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Post by dan on Jan 22, 2012 11:57:02 GMT -7
Jake,
I'm glad that you believe that we can avoid the Tribulation. So do I!
Furthermore, you suggest that the path of social and technological progress, a path that we have been on for most of the last millennium, will suffice to bring about the advent of God's Kindom, on Earth.
In a nutshell, is it not fair to say that you are a postmillennialist, where as I am a premillennialist?
I am merely suggesting that, in order for us to realize the Kingdom Come on Earth, there will have to be a singular divine intervention. It seems to me that you are discounting the need for any such ad-hoc intervention.
Is this a fair, if oversimplified, statement, Jake?
Has postmillennialism not been the received view of mainstream Protestants and Catholics for the last several centuries?
Whereas, amongst Evangelicals, postmillennialism is a distinctly minority view, a view that is seldom even voiced in public. By hereby voicing this view in a public forum, Jake, are you not distancing yourself from the Evangelical church, a church with very strong premillennialist views?
It this were the case, then you and I have a common ground...... We both deserve the shibboleth of Evangelical heretics, but, nonetheless, for distinctly different reasons.
Which brings me around to this weeks events at GFC......
For the last couple of weeks, I had been focussing on the prospective meeting with Danny O', senior pastor of GFC. Also present at the meeting was Rusty, the pastor in charge of small groups, including the SfA ministry.
Wonderful......... I was a bit surprised that Rusty had failed to apprise Danny of my 'situation'. When I waltzed into his office, proclaiming that these were the Endtimes and that I was Jesus, he was taken aback. Rusty, OTOH, just sat back and smiled, bless his heart.
After almost an hour of mostly my admonishments concerning an alleged lack of communications, it was agreed that I would consult with a psychiatrist, prior to getting back to Danny and Rusty about my continued participation at GFC.
Hey, so far so good.......
Now, flash forward to the SfA session this morning......
But, prior to that allow me to submit the following 'evidence'.......
It's three minutes to kickoff...., and, at 4, there is the monthly Baltimore Green Forum meeting at another, nearby, church, where I will be hosting a breakout session on 'gloom and doom', wherein I attempt to incarnate the silver lining, more or less......
Go Ravens...... against all odds.......
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Post by Jake Reason on Jan 22, 2012 17:45:58 GMT -7
Thank you Dan, After several years together, we are growing to understand each other in ways that only time can bring. However I have been growing in awareness through these years and many views I once held (and on which premise I debated with you), have grown to be viewed as my sophomoric younger self. These views are not discarded, nay, rather they are now understood as an under layer of a more expansive onion then I perceived in yesteryear. Jake, I'm glad that you believe that we can avoid the Tribulation. So do I! No, mankind can not avoid it. However some will escape it's seduction to stay involved in it. They will live within a different mindset. To them, the Tribulation will be events that transpire on the planet they live. However their mind & spirit will abide in another realm, removed from the rest of the world. They abide in a pre-Kingdom Come. Even now. They understand that a Tribulation is but birth pangs. And their bedside manner comforts the women saying "your baby will grow up to be something wonderful". It is messages like yours that will help propel and give life to a Tribulation. And although your intent is kinder and sounds much different than the neurotic PtB/MIC/Beast System;- your message still serves their purposes. Many other well meaning people are also being played like a fiddle. Thinking they are playing a different toon then the nefarious, yet not recognizing their toon is being utilized and granted inclusion as part of an extended symphony, that has already been written. No. In 2005, high-speed internet was born to the 1st world nations. It was the single most changing event in all human history. The world can never be the same again. The "path" of social and secular progress over he last millennium, has come to its end. (Futurists comprehend this, while the rest are catching up.)A different "path" has thus been born. And it has created a new global paradigm. Those who hang on to the past millennium of social and technological progress, thinking that "path" can continue; will fade away and the memory of their views will perish. And a new "path" is already evolving. My previous post offered a suggestion for contemplation. One that is already evidently developing. Sophomoric. Let me explain my view another way... "Jesus" lived in "the millennium" as if it already existed. Every thought, action and word exuded from him as if the Kingdom had already come. He knew he lived in a world that could only understand such concepts as being some far out future hope, but to him, it was contemporary reality. Note my third paragraph above.That intervention is here, now. Its