“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott
“You are going to feel like hell if you never write the stuff that is tugging on the sleeves of your heart — your stories, visions, memories, visions and songs. Your truth, your version of things, your own voice. That is really all you have to offer us. And that’s also why you were born.”
Anne Lamott
A picture of the Chicago skyline taken almost 60 miles away, is actually a mirage.
If you have not read previous “What is true and real?” posts, you can read them HERE and HERE.
In my previous post I concluded: “Mirage, an illusion of something that is real, describes my belief… true but unreal.”. Subsequent conversation about “true but unreal” understandably produced some pushback. This post will probe that idea further.
My beliefs developed in my echo chamber… family, relatives, friends. Consistent and continual messages created images, pictures representing reality. Those pictures became my reality, what was true.
Numerous propositions were true. For example, I was warned early on that electrical outlets are dangerous and I should never stick an object in them. My Thomasian skepticism led me to encounter reality. In that experience, I learned that picture was reality. On the other hand, there was Santa Claus. Discovering that picture was not reality is a painful memory.
My religious belief formed in a similar fashion. I grew up in a sectarian echo chamber (read “The Perfect Echo Chamber). When coupled with a secular worldview, where the individual is the focus of truth adjudication and the disenchanted mind employs neat and clean, easy to use, bivalence logic, belief was cut and dried…true or false, the result was an unholy amalgamation of disenchantment and enchantment. Viewing scripture through lens of logic and reason, produces a mirage. an unreal illusion of truth. I recently came across a phrase shared by Fr. Stephen Freeman that is helpful in understanding belief as a mirage… true but unreal.
“Noetic perception” is a phrase that describes the ability of the human heart to perceive that which is Divine. As such, it is our capacity for communion with God and the whole of creation. … Without such a perception, we do not see the truth of things. By the same token, without such a perception, we cannot know the truth of our own selves.
A journey birthed in secular waters of disenchantment, created a deficiency of “noetic perception”. Unable to perceive that which is divine, belief proved to be shallow, lacking in meaning and purpose, ultimately dependent on my preferences. As Freeman observed, I was unable to even know the truth about myself.
What is described above does not characterize my belief today. However, even after decades of spiritual journey I am keenly aware of how deficient I am in “noetic perception”. To the extent that “noetic perception” flourishes, what is true and real is revealed. An obvious question is: How does “noetic perception” grow?
Could it be that be that deficiency of “noetic perception” is an underlying condition that makes Christians most vulnerable to secularism?
Closing the front porch has magnified the impact of pandemic restrictions. Opportunities to engage people on and from the front porch provided much needed social interaction. My mental and emotional demeanor has suffered as a result. No sympathy, please. I am experiencing what most people have been dealing with for months. I am thankful for my front porch privilege and look forward to spring.
Peter Kuzmich once said, “Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future. Faith is having the courage to dance to that song today.”
Hunting an invisible dragon ? In a memorable thought experiment, the astrophysicist and writer Carl Sagan described taking a visitor to see a fire-breathing dragon in his garage. Upon entering, the visitor was surprised to find an empty space – but Sagan replied that he had simply forgotten to mention that the dragon was invisible. The visitor then decides to throw a bag of flour on the floor to trace its outline – only to find out that it will be of no use because the dragon hovers off the ground. When the visitor suggests using an infrared camera, he is told that the dragon’s flames are heatless. There is no way, in other words, to either prove or falsify its existence.
Hypocrisy Hypocrisy is bad, but it’s not nearly as bad as political combatants make it out to be. Let’s suppose I am a heroin addict who goes around telling people not to use drugs. Yes, I am a hypocrite. But I wouldn’t be a better person if I went around trying to convince everybody to chase the dragon. If I said, “Come on, kids, do it. It’ll make you cool,” I’d be less hypocritical, but a worse person. Jonah Goldberg
Pulchritudinous
Evil For evil is not an argument: It is a thing. And the answer to evil is not logic but the cross. …. And I live in the hope that the cross has laid the groundwork for that Day when evil is no more, and love is perfected. Not Logic, but Love
God’s Kingdom …the whole story of Jesus — his birth, life, teaching, miracles, death and resurrection — tell us all we need to know about God’s kingdom. It looks like love, justice, peace, joy, and hope. It looks like the subversion of toxic religious leadership. It looks like healing, wholeness and reconciliation. It looks like freedom. It looks like forgiveness and mercy. It looks like preferential treatment for children, the poor and the disabled. It looks like the end of all suffering. Or as Tom Wright says, “It looks like Jesus weeping at the tomb of his friend. It looks like Jesus feasting with sinners. It looks like Jesus celebrating a last meal with his friends, and going off to the cross. That’s how God runs the world. It is a very different thing from being a ‘celestial CEO.’ In other words, God takes charge of the world by coming in person to the place where the world is in pain, and taking that pain upon himself.” Michael Frost
Church Growth China has 40 million Christians, 94 percent are evangelicals, six percent Catholic and the church is growing by leaps and bounds with no political protections, a police state with more technological monitoring than any country on earth, according to Rod Dreher in his new book “Live not by Lies.” Yet despite continued persecution, the Church grows.
