Gosh, thank you.
There is a lot more substance in Christianity than I ever thought from the way people have talked about it. Why don't people discuss these matters of real interest instead of quoting (and mis-quoting) brief excerpts? In the churches I've visited, the sermons are so short and they never got anyplace near these important topics. Why not?
This is the kind of information I was looking for when I was a little girl begging to be sent to Sunday School, which never happened. Based on what I've seen from churches since, I wouldn't have gotten this there. Does this never get discussed in the mainstream culture?
And where's Andy? He recommended Juan de la Cruz and I am having an extraordinary time with a translation of Dark Night - every night in fact, for a few minutes before bed. I can hardly put it down to turn the light off. Why did no one recommend me to this book before?!
I need to ask Andy some questions about the book - I think the chapter that doesn't make sense to me is because of the translation. The translator took some freedom to change meaning in certain places, which I'm watching for as I read.
Quote:
Originally Posted by u-dog
Zerbie,
This is paradox -- a mystical form of non-linear thought. The idea that it is possible for two or more logically inconsistent characteristics to be necessary aspects of the same phenomenon.
True Dogmatic or Doctrinal language is always an attempt to create this "dynamic tension" which will reveal a truth that cannot be expressed or revealed in any other way.
The truth is what happens inside you when you begin to incorporate that tension between humanity and divinity into your own life. Jesus cannot logically be BOTH human and divine and yet he MUST be both.
The truth of who and what God is can only be experienced in the context of this dynamic tension... this paradox... this mystery.
In other words, doctrinal language is not primarily descriptive language. It is primarily a creative and functional use of language. I use doctrinal language to create a space wherein I can experience the reality of a God I cannot describe. DOES THIS MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL?
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Of course it makes sense. That is the way the universe works.
When someone speaks about God nature in this way, just think of the single photon in a sealed experiment which is faced with two perforations and is supposed to choose which hole to travel through. Very simple choice: it travels through both holes simultaneously and emerges at the other side still a single photon. That is the nature of things. The pigeon holes are there in the everyday world for our convenience, but they are somewhat like numbers: representational.
Back to the topic. You paint a very beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit. Is it ever harsh? Is it ever difficult to live with? Or only sweet? Does it move in phases? Does it impact your body? Is it distinguishable from the life force in animals and plants, or IS it the life force in animals and plants?
As to what I was looking for in the first place with this thread, all my questions that still haven't been answered are in post #6.
