Mainstream Taoism
Mainstream Taoism — encompassing folk religion, monastic Quanzhen and Zhengyi orders, and the philosophical legacy of the Tao Te Ching — is a low-CLCI reference point.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — diverse religious-philosophical tradition; voluntary practice.
Profile facts
In context
Taoism is internally diverse: folk-religious practice, monastic orders (Quanzhen celibate monks, Zhengyi married priests), philosophical Daoism, and modern qigong/internal-alchemy revivals. There is no central authority; participation is voluntary. Specific qigong sects (notably some Falun Gong / Falun Dafa adjacent currents) have separate concerns covered elsewhere.
Key control doctrines
- Wu wei (effortless action)
- Cultivation of qi
- Three Treasures (jing, qi, shen)
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Evidence by BITE axis
- Wu wei (effortless action)
- Cultivation of qi
- Three Treasures (jing, qi, shen)
Timeline
- 6th c. BCETao Te Ching attributed to Laozi
- 2nd c. CECelestial Masters movement
Sources
- Livia Kohn, 'Daoism Handbook' (2000) search ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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