The Mahablog

November 2006
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20 Comments

Lynne • Nov 2, 2006 @8:10 pm

We all wait, holding our collective breath, for the next expose and the next. Isn’t the week before elections great?
If this is true, I hope it has legs.
janinsanfran • Nov 2, 2006 @8:28 pm

I sure hope it is true. That is, I hope this is not some kind of false accusation.

If it is true, it will have legs. They raised the profile of their gay neighbors’ lives; they’ll have to live with the fallout when it becomes evident that those neighbors are everywhere — even among their own.
Doug Hughes • Nov 2, 2006 @8:32 pm

When will true Christians (there are such in America) realize how they are being played like a fish by politicians and televangelists? We frequenly are not on the same page politically, but I admire Christians who get out there and minister to real people. I also have a fair amount of contempt for ‘Christians’ who get their hollier-than-thou fix from the boob tube and send money to these swindlers. Why is it that the folks who did not learn from ‘nam also did not learn from Jim & Tammy?
Swami • Nov 2, 2006 @8:57 pm

Looks like Teddy didn’t put on the whole armor of god. Seems he put on his breast plate of righteousness, but forgot to gird his loins with the word of truth.

Another bible thumping hypocrite caught with his pants down…GOOD!
Donna • Nov 2, 2006 @9:42 pm

This story does not pass my smell test. I watched both the accuser and the accused on the video clips, and went with what I understand about body language.

I suspect a Rove plot to shortly ‘evolve’ its next step, which will be an uncontestable discrediting of the accuser [perhaps tying him to some Dem], while VOILA, creating a super-charging of ‘the base’ just in time for next week’s vote.

I urge caution about judgment and glee on this one.
Marshall • Nov 2, 2006 @9:46 pm

He has stepped down.

The wheels grind slow, but they grind exceedingly fine.
cobraguy • Nov 2, 2006 @11:58 pm

Is it so wrong for me to be enjoying all this so much?

And the wingnuts seem to think Kerry’s little gaffe is the most important news event in the past months.

Silly wingnuts.
Gentlewoman • Nov 3, 2006 @12:28 am

Doug Hughes, you may not know this, but Jim Bakker is back. He is out of prison and has a TV show out of Branson, MO. I believe a condition of his parole was that he not engage in televangelism (ie theft) again, but he may have been discharged from parole, and is now free to roll the rubes again. My brother is a musician and was offered a well-paying job on this program, and he refused it on principle, but my brother and I are not Christians, so no doubt many people don’t believe we have any principles or morals. Several ‘Christian’ neighbors of mine have taken great personal pleasure, apparently, in telling me so. I can only hope that they watch Jim’s show every day!
joel hanes • Nov 3, 2006 @2:05 am

> you can’t cheat the Tao

18. THE DECAY OF ETHICS

When the way of the Tao is forgotten,
kindness and ethics need to be taught;
men learn to pretend to be wise and good.

All too often in the lives of men,
filial piety and devotion
arise only after conflict and strife,
just as loyal ministers all too often appear,
when the people are suppressed.
maha • Nov 3, 2006 @6:31 am

Joel — you read my mind. What translation is that?
erinyes • Nov 3, 2006 @6:34 am

Strange how invading a country that never threatened us and starting a war that has killed somewhere aroung 650,000 people is easier to (ahem) swallow than one “man of God” having a little romp in the hay with a gay prostitute while high on Meth.
I guess the man really liked the song “Heaven’s just a sin away”.
An old iron workers joke goes ” I built that skyscraper, but they don’t call me Joe the skyscraper builder, built that bridge and they don’t call me Joe the bridge builder, but suck one c*** and see what they call you for ever.
MNPundit • Nov 3, 2006 @8:19 am

So curious, why did the Tao largely get abandoned by China for Confuciansim? Was it simply because Emperor #1 decided Buddhism would make his empire stronger than the Tao?
maha • Nov 3, 2006 @9:19 am

So curious, why did the Tao largely get abandoned by China for Confuciansim? Was it simply because Emperor #1 decided Buddhism would make his empire stronger than the Tao?

The history of how the three major Chinese religions interacted with politics is way complicated. In the case of Taoism and Confucianism you’re talking about 25 centuries of history. Lots of stuff happened.

