DOGMATIC THINKING

Members of the US Senate this afternoon approved a bill to raise the nation's debt ceiling, narrowly avoiding the nation's first-ever default; the bill garnered broad bipartisan support.

The most strident extremes in this debate over the debt ceiling have their sources in religion and humanism – each has dogma as their god. Religion agrees that God is unknowable and therefore develop dogmatic ideas, showing their adherence to that which is beyond logic.

The humanist, on the other hand, denies the necessity for god and instead relies upon the natural, good inclination of the human being. The humanist become equally enraged when their ideas are threatened, reverting to dogmatic, uncompromising thinking.

In the Torah, that demands justice, there is no dogma; dogma is a vehicle by which justice can be usurped. Justice is dependent upon logic; the Cabala, the Jewish mystical tradition adds, God created B'Chachma/With Logic – therefore, nature follows logical patterns.

Dogma is just another oppressor, hiding behind a cloak of darkness, always predicting calamity and hardship; justice requires on factual evidence in making a decision. Justice is karmic; things happen because of misdeeds – when karma runs into dogma – trouble ensues.