manifestation to the blind may take on a different form, so they may see. But in the meantime, none-the-less it is already here. So for those who can see, are they to pretend it is not already here, simply to appease the blind? Or should they use their understanding to help others to see that the Kingdom is already here? Each may chose where they abide. Yes. The churches (all of them) are predominately living under the shroud of disillusionment. That the Kingdom has not yet come. Very few of them understand the deeper meanings and message of Christ. In fact, the majority don't even like his teaching and example, because they simply aren't prepared to risk this life for the next. And those who do live "a surrendered life", have to face social ridicule or shunning from their own 'believing' peers. It really is a tangled neurotic mess. The Evangelicals are settled with premillenialism. However they have begun the process of re-evaluating their long held traditional "pre-trib rapture" doctrine. They are permitting the discussion of mid-trib rapture and post-trib rapture. This is very important, as each view incorporates a number of fundamental doctrinal positions. If a 'pre-trib'er changes their view to a 'mid' or 'post-trib'er view, a significant number of other theological fundamentals must inherently be modified as well. The Evangelicals need this dialog. And this is good. As the pre-trib rapture position is entirely erroneous and diametrically opposed to the direct teaching of 'Jesus" and his Apostles. This error on their part, produces a monumental barrier to spiritual growth and understanding biblical revelation. They need to work this through. Without it, they will never understand the visitor issue from a heavenly point of view. And will remain highly prone to living their lives under a deceptive shroud, unaware. Those who come to understand the post-trib position, will immediately, like a domino effect, find many of their fundamental doctrines auto-adjusting to reform into the original coherent teachings of 'Christ'. But the Evangelicals as a whole, don't move any faster than governments. So it will take some time for this process to work through. When the scale tips from 'pre' to 'post', then and only then, can their fundamental prophetic theologies permit them to openly & freely enter into dialog concerning the Visitor situation. AND it would further open their minds to a more expansive conceptualization of the millennial/kingdom come. When it begins, why and how. I do not have time nor space here to explain why this one doctrinal position is so key. It is too complex and would take a couple books. During my 6 years of studying, I have always been looking for pivot points. As for the "Church", this is one of them. |
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Post by dan on Jan 23, 2012 7:45:27 GMT -7
Jake,
We do differ in our understandings of both the Tribulation and the Kingdom.
Basically, what you are doing, Jake, is what most so-called 'mainstream' Christians do, and that is to immanentize the Tribulation and the Kingdom, naturally following Jesus' admonition that the Kingdom is within. It was Wm F Buckley who popularized the contrary admonition..... 'Don't immanentize the Eschaton'. This latter admonition is one that is taken very seriously in most Evangelical churches, and by me in the BPWH.
It is precisely on this point where Jesus comes closest to espousing pantheism, and where I most decisively depart from the otherwise pantheist grounding of the BPWH. There is no lack of irony, here!
Note bene..... I am hardly denying that God and the Kingdom are within. What I am emphasizing is that the outward, historical manifestation will be something that vastly amplifies and transcends any and all inward manifestations. On this point, I think you would have to agree that Jesus and I are in concord.
(cont.)
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Post by Jake Reason on Jan 23, 2012 8:08:06 GMT -7
Jake, We do differ in our understandings of both the Tribulation and the Kingdom. Basically, what you are doing, Jake, is what most so-called 'mainstream' Christians do is immanentize the Tribulation and the Kingdom, naturally following Jesus admonition that the Kingdom is within. No, I am not immanentizing the Tribulation. I am immanentizing the millennium/Kingdom. I'll let the "final solution" depopulation peddlers wallow in their beloved Tribulation. I will not support it, offer any encouragement toward its development, nor partake in it. The eschaton doesn't occur until after the millennium.  |
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Post by dan on Jan 23, 2012 8:25:50 GMT -7
Actually, then, Jake, you and I are in greater concordance than I had guessed!
I, too, put the Eschaton/Rapture at the end of the Millennium. Where I am a premillennialist is wrt the Divine intervention, in the form of the MoAPS, mother of all paradigm shifts. But even there, we may be in close agreement, since you also look to an historically significant rediscovery of the human soul, as occurring in the near future.
BUT, let us not get carried away here......
Have you never prayed for the Lord to hurry, as in..... Hurry, Lord!?
Or prayed for..... Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done......!?