Early philosophical Taoism and Confucianism both arose in China about 500 BC, about the same time the Buddha lived in India. Taoism was very likely influenced by Hindu Vedanta, as was Buddhism, so when Buddhism wandered into China in the first century AD or so, most Chinese recognized the similarities and considered it to be a foreign form of Taoism.

Much of Taoism as it existed 15 centuries or so ago was absorbed into Ch’an (a.k.a. Zen) Buddhism. Zen is sometimes defined as Buddhism filtered through Taoism, or Taoism filtered through Buddhism. (I was introduced to the Tao Teh Ching years ago by a Unitarian minister who had been a student of Shunryu Suzuki, founding roshi of the San Fransisco Zen Center.)

My understanding is that Taoism as it exists today is more of a folk religion that incorporates astrology, alchemy, and other indigenous Chinese cultural beliefs. Also, much of Confucianism as it exists today has synthesized and incorporated Taoist and Buddhist ideas, although historically Confucianism was mostly opposed to Taoism and Buddhism.

Like I said, it’s complicated.
Donna • Nov 3, 2006 @9:37 am

I don’t know how this news about Haggart and a male prostitute and meth will wash out in the final picture, but here are some bits for pondering about him and whether this news could have been manufactured/exploited.

In the past year or so, Ted Haggart strayed from the fold in a few ways that might not be ok with the Republican purists and/or corporations and oil companies.
Can’t remember when exactly, but he had an ‘epiphenomenon’ that led him to preach that Christians had to seriously ’steward’ the earth and become leaders in environmentalism.
Then, he fought for a state referendum defining marriage as between a man and woman but would not go the more punitive-minded step to join Dobson et al in trying to defeat a second state referendum that would give more legal rights to gays.
Finally, and here I am paraphrasing, Haggart described a good ecumenical religious community as having a Christian church on one corner, a temple on a second corner, a synagogue on the third corner and a mosque [gasp] on the fourth corner.
Rev. Mike • Nov 3, 2006 @10:50 am

Schadenfreude is my word for the day. I love to see the hypocrites get their comeupence.

Maha – I have always enjoyed Stephen Mitchell’s translation of the Tao (as well as all his other translations of various books – Job and The Gospel According to Jesus are especially good). Which translation do you like best?
maha • Nov 3, 2006 @11:16 am

Rev. Mike — I’m still looking for the Perfect Translation/Interpolation. I like Mitchell’s interpolation mostly, but I think it falls apart in a few places. (These are the sort of lapses that probably only another Zennie would notice.) I recently found another interpolation online, by Peter Merel, that is strong where Mitchell’s is weak, and vice versa. But this is a highly personal thing. Whichever version speaks to your heart is the best one for you.

The John Wu translation, which has been in print for many years, is solid and as good as any other I can find on Amazon right now.
ChiTom • Nov 3, 2006 @12:02 pm

Maha–

Karma, indeed! Thanks.

For those of us who do believe in a personal God, and who refract that belief through a Christian lens, there are statements like the one that follows from the Sermon on the Mount– seems like the perils of so-called spiritual leadership are not at all new.

In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’ (Matthew 7:12-23)

Apologies for a long quote. The first line, the good old Golden Rule, is the substantive piece– certainly applicable to Rev. Haggart. But it’s the use of this as means to evaluate those even in positions of great power that has remarkable potential, I believe.
maha • Nov 3, 2006 @12:49 pm

Donna — Good points, but I think that if They were trying to bring down Haggart, They wouldn’t have done it right before an election.

Although maybe somebody misread the memo.
joel hanes • Nov 4, 2006 @1:52 pm

Mahabarb

> What translation is that?

Sorry, should have put a pointer in the comment.

It’s Stan Rosenthal’s.

http://www.religiousworlds.com/taoism/ttcstan3.html

I’m very fond of Jane English’s version too :

http://www.religiousworlds.com/taoism/ttcstan3.html
joel hanes • Nov 4, 2006 @1:55 pm

oops. cut-and-paste failure.

Jane English at

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&an=english&y=0&tn=tao+te+ching&x=0