Friday, August 01, 2008

Scientism: Theology for the Brain Damaged (7.30.11)

As long as one clings to time, space, number and quantity, that person is on the wrong track and God is strange and far away. --Meister Eckhart

We couldn't be human if we didn't have something analogous to a left and right cerebral hemisphere, with very different ways of understanding the world and processing information. As I mentioned yesterday, I believe the reason we have a left and right brain is because we simultaneously mirror, and are mirrored by, the cosmos, which has both a horizontal and vertical structure.

Obviously science deals with the horizontal aspects of the world. It is linear, deterministic, past-to-future, bottom-up, etc. It also presumes the logical atomism that seems to be "common sense" for the left brain. That is, the universe consists of an infinite number of parts subject to various forces.

But the right brain isn't like this at all. Where the left brain is time oriented, the right brain sees things all at once. It is also inherently relational as opposed to atomistic. The right brain sees connections, whereas the left brain sees divisions. It is continuous where the left brain is discontinuous.

I recognize that is is rather simplistic, but even if it is only "in a manner of speaking," there is nevertheless much truth to it. Just as it is impossible to imagine a great poet, painter or musician without a highly developed and integrated right brain, it is inconceivable that one could be a great theologian, let alone, saint or mystic, without one.

Now, it is again a simplification, but it is safe to say that the left brain operates along the lines of asymmetrical logic, while the right brain is the realm of symmetrical logic. But no one, unless they are severely brain damaged, operates out of only one lobe, so there is always some degree of integration, although it can be relatively conscious and harmonious or unconscious and unharmonious. For example, much of the bonehead philosophy that emanates from scientism comes either from unacknowledged sympathies coming from the right brain, or a denial of its voice altogether. It sounds half-witted because it is.

It should be noted that in childhood the right brain develops in advance of the left, and that it has much deeper connections to the older parts of the brain such as the limbic system; as such, it is more "emotional," bearing in mind that emotions are a source of information, and that there can be both subtle and gross emotions, and even true and false ones.

As you may have noticed, much of spiritual development involves -- or is at least accompanied by -- a kind of "subtilization" of emotion, which is why it gets harder for you to tolerate being around the Barbarians. For example, although the sacred or holy are just as real as, say, matter -- actually, more so -- they obviously cannot be detected only by the senses, but in the heart, so to speak. In turn, this is why for the left, or for Queeg, nothing is sacred, except in an arbitrary or idiosyncratic way. They cluelessly steamroll over what is infinitely precious, like a child who gleefully smashes a cocoon to see what's inside. Like Queeg, they always confuse blasphemy with courage.

Now, one of the easiest ways to render scripture or Dylan's lyrics absurd is to approach them with the left brain of the scientistic mind. This is typically what the anti-religious bigots do, with great self-satisfaction, as if they are the first to notice that a literal reading of scripture is problematic. But if you approach the same passages with bi-logic, the problem usually disappears.

For example, what can it possibly mean that "Christ is in me" and that "I am in Christ"? From the standpoint of conventional logic, this is patently absurd, like saying that "I am in the Slacktuary" and that "the Slacktuary is in me." But from the standpoint of symmetrical logic, it not only makes perfect sense, but is a kind of logical corollary, if that is the correct word. That is, if Christ is in me, then I am necessarily in him. (Again, think of dream logic, in which contradictory statements can be equally true.)

Likewise, we all know that God is both radically transcendent, or "beyond everything," and intensely immanent, or "within everything." With conventional logic, these statements would be mutually exclusive, but from the standpoint of symmetrical logic, they are again complementary.

Speaking of complementarity, one wonders if some of the conundrums of physics cannot be reconciled in this manner. For example, from the standpoint of conventional logic, it is deeply problematic that the electron appears as either particle or wave, depending upon how one looks at it. In other words, it can either be an isolated part, or else a wave that shades off into the totality of existence. In the former sense, things are externally related and local, whereas in the latter sense they are internally related and nonlocal. This is a mystery to the left brain, but a banality to the right.

To extend the analogy a bit -- and again, bear in mind that I am drawing things out to their extremes in order to create a more vivid contrast -- much of the Bible is a primer on verticality. It simultaneously acquaints us with the vertical realm, while at the same time furnishes us with a vivid kind of language with which to think about and communicate it. This language was obviously quite effective for most of mankind's history. Indeed, it is perhaps difficult for modern sophisticates to understand how easily Christianity spread. People simply heard the story and said, "makes sense to me," and that was that.

