Friday, June 24, 2011

Tao Bible - Proverbs 24:14

So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
~ King James version ~

A truly good man is not aware of his goodness,
And is therefore good.
~ from Verse 38 of the Tao Te Ching ~
This verse of Proverbs illustrates one of my chief problems with the Christian belief system. We are told to be good in order to obtain God's good graces. This means the underlying motivation to lead a moral life is the hope of a great reward (or trying to escape a severe punishment). Our focus is not on the divine; it's on ourselves and our own gratification.

Lao Tzu suggests we try to follow the Way in how we comport ourselves and leave the distinctions between "good" and "bad" to others.

If you're interested in reading more from this experimental series, go to the Tao Bible Index page.

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