CRUMBLING IDOL GOD
CRUMBLING IDOL GOD--A story
Very long ago, God was cast into the "stone" mold of Supreme Being.
"Supreme Being" was rightly worshipped with a hierarchy of lesser beings in heaven and on earth.
Hierarchy was the sign and symbol of this god's vitality. The stronger and more elaborate the hierarchy, the stronger this god appeared.
In time, people began to see great flaws in hierarchy. Leaders covered up crimes and protected their own. Places of worship and learning were closed to protect financial security. Liturgists and thinkers out of step with hierarchy were removed or discredited to protect doctrinal and ritual conformity-security.
People wondered quietly about hierarchy. They wondered secretly about the whole idea of a Supreme Being with hierarchies of beings from greatest to least. They wondered about stifling protection and costly security and hierarchies of unequals.
"Blasphemy," they were told. "Revelation and Tradition had spoken. Supreme Being and Hierarchy are infallible doctrines" they were told.
Some people kept on wondering secretly. Some gave up caring about the "Supreme Being" system of thinking about God. Some became "heretics" and others gave up believing in religion as God's messenger. Still others remained the faithful remnant of the Supreme Being.
Reflection on story
It seems like forever that "Supreme Being" theology served all of the people very well...as idols often do...but only for a time.
Idols always crumble when we come to the point of seeing beyond them...when they no longer fill spiritual needs...or when everyday reality causes us to question their meaningfulness...
...until again we question and look beyond the next theology we hold too near and dear.
Sister Lea
Dear Sr. Lea. I thought
Dear Sr. Lea. I thought your story was great. I am much older person and thank god I am free and able to think and act outside of the box. Your words are very comforting. I need to know I am not alone.
The crumbling Idol reminded
The crumbling Idol reminded me of this part from "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd
P. 101
“A marriage or any relationship between partners is meant to be created and than re-created. It is an edifice a couple builds until the day the edifice can no longer hold them and they must bring it down and start again from scratch. And without any of the old assumptions. It’s exactly like Carolyn Heilbrun says, all good marriages are remarriages.
Psychologist Jean Baker Miller, who has done extensive research on women’s development, has written about “a growth-fostering relationship” as having five characteristics. She says that in the relationship:
1. Each person feels a greater sense of zest (vitality, energy)
2. Each person feels more able to act does act.
3. Each person has more accurate picture of herself or himself and the other person.
4. Each person feels a greater sense of worth.
5. Each person feels more connected to the other person and a greater motivation for connections with other people beyond those in the specific relationship.
Though it was slow, hazardous, and often exasperating work, Sandy and I worked to undo the old marriage and create a new one stripped of the old dependencies and patriarchal setup, a growth –inducing relationship that offered each of us freedom to choose and be, that not only allowed for but enhanced the soul in each of us.”
As our ideas about God become unable to contain our understanding of God we need to tear down the useless ideas and build up the ones that better express what God is. Until such a time where we have to do it again as our understanding of God increases. And then again and again until such a time in eternity that we become one with God in the entirety of our “being”.
And this part reminds me of the two kinds of people in your story:
P. 101
“Feminist writer Naomi Wolf sums up what is happening as men make this choice:
The world of men is dividing into egalitarians and patriarchalists----those men who are trying to learn the language and customs of the newly emerging world, and those who are determined to keep that new order from taking root. The former group welcomes these changes, seeing that though they are painful in the short term, over the long term they provide the only route to intimacy and peace. But the later group sees only loss…..The patriachalists’ world view, shared by women as well as men, is battling the emerging egalitarian world view, which is also shared by people of both sexes.”
This is a great book chronicling a spiritual awakening that changes Kidd’s whole life. The imagery in her writing is exquisite. I’m thankful to God that her meanings seem totally clear to me.
God Bless you all.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
"patriarchalists": In
"patriarchalists": In thinking about causes of cultural misdirection, I continue to be troubled by a line of thinking that won't go away. It is particularly troubling because the ugly word "incest" keeps injecting itself. The line of thinking goes like this: patriarchy is a self-alienating proces of monopolar rationality that effectively screens out any variance of thinking that would introduce bi-polarity.
The theology of dominion is presumptive monopolar thinking by which males elevate maleness uniquely into divinity Godhead in a manner that extrapolates male-egoism into Godhead. Institutional theology/politics (patriarchy) effectively anathemaizes the enrichment of potential that comes from bi-polarity (femaleness/maleness). Is the labeling of patriarchal culture as "psychically incestuous" too strong? Or, does it address a predominant cause of cultural inauthenticity and social frustration?
