Comments on: Absolutely infinitely finite http://www.thediablogue.com/2008/07/16/absolutely-infinitely-finite/ Who is fearless enough to be wrong? Sun, 25 Jul 2010 16:36:15 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Chami http://www.thediablogue.com/2008/07/16/absolutely-infinitely-finite/comment-page-1/#comment-12 Chami Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:27:02 +0000 http://www.thediablogue.com/?p=6#comment-12 And about the Abraham narrative: I don't think it was only about the obedience. It truly shows the madness of faith, obedience that must have come with agony and some kind of irrationality that enabled Abraham to jump over morality as accepted by people in general as well as his love for his son... and his obedience can only be heralded as an example to be followed in hind sight. And about the Abraham narrative: I don’t think it was only about the obedience. It truly shows the madness of faith, obedience that must have come with agony and some kind of irrationality that enabled Abraham to jump over morality as accepted by people in general as well as his love for his son… and his obedience can only be heralded as an example to be followed in hind sight.

]]> By: Chami http://www.thediablogue.com/2008/07/16/absolutely-infinitely-finite/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Chami Sun, 17 Aug 2008 10:25:02 +0000 http://www.thediablogue.com/?p=6#comment-11 One thing that struck me from the lecture given by the principal (of the school I work at) at a retreat for the seniors: You only recognize something as truth in hindsight. That is where I encounter a limit of being a teacher: I can talk about truth, but it won't be truth for yourself until you encounter it. Another thing he said: If you think something is true, then you have to take a chance and live it. That is the only way to know. Instead of seeking to live out the truth though we know only in part, it's much easier and more common to format our lives according to the absolute truth that we've set up for ourselves. And through that, we cut off others that are seeking to live in that truth as well, if they do not fit into the format. I think about the numerous times that truth that has been merely passed on as knowledge rather than experience inhibits someone from fully entering into a real-life situation and seeing truth in that. I had heard since I was little that God was a loving and good God. But how many times I used that to mask my own hurt or not recognize the real-life situations that this world encounters that makes us question the love and the goodness of God... and only when I truly entered into that place of hurt as a legitimate space for myself, I saw and heard and experienced the goodness and the love of God that transcends experiences that are hurtful and horrific. That became truth for me, a truth that freed me, instead of binding me or blinding me. The danger of a Christian community and the Church is that truth can become a dogma. We let the spirit die and take the corpse, tracing over the shape of it, trying to remember what it was like when it was alive. Truth needs to be passed on, and Christ needs to be proclaimed and the relationship shared, but in that, I hope and pray that we will, with humility, as you say, always do so with an open heard and mind. We also need to truly experience the Truth that the disciples encountered and was changed by, and this is the only hope the Church has. But when this does happen, the beauty of the Church is that this truth upholds one another and becomes a communal journey, through different expressions, towards Christ who is the Truth and yet comes to each of us in so many different ways: sometimes as a man by the well, sometimes as a teacher in the temple, sometimes as a dying man on the cross reduced to shredded body and blood. One thing that struck me from the lecture given by the principal (of the school I work at) at a retreat for the seniors: You only recognize something as truth in hindsight. That is where I encounter a limit of being a teacher: I can talk about truth, but it won’t be truth for yourself until you encounter it.

Another thing he said: If you think something is true, then you have to take a chance and live it. That is the only way to know.

Instead of seeking to live out the truth though we know only in part, it’s much easier and more common to format our lives according to the absolute truth that we’ve set up for ourselves. And through that, we cut off others that are seeking to live in that truth as well, if they do not fit into the format. I think about the numerous times that truth that has been merely passed on as knowledge rather than experience inhibits someone from fully entering into a real-life situation and seeing truth in that. I had heard since I was little that God was a loving and good God. But how many times I used that to mask my own hurt or not recognize the real-life situations that this world encounters that makes us question the love and the goodness of God… and only when I truly entered into that place of hurt as a legitimate space for myself, I saw and heard and experienced the goodness and the love of God that transcends experiences that are hurtful and horrific. That became truth for me, a truth that freed me, instead of binding me or blinding me.

The danger of a Christian community and the Church is that truth can become a dogma. We let the spirit die and take the corpse, tracing over the shape of it, trying to remember what it was like when it was alive. Truth needs to be passed on, and Christ needs to be proclaimed and the relationship shared, but in that, I hope and pray that we will, with humility, as you say, always do so with an open heard and mind. We also need to truly experience the Truth that the disciples encountered and was changed by, and this is the only hope the Church has. But when this does happen, the beauty of the Church is that this truth upholds one another and becomes a communal journey, through different expressions, towards Christ who is the Truth and yet comes to each of us in so many different ways: sometimes as a man by the well, sometimes as a teacher in the temple, sometimes as a dying man on the cross reduced to shredded body and blood.

]]> By: anderj1 http://www.thediablogue.com/2008/07/16/absolutely-infinitely-finite/comment-page-1/#comment-4 anderj1 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:56:19 +0000 http://www.thediablogue.com/?p=6#comment-4 It's true that people tend to rush in and crown absolutes on the King's of their own ideas. This can unfortunately lead to division and arguement more than love and unity. However, in Hebrews 13:8 it tells us that "God is the same yesterday, today and Forever." So even though it is wrong to put a cap on our understanding of God and His character. God can't contridict His own nature and as Hebrews reminds us, He remains constant in that character. People can call it whatever they want, "putting God in a box" "shallow understanding" "being rigid" however, to me that seems like a "shallow understanding" of what is really going on. God will always be gracious, loving, forgiving and just because that is who He is. It would seem there are absolutes about God. I am more than ok with that. If God wasn't constant in his love, grace, forgiveness, and justice, I would be scared for my life. His absolute perfect nature gives me hope. As far as the Abraham example, that seems another "shallow understanding" of the story and what was really going on. The point wasn't the sacrifice of Issac, but the obedience of Abraham. And after Abraham obeyed his heavenly father, the God of grace, provided another way out with the goat. It’s true that people tend to rush in and crown absolutes on the King’s of their own ideas. This can unfortunately lead to division and arguement more than love and unity. However, in Hebrews 13:8 it tells us that “God is the same yesterday, today and Forever.” So even though it is wrong to put a cap on our understanding of God and His character. God can’t contridict His own nature and as Hebrews reminds us, He remains constant in that character. People can call it whatever they want, “putting God in a box” “shallow understanding” “being rigid” however, to me that seems like a “shallow understanding” of what is really going on. God will always be gracious, loving, forgiving and just because that is who He is. It would seem there are absolutes about God. I am more than ok with that. If God wasn’t constant in his love, grace, forgiveness, and justice, I would be scared for my life. His absolute perfect nature gives me hope.

As far as the Abraham example, that seems another “shallow understanding” of the story and what was really going on. The point wasn’t the sacrifice of Issac, but the obedience of Abraham. And after Abraham obeyed his heavenly father, the God of grace, provided another way out with the goat.

]]> By: chris http://www.thediablogue.com/2008/07/16/absolutely-infinitely-finite/comment-page-1/#comment-3 chris Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:22:42 +0000 http://www.thediablogue.com/?p=6#comment-3 Good thoughts indeed. It is interesting how everyone has their "absolutes" when it comes to truth and defining God. Part of the beauty of faith is not being any where near omniscient. Humankind loves to define and teach on who God is, which so often becomes who we want God to be. Good thoughts indeed. It is interesting how everyone has their “absolutes” when it comes to truth and defining God. Part of the beauty of faith is not being any where near omniscient. Humankind loves to define and teach on who God is, which so often becomes who we want God to be.

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