with. He talks a lot about self-examining before you make judgements about other things. I'm quite confused in a lot of it's teaching as it seems more of a philosophy of thought rather then a
religion but then Smith talks about this in one of his sub-chapters which seems to show a Heaven-Hell relationship that is interesting.
Taoism started with another man and not a god this time his name was Lao Tzu who was said to be born around 604 B.C. It is said that there is almost nothing known about the man but there are lot's of
written legends about him. It is said that he wanted to leave from his people because of the fact that they were failing their traditions and wanted to live at peace. A man asked if he would
record his beliefs and Lao Tzu did such and we now have the Tao Te Ching or The Way and It's Power. This is basically a Taoists bible. A lot of people are not sure whether it's accounts are true
or not but they are for sure of it's influence on Chinese thought and culture. It is said that there are three meanings of Tao which are presented in Smiths book. First it's the way of ultimate
reality. Second it is the way of the universe and Third it refers to the way of human life. There are three types of Taoism that are transversed into the world. The first is philosophical Taoism which
is not a religion but a way of thought and a code almost. Basically it is called their wisdom in China or school Taoism. The Second kind is Taoist Hygien and Yoga...These are the people that practice
taoism. Basically they believe in a power or energy force called ch'i which provides "the proper entrance to this second school, for though it literally means breath, it actually means vital energy."
as stated in Smith's book. They try to eat things that have ch'i or collect their own semen to preserve ch'i or try to breath correctly to absorb ch'i from the atmosphere. The other way they believe to
find ch'i is self-meditation or finding inner piece by way of yoga and/or accupuncture. Third is religious Taoism which is a church and they worship the different aspects of Taoist thought. The
religion seems to be like a supersitition with how it deals with energy and almost like magic things. They firmly believe in magic and magic cures and etc. Taoism is where we hear of the Ying and
Yang aspect that everything in nature has a balance and that we are balanced in good and bad and etc. Everything is capable of both ways. It is which one the person choses. Also it is saying that
one thing might be bad but leads to good or one thing that looks good can lead to bad and it may cycle. Their is a story told about a farmers horses running away in Smiths book which circles this
point. In conclusion I feel that Confucianism deals more with the thought
and moral coding of things where Taoism deals with the spiritual realm and how things go in the universe by way of energy forces or etc.
thought in Gnosticism which may involve different group leaders or different aspects of symbolism in religion. The main goal of gnostics is to attain knowledge of God. Not the knowledge as in
wisdom but an experience of knowledge of God. Gnostics believe that God is hidden and we must unlock several doors to get to him using several keys to get there. They generally believe that there was no
other god before thee God and therefor he has no name because no one could have named him. And that he is immeasurable no size or description can accurately describe God. Gnostic tradition starts
back with Christianity in the fact that they took several dimensions of Christianity into their school of thought. Some forms of Gnosticism take the stories told in the Old Testament to have
different lessons to be learned besides the traditional ones. For example with Adam and Eve, some Gnostics look at the serpent as good and that the serpent blessed Adam and Eve with powers. They believe
that the god of Abraham isn't the "real" ultimate god of the godhead but a minor lesser god. This put them at odds with the traditional Christian community. Some claim that this god was an evil god and
not one to be known. Other sects of Gnosticism prohibit marraige, sex, and eating of meat. And still others feel that we are continually reincarnated until we find the knowledge of God and then move on.
When you look at Gnosticism and Sant tradition you find many similarites and some differences. Sant tradition is a religion. Sants believe in a God whose knowledge is attainable and that God wants us to know Him and wants us to do this out of our own self- will. A Sant is someone who has lost his personhood and has attained the highest realm of knowledge with God according to Dr Diem's article. They feel that these Sants are continuously brought into this world through reincarnation to help others discover what they have discovered. Sants also believe in vegetarianism, no drugs/alcohol, and no illicit sex. However, I'm not clear if they ban marraige though. Sants also believe that Jesus, Buddha, etc. were all different sons of God and that there is not one specific true son. They don't give religious preference towards anyone. Both religions believe that God is sovereign and that He is immeasurable and both groups think there is a Supreme God and a "creator" god. Gnosticism it seems have a little bit of Calvanism in them in using the term that the "elect" are granted salvation while the remainder have to "cycle" through life after life until they attain the knowledge. They also both believe in the Christian view that sins are passed down and that is why all of us suffer at some point in life. Both religions also use lights and sounds to allow themselves the proper "key" to unlock the doors required to attain more knowledge. In difference Gnostics just care about the knowledge were Sants want to learn of the experience involved as well. These are the major points of similarities I found in the reading. Others are their but seemed like both sides differed on the details as to each. I feel that those things are what differentiates both groups so I will keep them different.