Interesting bent on that
Interesting bent on that post Sylvester. I think I can see your point pretty well. I don’t if labeling “patriarchal culture” as "psychically incestuous" is too strong, but I can definitely see that “patriarchal culture” IS a predominant cause of cultural inauthenticity and social frustration.
Just as incest leads to problems associated with not taking advantage of a more complete gene pool, Cultural Patriarchy has led to problems by not taking advantage of our Full Male/Female divine endowment. I mean a society or institutions built on Half the image of God are bound to run into problems of only using half your available resources to deal with the multiplicities of living and evolving as God knowing individuals.
Nice insight Sylvester and an interesting way of presenting the error.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Beware divisions! Joer, I
Beware divisions!
Joer, I enjoyed your sharing of Sue Monk and Naomi Wolf. Though I, too, tend to divide people into "egalitarians and patriarchalists," I do believe that this is a mistake. It is just too easy and not where we need to go...though I like the fact that you do not make that division along the lines of men vs. women.
There are dreamers and imaginers among us who question...and there are those who preserve and safeguard truth from "Dark Ages" where everyone forgets what good has been learned. We need both...and we need to remember that dreamers also fear change and safeguarding patriarchs also dream.
thanks...for sharing,
Sister Lea
That's true Sister. Thank
That's true Sister. Thank You for the thread! :-)
God Bless and and be with you and us all.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Hi Bob, Your opening
Hi Bob,
Your opening paragraph perhaps explains why the RCC and Science, have since time immemorial and even today, occupy opposing camps on so many issues which are debated in contemporary society.
The main body of your posting should be compulsory reading and reflection for our hierarchy especially those who formulate church policy and even some of the individuals who contribute to many DB forums.
I think part of the problem lies with an understanding many Catholics have grown up with - that they can comfortably leave all decisions on qns of faith and morals in the hands of the experts, ('magisterium') with whom the HS has exclusive lines of communication. Their fear of the unknown and fear to step outside their comfort zone rationalizes the status quo in their psyche.
Another part of the problem is that our hierarchy is composed of individuals who are loath to relinquish the unquestioning control they have exxercised over the masses for so long. They will use every psychological ruse to maintain the status quo. A good example is their assertion that dissent is disloyalty to Jesus (who shed his blood for your sins) and God.
A third part is that the whole structure and organisation of the RCC still operates out of an archiac mindset- one steeped in the traditions and beliefs of the dark ages when the clerical establishment were the only educated class especially in Europe. I am certain you have heard the joke about the old abbot who was copying copies of the Bible.
Put those three ingredients together and the outcomes are plain for all to recognize.
I am not advocating that the 'baby be thrown out with the bathwater' but suggesting that renewal of the structure, organisation and some traditions is imperative if the RCC is to remain relevant into and beyond the 21st century.
I acknowledge Jesus' promise to Peter about the 'gates of hell', that does not however mean that we who are Church do not have our part to play in fulfilling that promise.
'When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.' -C.P. Snow, scientist and writer(1905-1980)
Ninja
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Sr. Lea: I too am sure
Sr. Lea:
I too am sure Jesus has a sense of humor. Sometimes, when I'm praying, I think I hear him laughing, you know, when I pull one of those lines that sounded better before I said it.
Also, I'm sure Jesus was laughing at the wedding at Cana before his mother asked for assistance. That probably accounts for his somewhat surly response when she asks for his help. He's sitting around with friends enjoying himself. I can just see it.
Like you, I hope these small flight of fantasy are not blashemous. I share them with Jesus and he doesn't seem to mind.
Kate
Imagining outside the box.
Imagining outside the box.
Imagining could never be blasphemy, Kate...unless we force ourselves to stay in the box where we may have been trained to "STAY"...like a puppy.
As for laughter, it is so wonderful...like a child's awe...so unlike the super-seriousness of ego all wrapped up in itself.
Thanks!
Sister Lea
Interesting Sister Lea your
Interesting Sister Lea your analogy about "outside the box" and trained to "stay" reminded me of this part I read today in "The Dance of the Dissident Daughter" by Sue Monk Kidd:
P.82
"While entangled in these feelings, I happened to hear about this experiment in which flies were sealed in an aerated jar for a period of time. Finally the lid on the jar was removed, but strange thing the flies did not try to leave. Well conditioned by now, they no longer looked for the exit. The just kept circling the tight perimeters of the glass, going in their familiar patterns. Their reality had shrunk to that jar. It had become their entire world. It had become safe. Life beyond it had ceased to exist.
I’m in the jar, I thought.
