Verse Forty-SevenDualistic thinking is a sickness. Religion is a distortion. Materialism is cruel. Blind spirituality is unreal. Chanting is no more holy than listening to the murmur of a stream, counting prayer beads no more sacred than simply breathing, religious robes no more spiritual than work clothes. If you wish to attain oneness with the Tao, don't get caught up in spiritual superficialities. Instead, live a quiet and simple life, free of ideas and concepts. Find contentment in the practice of undiscriminating virtue, the only true power. Giving to others selflessly and anonymously, radiating light throughout the world and illuminating your own darknesses, your virtue becomes a sanctuary for yourself and all beings. This is what is meant by embodying the Tao.~ Translated by Brian Walker ~
If a person finds peace in believing in a religion, what's it to you? This question has been posed to me before and it's something I wrestle with internally. On the one hand, I firmly believe that each person must find and make their own path. For some, this is the path of religious belief. On the other hand, most religions -- though not all -- postulate a dualistic world and I view this creation as the cause of much personal stress and anxiety as well as the engine behind a good deal of the conflict in the world.
I often can't figure out how to reconcile these two opposing viewpoints. So, as is well illustrated on this blog, I flip-flop a lot. At times, my writing focuses strictly on Taoist themes and my understanding of such. At other times, my writing focuses on a sharp critique of Christianity (the religious doctrine I know the most about). And a good deal of the time, we wind up with a mixture of the two.
In many ways, I understand the motivation behind fundamentalists who feel it their Christian duty to proselytize any nonbelievers who they come in contact with. If you think someone is making a mad dash down a darkened corridor toward a brick wall, the humane thing to do is to warn the person that, if they don't change course, they're going to smack into the wall. Standing by idly, so you can pick scrape them off the floor after the fact, doesn't seem to me to be a very virtuous strategy!
On the other hand, beating someone over the head with your perspective -- particularly one many people don't share -- is counterproductive. More often than not, most of us will react to that kind of methodology by digging in our heels and covering our ears. In reality, screaming at people -- figuratively or literally -- generally will lead to the exact opposite result one desires.
In the end, there is no easy answer.
This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.
I often can't figure out how to reconcile these two opposing viewpoints. So, as is well illustrated on this blog, I flip-flop a lot. At times, my writing focuses strictly on Taoist themes and my understanding of such. At other times, my writing focuses on a sharp critique of Christianity (the religious doctrine I know the most about). And a good deal of the time, we wind up with a mixture of the two.
In many ways, I understand the motivation behind fundamentalists who feel it their Christian duty to proselytize any nonbelievers who they come in contact with. If you think someone is making a mad dash down a darkened corridor toward a brick wall, the humane thing to do is to warn the person that, if they don't change course, they're going to smack into the wall. Standing by idly, so you can pick scrape them off the floor after the fact, doesn't seem to me to be a very virtuous strategy!
On the other hand, beating someone over the head with your perspective -- particularly one many people don't share -- is counterproductive. More often than not, most of us will react to that kind of methodology by digging in our heels and covering our ears. In reality, screaming at people -- figuratively or literally -- generally will lead to the exact opposite result one desires.
In the end, there is no easy answer.
This post is part of a "miniseries". For an introduction, go here.
nope, there isn't. i see value in religion as it encourages a lot of people to be moral. however it definitely limits your perspective! when my child grows up i will make it clear that i don't care what religion or sexuality or profession he adopts, just as long as he is respectful of those different from himself.
ReplyDeleteIf there's no question, the need to answer just vanish.
ReplyDeleteI particularly find the 'act' of fundamentalism as a form of insecureness. When someone isn't completely sure about his/her belief, they 'practice' proselytism. It's funny, is like some kind of -ISM pattern. Those who are free doesn't -ISM. Most of we humans live our lives not realizing in the process, we're trapped inside so many illusions, and to accept that is the most difficult task.
Again, for each level of comprehension there's a belief. One cannot oblige someone to understand something of which isn't prepare for, yet. Each belief is like one step ahead, or behind.
Iktomi,
ReplyDeleteIf you hold to that (and I see no reason why you wouldn't), your son will be the beneficiary of a most stupendous gift!
Sojourner,
You first sentence says it all!! Thanks.