What are those prayers about, Jake? Are they merely about immanence? About our individual states of mind?
This is certainly not what most Christians, very earnestly, pray for.
(cont.)
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Post by Jake Reason on Jan 23, 2012 9:00:25 GMT -7
Good start, Dan.
But I don't believe you are being sincerely honest with yourself.
You have not promoted, nor encouraged any positive future for mankind. And you exemplify this by sarcastically denigrating any positive view I put forward, as if 'hope' were folly.
You go so far as to proselytize that everyone's soul will be eaten up by God as merely one of his dreams. It is one of the most Luciferian doctrines I have ever come across. You belittle G-d's great cosmic creation. And you make yourself to be equal to 'Jesus', boldly proclaiming yourself to be the Second Coming.
You offer no hope, but death and absolute destruction of everything and everyone. That is what the Bible calls "the Lake of Fire".
And so pray tell, what is so wonderful about "your" Kingdom Come?
And why should anyone want to look forward to "your" eschaton.
Seriously
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Post by dan on Jan 23, 2012 9:33:05 GMT -7
Jake,
I heartily thank you for being so candid with me, about these matters of ultimate concern to every one of us. Most of our brothers and sisters would simply walk away in despair, disgust or what have you.....
Your interpretation of the BPWH is not entirely unfair. Rather, it highlights two central points of the BPWH that are most likely to be misunderstood by virtually everyone of us.
So I do need to carefully elaborate what I'm aiming at, and I am counting on you to help me clarify these crucial matters......
Allow me to start with a crucial point of logic, which simply is the notion of Best Possible.....
Most folks of faith would stop me right there..... like... Who are you to be telling God what is possible or not possible?! Yes, point taken. Have I no shame?! Hubris and chutzpah come to mind.
But keep in mind that I am speaking as a Latter-day apologist. I have the temerity to suppose that WWJD? actually carries a substantial meaning, and, in fact, lies at the very heart of the Singular message of Jesus.
What was the point of the Incarnation, if it was not to help bridge the perceived gap between us and our Creator? It was simply to demonstrate to us our status as the Children of God, and to our being blood brothers and sisters, a rather important point, especially in these latter-days......
Is not Jesus expressly and repeatedly inviting us to share and participate in his Divinity?
The main quarrel between you and me, Jake, has to do with the nature of Creation. You, following all the scientific evidence, suppose that Creation is virtually infinite, in both space and time.
When I suggest that the infinitude of Creation might only be an appearance, rather than an objective fact, you suggest that I am making God out to be a Deceiver. Again, Jake, this is a very fair criticism, and one that would be shared by, perhaps, a majority even of Evangelicals.
(cont.)
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Post by Cyrellys on Jan 23, 2012 10:37:37 GMT -7
Pentagon Scientists Use ‘Time Hole’ to Make Events DisappearJanuary 22, 2012 Print Version Source: Wired Soldiers could one day conduct covert operations in complete secrecy, now that Pentagon-backed physicists have figured out how to mask entire events by distorting light. A team at Cornell University, with support from Darpa, the Pentagon’s out-there research arm, managed to hide an event for 40 picoseconds (those are trillionths of seconds, if you’re counting). They’ve published their groundbreaking research in this week’s edition of the journal Nature. This is the first time that scientists have succeeded in masking an event, though research teams have in recent years made remarkable strides in cloaking objects. Researchers at the University of Texas, Dallas, last year harnessed the mirage effect to make objects vanish. And in 2010, physicists at the University of St. Andrews made leaps towards using metamaterials to trick human eyes into not seeing what was right in front of them. Masking an object entails bending light around that object. If the light doesn’t actually hit an object, then that object won’t be visible to the human eye. Where events are concerned, concealment relies on changing the speed of light. Light that’s emitted from actions, as they happen, is what allows us to see those actions happen. Usually, that light comes in a constant flow. What Cornell researchers did, in simple terms, is tweak that ongoing flow of light — just for a mere iota of time — so that an event could transpire without being observable. Read More... www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/01/time-hole/
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Post by dan on Jan 23, 2012 11:26:03 GMT -7
