"God cannot be known except by devotion...What presumption to suppose that words can adequately describe God's nature, when thought is often too deep for words, and His nature transcends even the conceptions of thought...We must believe, must apprehend, must worship, and such acts of devotion must stand in lieu of definition."
From Finding the Monk Within by Edward C. Sellner: "Hilary states in his book on the Trinity that the very 'purpose' of faith, what it proclaims, is that it cannot fully 'comprehend that for which it is seeking.' Anything that is said is merely an attempt to wrap words around a mystery that is beyond verbal or intellectual explanation."
COMMENT: I find it fascinating that 1,600 years ago this holy man was writing what I myself believe. Far too many individuals today form their opinions of faith and religion based on the beliefs and actions of evangelicals a spiritual movement that parallels the development of agnosticism and/or atheism over the past 300 years. Both grew out of the Age of Enlightenment.
As Science took off and the Scientific Method became the accepted manner of investigating the physical world, some religious leaders moved towards a more concrete definition of faith - one that demanded Biblical literalism in the face of scientific developments.
What we have ended up with today are individuals at either end of the spectrum - rationalists who completely deny spirit and religion and fundamentalists who completely deny reason. What happens then to the rest of us that believe as did St. Hilary so many centuries ago that God is beyond definition, beyond description, beyond proof - than none of the words used over the centuries are adequate or accurate - they are our feeble attempts at explaining the unexplainable. Peace.
From Finding the Monk Within by Edward C. Sellner: "Hilary states in his book on the Trinity that the very 'purpose' of faith, what it proclaims, is that it cannot fully 'comprehend that for which it is seeking.' Anything that is said is merely an attempt to wrap words around a mystery that is beyond verbal or intellectual explanation."
COMMENT: I find it fascinating that 1,600 years ago this holy man was writing what I myself believe. Far too many individuals today form their opinions of faith and religion based on the beliefs and actions of evangelicals a spiritual movement that parallels the development of agnosticism and/or atheism over the past 300 years. Both grew out of the Age of Enlightenment.
As Science took off and the Scientific Method became the accepted manner of investigating the physical world, some religious leaders moved towards a more concrete definition of faith - one that demanded Biblical literalism in the face of scientific developments.
What we have ended up with today are individuals at either end of the spectrum - rationalists who completely deny spirit and religion and fundamentalists who completely deny reason. What happens then to the rest of us that believe as did St. Hilary so many centuries ago that God is beyond definition, beyond description, beyond proof - than none of the words used over the centuries are adequate or accurate - they are our feeble attempts at explaining the unexplainable. Peace.
2 comments:
I also agree with your way of looking at faith.
What then was the only way of understanding faith is now one of many. I would go as far as to say it is now the highest, almost mystical way of understanding faith, if that didn't sound arrogant.
But I have accept that we are all creatures of our times, and that it is counter productive to complain that we are asking the questions of our times and looking for answers in a way that speaks to us today.
And you and I are deep individualists too, absolutley convinced of our way of understanding faith and not willing to submit to the understanding prevalent in our churches.
You've described a lot of what I call the "letting go what I know to be true" process in me.
Your work vocation had a lot of the same aspects of mine. Very strongly grounded in the scientific method and very grounded in "scientific explanation."
My spiritual growth has been mostly from the recognition that what I seek (and what presents itself to me), cannot be "scientifically explained." For many years I turned my back on religion because I sensed it was beyond explanation. The growth came when I could begin to accept truths without demanding an explanation. What assurance I have in my faith is recognizing the contentment, despite, "not knowing."
For me, when we are talking "leap of faith," we're talking a pretty big leap with no net in sight! Yet somehow, I continue to make those leaps...and in their making, I see the contentment and can feel full and satisfied in them.
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