Alan: There are two dogs in this fight.
One is convinced that scripture, doctrine and tradition are supreme.
The other is convinced that acts of love arising from mercy, compassion and forgiveness are supreme.
I suppose most people find themselves in one camp or the other as a result of genetics, conditioning, "cultural momentum" and perceived fidelity to "common sense."
I understand why people put love, mercy and compassion first.
After all, embodied acts of love are self-evidently good.
But I do not understand the "other camp" which believes in the supremacy of scripture, doctrine and tradition. All these "things" are human constructs with roots no deeper than the onset of Judeo-Christianity 3500 years ago.
I say to myself:
Perhaps the people who believe in primacy of The Word -- rather than primacy of The Word Made Flesh -- have never asked themselves, "Why do I believe that The Word is superior to The Incarnation of Love?"
At minimum, those who reside in "The Word Camp" might admit a kind of dynamic equilibrium with certain people leaning in one direction and the rest in the other.
Instead, people who value The Abstract Word more than The Incarnation of Love appear to be under compulsion.
Their worlds would seemingly fall apart if they were not absolutely invested in Scripture - and the other documents which ostensibly derive from Scripture.
Revealingly, this absolute need to champion "The One and Only Truth" does not apply "the other way around."
Rather, those who love The Incarnation even more than The Word are typically eager for embrace the heterodox as well as the orthodox.
Those who ultimately believe in The Word are almost always eager for huge swathes of humankind to spend eternity in a lake of unquenchable fire.
Islam? God damn them all!
The relative roles of punitive justice and forgiving mercy correspond neatly to the "two camps."
Punishment is foundational to those who value The Word, whereas indulgent mercy is cornerstone for those who value The Incarnation of The Word --- "The Word made Flesh."
Rather, those who love The Incarnation even more than The Word are typically eager for embrace the heterodox as well as the orthodox.
Those who ultimately believe in The Word are almost always eager for huge swathes of humankind to spend eternity in a lake of unquenchable fire.
Islam? God damn them all!
The relative roles of punitive justice and forgiving mercy correspond neatly to the "two camps."
Punishment is foundational to those who value The Word, whereas indulgent mercy is cornerstone for those who value The Incarnation of The Word --- "The Word made Flesh."
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
1 John 4:18
Notably, those who believe in the primacy of Love Incarnate -- Love Enfleshed -- have no trouble with people who devote their lives to Texts and other manifestations of The Word.
However, the fact that this is not a "two-way" street leaves me with the distinct impression that rigid textualists are subtly (but colossally) egotistical people, determined to protect their man-made systems even though the cause of Love is damaged by that very determination.
My Correspondence With A Christian Fundamentalist: "The Best... Becomes Evil"
Enter Pope Francis...
"Aquinas, St. Symeon The New Theologian And Their Spiritual Kin"
In the 9th chapter of Mark's Gospel (the oldest to the four canonical gospels) is an episode that occurs shortly after the apostles discover their inability to cast out a demon.
Pondering their impotence, Jesus assures his disciples: “He who is not against you, is for you.”
Mark 9 37-39
37 John answered him, saying: Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, who followeth not us, and we forbade him.
38 But Jesus said: Do not forbid him. For there is no man that doth a miracle in my name, and can soon speak ill of me.
39 For he that is not against you, is for you.
When Jesus' Nature as The Embodiment of Love is viewed against the Gospel assurance that “God is Love,” the practice of Christianity is no longer constrained by doctrinal orthodoxy even though orthodox practice is a Great Good for millions of practitioners.
To identify Jesus as Embodied Love recognizes that the nature of Christ is realized in every human being who embodies love, however imperfectly.
"The terrible thing about our time is precisely the ease with which theories can be put into practice. The more perfect, the more idealistic the theories, the more dreadful is their realization. We are at last beginning to rediscover what perhaps men knew better in very ancient times, in primitive times before utopias were thought of: that liberty is bound up with imperfection, and that limitations, imperfections, errors are not only unavoidable but also salutary. The best is not the ideal. Where what is theoretically best is imposed on everyone as the norm, then there is no longer any room even to be good. The best, imposed as a norm, becomes evil.”
"Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander,” by Trappist monk, Father Thomas Merton
More Merton Quotes
When rigid sectarians ponder the identification of Jesus with Embodied Love, they double down on their determination to “play church” - like students who never “grow in understanding” but get quite good at “playing school” where they consistently score at "the top of their class."
“”He's not playing by the rules!” the punctilious gripe. “He's not even on our team?”
God-Love is not concerned with the exclusivity of “teams” any more than Peace is concerned with the deadly antagonism between Crips and Bloods (or c
Yeshua Excoriates Fellow Pharisees: "The Woe Passages"
The profoundest truths are paradoxical.
Among these paradoxes is the exquisitely inconvenient truth that belligerent sectarianism is an affront to "God who is Love” and whose Son taught us to “Love our enemies, to do good to those who persecute us.”
On this glorious Blue Marble where prophets have foretold the "coming of the kingdom," God-Love is only concerned with the ongoing Incarnation and the actual works of mercy, forgiveness and compassion that build up "the kingdom."
If The Texts help, great!
If they don't, they weren't needed.
If they don't, they weren't needed.
"The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick people do.
Go and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ because I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”
When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a physician, but sick people do.
