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A Critical Reflection of Christian Anthropocentrism and Ecological Crisis from a Taoist Perspective: a Contribution to Christian-Taoist Eco-Theology

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A Critical Reflection of Christian Anthropocentrism and Ecological Crisis from a Taoist Perspective: a Contribution to Christian-Taoist Eco-Theology A Critical Reflection of Christian Anthropocentrism and Ecological Crisis from a Taoist Perspective: A Contribution to Christian-Taoist Eco-Theology by Wu, Tsui-Jung A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Theology and Religion School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham December 2011 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................................... II NOTES ON USE OF BIBLICAL AND TAOIST TEXTS ...................................................................... III GLOSSARY OF CHINESE TERMS ........................................................................................................ IV CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE REVIEW.................................................... 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 THE DEMAND FOR A CHRISTIAN-TAOIST STUDY ................................................................................... 2 1.2.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 RESEARCH LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................... 4 1.3.1 Review of Christian-Taoist Studies ............................................................................................... 4 1.3.1.1 Classifications of Current Writings on Christian-Taoist Studies ............................................................ 4 1.3.1.1.1 Comparisons or Dialogues between Christianity and Chinese Culture or Religions ...................... 5 1.3.1.1.2 The Comparison or Dialogue between Christian and Taoist Spirituality ....................................... 6 1.3.1.1.3 Christianity and Laozi or Zhuangzi’s Thought .............................................................................. 7 1.3.1.1.4 Dao and God or Dao and Jesus Christ............................................................................................ 9 1.3.1.1.5 The History of Taoism and Resulting Problems for Christian-Taoist Studies ............................... 9 1.3.2 Review of Taoism and Ecology Studies ...................................................................................... 11 1.3.2.1 Classifications of the Current Writings on Taoist Ecology Studies ...................................................... 11 1.3.2.1.1 General Introduction to Chinese Ecological Thought .................................................................. 12 1.3.2.1.2 Taoist Complements to Western or Christian Ecological Thought .............................................. 13 1.3.2.1.3 Studies of Individual Themes in Taoist Ecology ......................................................................... 14 1.3.2.1.4 Suggestions for Christian-Taoist Study ........................................................................................ 16 1.3.3 Review of the Studies of the Taiping Jing .................................................................................. 17 1.3.3.1 A Brief Introduction to the Taiping Jing .............................................................................................. 17 1.3.3.2 Current Literature on the Study of the Taiping Jing ............................................................................. 18 1.4 PREPARATION FOR THE CHRISTIAN-TAOIST STUDY ON THE CONCEPTS OF HARMONY......................... 22 1.4.1 Clarification of Terms ................................................................................................................. 22 1.4.2 Justification of Concepts of Holistic Harmony as a Theme for Christian-Taoist Study ............. 24 1.4.3 Purposes of Christian-Taoist Study of the Concepts of Holistic Harmony ................................. 26 1.5 THE SCOPE OF THE STUDY ................................................................................................................... 26 1.6 METHODOLOGY AND PLAN OF A CHRISTIAN-TAOIST STUDY OF THE CONCEPTS OF HARMONY ........... 27 1.6.1 Methodology of the Christian-Taoist Study of the Concepts of Harmony .................................. 27 1.6.2 Plan of the Christian-Taoist Study with the Concepts of Harmony ............................................ 28 CHAPTER TWO: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE THESIS OF LYNN WHITE, JR. ..................... 31 2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 31 2.2 WHITE’S PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROOTS OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS .................................................... 33 2.3 DEBATES ABOUT WHITE’S ARGUMENTS .............................................................................................. 36 2.4 WHITE’S CONTRIBUTION TO HOLISTIC HARMONY ............................................................................... 46 2.5 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ...................................................................................... 48 CHAPTER THREE: CHRISTIAN ANTHROPOCENTRISM AND ITS LIMITATIONS ................. 50 3.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 50 3.2 A BRIEF ACCOUNT OF CHRISTIAN HARMONY ...................................................................................... 51 3.3 THE BIBLICAL QUEST OF STEWARDSHIP .............................................................................................. 55 3.4 THE THEOLOGICAL INTERPRETATIONS OF STEWARDSHIP .................................................................... 62 3.4.1 Catholic Perspectives .................................................................................................................. 63 3.4.2 Martin Luther and John Calvin’s Perspectives ............................................................................ 65 3.4.3 Other Theological Perspectives ................................................................................................... 67 3.5 THE LIMITATIONS OF CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP ................................................................................. 68 3.6 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ...................................................................................... 72 CHAPTER FOUR: TAIPING IN THE TAIPING JING .......................................................................... 75 4.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 75 4.2 THE BROAD CONCEPTUALIZATION OF TAIPING .................................................................................... 76 4.3 ASPECTS OF TAIPING IN THE TAIPING JING ........................................................................................... 80 4.3.1 The States of the Absence of Taiping ......................................................................................... 82 4.3.2 The States of the Arrival of Taiping ............................................................................................ 84 4.4 SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS ...................................................................................... 89 CHAPTER FIVE: THE CESSATION OF CLINGING .......................................................................... 91 5.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................... 91 5.2 CULTURAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL COMPONENTS OF CHRISTIAN COSMOLOGY AND TAOIST COSMOLOGY ........................................................................................................................................................... 92 5.2.1 The Fundamental Theories of Western/Christian Cosmology .................................................... 94 5.2.2 The Fundamental Theories of Chinese and Taoist Cosmology ................................................. 101 5.3 CHRISTIAN-TAOISM ENCOUNTERS ON THE CONCEPTS OF GOD VS. DAO AND THE CHOSEN PEOPLE VS. THE SEED PEOPLE ............................................................................................................................. 105 5.3.1 God vs. Dao ............................................................................................................................... 108 5.3.2 Chosen People vs. Seed People ................................................................................................. 112 5.4 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................................
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