But why did it make sense? The modern sophisticate will say that it had something to do with childlike naivete, or fear of death, or wishing to have a spurious sense of control over the environment. This may well be partly true, at least for the masses. But it is patently untrue if one reads the early fathers, whose thinking is enormously subtle and sophisticated, and still completely relevant to moderns, to say the least. But again, the whole key is to understand things -- or at least to supplement one's understanding -- with symmetrical logic.

(Review material ahead -- I slept late again, and I hear the boy waking up. Plus I woke up with low blood sugar, which always causes the brain to be a bit slow in rebooting. I had hoped to get into more specific examples from scripture that exemplify symmetrical logic, in particular, Genesis and some of the sayings of Jesus. Maybe tomorrow.)

In the Symmetry of God, Bomford notes that we cannot actually conceve of eternity, since it is both timeless and changeless, whereas linear thought naturally takes place in time. But we can grasp it through various analogies in the herebelow, for example, the "everlasting," which "provides the closest image of the timeless within time." Therefore, we gain a sense of timelessness in proximity to things that are very old, like a European cathedral, or the Pyramids, or Larry King -- anything "whose beginning is lost in the mists of time, the ancient and the ageless, for these approximate in feeling to the everlasting."

At the same time, at the other end of the extreme, we may also glimpse the eternal in the passing moment, "for such a thing is simultaneously whole and unchanging -- it has no time in which to change.... It is there in its fullness -- and it is gone again." Thus, a mystic such as William Blake could see eternity in a flower or grain of sand, just as Lileks can see it in an old matchbook or motel postcard.

Eternity can also be suggested "by the last event of a series." Bomford cites the example of an aging travel-writer "who had long before visited many places for the first time, and returned often, found a renewed significance in returning once more deliberately for the last time. Places regained the freshness of the first visit." Similarly, "the last words of the dying may be seen as a key to an understanding of a whole life. The last of the series completes the picture, ends the story, and thus hints at the instantaneous wholeness of eternity."

Think "it is accomlished." What was? Oh, I don't know, maybe a little bridge between time and eternity in the heart of the cosmos, making each moment an eternal new year where death touches Life and the former is tranfsigured by the latter.

Every December 31, we touch the edge of eternity, as we approach the "end" of one year and the "beginning" of another -- the uniting of old and new, as they are joined at midnight. The Book of Revelation captures this quality, only on a cosmic scale, when the enthroned Christ "announces himself as The First and the Last and the Lord God himself is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end." Similarly, St. Augustine "addressed God as 'Thou Beauty, both so ancient and so new,'" an expression of eternity which has a deep unconscious resonance.

Traditional metaphysics always makes a distinction between the God-being and the God-beyond-being -- between the personal God that can be named and thought about and the Supreme Reality that is beyond name and form. The former is the cataphatic God about whom we may talk, debate and theologize in a somewhat linear way, while the latter is the apophatic God that so utterly transcends our categories that the most we can say about it is what it is not. Various formulations are "fingers pointing at the moon," and although they are "doorways" into the divine mystery, one should not mistake the finger for the moon.

Most rank-and-file religious people have never heard of the God-beyond-being and might even be offended by the idea. They have a clear conception of what God is like, and don't want to be reminded that the real unconditioned God blows away those mental idols like a tornado through a Buddhist sand painting convention... which, by the way, is the whole point of a sand painting.

This distinction between the God-being and God-beyond-being is actually a distinction within God himself, and perhaps mirrors the distinction within us between symmetrical and asymmetrical logic. It is not a bobmade principle, but one that would be intrinsic to the inner life of the godhead. It is easy to prove that it exists, more problematic to prove that we or anything else can exist outside it. As a matter of fact, the God-beyond-being is the only thing that cannot not be, although numerous implications immediately follow. Ultimately it is the distinction between Brahman and maya, between reality and appearance, between absolute and relative, between necessary and contingent.

This brings up an interesting point. That is, does God have divine mind parasites?

Oh yes. I’m afraid so. For what is a mind parasite in the final analysis? It is a relativity that partakes of, and confuses itself with, absoluteness. God being God, he cannot help being present in all relativities. But being God, he cannot help being beyond them as well. A divine mind parasite is a relativity that steals from the absolute and then forces itself upon others absolutely. In short it is a demon. Like everything else, it must ultimately be "of God," even though it can't be. Only symmetrical logic can reconcile such a problem. Evil must needs be, but woe to the man who commits it.

133 comments:

robinstarfish said...

Rays
from a crown of thorns
to the throne of creation
indivisible

Anonymous said...

with regard to symmetrical logic, John 6 springs immediately to mind.

