posted November 09, 2009 05:30 PM         

I like a lot of the stuff you said.
It may be a fault of mine, but I tend
to address the points of disagreement,
or apparent disagreement.
"Squeaky wheel gets the grease", or,
"Leaving the flock to recover the stray sheep"
(perhaps a more fitting, Christian analogy).

quote:

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We once had a small exchange regarding the basic human need for God and Truth and such. Do you remember? You claimed then that everyone feels this desire, that everyone is looking for respite from pain. I countered that many are, quite understandably, attached to their sorrows and unwilling to offer themselves up to the long arduous journey towards God. This is what seperates us. It has nothing to do with intellect or refinement. It is what you have been given ... and what is expected. Do you see?

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I'm not sure I do. I have not made any resolution to offer myself up to the long arduous journey towards God. I mean, I've made assorted declarations in moments of confession or prayer, but there is no moment I can point to and say, "There! There, I broke with the world, and steadied my nerves for the climb." Its all been a gradual process. My fine aspirations ebb and flow with the Moon. And I generally feel more sympathy with the soul than the spirit, if you know what I mean. Merlin, not Galahad.

quote:

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Where is your chosen perspective?

---

I believe God has placed me according to His choice, and has, in a very important way, allied my true desires with His will. I believe He wishes me to be his eyes down here, and to mediate between Christ Consciousness and my own unique Soul. I think my humanity is precious to Him. He is terribly interested in my perspective, down here. He urges me to get on with my work, which, I believe, has more to do with Jung's process of individuation than with The Desert Fathers' asceticism.

quote:

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These things about yourself that you love and understand ... is there anything you would sacrifice them for? Would you sacrifice them to help others? Would you sacrifice them to find Christ?

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These seem to be trick questions, shura. I would say that I can serve others, including Christ, best by bringing forth these things from within myself which I love and understand. God has entrusted them to me, and not so that they may be sacrificed as burnt offerings, but so that they may be celebrated unto His greater glory. The only sense in which I ought to sacrifice these things, and the only sense in which I ever would, would be for the sake of those things which underly them, in the innermost depths of my being. But I suspect, no matter how deep I go, the Word inside my own breast will never be Jesus, but Valus.

posted November 09, 2009 05:52 PM         

And that includes my presentation.

posted November 09, 2009 07:22 PM         

i maintain that christ did not judge "sinners" as being WRONG or bad, but he could see how their ways and lack of faith were hurting them and advised them accordingly.

posted November 10, 2009 08:20 AM         

quote:

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If I'm right, and you're wrong, then there's no double standard or hippocrisy when I object to your judgments while continuing to make my own; if the former are founded on narrow-minded assumptions, and the latter are relatively profound (and only the tip of an iceberg of paradoxically sympathetic understanding), then the difference is immense.

---

And that statement alone is a testiment to the hypocricy of your views and actions Valus , and unfortunately I have seen it way too many times.... Way WAY too many times Lol! Seems like everyone else around you have seen it save... well... you . There is no profound difference. Both your judgement and mine question behaviorism based on principles which are important to us. I think you are a lazy bum who refuses to see the reality of the situation and you think I don't see the bigger picture with my "narrow minded" prespective. Simple as that . What really adds insult to injury to this is the fact that you end up whining over others being unfair to you on the matter. Well if you are so willing to stand up and defend your views then you will do so without making it into a sympathy mongering session. In short, you are gonna have to learn to take quite a few hits on the chin for your views.

posted November 10, 2009 08:35 AM         

If my words sometimes sound like puzzle pieces, it's because a) I haven't got the intellect, b) This isn't my mother language (Sorry Yin)

posted November 13, 2009 05:03 AM         

kat, Yes, Christ understood sin as sickness, and himself as a physician, by the grace of God. He was very self-aware, and very much aware of the spiritual distinction he held among his contemporaries. He spoke with authority, he knew he was a master, and he not only received, but invited disciples. He told people to leave everything and follow him. He felt a responsibility for humanity proportionate to his wisdom, and set himself upon a mountain to preach to all who would listen. He repeatedly emphasized that his power did not belong to him, but that it came from God. I suppose that statement, like the rest of it, could be seen as humble or arrogant, depending on your point of view.

Xodian,

So, is this what Moderators do, now? Call people "lazy bum", etc.? Do you realize your entire post was just a string of personal insults? Do you have anything to say about the topic, or what we've been discussing here (an argument; not just a position)? Or is trashing me without provocation the only thing that interests you in this thread?

mir,

Hello, friend.
I never finished Sophie's World.
You know what I think about the body..
Flesh is not merely the corruption of Spirit,
it is also the Divine Manifestation;
the Fall is also the Incarnation.
Herein lies distilled the mystery and essence
of the Christian cosmo-conception.
What would N. say to that, I wonder?

