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Primitive Christianity Revived, Again
Forrest Curo's Blog (57)
Living With The Intolerable Wrong
[I'd been thinking about this matter, and then blurted it in a blog comment for another overwhelmed person. Further gropings... will be in the next post!]
... human beings are always being presented with an Intolerable Wrong taking place in the world. In my day
it was the war against Vietnam. There was still ongoing mistreatment of
black people, but that was an evil that people felt had been recognized
and felt was being effectively dealt with (mistaken as that's proven… Continue
... human beings are always being presented with an Intolerable Wrong taking place in the world. In my day
it was the war against Vietnam. There was still ongoing mistreatment of
black people, but that was an evil that people felt had been recognized
and felt was being effectively dealt with (mistaken as that's proven… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 7th mo. 7, 2010 at 12:00pm — No Comments
This Beggar's Hands Overflow With Largess...
We think the story of 'the Prodigal Son' is about a repenting sinner finding forgiveness.
Okay. It's about that.
Jesus in Matthew, reembodied after his death, says that his disciples should go back to Galilee, and expect to find him there.
In Luke, instead, he meets the disciples at a village near Jerusalem, and tells them: "Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." Whereupon, in Acts, we eventually get that incident at… Continue
Okay. It's about that.
Jesus in Matthew, reembodied after his death, says that his disciples should go back to Galilee, and expect to find him there.
In Luke, instead, he meets the disciples at a village near Jerusalem, and tells them: "Stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." Whereupon, in Acts, we eventually get that incident at… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 5th mo. 25, 2010 at 4:25pm — 1 Comment
Poets and Theologians
People often misunderstand when I tell them that theology must be understood as a sort of poetry, thinking that this means I disrespect theology. They start babbling things about "poetics".
Poetics is a set of tricks used for light verse and advertising, which are also used in poetry, but only in the sense in which "a bird uses wings."
Poetry is the art practiced by Jesus, William Blake, numerous others, for the purpose of setting forth truth. It is the only method capable of… Continue
Poetics is a set of tricks used for light verse and advertising, which are also used in poetry, but only in the sense in which "a bird uses wings."
Poetry is the art practiced by Jesus, William Blake, numerous others, for the purpose of setting forth truth. It is the only method capable of… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 5th mo. 23, 2010 at 11:38am — 1 Comment
Guidance
We almost lost a good friend the other day.
There was me, and another three people feeling this unease... "We haven't seen her around today; I wonder is she all right?"
We listened to 'reason' first of all! We stopped to think. We knew it had been cold out, not too surprising for someone feeling poorly to hole up in their place and keep to themselves awhile...
We listened to each other. "Probably she's gone to sleep by…
Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 4th mo. 24, 2010 at 11:03pm — No Comments
Christmas Eternal
My heart is sick of being right.
Liars, fellow-cowards, fools caught
between God and Satan, listen!
Isn't it time for
honest yearning?
Haven't we had enough
of being too wise to trust?
I can take disappointment; I cannot
endure another year's prudence.
Roll back the sky, shatter
my face with a terror of angels
but make me yours, God!
Another stillborn Christmas
and another, and another?
Wake us! I've seen… Continue
Liars, fellow-cowards, fools caught
between God and Satan, listen!
Isn't it time for
honest yearning?
Haven't we had enough
of being too wise to trust?
I can take disappointment; I cannot
endure another year's prudence.
Roll back the sky, shatter
my face with a terror of angels
but make me yours, God!
Another stillborn Christmas
and another, and another?
Wake us! I've seen… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 12th mo. 5, 2009 at 5:54am — 1 Comment
A Visit to Yearly Meeting (Plus Some Questions)
I hadn't planned to attend Yearly Meeting this time; it was in Northern California & Meeting funds were down; why should I go traveling for spiritual pleasure when the human destruction of the climate we depend on continues so blithely unchecked?
There was this possible nomination to Pacific Yearly Meeting's Peace & Social Order Committee. I'd said I'd accept if they couldn't do better--and didn't hear from them for a long while. Then suddenly I did; and had to scramble to… Continue
There was this possible nomination to Pacific Yearly Meeting's Peace & Social Order Committee. I'd said I'd accept if they couldn't do better--and didn't hear from them for a long while. Then suddenly I did; and had to scramble to… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 8th mo. 31, 2009 at 5:55pm — 6 Comments
The Root of the Conflict
Christianity as a belief system is strongly focused on believing as a matter of... loyalty, "keeping the faith" so to speak.
This sets up a discordant situation between believers and disbelievers; it's probably a mistake to locate any resulting 'hostility' within one group or another.
They represent threats to one another's world-views, and serious threats at that. The disbeliever can muster the contemporary prestige of scientism, the history of centuries of… Continue
This sets up a discordant situation between believers and disbelievers; it's probably a mistake to locate any resulting 'hostility' within one group or another.
They represent threats to one another's world-views, and serious threats at that. The disbeliever can muster the contemporary prestige of scientism, the history of centuries of… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 7th mo. 6, 2009 at 12:23pm — 7 Comments
What's Your Story?
I remember once being bothered by some guy's remark that he was taking the Bible "as story"--which I thought threatened to evade an absolutely crucial issue: "Is this story the truth?--or merely a fiction I happen to like?"
