Is Catholicism compatible to Eastern philosophies (Taoism, Confucianism...)

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Being of Asian descent, I feel like my culture is a little left out whenever there’s a show or a book discussing the philosophical aspect of Catholicism. All the philosophers quoted are wonderful. Their thoughts are great thoughts. But they represents to me Western thoughts - linear, scientific, perhaps an inclination to dissect everything. I know that since Eastern philosophy is more religious than they are philosophical, some Eastern understandings may clash with the Church’s theology and doctrines. But just as the Church converted Platonism and Aristotelianism for the purpose of evangelization, why not Confucianism or Taoism, or even using religious stories from Hinduism and Buddhism to explain Christian doctrines?
 
Prayer, meditation, contemplation, is not simply intellectual or linear, it involves the heart as well as the mind.
Perhaps is might be helpful to find ways of deepening your prayer life and relationship with God through the riches of contemplative prayer in the Catholic tradition and you will, as many of the great saints, find the relationship and fullness that you desire.

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p4s1c3a1.htm

May God embrace you.
 
I think this will be a key development in the coming decades, i.e. the less liner/scientific language of the east as of mode of expressing Christian doctrines and concepts. I don’t mean a re-interpreting of Christianity in eastern terms (though that is already happening and will continue); I mean the communicating of genuinely Christian ideas in terms not of objective facts/logic but of subjective experience/feeling.

PeterJP
 
tata888 said:
Being of Asian descent, I feel like my culture is a little left out whenever there’s a show or a book discussing the philosophical aspect of Catholicism. All the philosophers quoted are wonderful. Their thoughts are great thoughts. But they represents to me Western thoughts - linear, scientific, perhaps an inclination to dissect everything. I know that since Eastern philosophy is more religious than they are philosophical, some Eastern understandings may clash with the Church’s theology and doctrines. But just as the Church converted Platonism and Aristotelianism for the purpose of evangelization, why not Confucianism or Taoism, or even using religious stories from Hinduism and Buddhism to explain Christian doctrines?
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Read 天主实录 (The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven), in it Matteo Ricci explains the similarities between Catholicism and Confucianism
 
The spiritual DNA of Christianity is well-removed from the Far East, and historically, when the two meet it has not been pretty. All forms of syncretism and relativism should be jealously avoided, and I consider Far East philosophy to be a particular danger to authentic Christian thought.

It has been alleged that something like Zen can be practiced in parallel with Catholicism, because Zen has no fixed doctrine, but it is still a bit far-fetched to me how one can immerse in Zen and receive transmission and yet not find tenets or ideas which contradict the unyielding teachings of the Church. But one Jesuit priest has supposedly done it anyway… take it up with his major superior.

If you want to “think different” in Catholicism then we have 22 Eastern Churches, each with unique praxis and belief which is a little more mystical and a little less linear and structured than the West. But I completely understand that this is not the same thing.
 
Elizium23 said:
The spiritual DNA of Christianity is well-removed from the Far East, and historically, when the two meet it has not been pretty. All forms of syncretism and relativism should be jealously avoided, and I consider Far East philosophy to be a particular danger to authentic Christian thought.

It has been alleged that something like Zen can be practiced in parallel with Catholicism, because Zen has no fixed doctrine, but it is still a bit far-fetched to me how one can immerse in Zen and receive transmission and yet not find tenets or ideas which contradict the unyielding teachings of the Church. But one Jesuit priest has supposedly done it anyway… take it up with his major superior.

If you want to “think different” in Catholicism then we have 22 Eastern Churches, each with unique praxis and belief which is a little more mystical and a little less linear and structured than the West. But I completely understand that this is not the same thing.
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Confucianism is quite compatible with Catholicism, it’s not a religion, it’s a philosophy.
 
Elizium23 said:
The spiritual DNA of Christianity is well-removed from the Far East, and historically, when the two meet it has not been pretty. All forms of syncretism and relativism should be jealously avoided, and I consider Far East philosophy to be a particular danger to authentic Christian thought.