I hadn’t been able to leave the perimeter of the old confining way of being a woman. It had been my entire world, and I questioned weather I could live beyond it’s safety. Unlike the flies however, I knew the lid was off. I’d struggle, myself, to open it, but now that I had, I couldn’t seem to muster the daring and insurgent energy I needed to fly. It’s a peculiar thing, isn’t it, that a woman can prefer the safety of cages to the hazards of freedom."
Thank You for your story Sister. Very appropiate.
The more we discover how much we are Loved by God, the more we want to do God's Will
Hi Sister Lea, Loved the
Hi Sister Lea,
Loved the story and its hard-hitting accuracy to reality.
I often wonder whether Christianity has been overly hasty in deifying Jesus and thereby focussing less on his human nature.
Why is it that in all of the gospel stories the most natural human response of laughter is missing? As I see it I am certain that Jesus even God must possess a sense of humour - especially with our futile attempts to articulate what is essentially our perceptions of the intangible.
Am I just being blasphemous with this suggestion? Is institutionalized religion merely a self perpetuating one which exploits the basic human emotion - fear of the unknown? The history of institutionalized Christianity unfortunately does little to refute that conclusion.
I have a book called the 'Tao of Jesus' in which a famous scriptural sentence 'The Truth shall set you free' is discussed. What 'truth' was Jesus implying here? Has the institutional Church totally misconstrued/misrepresented what Jesus was implying with those words?
I realise these are many qns to ask in one posting but they are real ones with which I grapple in trying to understand the essential message of Jesus and the reason for his ministry amongst us.
Ninja
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Questions are Beautiful.
Questions are Beautiful. Let us keep on asking them together...with each other...learning and teaching, teaching and learning together. Never fear to question. Not to think and question thoughtfully, that would be blasphemy.
As for the "hasty deification of Jesus" you mention, Ninja, you might want to check out my post: Crumbling God-Myth at http://ncrcafe.org/node/827.
Humor, yes, surely Heaven is full of hilarious laughter at all the silly things we thought so terribly important. Conversely, "hell" must be such seriousness about ourselves that we bore ourselves to death.
You might also enjoy "God on a Skateboard" at http://ncrcafe.org/node/405.
As for the institutional Church...it's just the institutional Church doing its best to preserve the meaningful and the good. Sure, it gets all wrapped up in its own self-importance...but no more, no less than we do as individuals. We must be as careful not to divinize OR demonize the Church.
Church has no intention to misconstrue or mislead us. Trouble is it is trying to hold everything perfectly still...a perfect picture...like we do in our lives...but perfection is so beyond a still-life perfect picture, isn't it?
There is a great old book...PERSON AND INSTITUTION by John P. Sisk. It helps us to understand that the Church is just trying to hold things together, like our parents did for us as we were growing up. The Church makes huge mistakes, but it is as important to society as parents are to children...including the not so great parents.
Blessings on you, Ninja, as you grapple with questions, as you say, "trying to understand the essential message of Jesus and the reason for his ministry amongst us." I join you in your quest and look forward to future sharing.
Sister Lea
It seemed to me that the
It seemed to me that the question I posted at www.acolyte.gather.com, "Worldview Dictates Dogma" was appropriate here:
QUESTION: is it not true that the Shia/Sunni divide in the Middle East comes down to a worldview/orthodoxy divide? That such divide commonly occurs also in other religions, e.g., Judaism and Christianity? The worldview/orthodoxy divide is apparently a conflict of (SWV) cultist divine-election versus emergent (EWV) egalitarian divine-election.
SWV : Static World View
EWV : Evolutionary World View
(This designation was used no later than the early nineteen-nineties by James N. Studer, OSB, Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, MN)
Exchanges with "Here Today" at "Gone Tomorrow" also pertain to questions here. Indeed, "hypocrisy and humbug" are the transparent wraps of once and would-be kings.
Source of Conflict Your
Source of Conflict
Your post: "QUESTION: is it not true that the Shia/Sunni divide in the Middle East comes down to a worldview/orthodoxy divide? That such divide commonly occurs also in other religions, e.g., Judaism and Christianity? The worldview/orthodoxy divide is apparently a conflict of (SWV) cultist divine-election versus emergent (EWV) egalitarian divine-election."
Yes, Sylvester...appropriate...Yet what do we do with this delineation?
Do we use it to divide the "cultist" worldviewers from the "emergent egalitarian" worldviewers?...with one superior to the other?...with no recognition of how cult preserves what evolution later questions and builds on?...with the same self-righteousness that causes all conflicts?
