Is Taoism a Religion?

Originally a Chinese philosophy, Taoism is gaining popular in the West and the rest of the world, and has been widely embraced as a way of life.

Tao Te Ching, the best-known Taoist classic, has become the most translated text, second only to the Bible.

Is Taoism a religion?

The answer is yes and no.

In China — the origin of Taoism —  it is practiced both as a philosophy and religion. For those who observe it as a philosophy, they’d portray the system of belief as Daojia (道家), or the ‘school of Tao’.   For those who worship it as a religion, they would call it Daojiao (道教), meaning ‘the religion of Dao’ .

There are also people who practice both. They see the Tao as a philosophy, and live it as the religion.

In China, Taoism is sometimes akin to Buddhism. This is because Taoism per-existed Buddhism in the country. When Buddhism was first introduced into the country, Taoism was used as a vehicle to spread the religion. This explains why until today, Taoist literature is still being used to interpret Buddhism.

In the West, on the other hand, there are attempts to interpret Tao Te Ching alongside the Bible.