being that the eastern philosphies are distant geographically from the "big 3" i find them to be interesting of study in the area of "religion". they are immune to the semantic chaos and historical ties that the big three share. this is why i think most people of these theologies either have a hard time understanding the Taoist posts i type, or are afraid to takle them at all. they operate on a whole new set of variables and when looking through history, have a better track record. the fact that they cannot be tied firmly to old testament history...they make for a good place to start with understanding the divine with 99% less stuffiness.