Philognosis

Shall we try again?

2009-08-02T11:29:00.000-07:00

Oh lovers of knowledge--for too long have we let this site lay fallow. Shall we now sew and reap--plant and preach?

Fill in the blank

2007-10-25T12:20:00.000-07:00

From the Intro to Benedicts Rule

Monks: “Refusing to be the slave of the material universe, he becomes its master. As a result, he moved in serenity. A leisure of spirit marked all he did with the sign of freedom and peace.”

20th century man: “He is swept from the security of a firm place in an ordered universe to the chill dark of an isolated, meaningless existence.”

So I kinda think this prognosis of “modern man” isn’t grounded firmly in reality. Admittedly I end up feeling like his description after I read something by Herman Hesse, or Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and in fact this merciless emptiness, elicited by these kind of romantic individualist books, has a certain appeal. Yet, I’m slowly realizing we aren’t in the 20th century any more, the paradigms of existence have changed. There is talk of a post-secular world, talk of renewed progressivism (which might be a really bad thing if history be the judge), etc.
So my question to the Gnostic community in Exile is this; what kind of quote would you add to the title 21st century person?
Peace,
Chris

Thought's on geo-politics anyone?

2007-10-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

Anyone have any thoughts about where we are and where we are going in a global sense?
Here's my lastest take on things.Peace,
Chris

Quote of the Day: Albert Schweitzer

2007-10-12T06:22:00.000-07:00

Everything deep is also simple and can be reproduced simply as long as its reference to the whole truth is maintained. But what matters is not what is witty but what is true. -Albert Schweitzer

A Patient’s prayer

2007-10-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Good Surgeon, Balm of Gilead. Free me from the fear of pain, impermanence, and uncertainty. Return my rib and renew my heart, that I might live in a resurrection way, spreading life.
Amen.

Restraint

2007-09-29T12:27:00.000-07:00

I also posted this over at Luthermatrix. What'd you fellow Gnostics think?
Peace,
Chris

Restraint
You likely remember the recent ruling about homosexuality at the ELCA General Assembly that urged leaders to “refrain from or demonstrate restraint in disciplining” people and congregations who call qualified leaders on the professional rosters of the ELCA "who are in a mutual, chaste and faithful, committed, same-gender relationship." Some may also have heard that the Episcopalian church, to keep the Anglican commune from schisming has pledged to “exercise restraint” in approving gay bishops.
Both groups are urging restraint, but different kinds. The former involves restraint of an authority and a law; the latter involves restraint by an authority figure and a use of a law. Those that have moved the Episcopalians to act as they have did so because they understand law derived from canon to be immutable. Those that brought the ELCA to its decision did so because they believe law to be a means to an end, not an end in itself. One quotes Jesus, “I did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it.” The other, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”
Yet, notice this is not necessarily a “conservative” “liberal” distinction, at least not in our narrow Red State/Blue State sense of these words. After all the Episcopalians hold a much more “liberal” position than the ELCA. Instead, the question of restraint, literally, “to restrict or limit,” becomes a question of whose power should people who try to follow Jesus limit? Do we limit the power of absolutes over humans, or try and enforce the power of absolutes in order to limit humans? There is a good case to be made for both.
We attempt to limit the power of absolutes because absolutes become idols, often masks like the Great Oz, hiding behind them the idiosyncrasies of little men. We often become so enthralled by their power that we do not hear the Spirit blowing.
We enforce the power of absolutes because we are sinners; we fall short of the mark and see only a minute fraction of reality, and will defend that little patch of “truth” to the death. If the rule of God seem strange to us the problem is likely on our end.
Is it any wonder Matthew writes about a “narrow gate”? On one side is a post made of bellybutton gazers, on the other is those who make an ideal their god. “Make straight the path.”

