tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post5588226054045282577..comments2024-03-28T09:59:13.754-07:00Comments on bionic mosquito: An Excellent Conversation bionic mosquitohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-59777491953248501592021-11-29T16:42:11.031-08:002021-11-29T16:42:11.031-08:00Actually, theosis/the prayer of the heart/the Jesu...Actually, theosis/the prayer of the heart/the Jesus Prayer are very much meant for the common folks. For a recent example from a simple farming village:<br /><br />https://orthochristian.com/74079.html<br /><br />Also a popular account of this truth is presented in this book:<br /><br />https://orthodoxwiki.org/The_Way_of_a_Pilgrim<br /><br />https://desertfathers.webs.com/thewayofthepilgrim.htmWalt Garlingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06960981300770685320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-81106215152944142462021-11-27T15:05:30.831-08:002021-11-27T15:05:30.831-08:00ATL, the more I have reflected on this conversatio...ATL, the more I have reflected on this conversation, the more I have considered what is lacking. <br /><br />I am pleased with it for the reasons mentioned. But, you are right - no mention of natural law - and this is where this conversation must go; it is the place where the atheists and Christians in this conversation are both aiming.<br /><br />Further, I have reflected on Baron's definition of meaning: "a purposive pursuit of a value."<br /><br />But Hitler had this, as did Stalin, as does Fauci. It is also the problem Peterson has. The issue isn't merely to aim at something meaningful; the first issue is..what is a proper value at which to aim. And the highest value is love (not in the simplistic sense, as you know) - other regarding action.<br /><br />I think for my next post, I will want to clarify some of this. Time has a way of filtering....bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-19904707348854200072021-11-27T15:00:22.797-08:002021-11-27T15:00:22.797-08:00I don't discount his point. Yet we live in a ...I don't discount his point. Yet we live in a world of many who have dismissed Christianity; some subset of these are sympathetic with natural law.<br /><br />Even many Christians will not achieve this state while breathing in the current human form.<br /><br />How shall we speak to them, especially if we want to live in some sort of conviviality with believers and non-believers alike? bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-82270632202884793162021-11-27T14:56:40.449-08:002021-11-27T14:56:40.449-08:00Mr. Garlington,
I do not dispute the "facts...Mr. Garlington, <br /><br />I do not dispute the "facts" as you present them. However, I am acquainted with too many Christians whose only concern in this life is "knowing God" and they spend inordinate amounts of time trying to reach that goal, with the result that they spend little time trying to know their neighbor. They are, as the famous quote says, so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. <br /><br />I daresay that within the modern Christian Church there are many ascetics who, like the Essenes of old, only want to withdraw from public life into a desert of their own making, with the (supposed) intention of getting to "know" God. <br /><br />Now, perhaps this is not what you are referring to, but this is my experience and I am not inspired by it. <br /><br />Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08156823478509665137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-41859634569901310762021-11-26T23:43:25.926-08:002021-11-26T23:43:25.926-08:00I had a feeling you would be covering this. I watc...I had a feeling you would be covering this. I watched the video a few days ago. I've also begun watching Vanderclay's reaction video. It is a very interesting talk, but a lot of it was either beyond me or it seemed to skirt around the heart of the issue. I think that I thought I would enjoy it more than I did. Mostly it left me with the bad taste in mouth of where is the discussion on natural law???<br /><br />Also, I kept getting the impression that this conversation (especially regarding Vervaeke's contributions) is getting so abstract and esoteric that it itself is becoming meaningless. Get out an help a random person in need. You'll get a taste of meaning. Join a church. Get to know God. Marry a women, and live your whole life with her best interests at heart. Have some kids with her and raise them up right with their best interests at heart. All these things will provide meaning to your life. Get to know your neighbors and love and help them despite their flaws. None of these will be completed perfectly. And when you are forgiven for making mistakes, this too will provide a brief but profound window into what meaning is.<br /><br />Maybe I was just too tired and distracted when I watched it though. Perhaps I'll give it another go this weekend. <br /><br />You made a very good point that science should not be in the driver's seat of the determination of ends. The only ends that may somewhat be determined or guided by science are 1) prolonging an individual's life, 2) the continuation of the species and 3) the promotion of pleasure inducing activities. The last two clearly point towards sex as the ultimate end. And the modern world does seem to put sex above most things. It is one of the only purely material acts that can give yield a sense of transcendence. But when you put sex in the driver seat of society you get, along with much else that is not healthy for any community, sexualization of kids and mass abortion. Yay science!<br /><br />I would touch on the importance of their discussion on psychedelics, but I'll wait for your next post on this to see if you cover it there.A Texas Libertarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02980539931923054404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-86562886083192519552021-11-26T20:39:12.125-08:002021-11-26T20:39:12.125-08:00Mr Bauman makes an important point: Theosis, unio...Mr Bauman makes an important point: Theosis, union with God, leads to the fullest knowledge possible. From the Fathers:<br /><br />‘St. Symeon the New Theologian, speaking of inner stillness and describing its holy atmosphere, says: “Hesychia is an undisturbed state of the nous, calmness of a free and rejoicing soul, a heart’s untroubled and unwavering foundation, vision of light, knowledge of the mysteries of God, a word of wisdom, depth of conceptual images of God, rapture of the nous, pure converse with God, a vigilant eye, inner prayer, union with God and contact and complete theosis, and painless repose in great ascetic labours” (13).’<br /><br />More: http://www.oodegr.com/english/psyxotherap/hesychia_Orthodox_healing.htm<br /><br />‘Moreover, there is the rationalistic belief in the Church that saints and holy elders can not speak reliably on medical matters, if they have not studied the subject. This however is proven false by at least two modern day saints; namely, St. Porphyrios (†1991), who, despite only having a very basic education, used to be invited by doctors into consultations with their patients; and the abovementioned St. Paisios. Only completing elementary school, we read in the life of the latter that, “He was knowledgeable about everything, though without occupying himself with everything. He knew about the things of the world while living in the desert. Though far from everyone, he was spiritually with all, and he loved the entire world. He knew many things without having studied. He associated comfortably with scientists and other distinguished people, speaking with them easily and without any feelings of inferiority. On the contrary, the worldly wise consulted him…. He could, with one descriptive hand gesture, communicate information about a person or an entire situation.”’