Question is how does religion, specifically and in general, help us to move beyond the egoism which afficts all of us as an original human sinfulness...caused by our "entrapment" in our matter-time-space environment?
My question is: How do we begin to recognize the common thread here behind ALL conflicts?
Sister Lea
QUESTION: What is Universal
QUESTION: What is Universal (Catholic) Religion, Universal CALL-VOCATION?
The Universal Call, for every person, every community is to become more Godlike, to become harmonious, symbiotic in relationship to all. How do we ascend into Godlikeness? By appropriating (OWNING) the Godlike Virtues, FAITH (fidelity); HOPE (confidence in things unknown); LOVE (altruism, self-donation, Eucharist).
God is WORD (Trustful Communicator); God is LIGHT (informed in all things); God is LOVE (Total Eucharist).
By TRIMORPHIC RESONANCE, by trustful communication, by informed consciousness, and by altruistic conscience we are transformed into Godlikeness, moment-by-moment, day-by-day.
THIS IS THE NEW DISPENSATION! It's not an ideology, it's the Way, the Truth, the Life — how paradigmatic nature enables conscious ascendancy into Divine Consciousness — the true HYPOSTASIS of divinity/humanity in Natural Ascendancy.
"My question is: How do we begin to recognize the common thread here behind ALL conflicts?" The answer to your question, Sister Lea, is, BY BECOMING GODLIKE, BY OWNING TRIMORPHIC RESONANCE: by trustful communication, by informed consciousness, and by altruistic conscience, in ALL things (conflicts).
To meet (own) God is to meet our own sinfulness!!!
"My question is: How do we
"My question is: How do we begin to recognize the common thread here behind ALL conflicts?"
That is the challenge. No, we don't divide. We have to work at coming together from both sides. I think it begins with the realization that belief and reason, faith and science, and religion and civility are inseparable and essential to each other in the joined unfolding (evolution) of human consciousness. We have to grow out of the small-world cultures of our individual faith ideologies and affirm our commonalities.
In conjunction with and after the Thirty Years Wars of Religions, faith and reason were set against each other and irreconcilably divided; we are now experiencing the fruits of their divorce and the continuing mean mindedness of fideism and rationalism toward each other. Vatican II showed us the way to begin crawling out from under the heavy load of desperation (Gaudium et spes) — and that is in re-evaluating failures of faith/reason culture, causes for their historical breach, and updating and reconciling both in context of their mutual necessities.
In short, we need to recognize the essential supposition of faith and reason in nature (primary scripture), and update our worldview from the informed insights of quantum-electric consciousness so we can discover continuity in the new "analysis and synthesis" called for by Vatican II.
In my "Second Enlightenment Trilogy" I have attempted to put this very complex scenario together; and in "The Possible Journey, Uncompromised Trust" I have attempted to detail a program of adult faith formation by which adults can begin to consider the many social/ecological crises that have come about, as a result of failure of faith to mature, in a way that enables adults to bring their faith to bear on real world circumstances, religious, political, ecological, social, etc.
A summary understanding can be derived by reviewing information at the websites www.secondenlightenment.org and www.authorhouse.com. The three books of the 2nd Enlightenment Trilogy are: PRIMARY SCRIPTURE, Cosmic Religion's First Lessons; QUANTUM RELIGION, The Good News of Rising Consciousness; and RELIGION & CIVILITY, The Primacy of Conscience. About 60% of THE POSSIBLE JOURNEY is available as a free download at www.secondenlightenment.org The adult faith plan can be downloaded free at this website.
I hope this is helpful. There are a lot more questions that need asking and answering. The many centuries of neglected updating have put us in a nearly overwhelmed circumstance, but neglect to deal with it now is not an option because the outcome of neglect is too high a price to pay. It's going to take a lot of serious and committed effort. Lord knows I'm ready and willing to do what I can. For fifty years I've been focused on identifying and resolving this predicament.
Thanks for asking, Sister Lea!
Hi Sr Lea, Read your posting
Hi Sr Lea,
Read your posting 'God on a Skateboard' and marvelled at your creative juices. Wish I could capture some of it!!
I think some of us go through many stages in our perception of God - stages related closely to our level of spiritual maturity. Others remain with one perception of God - sadly the one which crossd their intellectual path as children.
I think that I have matured from a Book keeper, judgemental, fire and brimstone vision of God to the God that Jesus portrayed - a God who loves us without conditions or reservations. That God is with me in my work, leisure and rest inspiring and guiding me in all my activities.
I must know - because I have experienced God's presence with me in my good times but especially in the trying and not so good times of my life.
Thank you for your thoughts and blessings.