Go and learn what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ because I did not come to call righteous people, but sinners.”
Matthew 9:11-13
"Who Were The Tax Collectors And Shepherds In Jesus' Time"
"Do You Know What You're Doing To Me?"
Jesus of Nazareth
As the great Jesuit Paul Byron homilized (from the altar of my North Carolina parish): “I have no doubt that our Buddhist brothers and sisters are doing the work of Christ.”
Paul understood Tertullian well: "The soul is by nature Christian."
"The Soul Is By Nature Christian." "Anima naturaliter christiana." Tertullian
Similarly, it is not necessary to have conscious knowledge of our Christian Nature in order to participate in that Nature - to “be what we are” whenever we align with the spirit of “I Am Who Am.” https://www.biblegateway.
Since “the soul is by nature Christian,” participation in our existential nature is – to a greater or lesser extent – inherent.
Often, goodness is an effusion of what is deepest in our nature, independent of sectarian affiliation. (And just as often, sectarian affiliation obstructs what is deepest in our nature.)
Often, goodness is an effusion of what is deepest in our nature, independent of sectarian affiliation. (And just as often, sectarian affiliation obstructs what is deepest in our nature.)
The innate impulse of human Love – and the Universal (katholikos) Love that subtends it – are “baked in the cake.” http://www.etymonline.
Love is not only dispensed “top-down” but rises “bottom up.”
It is perhaps fair to say that Love rises from below "the bottom up."
Indeed, given the inherent confusion of spatial “direction,” “top-down” may be “bottom up.”
Indeed, given the inherent confusion of spatial “direction,” “top-down” may be “bottom up.”
What's Up? Seriously. What On Earth?!?
Although humans can either “stumble upon” or “consciously access” their Christian Nature, participation in the fullness of Being always coincides with “perspective and proportion" whether these inter-related qualities manifest spontaneously or by deliberation.
Aquinas observed that “perspective and proportion” are fundamental to Reason and Morality.
"Shark Attacks Rise Worldwide: Risk Assessment And Aquinas' Criteria For Sin"
"Thomas Aquinas On American Conservatives' Continual Commission Of Sin"
Concerning “perspective...”
It is striking that “The West” did not discover how to represent coherent visual perspective until The Renaissance.
'Til then, the world was relatively “flat” --- more or less one dimensional rather than three.
'Til then, the world was relatively “flat” --- more or less one dimensional rather than three.
The Role of Perspective In Shaping the Renaissance
Of course one can argue – as one can argue anything-- that one dimension is “better” than three...
But don't bet the farm!
Perspective
Renaissance Connect: “Discovering Linear Perspective”
Perspective: Brunelleschi's Revelatory Perception And The Re-Imaging Of Space
Notably, the world's “First True Scientist,” an Islamic Egyptian named “Alhazen", set forth the rules of visual perspective nearly half a millennium before Renaissance Europeans “discovered” these same principles.
Ibn al-Haytham, "Alhazen," "The First True Scientist," Trailblazes "Perspective"
Currently, Pope Francis is implementing the theological equivalent of "full visual perspective," propagating the multi-dimensional realization that Jesus is properly identified as Embodied Love - and by virtue of this identification everyone who embodies love – however imperfectly – enriches The Incarnation by doing the work of God-Love.
With this identification, Francis has taken Christianity's sectarian, uni-dimensional vision of Love and given it breath, depth and all conceivable space.
Lacking this multi-dimensional experience of Yeshua, here is how heretofore sand-blind Christian experience played out:
I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. So I ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" "Why shouldn't I?" he said. "Well, there's so much to live for!" "Like what?" "Well... are you religious?" He said yes. I said, "Me too! Are you Christian or Buddhist?" "Christian." "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant ? "Protestant." "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" "Baptist" "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" "Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you reformed Baptist Church of God?" "Reformed Baptist Church of God!" "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?" He said, "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!" I said, "Die, heretic scum", and pushed him off.
Emo Philips
Like Teilhard de Chardin before him, Frances is announcing the arrival of The Cosmic Christ, who in St. Paul's world-view, would put an end to the groaning and travail of "the whole Creation's birth."
"All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs."
Romans 8:22 The Message
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
Paleontologist/Cosmologist
Afterthought
Alan: Jesus made no reference to homosexuality or abortion, a peculiar
“oversight” for an individual who, according to Christian orthodoxy, participated
in the omniscient nature of God. Did Yeshua fail to see that homosexuality and
abortion would become the signal red button issues of post-Modern Christianity?
“oversight” for an individual who, according to Christian orthodoxy, participated
in the omniscient nature of God. Did Yeshua fail to see that homosexuality and
abortion would become the signal red button issues of post-Modern Christianity?
In light of this perceived importance, why did he not provide specific guidance?
On the other hand, Jesus did say: “Love your enemies. Do good to those who
persecute you.”
persecute you.”
(He also said: “Judge not lest you be judged.”)
Literalists!
It's your move!
***
"Love Your Enemies. Do Good To Those Who Hate You," Luke 6: 27-42
"Do You Know What You're Doing To Me?"
Jesus of Nazareth
http://paxonbothhouses.
"Love Your Enemies. Do Good To Those Who Hate You," Luke 6: 27-42
Jesus of Nazareth
http://paxonbothhouses.
Yeshua Excoriates Fellow Pharisees: "The Woe Passages"
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