How do you distinguish reason (I guess I resist "logic" as something more specific) from faith? Much of what Christ says requires faith to accept, not just a different way of reasoning about things.

I suppose we could distinguish types of faith as well, since reason rests on things that are accepted without reasoning.

Maybe the categorical rejection of faith is one symptom of the scientistic mind, which doesn't have the courage or humility to be consistent.

Anonymous said...

I would also add that the scientistic seek univocity in all things, sort of harkening back to your "unicity". They reject anything that doesn't fit into one meaning. So good-bye metaphor, good-bye analogy, that way of talking doesn't fit into the binary ideal of language.

Unfortunately, when you do that, you never find your way home again, since you ARE an analogy, a way for others to find God. God makes the heavens and earth and stars by speaking equivocally, and his Son he begets by speaking univocally (he is the Word, after all), but man comes to be when God speaks analogically (in his image and likeness). Analogy is the surest way for man to come to know God (I guess you would say, "to get vertical"). Drives the scientists nuts, but it's written into what we are.

Anonymous said...

Now, one of the easiest ways to render scripture or Dylan's lyrics absurd is to approach them with the left brain of the scientistic mind. This is typically what the anti-religious bigots do, with great self-satisfaction, as if they are the first to notice that a literal reading of scripture is problematic. But if you approach the same passages with bi-logic, the problem usually disappears.


Or when one famous minister was approached by the Queeqlings one too many times with one of the idiot banalities they always think they are so original in brining up like: (Where did all the people come from so Cain could go out and find a wife?)

His answer delivered with some weariness was: "Children should not read adult books."

For all the multiculturalists who seek to destroy the uniqueness of Western Civilization, and more specifically America, they have no awareness that history is an environment configured by God. Science did not develop in China, or India, or the Middle East, or Africa. It took the careful direction and nurturing of God to produce an end result.

Paul himself wanted to go into Asia with the gospel, but was stopped by an angel of God and the gospel was directed to Europe. Which eventually after suffering the Dark Ages, emerges into modern Western Civilization.

Now it seems evident to me (take that and like it Ray!) that God is developing minds that can actually grasp the things being said here. Not wanting to sound elitist, but it is no small thing to contemplate such things, let alone begin to understand. It is not as if men could have understood Einstein's relativity one thousand years ago.

An Einstein is not a solitary phenomena, he is something/someone that emerges when humanity has developed (and not all of humanity) but enough to understand, publish, and work out those ideas. It is nearly like much of humanity provides a womb, over and over to give birth to...the next level of awareness in both a knowledge sense, and more importantly in the spiritual sense.

No wonder evolution has been the most powerful mind drug of all time, since IMO it mistakes an "evolving," that is taking place, but as if humanity is an organism evolving in itself, to something else.

Romans 8 calls it the "Manifestation of the sons of God." Revelation depicts it from the aspect of the church over all history as existing to eventually give birth to these sons, or even more boldly if I may, the second coming of Christ...who will show up this time as thousands. O, I know he retains a unique person-hood, but it will almost seem like an alien invasion into the earth. Arthur C. Clark caught the idea in many of his writings, such as the story Childhood's End.

Gagdad Bob said...

Cooncur. Man himself is a symbol, which means "to throw across," in our case, from God to matter and back up again.

Warren said...

"bonehead philosophy"

A good phrase. But "bonerhead philosophy" is even better (and more technically precise).

Gagdad Bob said...

Good stuff at American Thinker on how Obama is benefitting from the unconscious "symmetrical urges" of the demonic left.

mushroom said...

Speaking of complementarity, one wonders if some of the conundrums of physics cannot be reconciled in this manner

Somebody mentioned Schrodinger's Cat a day or two ago. The problem that arises is what defines observation. Quantum mechanics begins to look like a step into the right brain. Schrodinger never meant to suggest that the cat was in a live-dead state until the box was opened. He was just trying to show the implications of quantum theory in a thought experiment. "Hey, guys, this is what you are buying into."

Therefore, we gain a sense of timelessness in proximity to things that are very old, like a European cathedral, or the Pyramids, or Larry King ...

Pause while I wipe coffee off my screen.

NT symmetrical logic from John 8:56-59:

"Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day; he saw it and rejoiced."

The Jews replied, "You aren't 50 years old yet, and You've seen Abraham?"

Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am."

At that, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple complex.

Gagdad Bob said...

Pope Benedict: "Wherever politics tries to be redemptive, it is promising too much. Where it wishes to do the work of God, it becomes, not divine, but demonic."

Anonymous said...

