4 ms·

This is a major component of Christianity. (I'm not preaching here) I thought it was interesting that the non religious world is figuring out things that have

by maeon3 15y ago

This is a major component of Christianity. (I'm not preaching here) I thought it was interesting that the non religious world is figuring out things that have been core teachings for the last 2800 years. In the christian world, it is called "taking yourself off the throne and putting another entity on it". The entity that gets put on it is variable, but the constant is that you are not on it.

paul 15y ago
That sounds like a very different concept actually. Worshiping a king seems more likely to narrow your perception.
- jmtame 15y ago
  Agreed. I was born and raised in a Christian family, attended church every week until I was about 18 years old (and after my parents sent me off to a private Christian school, where I was fined $20 for skipping chapel amongst other things like wearing shorts before 5 PM), but Christianity comes with a wide variety of strong predispositions and beliefs. I don't like to debate theology in general, but it goes farther than just "worshipping a king," there are a lot of ideologies that get tossed in with it and there's a strong social pressure to unquestionably believe all of them or you risk being ostracized. You better not bring up abortion for example, even if you've admired the statistics in Freakonomics.
- msg 15y ago
  Before we get too caught up in "what Christians believe" let's point out that it is a big tent religion and the story is much more complicated. Perhaps, as Chesterton said, GP is being "as narrow as the universe". When I read your essay I immediately thought of the negative way, which is the strain of Christian philosophy that denies affirmative statements about God, and denies to some extent settled knowledge. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophatic_theology http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophatic_theology There is also an equal and opposite affirmative way that takes God as knowable not literally, but by analogy. And this to me is the missing element in the essay. This egoless vehicle that we are cleaning so carefully, where are we to drive it? What shall we use to measure improvement? How will we understand progress?
aamar 15y ago
I'm not Christian, but I am familiar with the concept you describe, and it seems very different to me. Paul is I think advocating people to mentally distance their selves from roles or identity-classes, like straight, Christian, or atheist. The Christian throne metaphor advocates for centering or focusing on something other than the self, while entirely allowing for roles or identity classes.
- paul 15y ago
  Exactly.
rgrieselhuber 15y ago
It actually sounds exactly like you are preaching.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]

by maeon3 15y ago

paul 15y ago

That sounds like a very different concept actually. Worshiping a king seems more likely to narrow your perception.

jmtame 15y ago
Agreed. I was born and raised in a Christian family, attended church every week until I was about 18 years old (and after my parents sent me off to a private Christian school, where I was fined $20 for skipping chapel amongst other things like wearing shorts before 5 PM), but Christianity comes with a wide variety of strong predispositions and beliefs. I don't like to debate theology in general, but it goes farther than just "worshipping a king," there are a lot of ideologies that get tossed in with it and there's a strong social pressure to unquestionably believe all of them or you risk being ostracized. You better not bring up abortion for example, even if you've admired the statistics in Freakonomics.
msg 15y ago
Before we get too caught up in "what Christians believe" let's point out that it is a big tent religion and the story is much more complicated. Perhaps, as Chesterton said, GP is being "as narrow as the universe". When I read your essay I immediately thought of the negative way, which is the strain of Christian philosophy that denies affirmative statements about God, and denies to some extent settled knowledge. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophatic_theology http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophatic_theology There is also an equal and opposite affirmative way that takes God as knowable not literally, but by analogy. And this to me is the missing element in the essay. This egoless vehicle that we are cleaning so carefully, where are we to drive it? What shall we use to measure improvement? How will we understand progress?

aamar 15y ago

I'm not Christian, but I am familiar with the concept you describe, and it seems very different to me. Paul is I think advocating people to mentally distance their selves from roles or identity-classes, like straight, Christian, or atheist. The Christian throne metaphor advocates for centering or focusing on something other than the self, while entirely allowing for roles or identity classes.

paul 15y ago
Exactly.

rgrieselhuber 15y ago

It actually sounds exactly like you are preaching.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]