DanielK said:
After seeing alot of Christian vs. Atheist threads around here I'd figured it would be best to post an article that I came across that could shed some light on the whole issue.
~Daniel
When a superior man hears of the Tao he immediately begins to embody it.
When an average man hears of the Tao he half believes it and half doubts it.
When a foolish man hears of the Tao he laughs out loud.
If he didn't laugh it wouldn't be the Tao.
- Lao Tzu
The foolish man and the superior man often make excellent companions, they have much in common.
- Me
I finally read the whole thing. I really liked what Dr. Peck had to say. I do think it needs work.
By the standards he set out, I've known atheists that would be rightly categorized at different stages. I would put Carl Sagan at stage IV. Many Maoists would be at stage II
The bigger issue is that it is too static. I may be seeing it that way because it is an excerpt from a larger work and I may be missing too many details about it. Given the above weakness I doubt it, especially after reading a little of Dr. Peck's biography.
I'm pretty Dr. Peck and I would disagree on a lot. I know he and I view evil differently. I will say this guy is no slouch. He served in the U.S. Army and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. His Army assignments included stints as chief of psychology at the Army Medical Center in Okinawa, Japan, and assistant chief of psychiatry and neurology in the office of the surgeon general in Washington.
In any case his attempt to quantify spiritual development sets a foundation that can be worked with. With some openness and dynamism a framework could be created that could be used as a tool to better guide individuals development. I'm pretty sure with enough work a teaching model could be built that could guide most people successfully into a stage IV like mindset without abandoning their original faith (or whichever faith they choose.)
I should mention that atheism is a faith for many, with it's own tenets and doctrines. Granted it's easier for many to believe in an empirical universe then one with a supernatural component. Even so since it is impossible to prove that the universe's origins are strictly physical or "natural", committed atheism requires a leap of faith.
I'm certain the nay-sayers will be all over this as they have been on this thread. I'm putting my vindictive nature aside for this thread and I would enjoy any constructive criticism. Destructive criticism will be ignored if I can keep from being an egomaniacal twit (no promises)
