Do you need do be a theist person to be a Taoist?

If you take away the dogmatist's addendum to the idea, I am also agnostic. I consider the Tao my God as well as the God of all of man's Gods but, whether or not it's conscious, I haven't a clue. Something in the way of things has a very strong scent of consciousness and makes for excellent company but it needn't be consciousness, as man defines it, to experience it as such so I don't know. I am often awed and high-five it a lot, in my own acknowledgement of it, and it smacks me if I stray too far from the path I've chosen but, whatever it is, it seems to high-five me back and it's certainly infinitely smarter and more creative than any human and unbelievably hilarious in how it "smacks" me - i.e. informs me when I get the wrong end of the stick - so who cares?

Atheists call me theist and theists call me atheist but how others define me is about them, not me, so it's not really any of my business.

BTW - what I call "agnosticism" is simply not knowing and what I call the dogmatist's addendum to agnosticism is the same addendum they add to philosophical skepticism in general which is, "nobody can know". No skeptic would claim any such knowledge of what others can or can't know. It doesn't make any sense from that perspective. But, that's the way of dogmatism and a matter of human affairs. Personally, I like reality. Regardless of what it is. For me, it's an infinitely large, unknown, explorable hoot that awes and amuses me and seems to enjoy being enjoyed very much. Imagine an immutable companion as big and brilliant as the multiverse that loves nothing more than it loves being loved and knows exactly how to awe, amuse and amaze each and every individual, personally. That's a companion. Whether in the form of other human beings or squirrels and birds performing acrobatics as if for an audience. Or a perfect cup of tea with a perfect scone at a rib joint in Harlem.

/r/taoism Thread