And on a lighter note

2007-09-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Paul, Christoph and I are playing Hackie-sack. Anonymous New Testament Professor walks up, she watches us for a while.... continues to watch us.
Then she says, "I haven't seen once of those since we protested the Vietnam war." And then she promptly walks off.
Peace,
Chris

Mother Teresa, atheist

2007-09-08T10:56:00.000-07:00

(Liberal Eagle's thoughts about Mother Teresa's "atheism")
I hate to say it but I think the “Liberal Eagle” is a little naïve in his understanding of religious people.
Firstly, the idea that we are bastions of certainty is laughable. The universe is still "cold and unwelcoming" at times, its not as if faith is, or should be, used as a blanket to shield us from the chilling realities of the world. Injustice happens, governments fail, our best intentions are often selfish, and one man’s solution is another’s power play. Further, atheistic thoughts are a common occurrence for people of faith. As we attempt to peer through the great cloud of unknowing and gaze upon the very throne of God we realize the cloud is too thick and the air up there is too thin. We have dark nights of the soul. We shout out there is no God! There is no justice! Religion is the deadening force of ancient autocrats! Yet, these things do not make us believe less, no they are simply part of the journey of faith. As a friend of mine once wrote “the opposite of faith is certainty.” Those that are certain, who rely on some foundation other than trust, be it culturally ingrained religious values, systematic faith statements, or emotional experience, are not as far along in their journey as they would like to claim. It is in fact often times the atheist who is the more faithful to God than the overconfident theist.
Secondly, Liberal Eagle’s statement that an atheist Teresa was acting “with no expectation that she'd actually ever get a thing out of it” is crass on several levels. He undercuts his own experience of reality. Do atheists not feel a core connection with other humans? Can they not project the I-into-the-thou? Can they not see themselves in the gutters of Calcutta? Have they no empathy? Of course they do, of course he does. Why else would Liberal Eagle critique the Bush Administration, except because of how the President’s actions have adversely harmed people! Liberal Eagle’s view also undersells the intentions of religious folk. We do not act altruistically out of want of reward, but out of esteem and thanksgiving for the breath in our bodies and the faith in our hearts.
Peace,
Chris

Lurking, for now

2007-09-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I wanted to let you know that indeed I am out here, lurking. It's hard to know what this year holds for me in terms of blogging, but I like the idea of a forum like this instead of my personal blog.

My intent for this year (and most likely blogging interest) is to focus on the creation of a meaningful lifestyle the face of yuppie-hood. With my new disposable income, motorized vehicle, secure job, non intentional community co-op, and meat-eating roommates there suddenly seem to be more options on the table than impoverished righteousness... So anyway, I'm on a journey to find community, to live my simplicity values, and to accept imperfection.

See you around

Jessie

Don't be shy!

2007-08-31T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well. We’ve got a small cadre of Gnostics now. Don’t be shy, let’s start gripping the essence of reality and smattering it onto the information superhighway!
Peace,
Chris

What is the point of Dialogue?

2007-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

I listened to a lecture recently about dialogue. One of the conclusions was that as Christians the reason for being pro-dialogue is that honest dialogue makes us see our position and find out when we are doing something out of our own self interest. In other words Dialogue is a Christian value because it neuters the Will to Power.
Discuss!

Quote of the Day

2007-08-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

"Anyone who knows only one religion knows nothing." Rev. Dr. Paul Rajashekar

Quote of the Day

2007-08-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

“Why has subjectivity only became a problem now that people of color are finding their subjectivity?”-Rev. Dr. Stephen G. Ray at lecture “Thinking Theologically from Diverse Cultural Perspectives”

There are two ways to become president

2007-08-22T05:55:00.000-07:00

You can either convince people you believe what they do, or you can convince people they believe what you do. I think the first is what Hillary is doing, the second is what Barak is doing.
Any thoughts?
Peace,
Chris

Quote of the Day

2007-08-20T04:58:00.000-07:00

"just because some people are paranoid doesn't mean the Bush administration isn't capable of almost anything." Andrew Sullivan

Generational Songs

2007-08-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

Eh Eh! I am not going to be drawn out, I want to ask you all one simple question:

Name one (I'm a softy, maybe two) song that you believe represents our generation the most. I'm making a generational mix for a party this weekend, and would love the input.

