The source of all power is within yourself. Although external circumstances may occasionally hamper you, true movement comes solely from within yourself. The source is latent in everyone, but anyone can learn to tap it. When this happens, power rises like a shimmering well through the center of your body.~ from 365 Tao: Daily Meditations, Entry 59 ~
As should be easily apparent, one of my major critiques with the Christian religion is this idea that each of us is powerless and needs the intercession of a creator to be "saved." I cringe every time I hear someone say that each of us is born sinful and we're all a bunch of hopeless wretches. The way I look at it, if a person tells themselves that often enough, it will soon become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Such a person will become wretched because they believe it is so!
Our bodies seem to function just fine without the need for such intercession. I don't think the hand of God instructs my body to breathe or my heart to beat. My brain controls my involuntary bodily functions. So, why should we need intercession for other aspects of our lives?
Our bodies seem to function just fine without the need for such intercession. I don't think the hand of God instructs my body to breathe or my heart to beat. My brain controls my involuntary bodily functions. So, why should we need intercession for other aspects of our lives?
re-posted my thoughts on this piece from 2005, with some updates. I don't think we are here to be saved by God's love but to share God's love. That is the ideal that Christianity teaches, and that I wish more people would live by. The point of Christ's story was to love people even when they crucified you (metaphorically). If you live that way and love others even when they demand you sacrifice yourself, then you are following Christ's path.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the Tao path, since, like you, I like walking my own path, and believe that is what we all really do in life. But, for those who need a guide on their journey, Christ isn't a bad model -- but many churches misuse his teachings. It is the perversions of the teachings that bring the real porblems.