You might be a Taoist.

Hero -vs- Sub

Whether you call it a “hero” or a “sub,” you know that you’re ordering a long, oversized sandwich.

Fire Hydrant -vs - Johnny Pump

Whether you call it a “fire hydrant” or a “Johnny pump,” you know where it is, you know what it does and you know when the fire department needs access to it.

Elevator -vs- Lift

Whether you call it an “elevator” or a “lift,” you know that you prefer it to climbing the stairs to the tenth floor.

Regional words are a matter of style. We find the difference in word choice among different places interesting. But, we don’t usually take those differences in vocabulary as signifying fundamental differences in values and philosophy.

The word “bodega” is known to be used in New York, not Boston. A “hero sandwich” in New York is called a “Grinder” in Boston. If you ask for “jimmies” on your ice cream in New York, you’ll probably confuse the ice cream scooper, but if you order jimmies in Boston, your cone with be topped with “sprinkles.” For cities driving distance apart, and who speak the same language, these are fun differences. But, are they at all significant?

Baseball rivalries aside, how different are the people in Boston from those in New York? Most Americans would say that they’re not that different. We don’t usually take cultural differences in vocabulary as real differences overall.

But, one area where word choice is made entirely crucial is in religion, to the extent that variations in a few aspects make it seem as if there are bigger contrasts than truly exist between philosophies. This could help people connect by removing perceived differences. It could also ask us to consider which of the many parts of our spiritual philosophies express our values and which parts are ornamental. I mean, who would fight over an ornament?

The purpose of this piece is to illuminate the many similarities between the three major Western religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and a major Eastern religion, Taoism. To the average citizen of the world, the avatars of Eastern and Western religions are contradictory- this one OR that one. But, by showing you that much of the variety comes from style and not substance, I can shrink that “or” down a bit. By the end of your scroll, I think you might be wondering, “Am I a Taoist?”

The philosophies of both hemispheres share major similarities:

Both: You can transcend this life.

Both perspectives claim that there is something more than what we see. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Taoism tell us that there is something more powerful than human beings. There is another level.

Both: The higher power is everywhere and affects everything.

You cannot hide from “it/them.” Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Taoism all agree that the higher power is everywhere. None of them claim that there is a place on earth (a room, a state of mind, a mountaintop) where the great being can’t hear, see, and feel you.

Both: There is a source of all creation.

This wasn’t all an accident. All four major religions believe that existence happened on purpose. They believe that something or someone created it all. More about “something or someone” later.

Both: Prayer works.

They also all agree that, with effort, one can connect with that higher level. Both styles believe that a person can change their thoughts and actions to get closer to this transcendent force. Not only that, but they all agree that (temple and church services aside), you can apply this power from anywhere in the world using your mind.

These are core values among all of these religions and, as you can see, they match up with each other. You might not have thought about how similar a Christian and a Taoist are in philosophy. There are differences, of course. If there weren’t any differences, there wouldn’t be different religions. However, my point is that the differences are insignificant and based on style and vocabulary choice.

Let’s take a look:

Person -vs- force

All four believe that there is a higher force that runs the universe, but they describe that force differently. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe the higher power to be humanoid, like a person. Of course, the Western God doesn’t have the limitations of human beings but, Westerners will agree that God looks like a person. The bible states that God created man “in his image.”

In Taoism, the higher force is, just that, a force. The Taoist idea of “Qi” (or “Chi”) would not have arms or legs, or even a beginning or an end.

This is a main difference between Western and Eastern religions: the shape of “god”

How much does that matter to you?

Pleasing -vs- harmony

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe that God is one to be made happy. We are to please God and follow God’s commands. This description is how you would appease a person.

In Taoism, there is no concept of “pleasing” because the recipient is not a person. In Taoism, the way we “spiritually behave” is by being in “harmony.”

Another main difference is whether people are trying to please a being or trying to be in harmony with a force. What’s most interesting is that the way one pleases god is also the way one acts in harmony with nature. The Tao dislikes murder as much as God does.

In many ways, if we overlook the fact that they are attending the wrong “temple,” a good Muslim would also be a good Taoist.

Injected Rewards -vs- Natural Rewards

Because the Western force is a being. The benefits of pleasing that being come in the form of external rewards. God adds something to a person’s life, as you would give someone a gift. It is described as a conscious decision by a being to knowingly give you a gift in the form of a blessing.

In Taoism, the rewards are not thought of as being the result of thought and decision. In Taoism, the rewards are natural rewards that come to you in the form of nature’s flow. In this way, it might be impossible to realize that one has received a reward at all. Without awareness, you might not recognize the blooming tree in from of your door as being a gift from the Tao. To bolster my point, a lack of awareness is how one would miss one of God’s blessings too.

In a nutshell: The main difference between Western religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and the Eastern Religion of Taoism is that the West sees the higher being as being personified whereas Taoism describes a force.

Once again, I ask, how much does that matter to you?

In the end, I believe that this topic is good news. It seems that a large majority of the world shares core beliefs, which could serve to connect us. The differences between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Taoism could be seen as differences in style and not in fundamental values- not apples and oranges, but McIntosh and Granny Smith.

Burak Uzun is an award-winning writer and a Certified Meditation Teacher.

Burak Uzun also co-wrote a feature film called Team Marco, which was featured in over fifty film festivals around the globe and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Please feel free to reach out to Burak here.

Learn more about SOCA LLC and Burak’s classes here.