Nones are on the rise and they are the fastest growing body of nonbelievers in America, far outpacing evangelicals and Catholics. The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace. One-fifth of the U.S. public — and a third of adults under 30 — are religiously unaffiliated today, the highest percentages ever in Pew Research Center polling.
Evidence In a post-rational world, people will believe everything under the sun on the thinnest shreds of personal experience alone, but when it comes to the Bible, they will demand proof worthy of the rules of evidence. JD Walt
Survival of Church in America If the church in America cannot survive and thrive within the umbrella of liberty it now possesses, then might I suggest that the fault lies not with our politics, but within the church itself. David French
Icons They were (and are) “windows into heaven.” The Fathers said of icons that they “make present that which they represent.” They are a means of communion. In the museum-world of modernity, what is contemplated is our own feelings and thoughts. Beauty becomes “art,” serving only our self-gratification. Fr. Stephen Freeman
Beauty …we perceive beauty because it is real and true, and discover in it, a gateway into the mystery of the universe, that which lies beneath and within. Beauty may be compared to the meaning in a text. The letters and words are the surface – our ability to perceive their meaning is something yet more. It is surprising that we tend not to be astonished by this fact. Fr. Stephen Freeman
A picture of the Chicago skyline taken almost 60 miles away, is actually a mirage.
To what extent has disenchantment (secularism) distorted my understanding of scripture? Does believing something to be true make it real? Is it possible my belief is a mirage, true but unreal? I posed these questions in my previous post. This post is an attempt to addresses those questions.
Transcendence (existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level) is the core of Christianity. Without transcendence, Christianity becomes a religious commodity, void of meaning and purpose.
Evidence of transcendence as the core of Christianity necessarily begins with the source of what is true and real for Christians…holy scriptures… the Bible… the Word of God. Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals the authors’ assumption of metaphysical reality alien to the modern mind. Richard Beck observes: Modern people make a hard metaphysical distinction between having a “mind” versus having a “soul.” …a distinction foreign to the New Testament , by alternatively translating a word like psyche as either “mind” or “soul” modern translations allow readers to superimpose their metaphysical assumptions onto the New Testament, obscuring just how differently the New Testament conceived reality. The Bible becomes metaphysically comfortable to us, conforming to our assumptions, rather than strange and startling.
[Disenchanted life]
We are captivated by the “surface” of things, failing to see what lies beneath. It causes us to be anxious and driven by things of insignificance. If there is a constant temptation for us in our present time, it is to lose confidence that there is anything unseen or eternal, at least in the sense that such things impinge on our daily existence. Our disenchanted, secular world is a siren song that promises the power of control while robbing us of the reality of communion. We “manage” the world when we should be in love with it.
Fr Stephen Freeman
Making a distinction between “mind” and “soul” is characteristic of disenchantment. My religious upbringing made the Bible metaphysically comfortable. Scripture viewed through rationalistic lens morphed mysterious and inexplicable realities into logical understandings, or failing on that count, relegated them to fairly tale status (flannel board). Historical accuracy of scripture was a handy diversion that satisfied the need for “factual” truth. Consequently, I have concluded my belief to have been a mirage for much of my spiritual journey.
Using the mirage metaphor is risky. As with all metaphors, it will break down at some point, but I find it helpful. The Chicago skyline as seen in the mirage is real, but the image is an illusion. Mirage, an illusion of something that is real, describes my belief… true but unreal. In posts to follow I will examine the idea of belief being true but unreal. Hopefully, this conversation has left you with a lot of questions, if so, we’re in the same boat. Be patient and stay with me. I am not in despair but stimulated by the possibility of deeper relationship with God.
I use the Notes app religiously ( no pun intended). Most often I save quotes, quips, etc from daily readings. I save them, hoping to eventually post about them or share later. Mostly they stay hidden on my iPhone. There is no intended theme or thread, but they may give some insight into the drumbeat in my head.
Kindness …practicing kindness requires, at minimum, a willingness to see the image of God in, and to find a point of honest connection with, every person—even, and especially, those I dislike. Amy Peterson
Beauty …what draws us to the good is that it is also eternal beauty. God himself is beauty, that is, and in the end, for Christians, we are joined to him in seeking the beautiful as he has taught us to recognize it in Christ, and in therefore seeking in every circumstance, however unanticipated, to express that beauty always anew, in ever more novel variations on that original “theme”—that unique and irresistibly attractive manner. At times, a sense of style really is everything. David Bentley Hart
Noetic Perception “Noetic perception” is a phrase that describes the ability of the human heart to perceive that which is Divine. As such, it is our capacity for communion with God and the whole of creation. Fr Stephen Freeman
Prayer for Biden …my simple prayer for President Biden: May God bless him and grant him the wisdom to know what’s just, the courage to do what’s just, and the stamina to withstand the rigors of the most difficult job in the world. May his virtuous plans prevail and may his unrighteous efforts fail. And may God protect him from all harm. David French
Luck? People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance…deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they’re on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there’s a whole lot of people in group number one…they’re looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever’s going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, that sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? (unknown)
Pandemic What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Center down. And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart. Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You could hardly deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands. Reach out your heart. Reach out your words. Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love– for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, so long as we all shall live.
