Comments on: Five glances into the abyss

By: Sterling Camden

Sterling Camden — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 01:10:42 +0000

That’s true — which is why I mistrust all frameworks, even the ones I employ.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:12:19 +0000

Read the post – interesting. I don’t know too much about other Christian traditions, but you probably know that Catholicism is rigorously intellectual as well as driven by a faith. Thinkers such as Aquinas and Augustine make sense today, by my lights – far more than most modern writers of any inclination. Unfortunately, because faith does call for serious thought and understanding, people are often misled. One of the consequences is the cult phenomenon you discuss. However, we should remember that cults expose a flaw in man, not God. Also, humans develop a cult mentality just as easily in a “rational” framework – Nazism comes to mind.

By: Sterling Camden

Sterling Camden — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:59:59 +0000

Part of that story is told here. After that, I became an Episcopalian for a while and was confirmed in that church. I liked the fact that using your noggin was encouraged, and that simultaneously holding faith and doubt was a usual occurrence. But after a while, the faith part seemed extraneous to me. I was holding onto it only as one keeps a childhood toy — just for the memories, not in order to use it. It was taking up space in my mental garage, so I let it go.

Of course, I still have a faith of sorts — but it isn’t a faith in anything specific. It’s an irrational optimism conjoined with an awe of the unknown.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:49:16 +0000

No sermons, but it would take a while to explain. Suffice to say I reached a point in my life where I was looking for perspective. I started inquiring about Catholicism partly as a whim, frankly, and partly out of desperation. The more I learned, the more I realized my preconceived ideas about faith were completely wrong. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise. So I’m naturally curious how you moved the other way … ?

By: Sterling Camden

Sterling Camden — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:39:03 +0000

I still feel the same, not having a reason to change.

At the risk of inviting a sermon, how did you move from agnosticism to Christianity? I can understand the reverse, having traveled that path myself. I suppose it must have a lot to do with your “flavor” of faith.

By: Brad Shorr

Brad Shorr — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:26:51 +0000

Sterling, Your attitude seems healthy and promising to me – have things changed since you wrote this? As a former raging agnostic who is now a committed Christian, all I can tell you faith raises as many questions as it answers. This discovery was quite contrary to my expectations.

By: BlogsWeLuv » Blog Archive » 10 Questions with Chip of Chip's Quips

BlogsWeLuv » Blog Archive » 10 Questions with Chip of Chip's Quips — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 15:42:04 +0000

[...] 2. Link us to one post from your blog that best defines who you are. Five glances into the abyss. [...]

By: sterling

sterling — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 18:10:31 +0000

Profound as always (is that another oxymoron?), Vaspers. “Heavens no” — that’s good. If I believe in God (a question that may come down to definitions after all), then I would believe in the one you’ve described.

“fall back in the trust fall and hope your readers will catch you.” That’s one to remember. I’ve often felt that way when pressing the Publish button.

By: vaspers the grate

vaspers the grate — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 14:03:09 +0000

You’ve been told many times before
messiahs pointed to the door,
no one had the guts to leave the temple.

God can be found, and will prove Himself to exist, and more than exist, but He cannot be found where everybody is shouting His name and acting all religious about it. Nor is He found in the religious leaders or anything they say or do.

Jesus pointed away from institutions and leadership, and pointed within: the kingdom of heaven is within you. Not in a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue. Heavens no.

By: vaspers the grate

vaspers the grate — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 13:59:38 +0000

Good for you to deconstruct the Tag You’re It “meme” which is similar to a chain letter, but I guess bloggers who like games can invent blog games, so let’s chalk one up for innovation, but I like how you reversed the confession, and bespoke 5 things that even you don’t know about you.

Very cool. Now fall back in the trust fall and hope your readers will catch you.

It could be a Life Changing Experience (a wannabe oxymoron if there ever was one).

By: Chipping the web - water displacement -- Chip’s Quips

Chipping the web - water displacement -- Chip’s Quips — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 01:57:37 +0000

[...] Stu Savory responds to my tag: swimming Lake Constance and crashing a hang glider – not what I might have expected from an “overeducated, grumpy multilingual ex-pat Scot”, but mighty interesting. And his Vogon poem left my arms quite intact. [...]

By: sterling

sterling — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 18:50:57 +0000

Cool, Stu. My FeedDemon awaits hungrily.

By: Stu Savory

Stu Savory — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 17:41:35 +0000

OK, I finally got around to it. Appearing in my blog on January 3rd (2007!).

By: sterling

sterling — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 19:18:37 +0000

Food poisoning, ouch! Well, at least there’s unknown number one: “I don’t know when to throw out leftovers.”

Hope you feel better soon, Chris!

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 19:11:51 +0000

Sorry about the double tag, dude. I’ll delve into the unknown once I get over my holiday leftovers food poisoning (bleh!)

Chris

By: Ameliorations

Ameliorations — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:50:23 +0000

[...] So I’ve been tagged by Sterlin Camden to do this 5 Things meme so here I am, meming away. [...]

By: Joseph A Nagy Jr

Joseph A Nagy Jr — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 15:18:46 +0000

Thanks for the tag, I hope I am able to enligthen people, albeit slightly, into some of the things that make me me.