07 May 2023
Our ISP suffered a major outage in our area this morning. Had it really mattered, I could have driven with my laptop to some place with free wifi. Or, I could have tethered to my cellphone, as well, but that would cost extra after just a short time. I can read my usual collection of websites on my phone, but I can't write much and certainly can't post anything.
It's not as if I had nothing else to do. I spent enough years in the military and as a paid janitor that there's always something to do. The trick is to recognize boredom and put it to work. It's just not that hard. Then again, I never have enough time to pray as much as I would like. I'm the kind of weirdo who prays out loud, if somewhat under my breath, all my waking hours.
The probability is quite high that the kind of readers attracted to a blog like this would understand things that way. We aren't the kind of people who get lost watching whatever shows up on the TV. Boob-tube watchers are not likely to be interested in my blog. We aren't that interested in entertainment for the sake of burning up the time, unless we are all laid up and can't move much. We look for stuff that's going to fill an actual need, and mindless filler is just not enough.
On the other hand, put me near a nice shore with waves rolling in, or an isolated high hilltop with the wind hitting me, and I can sit there for quite a while. The natural rhythms of such things put me in another place inside myself. This is what the Bible refers to as contemplation.
I never understood the churchman's obsession with castigating contemplative religion. The Old Testament was full of it. Jesus was frequently wandering off to be in a quiet place, especially on hills and mountains, to be alone with His Father. But we run into that false assumption that Jesus was so special that nothing He did is a model for us. In effect, they deny that He was human. It's as if everything He did was miraculous, unique to the Son of God. Yet, Jesus Himself kept saying, "Be like me. You can do this, too."
In other words, elements of the old Gnostic heresies are actually mainstream churchianity.
It's unique to Western Civilization to assume there can be no higher realm. The leading edge of that basic assumption was Hellenism, and it shows up in the Hellenized Pharisaism. Pharisees had embraced Aristotelian reasoning under the evangelism of Alexander the Great. No surprise there; such a thing appeals to human arrogance. Hellenism is very man-centered. It builds up the flesh, making you feel like you can handle anything. This is quite the opposite of the ancient Hebrew mysticism, which never lets you forget that you are a fallen sinner. It's not just a slogan of religion; mystical humility is overwhelming. You don't hesitate to fall on your face before God.
But instead of loading you up with guilt, that same mystical humility means you trust in God to handle all those things you know you can't handle. You have the confidence of faith in His promises and His calling. This is exactly what James meant when he warned Hebrew Christians that they must ditch the pride of Pharisaism and learn to say, almost ritually, that your plans are subject to God's whims. "If the Lord wills, we hope to do this..."
Ritual means nothing, until it reflects what's in your heart. Then ritual becomes essential. That's what all those rituals were for in the first place -- to give shape to your convictions.
If access to the Net becomes a ritual for you, what god are you serving?
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