The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.These passages represent another gulf of belief between Christianity and philosophical Taoism. For the former, God is said to be with the righteous, but estranged from the evil and the wicked. Tao makes no value judgments, so is available for all.
~ King James version ~
Tao plays no favorites.
~ possible Taoist alternative ~
If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.
Indeed Tao is available to all, but many people are estranged or out of harmony with it. Through practices, understanding (I hesitate to say "effort") we can regain, attain Tao. The practices and meditation are not unlike the "prayer of the righteous". I don't see this as a "gulf between Christianity and philosophical Taoism."
ReplyDeleteYour blog, my pilgrimages to China, can be understood as "prayers of the righteous." It's something we are doing that other people (those "ordinary people" Lao Tzu refers to), those out of harmony, are not doing.
You write "God is said to be with the righteous, but estranged from the evil and the wicked." Actually, it is quite the opposite...the evil and wicked are estranged from God as a result of their actions, not God's.
It depends on how you look at it. If God made everything, then he made evil and wickedness. So, one could posit that the estrangement still rests on God's side.
ReplyDelete