There are no valid new ideas in Christianity lurking, waiting to be excavated.Link for context
Simon sounds downright Ratzingerian there. What do you think?
_____________________
There may be nothing new in Christianity, but Christianity is always in the new:
But God's own descent
Into flesh was meant
As a demonstration
That the supreme merit
Lay in risking spirit
In substantiation.
Spirit enters flesh
And for all it's worth
Charges into earth
In birth after birth
Ever fresh and fresh.
We may take the view
That its derring-do
Thought of in the large
Is one mighty charge
On our human part
Of the soul's ethereal
Into the material.
~Robert Frost
32 comments:
I think there are more than a few valid ideas lurking. The trick is to note the ways Christian theology developed with insufficient attention to the whole. The lack of a strong understanding of the Holy Spirit has plagued the West and affected a lot of key themes, making a lot of theology essentially binarian.
Then, the strong tendency to almost entirely ignore the Jewish backgrounds of Christianity opens the door towards re-evaluation of themes that might have different emphasis if we take better note of the OT narrative and the Jewish context of Jesus.
I try my best to ignore Althouse.
The fag hag thing is just too much. The Althouse's goofball cause marriage is too ridiculous to contemplate.
One of the best things about being retired is that I don't have to put up with the fag hags. Glory be unto God.
I don't have anything against Althouse and her creepy husband. I just prefer not to hear anything about them.
"What do you think?"
I think this site was created to give people an opportunity to get away from a blogger who insulted them and kicked them to the curb.
But if someone chooses to get down on his knees and crawl back that's certainly his right. Different strokes for different folks.
There are no valid new ideas in Christianity lurking, waiting to be excavated.
What an odd choice of words. I'm going to read a bit into that statement and credit Simon with seeing the virtue in reconciling his religious beliefs with the new archeological evidence they're still finding.
That said, Simon once boasted that he has a "man-crush" on Antonin Scalia. Make of that what you will.
I always figured that Simon is very smart but that he has some kind of autism.
I was wondering whether Simon was going to show up again. Nice to see him.
When I was young I thought the Holy Spirit was God's other son, the one who couldn't talk (probably autistic) and who had to stay inside. Jesus got to go to all the cool places, like earth.
Thank you Rabel.
Going thru a tough time btw. Internet cable had to be suspended, temporarily, do to financial difficulties.
I'm using phone wifi to reach you' all.
I would really appreciate if you guys could help out. Anything that you could afford would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Lem,
Just sent you a paypal donation.
I've been neglect in doing so for some time. I often forget that this whole thing isn't free, and I don't want to be a free-loader. So -thanks Lem.
p.s. - It's A-ok if you keep it simple.
Donation on the way!
Here is a fresh idea. Let government get out of the compassion business and let the churches do the work they were meant to, which they aren't. Because both government and churches together are failing. We have more poor than ever before and more wealth redistribution than ever before as well.
This post doesn't have to do with Althouse per se -- it could have been made on Twitter -- so quit yer bitchin' about that. I only included the link to Simon's comment for context.
The statement "[t]here are no valid new ideas in Christianity lurking, waiting to be excavated" struck me as rather absolutist and dogmatic. For one thing, it excludes evolution and change.
The only problem with Christianity is the notion that God is love, when every Jew knows that God is wrath.
There are no valid new ideas at TOP so stop lurking, waiting to be excavated.
FIFY!
On the other hand Simon is right. What I learned in catchism class in 1965 from Mother Assunta is still the truth today.
Everything else is backsliding bullshit.
Sorry for being so cranky, Chick. I have an attitude, but I think it is justified.
I mean what you call evolving I call sacrificing your principles for popularity. So you can go to the cocktail parties with the smart set.
Perfect example. Cardinal Dolan is the Grand Marshall of the St Paddy's Day parade which is the first year that gays are marching under a banner that just says they are gay. Now gays have always marched. As fireman, cops, teachers, Holy Name members or band teachers. Seriously. Half of those dude twirling batons use them for other purposes. But there was always a ban on single issue groups marching in the parade. So for instance the Right to Life groups are not allowed to march. But this year they knuckled under to the gay mafia and threats to their sponsorship and made an exception. So people that are promoting Gay Marriage are marching under their banner and people who want to march for the Right to Life are banned.
How does that work? How does the Cardinal sign on to that? How is that an appropriate change? Isn't that trimming your sales to accommodate the new "progressive" view? Because you know. Money.
Just goes to show you. Never trust anyone named Dolan.
Here is an article that the lying duplicity of the parade committee and the complicity of Cardinal Dolan.
