tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15860677.post6914242354919135026..comments2024-03-25T14:27:40.121-05:00Comments on Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength: Mystical "experience of unity" in unexpected placesWeekend Fisherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10425001168670801073noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15860677.post-20389946637932290912014-08-03T21:04:02.630-05:002014-08-03T21:04:02.630-05:00Hey Kevin
I'm trying to figure out where it i...Hey Kevin<br /><br />I'm trying to figure out where it is we're not understanding each other. <br /><br />I should mention on the diagram -- I had fun with that, no doubt, & I hope it's useful, but my Venn skills aren't all that, & if I ever do another edition of the diagrams I'd hope for the ovals to be more representative of the size of the texts, and actually let you see the different prevalence/emphasis ... yada yada ... point being the diagrams show some things but not others b/c my Venn skills are iffy. I think the real upshot of that Venn diagram is that there is a thing called "religion", and what religion has in common is right there. (Kind of like what restaurants have in common is food for sale probably with menus, and what books have in common is pages and (typically) words ... So the Venn diagram is what religions have in common, to some extent. It doesn't mean they're all interchangeable ... but that they're similar enough that it's meaningful for them to be grouped together.)<br /><br />As Christians, I don't think we should have negative expectations of ... how did you put it ... "those inhabiting the other three ovals". I've met Christians who seem to think so, & it disappoints me. (I'm really fond of the Tao Te Ching, & the Analects, btw.) That's not the same as saying they're all the same. <br /><br />If Jesus rose from the dead then it matters to everyone who faces death. It's not a bludgeon to use against others, it's hope. Evangelism is explaining why Jesus' existence adds hope to the whole of human experience. If we use that to say mean things about ovals we don't understand, then we've gone wrong. If we love the good, we will respect it wherever we find it. <br /><br />Let me know if I've communicated that well enough that it's making any sense there ... <br /><br />Take care & God bless<br />Anne / WFWeekend Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10425001168670801073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15860677.post-29914708230532360452014-07-27T14:23:26.568-05:002014-07-27T14:23:26.568-05:00I read these a couple weeks ago, and have kept the...I read these a couple weeks ago, and have kept them in the back of my head. I'm not at all surprised to see you consider Jesus the unique expression of the unique God, and all other religions to be something less. I'm not sure it directly addresses my question, but it's all good stuff. <br /><br />Your Venn diagram was quite fascinating, though, and lands right in the middle of the question. All 4 religions focus on "called, heaven, people, and word." Those 4 words would outline a pretty good Christian sermon, but they'd evidently make a pretty good sermon in any of the religions examined. Even the scale of the diagram brings focus to my question. All four ovals are equally sized and overlap equally. It visually begs Christians to ask whether there's anything so unique about "us," or to justify our negative expectations for those inhabiting the other three ovals. <br /><br />If there's no experiential uniqueness to Christianity, it's hard to say there's any truth uniqueness. Jesus burst into the world, and was unique in countless axes. Are we not similarly unique in some way?Kevin Knoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16788817477327510023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15860677.post-85914987410053393042014-07-14T17:12:15.015-05:002014-07-14T17:12:15.015-05:00Hey Kevin
Good to see you around. Hope all is goi...Hey Kevin<br /><br />Good to see you around. Hope all is going well for you & yours. <br /><br />On the experiences -- ecstatic, mystical, centering, silence, all that, I take a couple of things for granted: <br /><br />1) There's only one God and he's universal;<br />2) There's only one human nature and it's universal. <br /><br />So I figure there will be common things that connect us all, and common threads to our religious experience. <br /><br />But if you want my take on "What is unique about Christianity?" the index is here: http://weekendfisher.blogspot.com/2011/12/jesus-name-above-all-names-series-index.html<br /><br />Or if you're into diagrams -- I get into diagram kicks sometimes -- there is one you might enjoy here, Venn diagram comparing the New Testament, the Tao te Ching, the Analects, and the Qur'an. <br />http://weekendfisher.blogspot.com/2013/10/picture-this-venn-diagram-comparing-4.html<br /><br />I'd be curious what you make of all that. <br /><br />Take care & God bless<br />Anne / WFWeekend Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10425001168670801073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15860677.post-8055364189319078912014-07-13T15:39:24.613-05:002014-07-13T15:39:24.613-05:00Hello WF. Long time no see, but I've caught up...Hello WF. Long time no see, but I've caught up on this series of yours. I know it's pre-recorded, and I'm curious where you end up. <br /><br />Given your format, it's a little early for questions, but I'll throw the big one out I'm going to be looking for. I was reared in an ecstatic denomination - tongues, etc. I eventually discovered there were real Christians were not ecstatic, and eventually reconciled their position with my own when I learned all religions have an ecstatic denomination or two. There was nothing convincingly Christian in the act of speaking in tongues. It's a human event. <br /><br />8 years after I left the ecstatic denomination, I joined a mystical non-denomination with the full centering/silence practice. I quickly learned every religion had its own mystical denomination as well. <br /><br />The same goes for fundamentalist, dogmatic, joyful, and otherwise human. I eventually gave up on finding a religious experience unique to Christianity. Shortly thereafter I was forced to deal with the big question. If there's no experiential uniqueness to Christianity, is there any truth uniqueness to it? <br /><br />I'll assume you share your wrestling with that one in a couple months, but I'll throw the question out anyway. <br /><br />Good to see you again. :-)Kevin Knoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16788817477327510023noreply@blogger.com