From time to time, I find myself engaging the "opposition" in discussion. I'll be surfing around the net and I happen on a Christian blog. Most of the time I read what they have to say, wince and then go on my merry way. Sometimes though, I decide to leave a comment and that's usually when the free-for-all begins! ;>)
Recently, I've been engaged in debate and discussion at the Pugnacious Irishman. I must give kudos to my host because, thus far, our discussions have been very civil and respectful. This is a welcome change from the usual name calling and devout temper tantrums I tend to find at many such blogs.
As I drifted off to sleep last night, I was trying to think of a good metaphor (as you've probably noticed, I LOVE metaphors) to illustrate the different focus points of Christians and Taoists. Somewhere between awake and asleep, I hit upon the idea of cake. Don't you just love a yummy metaphor?
For Christians, the whole focus of the cake (the world as we know it) is on the baker (God) and his sous chef (Jesus). Christians are devoted to the Chef and Sous Chef because, according to their perspective, there would be no cake without them. Christians realize there must be a recipe, but they deem that is the sole province of the baker.
For Taoists, there is no specific baker of cakes; there is simply a process that causes cakes to come into being. This process is both how the cake is created and the cake itself. While Taoists recognize that the process is so vast that we could never understand it completely, we believe that by watching the process unfold daily and examining the cake before us, we can learn something of how it was made and utilize the lessons learned in our own lives.
Thus, the only thing Taoists & Christians share in common is the cake before us. Our understanding of the properties which the cake entails are completely different and this is why it is often difficult to having meaningful conversations about this delectable dessert.
(And, before you ask, yes, I watch the Food Network a lot.)
Recently, I've been engaged in debate and discussion at the Pugnacious Irishman. I must give kudos to my host because, thus far, our discussions have been very civil and respectful. This is a welcome change from the usual name calling and devout temper tantrums I tend to find at many such blogs.
As I drifted off to sleep last night, I was trying to think of a good metaphor (as you've probably noticed, I LOVE metaphors) to illustrate the different focus points of Christians and Taoists. Somewhere between awake and asleep, I hit upon the idea of cake. Don't you just love a yummy metaphor?
For Christians, the whole focus of the cake (the world as we know it) is on the baker (God) and his sous chef (Jesus). Christians are devoted to the Chef and Sous Chef because, according to their perspective, there would be no cake without them. Christians realize there must be a recipe, but they deem that is the sole province of the baker.
For Taoists, there is no specific baker of cakes; there is simply a process that causes cakes to come into being. This process is both how the cake is created and the cake itself. While Taoists recognize that the process is so vast that we could never understand it completely, we believe that by watching the process unfold daily and examining the cake before us, we can learn something of how it was made and utilize the lessons learned in our own lives.
Thus, the only thing Taoists & Christians share in common is the cake before us. Our understanding of the properties which the cake entails are completely different and this is why it is often difficult to having meaningful conversations about this delectable dessert.
(And, before you ask, yes, I watch the Food Network a lot.)
To carry your cake metaphor one step further...most Christians believe the cake was baked for them and it is separate from them and there are those of us who realize that we are the cake and are meddling with the recipe on a daily basis. There are also those that realize in some way that they are a part of the cake but insist on being the icing.
ReplyDeleteHi R T
ReplyDeleteI like cake regardless of who baked it. I will eat cake with you and hope you will eat cake with me too.
Love and peace
Gail
Great comments from all three of you. More sage thoughts to ponder.
ReplyDelete