Church as Sacrament of Yin-yang Harmony: Toward a More Incisive Participation of Laity and Women in the Church

Abstract

The author proposes a development of the Federation of Asian Bishops Conference’s theology of church as a sacrament of harmony, drawing in particular from the East Asian concept of yin-yang unity and integration. In Daoist beliefs, yin and yang are the generative forces of the cosmos whose blending and balancing result in harmony or the unimpeded flow of Qi-Ch’i. Yin and yang are opposite, complementary, non-dualistic, and fluid qualities of beings/things relative to particular contexts. The yin-yang symbolism can be fruitful for reimagining man–woman, cleric–lay, and other dualities in the church as fluid polarities.