No sense in arguing with crazy people

by: Manny

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Several days ago I read the daily reading in “365 Tao,”[1] a book that I have enjoyed for years for its sane outlook on many aspects of life. The reading was titled “Defiance” and at one point it said:

“Metaphysical totalitarianism of any kind stifles the freedom we have as human beings. It is not acceptable to have a religion where the alternative to faith is punishment – that’s how you train dogs, not people. Spirituality is only great when it allows that utmost freedom to follow it. If we suffer from difficulties, that is not holy retribution, and we should not allow it to create debilitating questions.”

This seemed to me to be completely in concert with the message of the UCTAA. We do not have a Cosmic Daddy who metes out lollipops or spankings depending on our belief/non-belief and adherence/non-adherence to “his” precepts. Upon sharing this with a Christian coworker I was told that agnosticism and atheism only lead to immorality, and that belief in God and Jesus was the only way to ensure a moral life.

I then pointed out that a large number of non-Christian people lead loving and moral lives and even took her to a website I had discovered in my net surfings a while back, www.donoharm.us, that is not affiliated with any religion or philosophy and simply espouses the message “Do No Harm.” It is simple, it’s direct, and it IS morality in a nutshell. Her reply, of course, was, “If it’s not in God’s holy word, I don’t believe it.”

Mama was right…there ain’t no sense in arguing with crazy people.

Note:

1. A daily reading from this book is also available as an online feed:
   365 Tao – Northern Hemisphere feed
   365 Tao – Southern Hemisphere feed

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