Love your neighbor Karl Rahner wrote, “There is no love of God that is not, in itself, already a love for the neighbor; and love for God only comes to its own identity through its fulfillment in a love for neighbor. Only one who loves his or her neighbor can know who God actually is. And only one who ultimately loves God … can manage unconditionally to abandon himself or herself to another person, and not make that person the means of his or her own self-assertion.”
Disenchanted Life We are captivated by the “surface” of things, failing to see what lies beneath. It causes us to be anxious and driven by things of insignificance. If there is a constant temptation for us in our present time, it is to lose confidence that there is anything unseen or eternal, at least in the sense that such things impinge on our daily existence. Our disenchanted, secular world is a siren song that promises the power of control while robbing us of the reality of communion. We “manage” the world when we should be in love with it. Fr Stephen Freeman
Apart from me you can do nothing. These are not the words of a good to great life enhancement guru to upper-middle-class minivan and SUV drivers. This is the piercing clarity of the Word of God. Actually, we can do something apart from Jesus. We can do a lot. It will just amount to nothing. J D Walt
Front Porch View
The best kind of friend is the one you could sit on a porch with, never saying a word, and walk away feeling like that was the best conversation you’ve had.
Make your front porch a part of your home, and it will make you a part of the world.
The quotes above capture some of my thoughts as I conclude another front porch season. There is a special kind of sadness that comes with closing the front porch. I will miss greetings and conversations, reading and writing accompanied by wind chimes and birds…not so much the traffic noise. The front porch is a window into the world about me. I’m looking forward to spring. Of course the lanai in Florida is a nice alternative, but it’s not the front porch.
A picture of the Chicago skyline taken almost 60 miles away, is actually a mirage.
The antidote and ultimate vaccine for secularism is unseen reality. As I become increasingly aware of the influence of disenchantment, engaging unseen reality …”what is true and real” is crucial.
In my previous post I confessed to the influence of secularism, aka disenchantment, in my life. I am increasingly convinced that disenchantment is a source of dysfunction in my relationship with God. I choose disenchantment rather than secularism to describe my malady because secularism carries baggage which distracts from the core issue of disenchantment. I feel as though I have “hit the tar baby” and am grappling with a “Gordian knot”. ( my apologies for mixed metaphors) In this and succeeding posts, I want to share my struggle. To reiterate, my struggle is not about losing my soul, it is about receiving God’s gratuity of abundant life.
Here are some definitions and thoughts: Disenchantment: (my interpretation) The ethos of our secular culture, the result of the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason… science, technology, and skepticism rule. Devoid of transcendence, all that is left with is individual preferences and choices. Only the material is real.
Enchantment:Pre-modern ethos dominated by supernatural forces, witchcraft, and ghosts. A world full of thin places, where the border between this world and the Other world was porous and leaky. People could be demon possessed or afflicted by witches. The night was full of occult menace and magic. Black cats were bad luck.
Both disenchantment and enchantment are worthy of deeper investigation, but from my cursory explanations, here are some observations:
Scripture and its historical events occurred in the pre-modern context of enchantment.
Enchantment, as described above, is illegitimate in our disenchanted culture.
Although there is a great deal of interest in enchantment, i.e. superheroes, fantasy, science fiction, most people would disavow any reality for them, we have special categories for those who do not.
Disenchantment rejects transcendence, paradoxically people continue to seek transcendence in their lives.
Transcendence is the core of Christianity. Without transcendence, Christianity becomes a religious commodity, void of meaning and purpose.
Deeply shaped by the ethos of secular culture, engagement with transcendence is nonsensical, We are like fish, swimming in the waters of secular culture, blind to other reality. That cultural reality is the basis for “disenchantment” being the greatest challenge to a relationship with God.
Early on, disenchantment molded my understandings and practices. Exemplified by a secessionist view of the Holy Spirit, disenchanting the Spirit and relegating her work to a cerebral exercise. Additionally, incapable of embracing the mystery of Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper was observed as a memorial feast, avoiding any illusion to the presence Christ.
Various encounters during my spiritual journey have exposed the tension between disenchantment and enchantment, creating a nagging dissonance which is being revealed in these posts. Here are some things I am pondering:
To what extent has disenchantment (secularism) distorted my understanding of scripture? Does believing something to be true make it real? Is it possible my belief is a mirage, true but unreal? Accepting the antidote and ultimate vaccine for secularism is unseen reality, how do I see unseen reality? Why does it matter ?