Cy, Well, yes, this does suggest a technological means by which God could conceal the actual Creation event, by using a simulated Big Bang event. However, I would suggest that the alleged cosmic 'deception' has occurred on a more subtle level...... IMHO, God is allowing us to deceive ourselves, not only about Creation, but also about the nature or fabric of reality. Yes, it does appear that the world may be explained by nothing more than atoms swerving in the dark. Such is the conclusion of the scientific materialists. I don't fault them for their literal, reductive understanding of the world. I only fault them for a lack of imagination. Be clear, though, that we seldom reward scientists for their imagination. Au contraire, we reward them precisely for their literalness. Poetry does not belong in the laboratory! It is the understanding of most Christians that, in the greater scheme, God is perfectly truthful and Satan is the Great Deceiver. Thus do we come to hold the Inerrancy of the Bible. This, however, has led to a schism between the Young and Old Earthers. Gradually, the Evangelicals have been moving toward an acceptance of the OEH(ypothesis), which happens to be the view of Jake, but which is contrary to the BPWH. It has now boiled down to Creationism vs. Intelligent Design (ID). It used to be that the Creationists would blame the dinosaur fossils on Satan, i.e. that Satan conjured those fossils just to deceive the unwary scientists, a trap for the unfaithful! I too believe in the Grand Deception and the ensuing Great Apostasy, but I blame them, in no small measure, on our Creator, who was simply covering his tracks. Why the big Cover-up?? Often, I have stated the simple aphorism or logicism..... The self-revealing God, is, necessarily, the self-concealing God. Does that not merely beg the question concerning the necessity of the Revelation/Apocalypse? Why does God have to play hide and seek with us? Why such a drama queen? Well, we do tend to hold our parents in complete reverence until that fine day when we learn about the birds and the bees...... By the same token, we hold God in complete reverence until that fine day when we learn about the survival of the fittest, etc. Then we start looking out for #1. It almost seems that God wants us to become selfish egotists. What is going on here? Well, not quite. IMHO, God wants us to stand on our own two feet. He wants to cut the apron strings, our cosmic umbilical cord. No? But again....... Why?? Well, sports fans, this brings us directly to the Disturbing Message...... The disturbing message is that not only is the world coming to an end, but, our salvation has been delegated to us. That means you and me, sister! I'm only trying to paddle my end of this canoe. And, yes, we are our brothers' keepers. The 1st world cannot say to the 3rd world that their end of the boat is sinking. Does this spell the end of free market Capitalism? You bet your bippee..... Is God a communist? No, God is a Communionist.... slight difference! Like I say, we are blood brothers and sisters, get over it, get used to it. How free the markets may or may not be, is not my first priority of concern. Hey, boys and girls, I may just leave that for you all to work out, in the fullness of these Endtimes. Only in the fullness of time may God's Kingdom manifest itself in history. Only when it's all ye, all ye, in free, can we grant to our brothers and sisters a free passage. Therein lies our Communionist salvation. God has granted us the Key to the Kingdom. We have to turn that key, and open that door to our hearts and minds, in eternity. Easier said than done? Harder than falling of a log? Perhaps. But is it rocket science? No way, Jose..... Jake and I, as it has been revealed, just today, are both postmillennialists wrt the Rapture. Furthermore, we both believe in the MoAPS...... Jake about the soul, specifically.... me about the nature of reality. I suppose that the Tribulation = Apocalypse = MoAPS = Revelation. In that apocalyptic Revelation, we will come to see ourselves as integral parts of the Cosmic Mind/Creator. And so we will come to know our true selves for the very first time...... ----------- In the meantime, let us get back to practicalities....... This concerns my putative mission to Grace..... So, Danny and I had a meeting, this last Wednesday, Danny, it turned out, had not been previously briefed concerning my situation with respect to the SfA. When I reiterated my concerns about the Endtimes and my alleged connection with the CIA, it came as no great surprise that he requested that I seek a psychiatric evaluation, prior to his engaging with me any further. To that end, I have googled 'psychriatric services', the nearest of which is Sheppard-Pratt. I have a call into S-P stating that a third-party has requested an evaluation. I'm waiting for a response. See how simple it is. Saving ourselves and the world need not be rocket science, nor need it be brain surgery, nor even, hopefully, shock therapy. Although, our drama queen in Heaven does seem to recommend a shock therapy for us, in these Endtimes. No? Yesterday, there were two meetings..... SfA and BGF..... In both cases I was pleasantly surprised....... Everything went smoothly at SfA, almost as if nothing had happened. But there was an interesting coincidence........ The only regular attendees were Bill, John, David and me. But there was a new person, Phil, and, are you ready for this, he is a psychiatrist! Don't we sympathize with this intern? His first day at Church, and he runs into Chicken Little. Well, he is aware of a Christian organization of MD's, of which there are undoubtedly some psychiatrists. But, in the meantime, I have gone ahead with S-P. Then there was the BGF........ There was an excellent presentation by Peter M., who works at bioHabitats, concerning especially their projects aimed at algea farming in conjunction with waste treatment. After Peter's talk, Sam had us split into two sessions...... One to discuss algea, and the other to discuss the Spirit. I was the convener of the latter. Brother Henry showed up, quite unexpectedly, and I invited him to lead the discussion. He resides at the Christian Brothers retreat in Beltsville. Brother Henry is less orthodox in his Christianity than am I. Yes, he would agree with Jake, that the Kingdom is almost entirely within. He remains loyal to Paul XXIII and his Second Vatican Council. Yes, Sam and I bring a tone of urgency to the environmental movement, as well as to the Evangelicals, as if that were possible. This was just a warmup for the presentation on population that Sam will deliver, next month. Which eventuality brings us back to Jake's epithet, above, as to my being a depopulation peddler.... Jake, this is a very fair criticism that would be embraced by most Christians, and, indeed, by most humans. There exists only one caveat...... Whoa.....!! What are we to make of this passage, Jake? It doesn't quite sound like "Be fruitful and multiply." Now, does it? Yes, it seems to fall to me to deliver this disturbing message. Nonetheless, you and I agree on our fundamental optimism that God has granted us the power to transcend the Tribulation, through the power of our divine love. Transcendence demands that we..... We cannot serve two masters, Jake. Must we not, eventually, choose between the temporal and the eternal? Would you postpone this choice, ad infinitum? (cont.) |
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Post by skaizlimit on Jan 23, 2012 22:08:17 GMT -7
Re: Reply #15
"RPM ... Faith is Jesus....? Jesus is a logically essential part of the BPW. Does belief in the BPW require faith? It only requires the understanding that an incoherent world is no world at all. To be is to relate. To relate is to cohere. It is just that simple. This is neither rocket science nor brain surgery!
I am the way, the truth and the light.....?
Love is the way, the truth and the light.... God so loved the world.....
It is impossible to imagine a world without God's love, expressed in the flesh."
Nice exposition, Dan.
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Post by dan on Jan 24, 2012 6:54:18 GMT -7
Skai,
Thanks. Like I say, the BPWH is not rocket science.
-------------
Look, I understand perfectly that virtually no one wants the show to end. With all it's faults, this has been the best possible premillennial history. We have grown comfortable with our discomforts. If nothing else, we humans are adaptable creatures, and once we have adapted, we are reluctant to change our stripes.
Who am I to upset this applecart? Nonetheless, the hand is writing on the wall. Some of us are better at denial, than are others of us. A little holy water is not going to make us disappear, or just shut up.
Almost every last one of us would happily postpone God's Kingdom, if we could could just milk a few more centuries out of the ancienne-regime. So is God going to force his Kingdom upon us? No, but......
Neither is God going to do summersaults to aid and abet our procrastinations. The BPWH is not going to be forced down our throats, but the MoAPS is waiting, expectantly, in the wings.
If this were only about the paradigm shift (MoAPS), it would have shifted years ago, but plenty of folks sense, consciously and otherwise, that this mother of all shifts comes with a great deal of extracurricular baggage and historical accouterments. Unless you have someone, like we know who, breathing down our neck, we're gonna find lots of reasons to procrastinate.
Like father time, I bide my time, and keep my eye on the price of gas, and on the level of malnutrition. No, it's not terribly personal, nor scientific, is it? But it's something that everyone can understand. The debt crisis is another factor, here. In God we trust.... all others pay cash. This may be the deciding factor, in the end. At some point, the cosmic bank will have to bail us all out. Somebody has to play Ben Bernanke, in the sky. That's not my job, thank goodness, but I am some sort of eschatological consultant for the big boys. All I have to do is keep my powder dry, and keep reading the Economist, and such, keeping a finger to the wind, and on the pulse of the mainstream.