Sayonara
'When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.' -C.P. Snow, scientist and writer(1905-1980)
Ninja
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Levels of Spiritual
Levels of Spiritual Maturity?
Ninja, I'm not so sure there are "levels of spiritual maturity". If there are, then we get back to establishing a hierarchy of holiness.
What if Jesus came to abolish levels of spiritual advancement in order that we might all give up judgment...our inferior/superior classifications of ourselves and others...that we might truly relate with each other as equally worthy sisters and brothers???
What do you think?
Sister Lea
I am amazed I am reading
I am amazed I am reading this post tonight. I found myself lamenting the fact that the Jesus I have learned to love in my maturity is being presented in the world by His church as I met Him in my childhood. I don't know that there's any longer much point in pretending to leave my maturity in the car. It's too big a price too pay.
One of the things I admire
One of the things I admire most about science is its insistance on continually wrestling with truth. The true scientist is never absolutely sure the truth, as it is understood at any given time, is the whole truth and nothing but the truth or if it is lacking in some way or even in error. Oh, yes, there are always those who, for whatever reason, resist change, but that is good too because it requires constant probing by those on various sides of a question in order to support their position.
If we understood things perfectly, there would be no need for questioning or change, just for the individual to come to a personal knowledge of what is understood. The terrible mistake is to assume our understanding has totally penetrated any reality and we know the truth of it.
If the theologian is to be a true scientist s/he too must always question. Refusal to do so brings an end to growth.
I do not question the sincerity of those who are against questioning and different ways of understand and expressing our faith, but I do suspect they are quilty of intellectual pride in thinking there is not need for questioning because they already know the answers.
I am firmly convinced that "truth" does not have to be protected from those who question and seek new ways to express it. The greatest danger to finding "truth" is to assume you already possess it. Any religion which casts "truth" in stone is condemning itself to becoming a stone age religion unacceptalbe to those who have moved on in understanding of nature, scripture, and life in general.
If there are those who are threatened by this post, I would suggest reading the latest post on "A New Search for Ultimate Reality". There are some interesting thoughts there too.
Anyone who truly loves our Catholic Faith needs to have an open mind. To fail to do so will bring great harm to the Chruch.
Science as Idolatry. You
Science as Idolatry.
You say, "One of the things I admire most about science is its insistance on continually wrestling with truth." (from Bob Glavey's post 1/30/07)
I think this is no less true of religionists. Scientists, like theologians, have been shut down by their institutions for wrestling with truth. Yet like scientists, they go on thinking and writing as you illustrate in "A New Search for Ultimate Reality."
Truth threatens us all. It forces change upon us when all we want is for everything to remain the same. Institutions--both scientific and religiouus--build rituals and sacred doctrines around former "proven" truths. It takes much time and work to connect the new truths with the old, to transvalue the essence of truth from old to new understandings.
Bob, there is a very interesting DVD called "Something God Made". It is about medical science and its dictum "Noli Tangere"--don't touch...don't tangle with the heart--before heart surgery was even thought about.
Idolatry--closed-minded worship of ideas--can be found in every discipline, in every quarter--liberal, moderate, and conservative.
The reason I love religion so much is because its major task is to get us to recognize and surrender idolatrous worship so that we can be free of it...so that we can continue to create anew and understand differently. Otherwise, it all gets terribly boring, don't you think?
Sister Lea
Truth threatens us all. It
Truth threatens us all. It forces change upon us when all we want is for everything to remain the same. Institutions--both scientific and religiouus--
I know I cut some of your sentence out, but this is so TRUE. Sometimes I want to tell the Truth to take a hike. Leave me alone, I've had enough of Truth.
Sister, I saw that when it
Sister, I saw that when it came out on HBO (I think). It was amazing and intensely moving. As I recall, it had a lot to do with "set ideas" not just about the heart, but about who the man really was who developed many of the original heart surgery techniques. Unfortunately, the "world" could not tolerate the "secret" of who one of the "partners" was, (because of his race) so it was a very long time before this talented man got any of the credit. The movie was not so simplistic; I am glad it is now on DVD, because it is definitely "heart-changing". I would like to see it again! Thank you for reminding me it is "out there"! Peace, Star
Precisely. Amen to that!
Precisely. Amen to that!
This male, as a derivative
This male, as a derivative of female gratuity, is eager to take in all the fresh wisdom I sense unfolding here. I've pined to find greater expression of "emotional intelligence" in Catholic circles. Culture has kept faith in a box far too long. Am I too hopeful and naive in thinking that our present pope is less inclined to try to keep her in the box? Not that that will keep the Spirit from moving where She will.