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“This has come from Allah.” But if a bad thing happens to them,
they say, “This has come from you.” Say, “Everything comes from
Allah.” What is the matter with these people that they scarcely un-
derstand a single word? (Surat an-Nisa’: 78)

No indeed! We have given these people enjoyment, as We did their
fathers, until life seemed long and good to them. Do they not see
how We come to the land eroding it from its extremities? Or are
they the victors? (Surat al-Anbiya’: 44)

THE REVIVAL OF TAOISM

Taoism has had many ups and downs in its long history. As not-
ed earlier, Taoism was a respected belief until the rise of the Han dy-
nasty, but with the emergence of Buddhism in the 6th century it began
to decline. It was promoted again in the 8th century by Emperor Hsuan
Tsung, but the Manchu emperor declared the Taoist teachings a heresy
once more.
With the arrival of communist rule in China, all religions were
prohibited. The new regime forced all monks to work in agriculture,
closed the temples and confiscated their property. By the year 1960, the

number of monks had declined from several million to about 50,000.
During the Cultural Revolution, which took place between the years
1966-1976, whatever was left of the Taoist heritage was largely eradi-
cated. During this time all but a few temples were closed, thousands
were destroyed, and 95% of all idols and icons were destroyed by fa-
natical Red Guards, and this almost succeeded in eradicating Taoism.
Following the rise to power of Deng Xiaoping in 1982, Taoism and

the other superstitious beliefs began to be revived again. They were or-
ganized anew in the 1980s and some temples came to life again. At pre-

Harun Yahya (Adnan Oktar)