Should God not wait until we are on our knees, praying for mercy? That might be too late. And, in any case, this is not scripted as a deus-ex-machina rescue operation. This denouement has been built into the fabric of the cosmos and into depths of our psyches, since day one.
As part of the BPWH, this is scripted as the best possible rescue operation (BPRO).....
The main criterion is minimalism.... mainly to minimize the disruption, and the harm caused thereby. A stitch in time, saves nine!
OTOH, God does not wish to be perceived as a party-pooper, so we don't wish to be premature in this disclosure. It's got to be seen, at least retrospectively, as coming in the fullness of time. All of these criteria have been built into the system. God is not making any realtime decisions. It is you and I who are the temporal ones. Does this sound too much like the clock maker, like deism? Well, it may be deism, in some technical sense, but only with a decisive teleological twist. The Telos is firmly implanted in our psyches, both individual and collective.
(cont.)
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Post by Cyrellys on Jan 24, 2012 9:45:52 GMT -7
Good Morning Dan,
I think that you're in risk of getting burned walking into the lions den of psychiatric evaluation. I say this because it's a convenient scapegoat for people who don't want to spend time on reason or any form of intellectualism whether it involves the mundane or mind-stretching hijinx. The medical community doesn't have to stretch their minds or the boundaries of their conceptual paradigm because they're equipped with their own weapons of mass destruction in the form of mind-altering drugs to quiet the voices of dissonance and development which call to them...they hide behind shields of status we call diplomas & higher education using rank as a way to dismiss what does not come to them as congruent with their believed reality. They won't fool with you...they'll just suck you dry of your dollars and then pull a nice neat little label out of their theological tomes of inequity and slap it on you forehead, then hold you down and medicate you for good measure. They'll further raise themselves by writing medical evaluations and expose's that place them in a higher more digestable status than you and others like you who would see mankind begin to explore, grow, and improve on a variety of reasonable and spiritual levels of consciousness and trans-corporeal evolution. They get off on that sort of thing...call it adrenalin or a power trip or ego...end results are the same. I don't have a good answer for you in those efforts. I only know what the status quo is and in order for change to occur you first have to give a damn about the Pursuit of Excellence. And frankly the medical establishment only pays Excellence lip service.
yours Cy
Edit to add: and the medical establishment and many other vortexes of power get away with that sort of problem solving because the general population pays credence and homage to social rank, conventional education, systemic predictability, and actions of ego above all else. It's a comfortable place to be. They have no real incentive to choose differently. And no one has yet placed them in a position that THEY cannot escape...talk won't cut it to change that.
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Post by dan on Jan 24, 2012 15:56:02 GMT -7
Cy, I thank you for your concern. There are many people who do get trapped into the many 'dead' ends of the medical establishment, and, unfortunately, most of us will be trapped by it, as we take our last breaths. In my particular case, at this particular time, those risks are largely mitigated, or so we can hope. My sister, Louise, was in a much more precarious situation, about 10 years ago, when I and her partner, Ben, had her committed to intensive care in Billings. She was out in two weeks, and has not looked back. I'm asking for an evaluation at the request of a third party, namely, the senior pastor at GFC. Had our roles been reversed, I probably would have made the same request. Danny is simply exercising due diligence in the interest of his large congregation. I have an appointment for next Friday. If he has any sense of humor and proportion, he'll just scratch his head, chuckle, and send me trucking. If not, I can easily seek a second opinion. After all, Cy, it was over 20 years ago that I threw myself on the tender mercies of the CIA. The risks, then and there, were, very likely, much greater..... a fool rushed in, where angels feared to tread. Do they have me where they want me.... clinging desperately to, let's admit it, a rather obscure corner of the Internet? Can we doubt it, Cy? BTW, the likelihood of Dr. V's Hindu provenance should work in my favor. Yes? Stupidly, I had at first requested a Christian psychiatrist. I was unable to reach what may have been the only evangelical shrink in the Baltimore region, thank my lucky stars.... Now that could have been a real disaster! No? Although, it might have afforded more entertainment for my many readers! And so it goes....... But, wait, there is clear