Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven
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| Sunny Days in Heaven Spiritual/Political/Philosophical Blog on the Nature of Truth and Falsehood and Heaven |
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Wednesday, August 07, 2002 A Tale of Two Types The atheist and the religious ideologue are sides of a single coin. I have had some recent exchanges with a few self-professed orthodox Catholics and have noticed a disturbing similarity among them. The atheist is a narcissist who exalts his own reason and being over that of anything else. He needs no other guidance than his own intellect. He is the measure of all things. That his premise is inherently flawed is of no concern to him since he refuses to acknowledge logic when it doesn't suit his pre-determinations and egotism. The ideologue (this can apply to many kinds of 'true' believers, but I mean Catholic orthodox ones in the essay, for the most part) is the reverse in that he denigrates his own reason and intellect except insofar as he may exploit it to defend the ideology. He believes he is the measure of little or nothing - a group, the Church is. His premise is also inherently flawed because his proof is a Just So story, an argument from authority and self-serving. What both types demonstrate is a rigid and obsessive adherence to doctrine, and an incapacity to examine reality from other perspectives, nor an ability to accept the experience of others when it either contradicts their own, or undermines their doctrines. The Catholic ideologue can't really quite believe that other Christians actually are Christian in any complete sense of the word. Others Christians are necessarily deficient in understanding because they are outside of Rome and the Magisterium - automatically suspect in every respect. They can't possibly know God's will as completely as the Roman since it is a theologically determined impossibility. Death comes for the Archbishop I don't know how an atheist faces death. Alan Dershowitz, the lawyer, says that when the airplane he was on suffered serious trouble, and it and he appeared doomed, that he didn't waste a second on prayer to a fictional being, but wrote a note to his family. So I must take it as a possibility that the atheist's lack of concern for an afterlife, judgment, or continuation may hold constant even at the point of death. A Catholic ideologue, though, often faces death in fear and terror. The remorse of imperfection and spiritual failure to 'know" God causes many to lose heart when the death they face is prolonged through suffering. The Christian who knows God the least is the most likely to feel betrayed by him. St. Francis' death was one of the most miserable of any, and his suffering deeply depressed him. I knew a priest who was as orthodox as they get, absolute in his doctrine, and severe in his insistence who died in utter terror of God. Anyone could see (if they looked) that he had no personal knowledge or experience of God's love. He was like a child in panic when death confronted him. Yet, this man was deeply respected by many as a bulwark of faith. He had much belief, but he had no faith. Mother Theresa is widely praised as a saint for her faith and works. I, too, deeply admire her work and compassion. It has not been widely reported that she was often depressed and doubted in God's being because her loneliness was great, her prayers unfulfilled and exceedingly dry, an agony to perform, her life unconsoled by his sweet touches and grace. She believed, but more in the manner of the 22nd Psalm - "why have you forsaken me!" But you wouldn't have found a more staunch believer in the Magisterium, the Pope, and Mary. Despair in the face of death or in the lack of feeling loved, is not confined to ideologues, of course. One of my points is that it is no fortress against it. Despair is the faith killer There is despair in the atheist and the ideologue, though. The atheist despairs of any ultimate Goodness, Beauty, Peace, and Love. The religious ideologues despairs of being Jesus, of discovering Jesus free from ideas, of engaging in original thought. He thinks it is humility to diminish faith in his own intelligence and exalt that of others (a body and tradition of received opinion and doctrines), when it is a form of hopelessness. The atheist and the ideologue always talk and distract themselves far more than they care to experience or contemplate anything of the Other. Their position is always defensive, emotional, and alarmed. If they are not making ad hominem attacks, they always complain of being misunderstood, their reasoning distorted; which they use as an excuse to flee from discourse rather than seek clarification and understanding. Dialogue is impossible for them because it requires they see what another sees, understand what another knows, seek communion rather than exclusion. One of the things they love to say is: "I don't have time for this." Of course, they do, but that would mean they might have to think through what they actually say, as opposed to what they think they have said or proven. Another Way of Faith Interestingly enough, the most open and intelligent group of people I have ever met, read, or talked to are people of the Contemplative community. The people who have the most direct experience of God manifesting himself in their lives, and those who pursue prayer with great devotion and result are contemplatives, and they are the least upset by inquiry and careful examinations of faith, belief, experience. They are more aware of the trust that God has put in them to arrive at his will and nature than the less experienced who are afraid of disappointing God, or scrutinizing him too closely; like children who fear rejection by their parents and thus strive to be extra careful and are timid as a result. Many are afraid that their faith is tenuous and that they can lose their salvation through some error of thought or action. It is a terrifying thing to be certain of heaven and hell, but uncertain as which you shall be assigned since you may fall right up to the last moment of life (with no absolution available). But we should realize from divinity that fear is useless, what is needed is trust; and that perfect love drives out all fear. P.S. A site for and by contemplatives: Inner Explorations also: The World Community for Christian Meditation The same site "IE", but stories of contemplatives. They used to have a newsletter which may still be somewhere on the site. Father Thomas Keating has a group for Contemplatives worldwide of many faiths. Google for it. Contemplative Outreach is here. The book, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki is a fine example of a description of the childlikeness required to follow God and gain insight through prayer. Essential Christian Spirituality here has many good things to relate also. posted by Mark Butterworth | 8:45 PM | |
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