“Love alone is credible; nothing else can be believed, and nothing else ought to be believed. This is the achievement, the ‘work’ of faith: to recognize this absolute prius, which nothing else can surpass; to believe that there is such a thing as love, absolute love, and that there is nothing higher or greater than it; to believe against all the evidence of experience (‘credere contra fidem‘ like ‘spere contra spem‘), against every ‘rational’ concept of God, which thinks of him in terms of impassibility or, at best, totally pure goodness, but not in terms of this inconceivable and senseless act of love.”
My limited understanding of my own faith, Catholic, is based on the belief that Jesus Christ has loved us unconditionally for eternity and seeks for all peoples to fall in love with Him. I go to Mass a few times a week and stay for Rosary afterward, and I have to say, it is peaceful and inspiring for me.
One of the better arguments I have heard for why Jesus is God goes along the lines of - no ancient author would have a god killed in the most humiliating way of the time, be abandoned by all his followers and then come back and preach forgiveness of enemies. Lol.
While I was raised high church Anglican, I cannot say that I adhere to any particular organized religion. My experiences with something greater or, as Carl Jung called it, the Numinosum, have led me to my present state. One, which I trust, will ever be evolving.
"The true religious experience is not faith but an event—some sort of personal encounter with something greater (numinosum) which instills pistis (trust and loyalty) into us. With trust or loyalty to one’s own experience, an individual has a solid base on which to build a life.
Otto's book is titled "The Idea of the Holy." There are the infrequent "A Ha!" moments in which one might catch a glimpse of the eternal divine, in which the ego has subsided enough with its constant interference which clouds over pure seeing. Now you're left with an "idea" which is a mental construct, a memory, a pleasant one albeit, but still it is a dead butterfly you refuse to discard. It's the quieting of mind that must be practiced and observed incessantly if you truly are intent upon awakening from the human dream which is a prison. A quote from Indian wise guy Nisargadatta... "All experience is illusory, limited and temporal. Expect nothing from experience. Realization by itself is not an experience, though it may lead to a new dimension of experiences. Yet the new experiences, however interesting, are not more real than the old. Definitely realization is not a new experience. It is the discovery of the timeless factor in every experience. It is awareness, which makes experience possible. Just like in all the colors light is the colorless factor, so in every experience awareness is present, yet it is not an experience."
It's been a really amazing technicolor dream world we've been traversing, hasn't it? Lots of wonderful stories and ancient books to ponder describing the adventures of Moses, Jesus, the saints, etc. Ultimately these are only stories and it is silence within that we must become familiar with. Silence is the underlying background upon which all stories and ideas are visible. All experience is fleeting, temporary, impermanent and cannot feed anything. Clinging to the "A Ha" is yet another habit to stop. Don't leave any footprints, fingerprints or dusty relics in your mind but keep aware of what never changes.
Granted, my essays are long. I've thought about making them shorter but I like to write in such a way that really offers a deep dive into the book or text I am featuring. I figure if anyone wants to read an essay of mine to the end, then it's all there. If not, then not.
“Love alone is credible; nothing else can be believed, and nothing else ought to be believed. This is the achievement, the ‘work’ of faith: to recognize this absolute prius, which nothing else can surpass; to believe that there is such a thing as love, absolute love, and that there is nothing higher or greater than it; to believe against all the evidence of experience (‘credere contra fidem‘ like ‘spere contra spem‘), against every ‘rational’ concept of God, which thinks of him in terms of impassibility or, at best, totally pure goodness, but not in terms of this inconceivable and senseless act of love.”
- Hans Urs von Balthasar
My limited understanding of my own faith, Catholic, is based on the belief that Jesus Christ has loved us unconditionally for eternity and seeks for all peoples to fall in love with Him. I go to Mass a few times a week and stay for Rosary afterward, and I have to say, it is peaceful and inspiring for me.
One of the better arguments I have heard for why Jesus is God goes along the lines of - no ancient author would have a god killed in the most humiliating way of the time, be abandoned by all his followers and then come back and preach forgiveness of enemies. Lol.
While I was raised high church Anglican, I cannot say that I adhere to any particular organized religion. My experiences with something greater or, as Carl Jung called it, the Numinosum, have led me to my present state. One, which I trust, will ever be evolving.
"The true religious experience is not faith but an event—some sort of personal encounter with something greater (numinosum) which instills pistis (trust and loyalty) into us. With trust or loyalty to one’s own experience, an individual has a solid base on which to build a life.
- C. G. Jung
Otto's book is titled "The Idea of the Holy." There are the infrequent "A Ha!" moments in which one might catch a glimpse of the eternal divine, in which the ego has subsided enough with its constant interference which clouds over pure seeing. Now you're left with an "idea" which is a mental construct, a memory, a pleasant one albeit, but still it is a dead butterfly you refuse to discard. It's the quieting of mind that must be practiced and observed incessantly if you truly are intent upon awakening from the human dream which is a prison. A quote from Indian wise guy Nisargadatta... "All experience is illusory, limited and temporal. Expect nothing from experience. Realization by itself is not an experience, though it may lead to a new dimension of experiences. Yet the new experiences, however interesting, are not more real than the old. Definitely realization is not a new experience. It is the discovery of the timeless factor in every experience. It is awareness, which makes experience possible. Just like in all the colors light is the colorless factor, so in every experience awareness is present, yet it is not an experience."
It's been a really amazing technicolor dream world we've been traversing, hasn't it? Lots of wonderful stories and ancient books to ponder describing the adventures of Moses, Jesus, the saints, etc. Ultimately these are only stories and it is silence within that we must become familiar with. Silence is the underlying background upon which all stories and ideas are visible. All experience is fleeting, temporary, impermanent and cannot feed anything. Clinging to the "A Ha" is yet another habit to stop. Don't leave any footprints, fingerprints or dusty relics in your mind but keep aware of what never changes.
A long read
Read it twice.
I am still getting through the first part
Granted, my essays are long. I've thought about making them shorter but I like to write in such a way that really offers a deep dive into the book or text I am featuring. I figure if anyone wants to read an essay of mine to the end, then it's all there. If not, then not.