proof of my insanity, in the simple fact that I have not yet given up on the Evangelicals nor on the Internet. My ability to make rational judgments has obviously been severely compromised. Can I blame that on the CIA, and obtain a medical disability? I'll definitely ask Sam to look into that. But, wait again, he already has..... there's something about not being able to sue Uncle Sam, or was it City Hall? Maybe they'll feel sorry for me. ------------- So, at which windmill were we last tilting? Jake manages to get me all riled up, and then he ups and disappears. Here's something that kept me awake last night....... We, Xians, pride ourselves on our Empty Tomb, somewhat invidiously compared with Muhammad's, not so empty tomb. So, is it not obvious, that, if my insanity were, against all odds, played out, there would then be a corpus delicti. Not good! Not so smart, either! Maybe I'll need a good Jewish lawyer to figure that one out. Strictly speaking, only in my most manic states do I ever claim to be, you know who. What I do say is that the BPWH does seem to be a package deal, and I do present myself as such a package, on my better days. It might have to do with the mechanics of the KC..... There is supposed to be the Rapture and the Hieros Gamos, or wedding feast in the sky. Then, after the Tribulation, Jesus returns with the raptured faithful, to rule the Kingdom, or so my SfA buddies tell me. The returnees will all be transfigured. No? Hmmm..... Back in the day, BR, at a critical point, it seemed as though I were being offered a choice..... up there or down here. I was quite emphatic about choosing the latter. Furthermore, Jake and I agree that the Rapture is postmillennial. How do we connect these dots? . |
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Post by dan on Jan 25, 2012 8:33:35 GMT -7
In my demented state, I'm not even attempting to bring coals to the evangelical Newcastle, rather, I'm attempting to bring charcoal briquettes. And they don't throw their money at me? What a surprise. They hardly even bother to throw their bibles or holy water at me, so pathetic does my thesis appear. When I try to nail my thesis to the door, the nail breaks. Right this way..... to dementia.... As honest Abe was won't to say...... God must love fools! My excuse to myself is that I'm merely keeping my rhetorical skills intact, whilst awaiting the call. Now, if R were to pull the plug on the R&D show, that would definitely put another hitch in my gitalong. He, too, must have a sense of humor..... Whimsy? Don't I occasionally have doubts about the BPWH? Well, not as many as a 'sane' person ought to have. The bottom line wrt my sanity is my adherence to the CohTT, as I will explain to Dr. V, next Friday. There are many philosophers who have only a vague familiarity with the CohTT, many fewer who have given it serious consideration. Nonethelss, the CohTT lies at the heart of the entire philosophical endeavor, if not also the scientific endeavor. Yes, it was definitely worthwhile reviewing the linked SEP entry on coherentism, as well as the several related wiki entries, which I was only able to skim. It was like looking over my shoulder, and seeing that the troops were catching up. Maybe it's time for me to make another attempt at a philosophy forum, as Ron has suggested. My first attempt went badly, when the Postmodern Clown pulled my plug. OTL....... . |
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Post by Cyrellys on Jan 25, 2012 10:35:03 GMT -7
Cy,
I thank you for your concern. There are many people who do get trapped into the many 'dead' ends of the medical establishment, and, unfortunately, most of us will be trapped by it, as we take our last breaths.
In my particular case, at this particular time, those risks are largely mitigated, or so we can hope. My sister, Louise, was in a much more precarious situation, about 10 years ago, when I and her partner, Ben, had her committed to intensive care in Billings. She was out in two weeks, and has not looked back.
I'm asking for an evaluation at the request of a third party, namely, the senior pastor at GFC. Had our roles been reversed, I probably would have made the same request. Danny is simply exercising due diligence in the interest of his large congregation.
You have great faith in the stability and selflessness of your fellow man. I wish you good fortune and fair winds in that department, however as you can see my own introspection on the matter does differ. I've observed the medical establishment used as convenient internal weapons weilded against family members and individuals of reasonably opportunistic means. So I prefer this more objective and inclusive regard to the establishment, taking into account the purchaseable nature of its inhabitants as one might a dog in the early stages of rabies who yet wears the countenance of its adorable puppy days but holds all the viral dangers of the disease.
I have an appointment for next Friday. If he has any sense of humor and proportion, he'll just scratch his head, chuckle, and send me trucking. If not, I can easily seek a second opinion.
