Honest Doubt: The History of an Epic Struggle by Richard Holloway
In "Honest Doubt", Richard Holloway considers some of the universal questions about our existence and the meaning of life, and how some of humanity's best thinkers and most creative writers have approached these 'literally life and death questions'.
Uncovered this truly extraordinary (for 1944) short text by an Alfred #Mirsky, delivered at the #Scientific Spirit and #Democratic#Faith conference, in a section named "The Democratic Responsibilities of Science." In it, Mirsky ties the behavioral effects of good vs poor laboratory animal welfare to the nature/nurture question of how environment interacts with genetic potentiality:
Join us #Monday for the theme #religion and #faith in #mythology. Which myths feature religious rituals or faith in gods or goddesses? Tell us a story in your toot and tag us with #MythologyMonday. See you tomorrow!
For those interested #Professor#RobIliffe has an excellent book on Newton's theological writings entitled 'Priest of Nature: The Religious Worlds of Isaac Newton'.
Hey, one of December's guests and I were just talking about Christian Wiman—and there he is in a recent article on, among other things, #poetry and poetic #faith in a dying world. Right now, I'm appreciating this assertion: "There is severe contradiction between our need to speak of ultimate things and the immunity of those things from speech. There is also, sometimes, #hope and rescue."
This week on The Boomerang. My interview for Foreword Reviews with historian Gary Scott Smith of Grove City College about his book on how Hillary Rodham Clinton's Methodist faith has informed her politics. Enjoy!
Something I have learned and come to believe is that initiations never really end. My own initiation has been almost entirely Spirit-led, but I imagine this could be true of all initiations.
Maybe that's why initates of the Eleusinian Mysteries were encouraged to return yearly; the Mysteries are so vast that one, albeit hugely transformative, experience isn't enough to transmit a full understanding.
‘He is steeped in the traditions of Western #philosophy but comes from a world where the #desert reminds you constantly that you are surrounded by a vast inimical emptiness; the ancient #Christian hermits used to sit in the #Egyptian desert because from there you could place a toll-free call to #Paradise’
When you think of religion what comes into your mind?
For many of us it's probably something like, “man's pursuit of the divine,” or “a system of beliefs,” or “the crutch of humanity,” or “the worst thing that's ever happened to humanity.” Whatever our understanding or definition it's typically tinged with a bit of negativity.
How many folks do you know say something like, “I'm spiritual not religious”? In
many of my circles that saying goes like this, “Christianity is a relationship not a religion.”
Religion is apparently not a very popular thing...
Lately, I have felt called to pray on the behalf of people who feel like they could use a little spiritual support.
If you would like me to pray for you, please comment your name or nickname below.
If you wish, you can also add some context if you'd like me to pray for you for a specific reason. Otherwise, it'll be a generic prayer for prosperity, wellbeing, happiness, and spiritual guidance. I'll pray for you once a day from today until next Tuesday. 💕
I published something new this morning. I had written it this last fall in a slightly different format but I have edited it and changed it a bit. I hope you find it helpful.
There is a reason why the Greek word "pneuma" means both "breath" and "soul." This is part of my personal gnosis on the matter:
When you inhale, you're not sucking the air into your lungs: You're contracting your diaphragm and expanding your lungs to create space. The resulting decrease in pressure is what allows the air to flow into and fill the space created.
Exhalation is much the same, only in reverse: By contracting your lungs and relaxing your diaphragm, you close the empty space in your lungs, pushing the air out as it has no where else to go.
Spirituality and religion are much like inhalation: When you make space for the Divine, Spirit will flow into your life like air into your lungs, easily and effortlessly.