[Oe List ...] Salmon: On God
William Salmon
wsalmon at cox.net
Mon Oct 11 23:05:29 CDT 2010
Colleagues All--
One 20th and 21st Century danger is that of claiming a God that is too small. One of the blessings of the Order's proclamation of God as Mystery is that it forced us to acknowledge that which we are not. In order to embrace such a definition it was necessary to suspend our dis-belief. At least this definition does not fall off on moralism or pietism. It does become distorted by a false objectification.
I've never been comfortable with a God as Mystery, although I can theologically justify such a God; there is too much that we can not understand.
However, the objectification of all our old Christian Code Words is THE PROBLEM given to us in our Modern Worldview created at the great paradigm TURN during the 15th and 16th Century. The invention of the Scientific Method, the Renaissance, the Reformation, and Industrial/Urbanization birthed such an objectification yet still framed it in metaphysical analysis; for his time, Pipa is correct in his Passes: "God's in His (sic) heaven and all's right with the world."
The problem is clearly manifested at the Great paradigm TURN initiated by Einstein's physics. There ain't no Heaven and there's not a God to reside there! There never was and there never will be.The reason is this kind of God just ain't!
Isn't this the message of Jesus? Are you looking for the Lone Ranger? There isn't any, and I'm He! The one who comes to tell us that an objective God does not exist actually is the God we seek. Such information is more than the Truth, actually it is the experience of GOODNESS.
God is not an object that lives beyond the sky.Our faith-story is that God is EXPERIENCED as Love. We need to remember that Love comes to us as forgiveness, acceptance, passion, in familial, and as Tough Love ("Order Member, get your ass out of bed and into Daily Office!" Remember?)
This experience is no Mystery. It is as intimate as it is universal. We experience it in every aspect of creation from birth, driven through pain and joy, and then in death. Love comes to us at every turn.
Those who are awake to this GOOD NEWS understand the formula ALL IS GOOD, THE PRESENT IS RECEIVED AS A GIFT, THE PAST NOT ONLY IS FORGIVEN IT IS FORGOTTEN, AND THE FUTURE IS OPEN!
It is the work of the Awakened to demonstrate this TRUTH that the truth we seek actually is GOODNESS. The way in which we embrace this reality is to take the Leap of Faith; that is, to surrender by falling into the care of such Good News and ask others to come leap with us.
To die to our illusions of what Truth actually is becomes the profound experience of resurrection into blessed assurance.
The movie, "Joe Vs. the Volcano" (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) tell this story is Spades, and Joe and Patricia actually make the sacrifice of jumping into a volcano for a group of people (a part of the Lost Tribes of Israel!) who are to chicken to do their own sacrifice. Why does Joe do this? He does it because he wants to, "Live like a king and die like a man." The result is that the movie ends by "taking us away from the things of man;" i.e., our illusions about the objectification of our old Christian Lexicon.
Because they make this leap, a WONDER occurs. (Observe this is not a MIRACLE. What happens is the result of Love, and that is not the TRUTH, but it is a GOODNESS.)
Post-modern theology never asks the question, "What do we KNOW about God, Christ, HS, the Human Situation, Sin, Grace, etc." The question always is, "How do we EXPERIENCE these things."
Until this little exercise becomes second nature, all of us will continue to attempt to define the indefinable simply because it is not definable. It is experienced as close as our breath and our empathy and our sympathy. It is as close as living the surrendered life as a servant to our spouses, partners, friends and colleagues.
Now, Mother Nature is something else. Mom N is the culprit for much of what we blame God. Why did our son Wesley die at 20 years old with leukemia? Is God punishing him, or his parents. Not on your sweet bippy! Leukemia and childhood death is just The Way Life Is (TWLI). Yep, Mom Nature guarantees that leukemia and cancer, and crib death all have their place in the universe. She also is responsible for the depth of degradation that we selfish--read Un-Awakened--ass holes are capable of doing to beat up on those who don't UNDERSTAND GOD just like we do; how else can you explain 9/11?
Where was Love when 200 people jumped 110 stories? Or where was Love when the plane on the way into the Pennsylvanian earth when someone on board yelled, "Let's roll!"
Easy. Love was on board, and with the jumpers all the way into the ground. Then Love was in the rebirth of patriotism, and generosity, and actual care for those who hurt.