After all, Cy, it was over 20 years ago that I threw myself on the tender mercies of the CIA. The risks, then and there, were, very likely, much greater..... a fool rushed in, where angels feared to tread. Do they have me where they want me.... clinging desperately to, let's admit it, a rather obscure corner of the Internet? Can we doubt it, Cy?
CM is obscure for a reason, Dan. If it sat in the limelight it would not be what it is, a tool for communication between inhabitants of the rabbit hole and the universe. Neither the rabbit hole nor the Universe regards mankind ready for a full and complete interaction, mostly because the rabbit hole is injured and has its own problems. When those are resolved maybe then there will be no need for CM at all and she will be free to return to the contemplative slumber of oldest of old ones.
She is here today because the path has become broken and sometimes even the confused, the fearful, the angry, and the archetypical need empowerment and moments of safe harbor from their own storms.
BTW, the likelihood of Dr. V's Hindu provenance should work in my favor. Yes? Stupidly, I had at first requested a Christian psychiatrist. I was unable to reach what may have been the only evangelical shrink in the Baltimore region, thank my lucky stars.... Now that could have been a real disaster! No? Although, it might have afforded more entertainment for my many readers!
Change within established perches of any kind are a commotion between the marooned adventurer and the ernest participants in what they believe is the mind's Eden. Great ships were not designed for Edens anymore than they are for safe harbors but all ships desire them and sometimes need them for a time.
And so it goes.......
But, wait, there is clear proof of my insanity, in the simple fact that I have not yet given up on the Evangelicals nor on the Internet. My ability to make rational judgments has obviously been severely compromised. Can I blame that on the CIA, and obtain a medical disability?
I'll definitely ask Sam to look into that. But, wait again, he already has..... there's something about not being able to sue Uncle Sam, or was it City Hall? Maybe they'll feel sorry for me.
Lol, Uncle Sam is demented enough without embracing singed feathers so it has created its own prison and made life for itself little more than a memory of self-employment. Who is more insane? He who ventures forth under his own sails risking the ingrained definitions of reason for the trials of new ideas? or the machine which splits itself so that it may be the passenger of a car driven by its alter-egos? Perhaps the good Doctors should instead be coming to you for the evaluation of the machine's psychological condition...grin?
I'm fascinated that the inquisitive and questioning mind needs any approval and sense of congruency from something that travels more backwards than forwards. A little dementia in the face of wild leaps is both natural and a necessary tool toward opening new possibilities for any reorientation. But most have lived so safely and securely that they have long forgotten that. Members of the three-letter acronym groups must live with those terms, acknowledging the push-me-pull-you in the room. While the machine thinks it appropos to question you it will exhibit distinct miopia with regards to itself.
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So, at which windmill were we last tilting? Jake manages to get me all riled up, and then he ups and disappears.
Jake values meaning...but if the vision is not clear enough in relation to his own course then he will seek a different way. Is the tesseract flat? How many strands lead to its core? If we valued only one strand and our consciousness was a vote in what is created, then would we be able to recognize or enjoy such a construct?
Here's something that kept me awake last night.......
We, Xians, pride ourselves on our Empty Tomb, somewhat invidiously compared with Muhammad's, not so empty tomb. So, is it not obvious, that, if my insanity were, against all odds, played out, there would then be a corpus delicti. Not good! Not so smart, either! Maybe I'll need a good Jewish lawyer to figure that one out. Strictly speaking, only in my most manic states do I ever claim to be, you know who. What I do say is that the BPWH does seem to be a package deal, and I do present myself as such a package, on my better days.
I have seen 'those of no illusion' express divine Being whilst giving no thought to claiming a definition of what they are...and I have seen divine dictionaries in print and also in more engaging form struggle with process and details. Both dictionaries and 'those of no illusion' leave large wakes. Which is more coherent?
It might have to do with the mechanics of the KC.....
There is supposed to be the Rapture and the Hieros Gamos, or wedding feast in the sky. Then, after the Tribulation, Jesus returns with the raptured faithful, to rule the Kingdom, or so my SfA buddies tell me. The returnees will all be transfigured. No? Hmmm.....
Back in the day, BR, at a critical point, it seemed as though I were being offered a choice..... up there or down here. I was quite emphatic about choosing the latter. Furthermore, Jake and I agree that the Rapture is postmillennial. How do we connect these dots? . My musings in bold italics in quote above. Cy |
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