Tag: emotion vs intellect

The Cosmic Christ: Love as the Universe’s Creative Force

“Passion is the true stuff of the universe –

erotic attraction is the primary creative force in the universe –

the universe itself is erotic” – Teilhard de Chardin

the reason for the Incarnation was love not sin –

the primacy of Christ comes before the primacy of sin –

“All things have been created through and for the Cosmic Christ –

he is before all things and in him all things hold together” – Col. 1:16-17

– particularly in Eastern Orthodoxy

many theologians disagree with Anselm’s notion 

that sin is the primary reason for the Incarnation

“Jesus, the Cosmic Christ incarnate

is our only source of information about divinity –

if anyone wants to know what God is like

or what God might do, they can look at Jesus 

this is what it means to accept Jesus as our God” – Albert Nolan

love and wisdom are gifts of the Spirit of God –

the love of God is poured into us by the Holy Spirit

and love leads to wisdom

which transcends reason –

“The heart has reasons of its own” – Blaise Pascal

the spiritual journey means moving

from unconscious to conscious loving –

the Christian ‘Way’ (Tao) as Christ showed us

is loving others in our daily lives

and to the degree that we love

God makes us whole/healed/holy

Rumi said “Make friends with your emotions”

this simply means give negative emotions 

your whole-hearted attention

rather than being ignorant of them

denying or struggling against them 

feeling guilty or ashamed of them

which gives them power –

once you give them your full attention

you discover their insubstantial nature

and dissolve their power over you –

you are free to fully love the Whole Creation.

3 Big Ideas for March 18, 2019

  1. Henri Nouwen saw Christian life as in three stages: communion, community, and commission. That is, life apart from others (in solitude with self and in communion with God), life shared with others (with kindred hearts in community), life given for others (in ministry).
  2. The very essence of the New Spirituality (spirituality outside the church) is freedom to follow your own inner light without any pressure from dogma, teachers, leaders or institutions. As Oprah says “You are your own authority.” The only problem with this is that you are putting a lot of pressure on the one short life you have, and ignoring the accumulated wisdom of centuries of religion and the tried and true experience of millions of people.
  3. Jonathan Edwards, a 19th century Protestant theologian, wrote that “The Holy Scriptures everywhere place religion in the affections: love, hate, fear, joy, sorrow, hope.” Religion in his opinion, is a matter of feeling and emotion not intellect. This may be true, but Holy Scripture also says we should have “reasons for the hope that is in us.” (1Peter 3:15). This is particularly necessary in an age of science and the New Atheism.