Well, like always, I've said too much, much too badly.
Maybe this will stir your juices to begin to think in the methods of our Post-Modern worldview. Care to dialogue?
Inner Peace,
Bill Salmon
----- Original Message -----
From: Susan Fertig
To: 'Order Ecumenical Community'
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 6:54 PM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years
I backslid into believing in the Trinity, and a God in control.
Susan
From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of David Walters
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 8:44 PM
To: Order Ecumenical Community
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years
What happened between you and Kazantzakis? Have you departed from the Crimson Line?
David Walters
----- Original Message -----
From: Susan Fertig
To: 'Order Ecumenical Community' ; dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 3:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years
Pedagogues:
Don Clark (72-76, Venezuela courses and Houston Rel. Hse.)
Christina Clark (Houston period)
Sherwood Shankland (ongoing, beginning in the 70s)
Bruce and Marcie Bunker (Venezuela, Caracas Rel. Hse.)
Rafael Davila
Steve Allen (courses in Venezuela)
George and Wanda Holcombe
George West
And many others
Guides:
Herman Hesse (Journey to the East)
Teilhard de Chardin
Kazantzakis (at one time, not any longer)
Susan
From: oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces at wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of LAURELCG at aol.com
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2010 1:00 PM
To: Oe at wedgeblade.net; dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Subject: [Oe List ...] Pedagogue list of last 20 years
I wanted to bring back this list. Hope my editing attempt didn't delete anything vital to its meaning. Here's mine.
I have to go back a little further to the 80's when the 12 Steps of A.A. saved me and my family.
Matthew Fox led me to the Four Paths of Creation Spirituality: Positiva, Negativa, Creativa, Transformativa.
Starhawk on Feminist Thealogy, took me beyond the church's stance of female as less than fully human
Rosalyn Bruyere on energy healing
Thomas Berry and Bryan Swimme on the Universe Story and our moment in it
Ann LaMott on writing and the importance of humor
Barbara Kingsolver - myriad gifts
Barack Obama - all is possible
Richard Bartlett - importance of hallucinating the possible - it's all possible
Thanks for asking.
Blessings, dear colleagues,
Jann McGuire
This is interesting, perhaps add, what image did they help puncture or shape?
Robert Bly -- gave me back poetry
Nikos Kazantzakis -- I keep coming back to Saviors of God -- reminds me of the awesome journey
Rianne Eisler -- living in a post patriarchal time . . .
Vaclav Havel -- meaning can shape political realities
--- On Wed, 9/29/10, R Williams <rcwmbw at yahoo.com> wrote:
From: R Williams <rcwmbw at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] New Pedagogy and New Pedagogues
To: "Order Ecumenical Community" <oe at wedgeblade.net>
Date: Wednesday, Septem
Parker Palmer
Peter Senge
Margaret Wheatley
Willis Harman
Rachel Naomi Remen
Robert Greenleaf
Peter Block
--- On Wed, 9/29/10, PSchrijnen at aol.com <PSchrijnen at aol.com> wrote
David Whyte
Richard McDonald
Robert Bly
Rowan Williams
Thich Nhat Hanh
> START CLOSE IN
>
> Start close in,
> don't take the second step
> or the third,
> start with the first
> thing
> close in,
> the step you don't want to take.
>
> Start with
> the ground
> you know,
> the pale ground
> beneath your feet,
> your own
> way of starting
> the conversation.
>
> Start with your own
> question,
> give up on other
> people's questions,
> don't let them
> smother something
> simple.
>
> To find
> another's voice
> follow
> your own voice,
>
> wait until
> that voice
> becomes a
> private ear
> listening
> to another.
>
> Start right now
> take a small step
> you can call your own
> don't follow
> someone else's
> heroics, be humble
> and focused,
> start close in,
> don't mistake
> that other
> for your own.
>
> Start close in,
> don't take the second step
> or the third,
> start with the first
> thing
> close in,
> the step you don't want to take.
>
>
> ~ David Whyte
>
>
> People who are aware of this process and consciously cooperating with
> it are developing what David Whyte calls "True Presence" and a
> "Conversational Identity". If you haven't gotten his Live in San
> Francisco DVD, you and Burna would just love it! I think I ordered it
> for $15 on his website DavidWhyte. com
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