Tao of the Ten Commandments

[silent thunder]

I was raised Charismatic Lutheran. 10 commandments are fairly foundational to the paradigm.

I bought all of it hook line and sinker, like I bought all things I was exposed to by the people I loved and trusted as a child.

 

Until I reached the age of reason and read the bible cover to cover, twice.

The contradictions and cognitive dissonance stacked into an un-ignorable heap until I found I had to move on. I was resentful and bitter toward the 'lies' I was fed for years and years.

 

I am no longer bitter and have come full circle to revel in many of Christ's teachings. The Gnostics particularly resonate.

 

But I had a moment I wanted to share, some time after I left the church, regarding the 10 commandments that was very powerful for me and helped me to release much of the pent up anger and resentment and it was a subtle change in perspective.

 

The 10 commandments in my experience should be called the 10 path markers.

 

They are not a list of 10 things you should never do, or you'll be punished for eternity, or punished at all perhaps... I don't know. They are a list of things that you would never do, were you to be walking the Path of love.

 

They are a brief, incomplete list; clear road markers as to what path you are on.

 

When I am keyed into divine love, it is not something outside of me. It emanates from my being. I can't call it God. I don't believe in that type of being. But I have definitely experienced divine love and that feeling is what the christians in my church called 'walking with god'. "He is so filled with love, he's really walking with God." As I said, I don't believe in God, but I experience a godly love in my Path in life.

 

The tao of the ten commandments are really the 10 path markers that tell you whether you are on the path of divine love/tao/bliss/unity.

 

When you are walking in love/unity/tao you simply will not be capable of killing, stealing, coveting... anything.

 

It would be impossible to have any other gods above this, as this experience is transcendent even of the idea of a god.

 

When man followed the Tao, no laws existed.

 

 

sidenote: My mom got a call from my youth minister the night I asked him why 'Thou shalt not rape' was not a commandment. That one still bothers me.

 

 

[Aetherous]

Good thinking.

I always wonder if things would've been different, if the desert religions had been exposed to Taoist thought before writing and teaching. Or at least if they had learned about human psychology.

You tell someone not to do something, and it will plant the seed of desire for them to do precisely that! "Do not look at a woman with lust"...oh shit! We all fall short of the glory.

Reverse psychology even would work better than the "thou shalt not" approach.

"Thou shalt kill others"...wait a second guys...this sounds wrong lets not do this. Humanity has a way of balancing itself despite all odds, and in my personal opinion is born with spirituality in their hearts.

About rape...I think that one is covered under quite a few of them. Especially the one which I think Jesus later added, "love your neighbor as yourself".

[Protector]

I don't really care about the Ten commandments but I love thinking about the Seven deadly sins

http://thetaobums.com/topic/22974-time-to-learn/page-2#entry342440

[h.uriahr]

The Word of God stands on It's Own. Man is the misinterpretation. Reading a book twice doesn't make you any better at Understanding it.

[Marblehead]

I don't really care about the Ten commandments but I love thinking about the Seven deadly sins

http://thetaobums.com/topic/22974-time-to-learn/page-2#entry342440

You have never covetted your neighbor's ass?

[Nikolai1]

Love this OP!

 

It reminds me of a conversation I had with a Christian who told me that the 10 commandments aren't prescriptive, they are descriptive. It changed the way I viewed them completely. The 10 commandments are what happens to you, if you are lucky enough!

 

You won't go around killing...

You won't go around stealing... etc

[Jetsun]

Good thinking.

 

I always wonder if things would've been different, if the desert religions had been exposed to Taoist thought before writing and teaching. Or at least if they had learned about human psychology.

 

You tell someone not to do something, and it will plant the seed of desire for them to do precisely that! "Do not look at a woman with lust"...oh shit! We all fall short of the glory.

 

Reverse psychology even would work better than the "thou shalt not" approach.

 

"Thou shalt kill others"...wait a second guys...this sounds wrong lets not do this. Humanity has a way of balancing itself despite all odds, and in my personal opinion is born with spirituality in their hearts.

 

 

Yup, if you go around commanding people to do anything even if it is for their benefit they will end up rebelling, this is the law of the universe in that all people want to be free and not rigidly confined because freedom is their nature. If you suggest to people that it isn't good to do stuff for their own benefit and for the benefit if others it is far more successful than commanding.

[Protector]

Love this OP!

 

It reminds me of a conversation I had with a Christian who told me that the 10 commandments aren't prescriptive, they are descriptive. It changed the way I viewed them completely. The 10 commandments are what happens to you, if you are lucky enough!

 

You won't go around killing...

You won't go around stealing... etc