A fascinating post. I find the proposition that God has mind parasites unsettling. I had a conception of God as a sea of Ananda, unruffled by its extension into the cosmos.

Demons. Hard to reconcile them into my conceptual web. My right brain won't have them, for some reason. My left brain will have them, conditionally.

I think of them as formations that may some utility, but I don't fathom exactly what.

The more I ignore demons and demonic forces, the less they seem to matter, at least to myself.

Gagdad Bob said...

If you look, for example, at some of the early Christian councils, they were quite obviously grappling with symmetrical logic, e.g., the nature of Christ. Someone can only be all man and all God if looked at through the lens of symmetrical logic. Likewise the most essential aspects of the Trinity -- three in one and one in three, etc.

Anonymous said...

I'm sure they prefer it that way, anonymous.

Gagdad Bob said...

anon--

But who is Lucifer but a rebellious angel? This amounts to the same thing as what I am saying.

Anonymous said...

Life is unfair can also be expressed, being requires hierarchy.

"We cannot all be masters, nor all masters cannot be truly follow'd."
—Act i. Sc. 1. Othello





Maybe it's bad taste to bring up Iago in a thread that also references Obama. Likenesses? Hmmmm.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Jesus says, almost absurdly, to the disciples, "ye must be born again."

The disciples aren't buying it. Okay, look, ye must be born from above. Well, now all they could do was take that word and hide it in their hearts for a better season and reason. They didn't just toss it aside.

But they surely had never heard such a thing before in their lives.

Unless you eat and drink of the Son of Man... Nope. Not buying that one either, Jesus. These are hard sayings, who can hear them?

So, why did they hang around Him after such crazy talk? Why didn't they ban Him and block his account? It's not like he was beautiful and popular; he certainly wasn't seeking a political kingdom. Something beyond logic seemed very reasonable to the disciples, even the most learned among them.

I've always anchored into that, too. Things ring with Truth and accepting anything on "faith" is not an accurate description of what is happening in such an event. Connection seems the more likely Word, or a re-remembering as Bob often says.

The familiarity of Truth, the relationship with the Absolute, is re-remembered at such points in time. Maybe faith is acknowledging what is already there, and a confidence that it will make sense and bear up under further scrutiny.

Outright rejection of the Absolute almost seems like a birth defect, an incompleteness from the womb... ah, no, can't go there just yet.

Gagdad Bob said...

Beautiful! It explains the "hearing" something beyond the words.

Anonymous said...

It's not a birth defect but an astral abortion. Or, if it is a birth defect, I call it "dysluxia."

Joan of Argghh! said...

Well, Petey, I just am not ready for this thread to go all predistination/whosoever on Bob's ass. But Bob's idea of God's mind parasites is too apt. It's devilishly tempting and hopefully will NOT bear up under scrutiny.

Because, could we consider that the mind parasites infected the Absolute DNA and found their way into the evolutionary ladder of humanity? Vessels unto dishonor... and all that. You really wanna go there, Petey?

The mind. It races ahead. Oh, crap!

Magnus Itland said...

Hmm, I have kind of thought of us people as God's "mind parasites". After all, it is in Him that we live and move and exist. And yet we clearly have our own agenda, which tends to run counter to God's expressed will.

In the same way, we have these smaller entities within that live and move and exist with their own fragmented agenda.

At times I find that when enough light shines on one such complex, it does not evaporate but rather it changes nature. It turns out to represent something necessary and valuable. Now, rather than intruding where it was not wanted, it can be called upon consciously to do what it does best, then recede from view again until needed next time.

NoMo said...

"Maybe faith is acknowledging what is already there, and a confidence that it will make sense and bear up under further scrutiny." (Joan)

Not "maybe".

As to "predestination" - it once scared the crap out of me. Now - not so much. Still, not a very good topic for discussion - unless between those who are already in agreement.

Gagdad Bob said...

Magnus' way of looking at things is very Jewish, as the rabbis recognized how destructive bad love can be, or how life-affirming righteous wrath can be, e.g., "God hates evil." It is not the emotion that counts, but the use to which it is put.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Ah, Magnus brings back the balance.

I, for one, love the dynamic spiritual tension of the whole. To consider the mind parasites equally distributed i.e., we are all damaged on the structural level, fits.

Okay, I'm all better now. It was dicey there, for a moment. But cooler heads always prevail!

:o)

Anonymous said...

We are all a cancer on the body of nothingness!

AKA

"There is none good but the One."

Anonymous said...

I think there is a Sufi saying to the effect that "there is no sin worse than existence!"

In a manner of speaking, of course.