It has been alleged that something like Zen can be practiced in parallel with Catholicism, because Zen has no fixed doctrine, but it is still a bit far-fetched to me how one can immerse in Zen and receive transmission and yet not find tenets or ideas which contradict the unyielding teachings of the Church. But one Jesuit priest has supposedly done it anyway… take it up with his major superior.

If you want to “think different” in Catholicism then we have 22 Eastern Churches, each with unique praxis and belief which is a little more mystical and a little less linear and structured than the West. But I completely understand that this is not the same thing.
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What do you mean by the Far East? While I understand that you’re objecting to the meshing of philosophies as Truth, but couching Christianity in such essentialist descriptions – “The spiritual DNA of Christianity is well-removed from the Far East”, “Far East philosophy to be a particular danger to authentic Christian thought”, comes off as part of a Western ethnocentricism that might actually turn off potential converts. Especially ‘far Eastern’ people.

I’m speaking in general terms, but Eastern philosophy (Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism) tends to place emphasis on the interconnectedness and community of life/nature/ people, rather than on the individual itself. The individual is never more important than the society. That everyone is part of an order, structure, hierarchy to adhere to.The family tends to be revered as of utmost importance, so filial piety, respect for the elderly, concern for the youth, traditions and rites, loyalty to one’s ruler a ‘proper’ way to carry out one’s life governs how one should live.

There is also the idea of a divine justice, divine mandate, karma, and the ‘Gods are watching’ mentality for some. Compassion, mercy, and transcendence are virtues. I also find it quite alarming and fascinating that there is a concept of the 18 levels of hell which corresponds to Catholic beliefs (though not necessarily 18 levels) of the levels of hell and purgatory, as well as appropriate punishment according to your sins in life. Many chinese also pray to the dead.

It is good to look at similarities, but there is a difference between acknowledging the similarities and incorporating them into beliefs. Eastern thought tends to be more spiritual, with mind, body, soul and relation to the world, than the empiricism of Western philosophy. (Generally)
Anyway, maybe the reason why Eastern philosophy isn’t discussed as much is because there are so many different strands, often very complex that if you’re not born into that particular religion/culture, you might find it an impassable barrier.
 
Reading the first few lines of the Gospel of John and the first few lines of the Tao Te Ching, I am struck by the similarity of their tone.
 
Elizium23 said:
The spiritual DNA of Christianity is well-removed from the Far East, and historically, when the two meet it has not been pretty. All forms of syncretism and relativism should be jealously avoided, and I consider Far East philosophy to be a particular danger to authentic Christian thought.

It has been alleged that something like Zen can be practiced in parallel with Catholicism, because Zen has no fixed doctrine, but it is still a bit far-fetched to me how one can immerse in Zen and receive transmission and yet not find tenets or ideas which contradict the unyielding teachings of the Church. But one Jesuit priest has supposedly done it anyway… take it up with his major superior.

If you want to “think different” in Catholicism then we have 22 Eastern Churches, each with unique praxis and belief which is a little more mystical and a little less linear and structured than the West. But I completely understand that this is not the same thing.
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Then the Church should bans everything that are not “authentically Christian”, includes Christmas, Easter. Nor should it endorses the teachings of Aristotle and Plato. Nor should it allows so many arts depicting pagan characters to be on displayed in the Vatican. To say Eastern philosophy is a danger to Christianity while freely praising western thoughts is in fact, an ethnocentric thing to do. Our Church is called the “Catholic” Church, not “the western religion” church
 
