31, 2024 by Zosimus

[marineland]

On 7/31/2024 at 2:21 AM, Zosimus said:

What is this Taoism you speak of?

Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hau Hu Ching
ISBN-10: 0937064009
ISBN-13: 978-0937064009

[Zosimus]

7 hours ago, marineland said:

Complete Works of Lao Tzu: Tao Teh Ching & Hau Hu Ching
ISBN-10: 0937064009
ISBN-13: 978-0937064009

Well there’s big T Taoism as practiced by those who practice the teachings of the Tao Te Ching and then there’s tao.

for example, many Chinese Bibles use the term tao for the Greek term logos. Read John 1:1 replacing ‘word’ with ‘tao’ and then google the heated discussions across the Internet between Chinese Christians and Taoists about what tao means

[Kenngo1969]

@Zosimus, John 1:1 - "In the beginning was the Tao ..."??? Hmmm ... 😉