Take care,

-Kyla Light

Word of the day: Yazidi

2007-08-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

So 200 Yazidi were blown up
So today's word is Yazidi
Interesting folk, you might remember them from Western Religions 101 (or whatever the official name of the class was) with Ol' Shoe.
Peace,
Chris

To know you must not know

2007-08-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

Antithetical statements are often used to shadow poor logic, or for rhetorical flourish. Yet sometimes, because of the stark contrast drawn by them they can clarify an issue. For that reason I make the statement that Gnosis may only be found in agnosticism. Only in finding the limits of what we know, and what we can know, may we proceed down the road to knowledge. Would an explorer take to uncharted seas without first having a map of their own waters? Would an athlete leap without first knowing what is underfoot?
The first of these “agnostic actions” can be summed up with the old adage “know thyself.” In creating a sort of personal index patterns will emerge, gaps and grey areas will develop, whole black holes will appear. Mountains and valleys of the mind! And this inventory of ours is rather interesting. It is a sort of indirect way to gauging what type of knowledge we, or at least those who have influences us, value. It is a context with which we can ask the question what’s worth knowing? In addition, when we have this before us we can ask the question of how we know what we know. Did an authority figure tell us this? Did we experience that?
The second of these actions can be larger version of the first. Now, in the areas in which we are neophytes finding out what we can know is a matter of surveying literature and finding out the boundaries of the discipline. But for those areas in which we are pros we may take a more empiricist or scientific approach and ask about methodology and ask how we know what we know, and also ask questions about possibility.
In taking stock of what we know and the possibility of knowledge can we find anti-gnosis. With this in place we can take our first steps into the unknown, and truly learn something new!

Hello to the Great Beyond

2007-08-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

My apathy and boredom with "work" has forced me to find a viable, engaging outlet online. Granted I spend most of my time losing at internet scrabble to Kim and Sean, I've managed to squeezed some time in here to communicate with fellow gnostics. Hope that everyone is well, and let the games begin.

Still waitin' on some Gnostics

2007-08-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

So we've gotten "KEM" on board, he'll introduce himself soon enough... he's a little shy, you understand... no scratch that, he's busy.
Peace,
Chris

The Myths of America

2007-08-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

It is said Tolkein’s work was a conscious effort on his part to create a Myth for England. I wonder aloud, what would a myth of America be? By myth I do not mean what are the untruths that perpetuate our society, but what, when we find ourselves in a dream-like state, devoid of the rational, do we see when we see America? What are the unconscious archetypes that populate this land? What are the mytho-poetics of America? Where is our Leviathan, who is our Achilles, what is our Jungian shadow?
If I was to write such a myth what would it look like? Would one simply send Johnny Appleseed on a long journey across America, would the thing itself take place in America? Or would it be metaphors, would some Gnome represent the cowboy, would the vast waste be Middle America, would zombies be pop-culture?
The images that come to my mind are as follows:
Founding Fathers
The American Dream
2.5 Kids
Manifest Destiny
Cowboys and Indians
Immigration vs. Melting Pot
America saved Europe in the two world wars
The anonymous man
The Civil War
Democracy
Militias
Libertarians
The Statue of Liberty
Oblivious to rest of world
Inclusively
Lincoln
Hippie Communes
Evangelical Christianity

And that’s enough fodder for now. What do you guys think?

Introducing ourselves

2007-08-05T22:38:00.001-07:00

My name is Chris Halverson, one of the gnostics contributing to Philognosis. I also blog over at Luthermatrix.
Peace,
Chris

Philognosis

2007-08-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Gnostics have been dispersed throughout the world. We want to stay in contact; thus we have created Philognosis, an electronic Republic of Letters, nay a Republic of Ideas, where these citizens of the mind may flourish and frolic.