Where I don't want to go from here

aron · 07-05-2008, 10:08 AM

One thing I don't want to do is regress into a "I told you so" -- "No you didn't", or "You are a liar" -- "No, You are a liar" back-and-forth interchanges.

I saw it recently on another discussion board and it was tiring and discouraging. It is worse than watching a couple of third graders in a sandbox fighting over a plastic shovel. Because with the third graders you have the hope they will eventually outgrow it. With what I was watching, I said to myself, "Where do I want to go from here?" and the answer was "Someplace else." Someplace where we can have a conversation.

A conversation, to me, is a mutual exploration. Both parties learn, and grow from the exchange of information and interpretation.

In contrast to that, I was recruited twice, once by the Mormons and once by the International Churches of Christ. Multiple contacts by multiple people over an extended period of time. And you know what they had in common? With both groups, you couldn't have a conversation. Their starting assumption was that I was in error and needed to be amended. The possibility that I might have something worthwhile to share was not even considered.

Yes, the flow is from the throne, but once it hits the believers there should be some mutuality, some reciprocality of positive exchanges. When that is lost it becomes a static process(either "Do as I say"/"Yes, sir!" or "Do as I say"/"No, You do as I say") and Nietsche is right: "God is dead".

I was deliberately being provacative there. Of course God isn't dead, but our experience of God's flow gets reduced to a bare minimum. But an environment of mutuality opens the floodgates of experience. Mine gets shared with you, your perspective changes mine, and so forth. It is progressive. As long as we are on planet earth we should expect to progress. And fellowship, mutuality, sharing, is preferable to "Repeat after me..."

Peace to all who read this note.

awareness · 08-18-2009, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Aron:
Nietsche is right: "God is dead".
I was deliberately being provacative there. Of course God isn't dead, but our experience of God's flow gets reduced to a bare minimum.

Nietzsche actually agrees with you more than you might realize :

"God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?" - "The Madman" - Nietzsche

07-05-2008, 10:08 AM	#1
aron Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Natal Transvaal Posts: 5,631	Where I don't want to go from here One thing I don't want to do is regress into a "I told you so" -- "No you didn't", or "You are a liar" -- "No, You are a liar" back-and-forth interchanges. I saw it recently on another discussion board and it was tiring and discouraging. It is worse than watching a couple of third graders in a sandbox fighting over a plastic shovel. Because with the third graders you have the hope they will eventually outgrow it. With what I was watching, I said to myself, "Where do I want to go from here?" and the answer was "Someplace else." Someplace where we can have a conversation. A conversation, to me, is a mutual exploration. Both parties learn, and grow from the exchange of information and interpretation. In contrast to that, I was recruited twice, once by the Mormons and once by the International Churches of Christ. Multiple contacts by multiple people over an extended period of time. And you know what they had in common? With both groups, you couldn't have a conversation. Their starting assumption was that I was in error and needed to be amended. The possibility that I might have something worthwhile to share was not even considered. Yes, the flow is from the throne, but once it hits the believers there should be some mutuality, some reciprocality of positive exchanges. When that is lost it becomes a static process(either "Do as I say"/"Yes, sir!" or "Do as I say"/"No, You do as I say") and Nietsche is right: "God is dead". I was deliberately being provacative there. Of course God isn't dead, but our experience of God's flow gets reduced to a bare minimum. But an environment of mutuality opens the floodgates of experience. Mine gets shared with you, your perspective changes mine, and so forth. It is progressive. As long as we are on planet earth we should expect to progress. And fellowship, mutuality, sharing, is preferable to "Repeat after me..." Peace to all who read this note.