It’s interesting: I’d imagine that there’d be many a non-Catholic Christian who would find our multitude of saints and stigmatics and intecessors and papal edicts a vast and miasmic cornocupia of non-bibilcal beliefs. 🙂
 
tata888 said:
Being of Asian descent, I feel like my culture is a little left out whenever there’s a show or a book discussing the philosophical aspect of Catholicism. All the philosophers quoted are wonderful. Their thoughts are great thoughts. But they represents to me Western thoughts - linear, scientific, perhaps an inclination to dissect everything. I know that since Eastern philosophy is more religious than they are philosophical, some Eastern understandings may clash with the Church’s theology and doctrines. But just as the Church converted Platonism and Aristotelianism for the purpose of evangelization, why not Confucianism or Taoism, or even using religious stories from Hinduism and Buddhism to explain Christian doctrines?
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I know he wasn’t Catholic, but close enough: C.S. Lewis drew a bit from Taoism in his book Abolition of Man.

I definitely think there are true and good ideas in the East. There’s probably a reason why the Church grew up more in the West and nourished by western philosophy; but there’s no reason why there can’t be a a future Doctor of the Church from east Asia, with enlightening theological developments from Taoism and Confucianism.
 
tata888 said:
Being of Asian descent, I feel like my culture is a little left out whenever there’s a show or a book discussing the philosophical aspect of Catholicism. All the philosophers quoted are wonderful. Their thoughts are great thoughts. But they represents to me Western thoughts - linear, scientific, perhaps an inclination to dissect everything. I know that since Eastern philosophy is more religious than they are philosophical, some Eastern understandings may clash with the Church’s theology and doctrines. But just as the Church converted Platonism and Aristotelianism for the purpose of evangelization, why not Confucianism or Taoism, or even using religious stories from Hinduism and Buddhism to explain Christian doctrines?
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Well, why don’t you get an advanced degree in Theology and then you can do the job or at least do your bit. Although there are a large number of Catholics in the East and would be more if it weren’t for hostile sects which were more political than anything else. 👍
 
Dakota_Roberts said:
Confucianism is quite compatible with Catholicism, it’s not a religion, it’s a philosophy.
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This in no way demonstrates that it is compatible with Catholicism. IMO, quite the opposite. Any philosophy that does not is areligious must be, on some level, incompatible with Catholicism.
 
tafan said:
This in no way demonstrates that it is compatible with Catholicism. IMO, quite the opposite. Any philosophy that does not is areligious must be, on some level, incompatible with Catholicism.
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Read The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven by Matteo Ricci
 
tata888 said:
Then the Church should bans everything that are not “authentically Christian”, includes Christmas, Easter. Nor should it endorses the teachings of Aristotle and Plato. Nor should it allows so many arts depicting pagan characters to be on displayed in the Vatican. To say Eastern philosophy is a danger to Christianity while freely praising western thoughts is in fact, an ethnocentric thing to do. Our Church is called the “Catholic” Church, not “the western religion” church
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Okay, which saints have extolled the virtues of Eastern philosophy? Where in the writings of the Early Church Fathers can you show me support for Taoism? What about papal encyclicals explaining how Christians should embrace Buddhism? Which Doctors of the Church wrote volumes based in Confucianism?
 
Dakota_Roberts said:
Read The True Meaning of the Lord of Heaven by Matteo Ricci
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My point was not that confucianism is completely incompatible. My point was that your argument about why it is quite compatible is wrong. There can be no clear line between philisophy and religion, as you imply. And any philosophy that is completely non religious, is at its core, false. Or rather, it is not actually a philosophy.

Perhaps it would be better to describe Confucianism as a set of moral teachings, rather than a philosophy?
 
tafan said:
My point was not that confucianism is completely incompatible. My point was that your argument about why it is quite compatible is wrong. There can be no clear line between philisophy and religion, as you imply. And any philosophy that is completely non religious, is at its core, false. Or rather, it is not actually a philosophy.

Perhaps it would be better to describe Confucianism as a set of moral teachings, rather than a philosophy?
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That wasn’t an argument for it…
 
tafan said:
Well, don’t hold us in suspense too long. Why is it Catholocism and Confucianism compatible? It’s a serious question and seems quite important to the OP.
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Someone wrote an entire book on it…
 
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