We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfill all thy petitions.The writer suggests that God answers the prayers of the righteous who believe in him.
~ King James version ~
Salvation comes from emptying ourselves of unquenchable desire.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~
Tao does not exist to answer our longings nor to fulfill our desires. It is when we empty ourselves of desire and seeks answers without questions that the qi has the ability to flow through us.
If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.
Here are the words from a Christian Trappist Monk that in many respects agree with your criticism of fundamental Christianity;
ReplyDelete"There’s something terribly wrong with spirituality today. It’s as though the materialism that has a death grip on this culture has taken our spirituality as well. Most of what’s called spiritual is actually humanistic if you think about it. People don’t want the adventure of God on His own terms and for His own sake, they want a better world, a happier life, better relationships, and all the trimmings that go along with it. Most of it isn’t spiritual it’s sweetly comforting and sentimental. It’s merely edifying".
“What I mean is the way in which modern spirituality has made God the means to an end and not the end itself. We’re urged to love, serve, and seek God because this or that human good will come of it. People don’t realize “because” implies the end is the human good and Truth merely the means. Human desire becomes the false god in this equation".