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The 77% Weekly

The 40/52-weeks-a-year, quick-reading, thought-lingering, spiritual-religious newsletter.

Religion-Outside-The-Box (oldrotb.wpengine.com) is a donation supported not-for-profit empowering adults to find and be with (the) God (of their understanding).

Last Sunday, Rabbi Brian was on Canadian Public Radio’s Tapestry with Mary Hynes.

(It was great.)

35/40

From the desk of Dr. Laurence C. Keene

Being Principled or Being Loving?

Dear Lord, I met a highly principled person the other day. He told me that his principles would not allow him to associate with certain kinds of people nor would they permit him to follow his friends into certain disrespectful places.

He made it very clear to me that his principles came first to him even if other people were hurt or injured by his decisions. He was clearly a very principled person.

But, O God, are principles more important than people? In the name of some exalted principle are we permitted to bring the sky of pain and injury down on others? If it comes down to a choice between holding on to a principle or responding to someone’s deep and important need must we sacrifice the person in favor of the principle? God, something deep within me tells me that loving people is profoundly more important than loving principles. That loving people is the ultimate principle. Help me, O God, to keep this distinction clear in my mind. I think I would rather be guilty of being a little less principled than being a whole lot less loving.

Love,
Larry.

larry@rotb.org

The 77% Weekly

The 77% Weekly: The Religion-Outside-The-Box Newsletter helps people find and be with (the) God (of their understanding) 40 out of 52 weeks a year.

Why 77%?
Two reasons:

1) 40/52 = 0.76923. The newsletter is sent every Monday except the last of each month.
2) In school 77% was a passing grade and ROTB wants to remind you that life isn’t graded, it’s pass/fail.

Religion-Outside-The-Box is a donation-supported,
non-denominational, internet-based, 501c3-tax exempt religious congregation.