Posted by john on November 15, 2001 at 14:10:09:
In Reply to: Fire and brimstone posted by kat on November 15, 2001 at 07:36:10:
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: : : Karol Joseph Wojtyla
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: I don't know who this person is, enlighten me please!
This is the Pope.
: I agree with you and my experience with the Catholic church is not direct but usually through a friend, I just never got it. Not just that but, I HATE how quiet it is in there! What I did seem to get was the preacher at the Wesleyen church I went to preaching fire and brimstone and you need to get saved! How odd! What I really think it's about is God saying "Hey I love you, whatever I have to do to get you to realize that, I will do it."
I think that's it. We humans always tend to get things backward. It really isn't about us... well it is, but not in the way we think. The kind of thinking that encourages us to grab at anything that drives us forward has a name. It's called Instrumentality. It has a negative connotation in some circumstances because basically the end justifies the means, but this is only when it isn't thought through. Ultimately if you are searching for truth, anything that advances this will be a good thing. Of course nothing that leads to truth will cause one to do something heinous, therefore the fear is unfounded. Nevertheless it is a dangerous philosophy because it turns people into vivacious ravenous expereincers of all they can get their hands on. These people jump headlong into any experience that is good. They strive to be the best not because of the glory or anything like that, but because of the pure mandate to grow ever closer to perfection as a being. A meal can become spiritual, gardening, writing, walking, caligraphy, skating, quilting, anything is open. So if fire & brimstone is working latch onto it and get all that you can from it. Then when it is over move on. I think in light of our discussion, this method shows that we are willing to let God touch us in anything that sparks our interest at a particular time. Not to mention that it begins to broaden our perspective on what is Holy and get us out of the mindset that we have to follow the traditions. "The Practice of the Presence" is a great book that speaks of instrumentality, although the term was coined way later.