Intellect is many things. Some minds are short-sighted, some are far-sighted... Some see history, some see numbers, some see concepts, some see courage, some kindness, some music, some art... We all show signs of different forms of intelligence. Sometimes it seems like, the more we sharpen our gaze in one direction, the wider our blind-spots grow. And holding anything up-close eclipses the world.

True eloquence is of the heart.

posted November 13, 2009 05:23 AM         

~ John Henry Newman

No one ever was a great poet,
that applied himself much
to anything else.

posted November 13, 2009 04:35 PM         

I'm not on the victim train, pal. On the contrary: I'm pointing out how cruel and immature your response was, because, unlike a victim, I refuse to take that crap from you. I have been fairly unapologetic, yes, but I have been directing my ire, for the most part, at certain attitudes, philosophies, and ways of being, and not at particular individuals and/or their private lives. I think that's worth something. In the few cases where I've directed my criticism at individuals here, it has been in response to a personal criticism, and it has been kept short. I never indulged in a litany of personal insults, as you have done (and as I'm finally provoked and tempted to do now).

Incidentally, I'm not interested in what you think of me personally. I've no desire to be respected by someone whose own intelligence and character I have never respected for an instant; someone who has never given evidence of possessing even the slightest fraction of genuine insight, probity, or wit. If you care to share your thoughts on the topic, I might find them worthy of my time and effort, but I'm not interested in reading and responding to your personal attacks, which have nothing the least bit original in them, but are based on the same tired, conservative assumptions we've all heard a million times. You are a thoroughly uninspired individual and I wish you wouldn't take so much of an interest in my threads, because you only degrade the entire business with your meanspirited stupidity. Go play some video games and stop troubling yourself with philosophy, -- or, more to the point, troubling philosophy with yourself.

posted November 13, 2009 05:16 PM         

xodian

valus

posted November 13, 2009 08:01 PM         

The truth is Mr. Valus that you aren't in anyway an original character or a witful one or intelligent for that matter. Infact I have seen the shock tactics that you have used on this forum time and time again on countless other forums (or as I like to call it, Meaningless trolling.) Heck, being intelligent would mean that you would use those tactics to benifit you in some way Lol! Only in this case, your posts seemed to have backfired on you way too many times. You are walking on a very thin wire here.

Oh, offcourse... How silly of me... You are trying to show us all a higher meaning of things, and that is the purpose of your little views now isn't it? Mr. Valus, your own level of competence is quite clear on complicated matters beyond you understanding really; What you don't understand, or what hasn't worked for you because of your own inability to comprehend you just refute as conservitisim. Offcourse, actually understanding the technicalities would mean doing some work and getting a degree but ... That requires effort ... And doing actual work Lol! Now I am not going to go as far as calling you a totally lazy neuron challenged being who lives in his own make belief world of self importance but... Things seem to be pointing in that direction .

Higher Philosphical thought indeed Lol!

Hey, what does it matter to me. I have financial security, a successful job, a nice NICE house... In short, I can support myself. What I do feel sorry for is the American population who has to support you .

posted November 13, 2009 09:57 PM         

Warms the cockles of my heart! (or perhaps the riesling I am drinking is helping with that)

HAPPY FRIDAY!!

This weekend I am not a thinker or a do'er.

Some people call me the space cowgal, yeah
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice
Cause I speak of the pompitous of love

People talk about me, baby
Say I'm doin' you wrong, doin' you wrong
Well, don't you worry baby
Don't worry
Cause I'm right here, right here, right here, right here at home

Cause I'm a picker
I'm a grinner
I'm a lover
And I'm a sinner
I play my music in the sun

I'm a joker
I'm a smoker
I'm a midnight toker
I sure don't want to hurt no one

I'm a picker
I'm a grinner
I'm a lover
And I'm a sinner
I play my music in the sun

I'm a joker
I'm a smoker
I'm a midnight toker
I get my lovin' on the run
Wooo Wooooo

Cause I'm a picker
I'm a grinner
I'm a lover
And I'm a sinner
I play my music in the sun

I'm a joker
I'm a smoker
I'm a midnight toker
I get my lovin' on the run

Wooo Woooo

People keep talking about me baby
They say I'm doin' you wrong
Well don't you worry, don't worry, no don't worry papa
Cause I'm right here at home

posted November 13, 2009 10:54 PM         

WOOT!

posted November 13, 2009 11:44 PM         

I too, am partaking of the grapes (red) in the afternoon.

I needed some artificial happiness to keep me going.

Cheers

posted November 14, 2009 12:42 AM         

Some are simply more deep than others