The Christian Thread

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: Jonathan wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: You're going to minor in all of those?  What do you see similar between Scripture and the Tao Te Ching? Well I'm not a 100% Percent sure about minoring in Medievel/ Early Modern Society but I might do it.   In Scripture there was a verse where Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to Water or a River. In the Tao Te Ching there's a verse where the Tao is compared to River Valleys and follows of water.   In Scripture if I'm correct The Holy Spirit created the Universe. In the Tao Te Ching the Tao created the Universe.       I believe that all three persons of the Trinity were involved in creation, although the Father is usually identified as the creator, the Son (John 1) and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1, like you mentioned) also were involved. Eastern philosophies are definitely very interesting, although I probably have a different view of them than you do I think they can be helpful in understanding Scripture because they challenge our Western way of thinking; and Christianity, after all, originated in the Near East.

thellama73 wrote: Epignosis wrote: thellama73 wrote: Epignosis wrote: thellama73 wrote: Ruach has a rather more complex and specific meaning than imply "breath" though. "More complex and specific" are not co-descriptors of the Hebrew language.  I suppose I meant that it can have a variety of meanings (and so is a complex word), each of which is more specific than a broad term like "spirit" or "breath." What does spirit mean though?  I think biblical literature took on a life of its own when Westerners got a hold of it. In Qabalah, ruach is the rational center of the soul and the seat of morality. It's not spirit, but a specific part of the spirit contrasted with others.

I'm a materialist, so that makes me incompatible with a lot of things.

Jonathan wrote: Ambient Hurricanes wrote: You're going to minor in all of those?  What do you see similar between Scripture and the Tao Te Ching? Well I'm not a 100% Percent sure about minoring in Medievel/ Early Modern Society but I might do it.   In Scripture there was a verse where Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to Water or a River. In the Tao Te Ching there's a verse where the Tao is compared to River Valleys and follows of water.   In Scripture if I'm correct The Holy Spirit created the Universe. In the Tao Te Ching the Tao created the Universe.

I believe that all three persons of the Trinity were involved in creation, although the Father is usually identified as the creator, the Son (John 1) and the Holy Spirit (Genesis 1, like you mentioned) also were involved.

Eastern philosophies are definitely very interesting, although I probably have a different view of them than you do I think they can be helpful in understanding Scripture because they challenge our Western way of thinking; and Christianity, after all, originated in the Near East.

Jonathan wrote: To be fair, There is the Verse in Chapter 32 of The Guodian Tao Te Ching that compares the Tao to Water.   "The Dao's presence in the world, Is like the relationship of small valley streams to rivers and seas. "

In Biblical literature, the breath controls the water.  The breath isn't the water. 

Epignosis wrote: thellama73 wrote: Ruach has a rather more complex and specific meaning than imply "breath" though. "More complex and specific" are not co-descriptors of the Hebrew language.

I suppose I meant that it can have a variety of meanings (and so is a complex word), each of which is more specific than a broad term like "spirit" or "breath."

Ruach has a rather more complex and specific meaning than imply "breath" though.

Epignosis wrote: Jonathan wrote: In Scripture there was a verse where Jesus compared the Holy Spirit to Water or a River. In the Tao Te Ching there's a verse where the Tao is compared to River Valleys and follows of water.   In Scripture if I'm correct The Holy Spirit created the Universe. In the Tao Te Ching the Tao created the Universe.   Can you please tell me in the Bible what these verses are?

John 7:38-39

Edited by Jonathan - August 02 2013 at 17:05

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: You're going to minor in all of those?  What do you see similar between Scripture and the Tao Te Ching?

Well I'm not a 100% Percent sure about minoring in Medievel/ Early Modern Society but I might do it.

Edited by Jonathan - August 02 2013 at 15:53

Ambient Hurricanes wrote: You're going to minor in all of those?  What do you see similar between Scripture and the Tao Te Ching?

You'd be surprised at how many similarities there are between Christianity and other religions once you take down the barriers of exclusivism and exceptionalism we are so often brought up with.  Really, when you think about it, the idea that there is one all powerful God who is "all in all" (look that one up with a concordance sometime), but there's only one religion that's right and every other one is of the devil (who is not all powerful and yet seems to be winning the war) doesn't make much sense.  Neither does the "God is love...but he's going to send 2/3's of the world's population to eternal conscious torment" idea.  Mind you, these are the ideas I grew up with my whole life, so I'm well versed with the reasons people support these ideas.  But once you really start to read your Bible and think about these things, you realize how much of the Bible just goes against these ideas.  A few books you might want to check out if you're interested in inter-religious dialogue:
Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, and Lau Tzu: The Parallel Sayings

Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed Cross the Road?

Living Buddha, Living Christ

And I'm just scratching the surface.  I'm planning to read some Thomas Merton next.

You're going to minor in all of those? 

What do you see similar between Scripture and the Tao Te Ching?