Yes, yes, yes: I’m with you all the way. The parsing of these ideas, which parallel my own theological thinking over the decades, is helpful. Finding them expressed here gives me hope that these notions are “out there”, not just banging around in my own head.
I’ve found consolation in the theologies of “God with us”—after all, Christianity has the Incarnation: “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness." Phil 2:6-7–not to mention the Holy Spirit: “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Rom 8:26 KJV. In my day I’ve also preached from Rabbi Kusher’s book (without mentioning any problematic heresy about the nature of God.)
But your Talmudic and Hebrew Bible references seem a lot more straightforward, since they don’t get tangled up in the paradoxes of emerging New Testament Christian theology. I love the story of the tectonic tears.
I’ve arrived at the notion that pantheism as sketched here has the best chance of forming the core of our next spirituality. I think (well, kind of assume) that it’s compatible with the woo-woo side of physics and can thus lure the hyper-rationalists into actually finding some joy in reality. But it’s also high time for humans assume humility as a species and learn to treasure the rest of life on earth. This allows us simply to go outside to seek spiritual pathways. It provides an inspirational basis for addressing climate change. Finally, your preface is pertinent: in these “sophisticated” days few will be content with the traditional balms of religion.
I agree that what comes next is finding a ground of morality. If we can just get people to revisit Genesis without all their 21st century cultural preconceptions, we might find some clues there.
Yes, yes, yes: I’m with you all the way. The parsing of these ideas, which parallel my own theological thinking over the decades, is helpful. Finding them expressed here gives me hope that these notions are “out there”, not just banging around in my own head.
I’ve found consolation in the theologies of “God with us”—after all, Christianity has the Incarnation: “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness." Phil 2:6-7–not to mention the Holy Spirit: “the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Rom 8:26 KJV. In my day I’ve also preached from Rabbi Kusher’s book (without mentioning any problematic heresy about the nature of God.)
But your Talmudic and Hebrew Bible references seem a lot more straightforward, since they don’t get tangled up in the paradoxes of emerging New Testament Christian theology. I love the story of the tectonic tears.
I’ve arrived at the notion that pantheism as sketched here has the best chance of forming the core of our next spirituality. I think (well, kind of assume) that it’s compatible with the woo-woo side of physics and can thus lure the hyper-rationalists into actually finding some joy in reality. But it’s also high time for humans assume humility as a species and learn to treasure the rest of life on earth. This allows us simply to go outside to seek spiritual pathways. It provides an inspirational basis for addressing climate change. Finally, your preface is pertinent: in these “sophisticated” days few will be content with the traditional balms of religion.
I agree that what comes next is finding a ground of morality. If we can just get people to revisit Genesis without all their 21st century cultural preconceptions, we might find some clues there.