Leaderboard

Thinking over my navigation of a personal journey I wanted to make mention of a change in how I usually approach the lofty, heavy, “spiritual “, and - dare I say it - existential concerns. It has been a shift from using a theological approach to more of a philosophical approach. To me “philosophical “ means more than just the study of knowledge, reality , and existence. It also refers to my attitude toward the difficult, unfathomable, mystifying or disappointing issues...basically I try to be patient and unruffled through it all...accepting the way things are and the idea that I may never find a definitive answer on many things. Having dabbled in theology for a long spell I’ve noticed my tendency - when having a strictly theological approach - that one way or another I could squeeze some answers out of the Bible - which is indeed a very malleable resource. At this stage of my journey if i had to list my most essential criteria for interpreting a passage of the Bible - it would be : Point 1: What is the most obvious meaning of the text? Point 2: Does it make sense to me? Now I don’t mean to oversimplify this - for me point 1 takes into account biblical languages / syntax / historical, cultural & geographical context, etc. - I did say at this stage of my journey - so by now I’ve learned some of the nuts & bolts of the biblical data. Point 2 - i consider more than the few systematic theologies and commentaries I’ve studied on the particular passage - I look at all the details from point 1 and see if it resonates with me as far as experiences in my life - can I wrap my mind around it ? Does it satisfy some question I have? Is it something I need to do ...or stop doing? Can I connect or relate to it somehow? Having said all that I should also mention there’s a lot of things in the Bible that still elude me...intellectually, where do you go if your answer to point 1 is “i don’t know” or “not sure”? I don’t know ...maybe speculate...philosophize...not sure. and what if your answer to point 2 is “nope”? I am not a theologian and don’t feel the pressure or see the need to formulate an answer for everything; I’m perfectly happy being a long-and-winding-roads-scholar - enjoying this strange journey called life.

Just walked through Complex 3. I can tell you that I am proud of myself. Although I exclaimed "Jesus Christ!!" when I came around the corner and came face to face with a floating bubble of a huge Craig Martindale face, I was able to stand and watch and listen without any sense of fear or anxiety. I was able to face that. Now let's see if I get the old PTSD nightmares tonight.

Priceless! Thanks for the link.

Ohmygod watching the one video on YouTube that I can find from athletes...I don’t even have the words. https://www.chron.com/entertainment/arts-theater/article/Art-Daybook-Inside-the-memory-of-a-cult-13066647.php This is a review of the installation. Sounds like he captured the confusion and darkness of cult life (sorry if someone else already posted this).