You see single issues marchers for the gays is fine but they lied when they said they would let Right to Life marchers in under their own banners. Cardinal Dolan sold out. He doesn't want to stand up for the actual doctrine of the church. He wants to be the Grand Marshall and have everyone kiss his freaking ring. What he has to do is get on the horn and tell them to let the Right to Life groups march or he will pull out. But he won't.
Money. Status. Bullshit.
Cardinal O'Conner is spinning in his grave doing some Irish step dancing.
Last I looked, Christianity has been better for the world's ills than any form of socialism.
It may not be new, but it's still the best.
As George Peppard once observed, "There are 40 years of new things and 5000 years of old things.
Stands to reason there are more good old things than good new things".
Paddy's day is right around the corner.
But there is still time for the Cardinal to step up for the millions of innocents who are slaughtered every year. Nobody is asking him to spend any money. Just stand up for the powerless. The voiceless. The innocent.
You know. Stand strong for one of the basic precepts of the Catholic faith.
But then maybe he should just quote our new Communist Pope. "Who am I to judge?"
These are the leaders that we are saddled with when Christians are being slaughtered in the middle east. When followers of Christ are kidnapped and having their heads cut off. When our religious rights are under attack by the US government who want nuns to provide birth control and abortions under penalty of law. When our religious leaders should be strong, steadfast, tireless voices against the murder of believers and innocents in the womb.
What do we get? Poseurs in red skull caps.
"Paddy's day is right around the corner."
Hooray!
In 1844 there was an attempt to destroy Catholics in New York City. This territory was fictionalized in the movie "The Gangs of New York."
Catholic Churches had been burned out in Pennsylvania and dozens of Catholics were murdered. Sort of what ISIS is doing now in the Middle East. Archbishop John Hughes put armed men in front of every Catholic Church and told the mayor that they would burn down the city before they would knuckle under to these attacks on the Church.
We need leaders like Bishop John Hughes. Not the sorry excuses for leaders we have today.
Yes it is right around the corner. I hear that is the day that Paddy lets his snake out. So to speak.
Chickelit, thank you. I have 3 books of Frost on my shelf yet had not encountered that poem before.
Something old but new found it's way to Lem's place (new) via a link to the older place, (Althouse) where a past commenter entered the present moment to offer up the grist used to provide this thread of bread and Frost, with the ubiquitous snake making an appearance for old time's sake.
For those who believe in the power of bread and wine to nourish, much less (or more) transubstantiate, "Christianity is always in the new", over and over and over again.
The job that Lem does here extends beyond traditional work to provide a place where kernels and grains are turned into bread and levity.
No small task. Thank you to you as well, Lem!
I am sorry you are experiencing personal problems.
My contribution is forthcoming.
Stay strong and positive. Good times and bad times are both temporary.
Shouting Thomas said ...
I don't have anything against Althouse and her creepy husband.
I do. Lawn-Boy wrecked a perfectly nice young man, on the Internet no less, by his attacks. I don't even know if "Paladian" is still alive....when I once was in weekly contact with him. I dislike lying cowards and that is what Lawn-Boy is, no doubt about it. I hope Lawn-Boy gets his butt kicked severely one of these days. Just because.
That said, I never read much on TOP nor would I ever comment there again. Period.
Lem said ...
I would really appreciate if you guys could help out. Anything that you could afford would be greatly appreciated
Consider it done. Via PayPal if you can still utilize it, otherwise notify me and I'll use other means.
Hang in there Lem.
@MamaM: Thanks for the inspiring comment!
The Frost poem is called "But God's Own Descent" and was the frontispiece in his book "In The Clearing" published in 1962 near the end of his life. Some of same verses are embedded in a much longer poem called "Kitty Hawk" in the same book.
You guys have helped tremendously. I'm for ever grateful.
Truly all of you that helped and all of you that help by visiting and commenting. I couldn't ask for more.
By the way, remember, if you have something you what to share, political personal or whatever, please don't hesitate to contact me and will put it up for people to comment on, or not comment on. We can turn comments off for a particular post... if we want.
I don't think I've ever done it.
Why would anybody ever want to do that ;)
If I'm a little talkative is because I came out of a most wonderful celebration meeting.
People had the most wonderful stories. it ran over because we had a lot of celebrants, but nobody left even after it was over, nobody was rushing out.
I'm grateful that I'm sober today.
And I'm grateful that you guys and gals are here for me to share it with you.
Why would anybody ever want to do that ;)
I did it at my blog because that POS Titus started to shit uncontrollably in the threads. He first went after and then my wife.
There is nothing new to discover in the brakes of my truck. There is nothing lurking in those brakes to be uncovered. All they ever do is hold back my truck and stop it, preventing it from careening forward or backward uncontrollably as if without a controlling brain. All they ever do is brake. That does it. I reject them. I'm getting rid of those ridiculous brakes. There's a million other NEW ways and exciting ways to stop, you know.
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