Practical Christian Mysticism

“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.” - Wilhelm Stekel

Social change almost always comes from the young.  Born into a world not of their own making, it is natural and healthy for the young generation to question the traditions and ways of the older generation.  This tendency of the young to question the world is a built-in method of protection and renewal in society.  If not for this mechanism, society would deteriorate like an unattended garden.  However, this mechanism is also to blame for many of the wars and social schisms throughout history.  I write this article to the young, and young at heart, who wish to see change in the world around them.  Reform may take years to grow, but revolution can draw blood in a day. Continue Reading »

“Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” - 1 Thes. 5:16-18

When Paul wrote the words “Pray without ceasing”, he opened up a Pandora’s box of misunderstanding for the overzealous and obsessive-compulsive types that endures to this very day. Indeed this passage seems to fall into two opposite pendulum swings of interpretation. On the one-hand, there are a few who actually attempt some sort of incessant repetition throughout their day, and then the greater majority who just chalk it up to hyperbole and just give up all together. The truth is that prayer without cessation is truly blessed discipline that enriches our lives, and is surprisingly not so difficult to carry out. Continue Reading »

Scientists have finally discovered the four winds talked about in Scripture. I mentioned this briefly in my Twitter feed last week, but didn’t have time to write a post about it.  Throughout many passages in Scripture, which I will list at the end of this article, it refers to the “four winds” of the earth.  Since scientists have, so far, acknowledged only 2 major sources of wind (called “air cells”) on the globe, many theologians have interpreted the “four winds” as the four cardinal directions.  However, I have long thought and recording in my own journals that I believed the “four winds” to represent four major sources of wind.  Part of the reason I believed this is because of the passage in Revelations 7:1 that says:

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth so no wind could blow on the earth, on the sea, or on any tree.”

Continue Reading »

I have had several discussions as of late concerning the relationship between religion and philosophy (like here). Chiefly, the topic of debate is whether or not philosophy and religion can be separate. Here is a post on the Catholic Answers Forum that caught my attention:

It seems to me that studying the connection between philosophy and theology is a philosophy itself.

Here’s one.

A logical contradiction implies nonexistence. For example, an apple that is not an apple is nothing at all (or, A + (-A) = 0).

Therefore,

If true philosophy seeks to be logical,
And that which is logical seeks existence,
And, as St. Thomas argues, existence is God himself,
Then, true philosophy indirectly seeks God.

So, a philosopher indirectly seeks God, his natural end, as much as he rejects logical contradiction and accepts God as the principle of his logic. (i.e. faith and reason are inseparable).

As Pope John Paul the Great said, “faith without reason is superstition.” However, reason without faith is rationalism. Superstition and rationalism allow us to create our own truth and accept error.

After reading this I realized that what really shapes the argument, that philosophy and religion are inseparable, is considering what the two would be without one another. It is hard to think of any serious philosopher going out of his way to avoid all theories of God, he would be left with only a handful of shallow remnants to ponder. Likewise, any serious religious pursuant, who avoids all philosophy, would have no context for his faith or spirituality whatsoever.