God Wants You to Kill

Having read and re-read the Bible in my search for enlightenment, I am amazed by the rationalizations for violence in the name of God. Gotama Siddhartha said the only thing you should kill is your anger.

I'm thankful that I found the way of Tao.

Bad Taoist

I'm not a very good Taoist.

The first rule of being a Taoist: Don't talk about being a Taoist. Okay, maybe not the first rule, but it's certainly up there. We're supposed to be humble and quiet about our philosophy. Says so in the Tao Te Ching.

It's sort of like being a born-again Christian, I'm so happy that I finally found a philosophy that lines up with my values that I have to tell everyone about it. I even have a website: You Might Be A Taoist that has lines like, "If you describe yourself as spiritual but not religious... you might be a Taoist". And I hope one day to turn it into a little book, like "Chicken Soup for the Soul".

See? Not being quiet about it. In fact, sometimes I'm quite militant about it when Christians try to pummel me with scripture. I whack them back with peaceful Taoist thoughts.

If Taoists believed in hell, I'd probably have to go there.

I Pledge Allegiance

There have been a lot of postings lately on Facebook (due to the 9-11 anniversary, I think) regarding the "Pledge of Allegiance". Typically they are written in all caps, because that makes it somehow easier to see the fervor of the author.

I've always thought that pledging allegiance to a flag made little sense, like worshiping idols. I have no problem with pledging allegiance to the republic of the United States of America, but being a Taoist, I don't believe in G-O-D.

So...

As a veteran who supports our troops, a registered voter, and a Taoist, I can easily say the pledge, with my hand over my heart, without the words that I find unnecessary or divisive:

"I pledge allegiance to the... United States of America, and to the republic... one nation... indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Easy-peasy :)