<br /><br />More: https://www.monomakhos.com/saints-holy-elders-on-the-covid-vaccines/<br />Walt Garlingtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06960981300770685320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-50851846220298678572021-11-26T16:20:42.986-08:002021-11-26T16:20:42.986-08:00"Until everyone gets off this false track, an..."Until everyone gets off this false track, any discussion on this topic is useless." -- Unknown<br /><br />If this statement is true, then we might just as well quit talking about it because there will never come a time when EVERYONE gets on the right track. There will always be those who cannot get it figured out. It is also likely that UNLESS we talk about it, no one will ever get on that track. <br /><br />Oh, dear! What to do? Should we talk about it or not? <br /><br />"Should I stay or should I go? If I go, there will be trouble and if I stay, it will be double." -- The ClashRogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08156823478509665137noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-31179909818868039692021-11-26T14:47:35.720-08:002021-11-26T14:47:35.720-08:00To whom are you complaining?To whom are you complaining?bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-68355054300789100082021-11-26T14:29:51.758-08:002021-11-26T14:29:51.758-08:00I get sooooo tired of people equating (consciously...I get sooooo tired of people equating (consciously or not) science with the physical sciences. That's utter nonsense. Is game theory (just to name one obvious example) a physical theory? Nope. It's study and development requires acknowledging human PURPOSE as a fact. So do (properly understood) economics, for that matter (which makes Austrian economics the only truly scientific economics). Until everyone gets off this false track, any discussion on this topic is useless. We can't just do with descriptive Natural La, we must address the normative (or prescriptive) Law before we can figure out Meaning. By the way, it's not enough to say that meaning comes from pursuing goals. It must be added that the goal itself must be meaningful, which is something you properly address in your commentary. In addition, meaning is only found when there is a direct relationship between action/decision and results. Which is precisely what the modern welfare/interventionist state at first distorts, and then utterly destroys. Look n further for the roots of the "Meaning Crisis." The evidence is everywhere. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14744536089279494069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-76138393804285599402021-11-26T14:21:01.334-08:002021-11-26T14:21:01.334-08:00I'm just thinking aloud for the most part. E...I'm just thinking aloud for the most part. Evaluating what my church does, sufficient or insufficient.RMBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13603112499567064214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-68577892769815473412021-11-26T13:01:09.441-08:002021-11-26T13:01:09.441-08:00RMB, I hope I am not coming across as one-sided on...RMB, I hope I am not coming across as one-sided on this, or making absolute statements. I think we can agree that Protestants are, for the most part, much more propositional than Orthodox or Catholics; and the latter are more participatory than the Protestants.<br /><br />I will offer again something I have noted several times: I am glad that God has made available multiple ways to reach different people who benefit from being reached in different ways.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-62987533418915756252021-11-26T12:56:58.593-08:002021-11-26T12:56:58.593-08:00Natural law recognizes that man is made for a purp...Natural law recognizes that man is made for a purpose. It places as the highest value the love of God and, next to it, the love of our neighbor. Just as Jesus summarized the commandments. From this, natural law can be derived, and fully in accord with Scripture (as I have written elsewhere).<br /><br />It offers an ethic by which humans can live peaceably with each other, nothing more. You seem to be placing on it too large a burden for natural law to carry.bionic mosquitohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12002548958078731031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-5411543939347558032021-11-26T10:55:19.464-08:002021-11-26T10:55:19.464-08:00Participatory knowledge is explicitly in the Bible...Participatory knowledge is explicitly in the Bible in the word "epignosis". I have heard it taught and taught is as experiential knowledge. It is the highest level of knowledge and/or the type that has the most effect on life.<br /><br />I will add some other ways in which Evangelical Protestants do this and outside of ritual. The first is prayer. Praying long, personal, spiritual, biblical prayers puts your faith into action in all the ways you are calling Christians to do that Bionic. The other way is be approaching scripture in a devotional way. When you read it, put yourself in it before God. When you do that you are not learning propositions or theological statements. You are putting yourself under God's authority, submitting yourself to God's word actively, evaluating your attitudes and behaviors according to God's divine standard.<br /><br />I think taking communion every week would be a good thing. I think some responsive readings could be helpful in this regard too in public worship. But privately there is much an individual believer can do too.RMBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13603112499567064214noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-648884752216444797.post-17702071863441295432021-11-26T07:38:04.543-08:002021-11-26T07:38:04.543-08:00Respectfully, there is a fourth level of knowledge...Respectfully, there is a fourth level of knowledge which os largely ignored outside the Orthodox communion (and within it as well): Theosis. The actual process of knowingly sharing in Jesus's Life. Such knowledge of the integrated human-divine being is difficult. It is only possible in a deeply Sacramental community that encourages deep repentance and has good, experienced spiritual guides.<br />While the Orthodox communion has our fair share of unrepentant sinners, what else could be expected. The deep knowing of what it is to be fully human that Jesus revealed on The Cross is beyond any other, especially so-called "natural law".<br /><br /><br />NL from my understanding after 35 years a part of the Orthodox communion, and a student of history for far longer seems to he based on a false understanding of our human nature and God's great mercy.<br /><br />Forgive me if my statement offends, I do not mean it to. Michael Baumanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03025213649848660526noreply@blogger.com