If we look to Rooson's inquiry from yesterday asking for the names of True Religions, I should direct those interested to any dictionary on the topic. Most of what would be included come from the Axial Age, generally between 500 BC and the time of Christ, but also would include Islam, from some 600 years later. I sense, however, that this in not the real question, but rather this: if Christ's death was humankind's redemption, how can any of the other religions be truly True? That is, how can they save us, or, in my words, bring us to God?
Good question, and it can only be met with speculation. Perhaps other culture areas were not in need of this kind of redemption; or perhaps such redemption is only one way to God - maybe "redemption" in, say, Hinduism is met by fasting and paying little heed to the materialistic dream (as Christ exhorted). Finer heads than mine have discussed this. At the time that Father Bede went to India - in the 1950's - the Catholic church had an idea that all the other major religions were on the right path, but still had not reached the highest goal, that of embracing Christ. It was a philosophy that was called something like Eventualism - that these other (non-Christian) people were being prepared for Christ, much as the Jews were, but were still waiting for the final salvation. This has since given way to the idea that people CAN reach God through other True Religions, but that these are not the best or most direct, of ways. One explanation has it that other religions could bring one to experience the Christ in the heart, and thus bring salvation through Christ without the paraphernalia of Christianity. We can see the logic - if Christ was necessary for humankind, he was necessary for ALL humankind. Ecumenicism demanded a wider approach, and thus it was found by the great theological minds of Christianity without destroying the primary idea that Christ was essential for all humankind, and that He had only come once and would not come again until the Final Days.
Catholic priests such as Father Bede (he and others may be found in the archives of this website) lived in India to meld the two philosophies - of Hinduism with the reality of Christ the redeemer. Those who successfully participated in the Hindu idea of meditation came away with the certainty that Hinduism could indeed lead to God (the Absolute), but were divided on the reason why. Some believed that the path led them through Christ as mentioned above - and as such, did not run counter to the priority of Christianity. Others (I'm sorry, I forget their names for now) came to believe that the Absolute might be approached through Christ, but that it was not necessary, as God was beyond all such duality; that God, in the end, was only one God, by whatever name or representation. I will leave the readers to find these arguments on their own for now, or comb through the archives for the blogs written about this. In any case, I'm sure this topic will come up again.
For now, I have begun a book, "Not in Kansas Anymore" by Christine Wicker about the explosion of magical beliefs and practices in the US since the 1960's. At this point, 51 pages in, she approaches the topic in a matter-of-fact manner, exposing, really, the obsessive nature of our human condition regarding supernatural powers. We, even good Christians, have developed magical means to ward off "bad luck" or bring in "good luck," often in ways we do not think about (for instance, don't say "things sure are looking good for us, honey" to your spouse, or you may bring down disaster). In these small ways, I find that she is right. However, if expanded - and we shall see how she expands this - this skepticism could include all manner of subjective philosophies, including all the religions. Her premise to this point seems the extreme materialistic one, the one taken by many Americans during the mid-20th century. That is, that there is no spirit working in our lives, that things like telepathy and meaningful coincidence don't exist, and that magic - which would include prayer, by her inclinations so far - simply is wishful thinking.
Much of this blog is dedicated to counter this attitude that it seems she has. It is true, however, that a lot of what we do is useless magic, at least from a practical standpoint, very much like superstitions involving black cats and ladders and bad pennies and such. But she has so far not mentioned that inexplicable things, like remissions and telepathy and even clairvoyance, have been well documented, meaning that our idea of "practical" is woefully incomplete. Further, we have creation and consciousness to contend with, even bigger problems for the practical mind. We shall see where this all leads. It could prove interesting, as she roams across America to visit those who believe they can alter reality by various non-physical means. FK
Good question, and it can only be met with speculation. Perhaps other culture areas were not in need of this kind of redemption; or perhaps such redemption is only one way to God - maybe "redemption" in, say, Hinduism is met by fasting and paying little heed to the materialistic dream (as Christ exhorted). Finer heads than mine have discussed this. At the time that Father Bede went to India - in the 1950's - the Catholic church had an idea that all the other major religions were on the right path, but still had not reached the highest goal, that of embracing Christ. It was a philosophy that was called something like Eventualism - that these other (non-Christian) people were being prepared for Christ, much as the Jews were, but were still waiting for the final salvation. This has since given way to the idea that people CAN reach God through other True Religions, but that these are not the best or most direct, of ways. One explanation has it that other religions could bring one to experience the Christ in the heart, and thus bring salvation through Christ without the paraphernalia of Christianity. We can see the logic - if Christ was necessary for humankind, he was necessary for ALL humankind. Ecumenicism demanded a wider approach, and thus it was found by the great theological minds of Christianity without destroying the primary idea that Christ was essential for all humankind, and that He had only come once and would not come again until the Final Days.
Catholic priests such as Father Bede (he and others may be found in the archives of this website) lived in India to meld the two philosophies - of Hinduism with the reality of Christ the redeemer. Those who successfully participated in the Hindu idea of meditation came away with the certainty that Hinduism could indeed lead to God (the Absolute), but were divided on the reason why. Some believed that the path led them through Christ as mentioned above - and as such, did not run counter to the priority of Christianity. Others (I'm sorry, I forget their names for now) came to believe that the Absolute might be approached through Christ, but that it was not necessary, as God was beyond all such duality; that God, in the end, was only one God, by whatever name or representation. I will leave the readers to find these arguments on their own for now, or comb through the archives for the blogs written about this. In any case, I'm sure this topic will come up again.
For now, I have begun a book, "Not in Kansas Anymore" by Christine Wicker about the explosion of magical beliefs and practices in the US since the 1960's. At this point, 51 pages in, she approaches the topic in a matter-of-fact manner, exposing, really, the obsessive nature of our human condition regarding supernatural powers. We, even good Christians, have developed magical means to ward off "bad luck" or bring in "good luck," often in ways we do not think about (for instance, don't say "things sure are looking good for us, honey" to your spouse, or you may bring down disaster). In these small ways, I find that she is right. However, if expanded - and we shall see how she expands this - this skepticism could include all manner of subjective philosophies, including all the religions. Her premise to this point seems the extreme materialistic one, the one taken by many Americans during the mid-20th century. That is, that there is no spirit working in our lives, that things like telepathy and meaningful coincidence don't exist, and that magic - which would include prayer, by her inclinations so far - simply is wishful thinking.
Much of this blog is dedicated to counter this attitude that it seems she has. It is true, however, that a lot of what we do is useless magic, at least from a practical standpoint, very much like superstitions involving black cats and ladders and bad pennies and such. But she has so far not mentioned that inexplicable things, like remissions and telepathy and even clairvoyance, have been well documented, meaning that our idea of "practical" is woefully incomplete. Further, we have creation and consciousness to contend with, even bigger problems for the practical mind. We shall see where this all leads. It could prove interesting, as she roams across America to visit those who believe they can alter reality by various non-physical means. FK
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