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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Does God = The Process of Enlightenment?
Message-ID: <2119@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 01:22:45 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.2119
Posted: Wed Nov  6 01:22:45 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Nov-85 05:42:32 EST
References: <387@hounx.UUCP>
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Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
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In article <387@hounx.UUCP> kort@hounx.UUCP (B.KORT) writes:

>"Is God a Taoist?" [...] is a Socratic dialogue between two characters
>named "Mortal" and "God".  In the dialogue, the Mortal is gaining
>enlightenment as to how it happens that he has been endowed with free will.

>At one point in the dialogue, Mortal is doubting whether he is really
>having this conversation with God, or whether he is only imagining it.
>He asks God if there isn't some may He can make Himself known to the
>Mortal's senses.  God tells Mortal that He can't do that, saying, "It
>would be more accurate to say that I *am* your senses."

>Still not satisfied, Mortal asks God to explain to him who or what He is.
>God replies by framing "the best definition that mortals can make of Me
>at this stage of their evolution."  God suggests, "I am the very process
>of enlightenment."  God continues with, "And what you mortals choose
>to call the Devil (and I wish you wouldn't) is the unfortunate length
>of time the process takes."

>I personally found this passage both enlightening and refreshing.  It is
>curious to note that the phrase "process of enlightenment" can often be
>substituted for "God" without any real loss of meaning.

This is essentially a fundamental Christian doctrine which has been made
pantheistic and de-mythologized so that it is more palatable to those who
don't like definite and concrete Gods.  The doctrine is bound up in the
theological terms and symbols of Christ as both the Word and as the Light of
the World.  The differences are that a) this revelatory action is simply a
part of the LORD in Christianity, and that b) a key portion of the
revelation is the God himself (or the process of enlightenment, the Word, or
whatever itself).

So perhaps Jesus was a Taoist.

Charley Wingate