And now I'm slogging through NT Wright's The New Testament and the People of God. And one consideration I find compelling there is that we live in 'stories'--mental/emotional structures of intentions and outcomes--so that we make contact with physical… Continue
And now I'm slogging through NT Wright's The New Testament and the People of God. And one consideration I find compelling there is that we live in 'stories'--mental/emotional structures of intentions and outcomes--so that we make contact with physical… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 6th mo. 29, 2009 at 1:18pm — 2 Comments
The saints got it wrong.
After some time being annoyed by people who like to quote statements that "God has no hands but ours," I am pleased to announce that this has finally come out right in my head...
We have no hands but God's.
There are any number of things I would really, really like to accomplish. These are invariably things that I lack the skills, smarts, wisdom and omnipotence to actually do.
Okay, I've got these nice tactily-pleasant things that come in handy for good stuff… Continue
We have no hands but God's.
There are any number of things I would really, really like to accomplish. These are invariably things that I lack the skills, smarts, wisdom and omnipotence to actually do.
Okay, I've got these nice tactily-pleasant things that come in handy for good stuff… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 6th mo. 13, 2009 at 3:00pm — 3 Comments
Keeping It Grounded?
I was just reading a brief, possibly unfair account of a charismatic Anglican clergyman of the 1840's. 'Men were quaking; women were fainting' during his sermons. His bishop clamped down, and soon this man had gone off to start a church of his own, where his ceremonial public attempt to render a female disciple immortal unexpectedly (to him!) rendered her pregnant.
Okay... So we need more 'enthusiasm,' in the root sense of God being more manifestly 'in us'--but 'enthusiasm' in the… Continue
Okay... So we need more 'enthusiasm,' in the root sense of God being more manifestly 'in us'--but 'enthusiasm' in the… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 6th mo. 9, 2009 at 12:33am — 2 Comments
The Lamb of Babel
There are a whole lot of Friends who don't think the Bible matters much, one way or another. There are a great many who consider it vitally important, but figure it has a simple meaning which they accept and others reject. And by the American Assumption, anyone who doesn't know must be sure that the truth lies somewhere "in the middle"? My position is: None of the above.
I've been laboriously neglecting this Bible blog I blundered into (kwakerskripturestudy.blogspot.com) and ended up… Continue
I've been laboriously neglecting this Bible blog I blundered into (kwakerskripturestudy.blogspot.com) and ended up… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 6th mo. 2, 2009 at 9:00am — No Comments
One of Those Externals....
Just a suggestion... but how long does it take a typical Quaker to get tuned in?
My impression is that it takes longer than an hour.
I know we've had some groups experimenting with at least occasional longer meetings. Even considering the fact that these would be self-selected, unusually spiritually-inclined members in the first place--I understand that the results have been generally good.
Over an hour is not unusual for a church service.
Among other… Continue
My impression is that it takes longer than an hour.
I know we've had some groups experimenting with at least occasional longer meetings. Even considering the fact that these would be self-selected, unusually spiritually-inclined members in the first place--I understand that the results have been generally good.
Over an hour is not unusual for a church service.
Among other… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 5th mo. 23, 2009 at 7:31am — No Comments
red lotus
Yesterday I got a strong sense of why traditional Quaker preachers were so keen to suppress their own personalities.
I still think it was an error, from applying a crude theology to reality: the notion that we are a Christ spirit tangled within an unruly animal self--within a personal self that must be murdered to let Christ rule in us all alone.
But I had this responsibility to not blow it, to pass on the Transmission with the cleanest possible signal.
I'd just… Continue
I still think it was an error, from applying a crude theology to reality: the notion that we are a Christ spirit tangled within an unruly animal self--within a personal self that must be murdered to let Christ rule in us all alone.
But I had this responsibility to not blow it, to pass on the Transmission with the cleanest possible signal.
I'd just… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 5th mo. 21, 2009 at 6:30pm — No Comments
San Diego Meeting May Newsletter
Added by Forrest Curo on 5th mo. 8, 2009 at 1:13am — No Comments
This Matter of God
Many of the difficulties of atheists... come from the way God has been described to them.
They start wrestling with the question, "Can an infinitely good being be in charge of, be responsible for, this universe full of Historical Events and other forms of suffering?" They see some Christians in terror of this allegedly good and loving being, whom they are told intends to inflict eternal suffering on many people for having turned out Bad--or merely turned out impolite to deities, too… Continue
They start wrestling with the question, "Can an infinitely good being be in charge of, be responsible for, this universe full of Historical Events and other forms of suffering?" They see some Christians in terror of this allegedly good and loving being, whom they are told intends to inflict eternal suffering on many people for having turned out Bad--or merely turned out impolite to deities, too… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 5th mo. 5, 2009 at 7:07pm — 1 Comment
San Diego Meeting newsletter, April
Added by Forrest Curo on 4th mo. 22, 2009 at 4:00pm — No Comments
On Being a Non'Quaker' Quaker
All this started, some time ago, with the Jews. As it happened, they came to consider themselves a people uniquely chosen, to serve God’s purposes in the world. Then, as the Christian sect became increasingly estranged from the Judaism of their time, Christians began to consider themselves to be the ‘real’ Jews, to be a people called to take on the duties and especially the rewards of being God’s people.
The Hebrew Scriptures are an account, by some of the People of Israel, of what… Continue
The Hebrew Scriptures are an account, by some of the People of Israel, of what… Continue
Added by Forrest Curo on 4th mo. 8, 2009 at 4:25pm — 1 Comment
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