Taoism: Beliefs and Pantheon

Taoist Beliefs

• Taoists believe in spiritual immortality, where the spirit joins the universe after death.
• The Tao Te Ching, a collection of poetry and sayings from the 3rd and 4th centuries BCE, guides Taoist thought and actions.

Taoist Pantheon

• Taoism venerates gods, though it doesn't have a God in the Abrahamic sense.

• The universe springs from the Tao, which guides things impersonally.

• The Tao is not a deity or worshipped directly.

• Taoists use "God-talk" to describe the Tao, acknowledging its influence and presence, but it's not a personal God.

• Lao Tsu is revered both as the first Taoist god and as the personification of the Tao.

• Many Taoist deities are borrowed from other cultures and are part of the universe, subject to the Tao, not omnipotent.

• Taoist gods often have specific roles and titles rather than distinct personal names.

• The Taoist pantheon is sometimes described as a heavenly bureaucracy similar to Imperial China's administration.

• Some interpret this connection as the secular administrations mirroring the heavenly structures, not the other way around. The close relationship between Imperial administrations and religious culture makes this plausible.