The economy of cosmic power: A theory of religious transaction and a comparative study of Shangquing Daoism and the Christian religion of Augustine of Hippo (Saint)

This dissertation develops a theory called "The Economy of Cosmic Power." The theory argues that religious practices should be understood as transactions of power that take place between religious practitioners and the cosmological contexts in which they are embedded. This theory is necessary in order to understand the practices of the religious movement known as Shangqing ("Highest Clarity") Daoism that began in southern China towards the end of the fourth century C.E. This theory makes it possible to establish a comparison between Shangqing Daoism and other religious traditions on the topic of religious action and proposes the hypothesis that religious action may legitimately be understood in this cosmological framework. In order to test the hypothesis, Shangqing Daoism is compared with the Christian religion of Augustine; Chapter 1 begins by explaining the concept of dao as the matrix of cosmic power which generates and structures the diversity of human life. It then explains the notion of cosmic power (de) as the possibility of interactive communication between human beings and their destiny (ming), the celestial constellation of cosmic forces which determines the configuration of human lives. From this unfolds the theory that religious practices are transactions that take place between people and this cosmic matrix in such an economy of cosmic power. Chapter 2 compares the concepts of revelation and truth in Christian and Daoist thinking in order to frame the subsequent detailed comparisons.; The theory is then developed in four stages, each of which provides an opportunity for four comparative studies: (1) the Shangqing view of the body and Augustine's rejection of Manichaeism; (2) the Shangqing view of death and Augustine's battle with the Donatists; (3) the Shangqing visualization of body gods and Augustine's Confessions; (4) the Shangqing transformation of sexual practices and Augustine's debate with Julian of Eclanum.; The conclusion assesses the significance of the dissertation for the comparative study of religion and points to areas for future study.