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ordinary Chinese. 16
Similarly, earlier Taoist texts exhibited teachings on “moral action and
conduct” along with “individual spirituality” and thoughts concerning the glories of nature. In
contrast, later Taoist writings included “treatises on magic and longevity, ramblings by saints in
states of trance.” 17
So the earlier, more reserved teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism each
evolved into more phenomenal, mystical, and occultic versions. There is a fair amount of
agreement that among the chief reasons for these changes was that these religions became rivals
of each other and competed for adherents. The result was the inclination to incorporate widely
and syncretistically from both the surrounding religious and non-religious folk beliefs. As
Frazier states rather succinctly, all three religions “responded to every pressure from the laity to
provide whatever succor or spiritual comfort was required by the people.” 18
At least from what we can tell authoritatively concerning Buddha, Confucius, and Lao
Tzu, then, there are no rivals to Jesus whatsoever in that these three teachers definitely did not
refer to themselves as deity, especially not in the theistic sense that we are speaking here. In
fact, each of these systems might be referred to as some variety of qualified naturalism, which is
diametrically opposed to Jesus’ outlook. While we have seen that later versions of these
religions migrated away from the earlier forms, this was more prominent hundreds of years later
and did not reflect the views of the founders, but was decidedly more syncretistic.
Beyond these ancient and more naturalistic ethical, social, and political thinkers, another
prominent category for the foremost religious founders would be that of a prophet.
16 Frazier, Chinese and Japanese Religions, 16.
17 Frazier, Chinese and Japanese Religions, 22-23.
18 Details are provided especially in Frazier, Chinese and Japanese Religions, 23-25; the quotation is from page 23;
also Nigosian, 76-79, 88, 119, 124-125, 128; Bahm, 86.
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