NoMo said...

And we are only good to the degree that we are one with the One.

"one" in position (no practice required)

"one" in practice (what position was that again?)

Working it out.

Anonymous said...

Speaking straight up of actual demons--anyone have any experiences with one?

I met a person once who scared me for no particular reason. Looking at him via intuition, I felt I did not want to be physically nearby or in his sphere of influence. A voice within me said "this is not a human being. There is no soul there. It is something else."

The person in question was almost preternaturally relaxed and gleeful in not a good way. I would say demonic. He had not a care in the world, and radiated the sense that he owned the world. Very creepy.

Gagdad Bob said...

Yes. Often the hair on the back of your neck stands up.

I remember being in the presence of a demon during my internship at Camarillo State Mental Hospital, a man who was clearly morally insane. Looking into his eyes was like looking into the eyes of a giant lizard. I only saw him once. That was enough.

Gagdad Bob said...

Re the relaxed demeanor -- just as there are "gifts of the spirit," there are recognized "gifts of satan," so to speak, one of which is a preternatural calm that mimics the peacefulness of the divine center.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Perhaps that is why I'm so chary to comment on the idea of demons. I've met at least one. I'll decloak my spirit long enough to tell of it:

It inhabited the corporeal being of a sweet, intelligent woman, homeless, that I and my family took in for a short while.

It was an insidious presence that behaved itself for a good while, not overplaying its hand, but slowly draining my emotional resources like a vampire of the Slack. At one point, it dared cross the threshhold of its bounds and spoke out loud, in an other-worldly voice. It even identified itself.

"Not in MY house!" was my response. I cannot tell you the visceral outrage I felt at its presence, like some cur of a dog had dared growl at me. It was quiet for a while.

It got bolder when the hub was out. But was always easily managed by a few words. Until one night, it physically pushed against me, head on, coming out of her mouth. Not visible, but tangible. It pushed me down onto the edge of my bed. Seated for a moment, I shook myself and told the poor woman she had to stop talking, NOW!

My son in the other room (sorry, Paul!) was just a little guy. But it was starting to affect him, as well, physically. My girl friend called me just then, said, "pack your things, grab your son, and get over here NOW!" Which thing we did, and stayed for several days until the Authority of our home arrived back from Scotland (yea!) and he drove her, and her demons back to the homeless shelter.

Okay, cloaking device reinstated. I was never here...

Joan of Argghh! said...

It is always good to remember that the demonic is never able to actually create anything. It can only pervert and distort perception. That's why it is good not to give it too much credit or attention as it tends to self-inflate on such.

Gagdad Bob said...

So you have in-laws too?

Joan of Argghh! said...

Oh man, that's cold, brutha!

robinstarfish said...

Joan -

Similar story, family took in a 'nice' alcoholic lady when I was about 10. She was a door to the hellmouth. The dog knew what she was before anybody else.

'Nuff said about that.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Tips for parents of demons. Heh.

Anonymous said...

Kepler sings said:
"No wonder evolution has been the most powerful mind drug of all time, since IMO it mistakes an "evolving," that is taking place,... to something else."

love it! Evolution as Red Herring. Ergo, scientistic jesters tossing out irrelative and irrelevant tidbits to entice
cOOnhounds off the scent.

Ray Herring take note please.

jp said...

I never got any good excorsim stories out of my friend who was a Roman Catholic priest (prior to his marriage, which apparently caused some problems with the local bishop).

The closest he came to any demons (or whatever they are) was being called to a house, along with another priest, to deal with a black "shadow thingy" (my words) that was bothering a family. No possessions of people involved.

Anonymous said...

"Obviously science deals with the horizontal aspects of the world. It is linear, deterministic, past-to-future, bottom-up, etc. It also presumes the logical atomism that seems to be "common sense" for the left brain. That is, the universe consists of an infinite number of parts subject to various forces."

Except at the smallest and largest edges where scientists admit and work with the data where certain aspects of determined events, linearity (electron tunneling for example), time's arrow, and atomism all get weird and hard to identify.

In the black hole which is a unity which unquestionably exists in the center of most galaxies and elsewhere, especially very near the event horizon, truly strange stuff including the unsettling creation of real particles out of the virtual particle plenum appears to happen as the horizon vibrates and shifts very fast. This can only be theory but follows quite strongly the data that scientists do have, part of the energy that we do receive and measure.

The particle wave duality required to explain quantum events blows atomism away because particles aren't little bits of matter anymore, and virtual particles are even stranger, allowed to happen within the time frame of Planck's Constant.

What is truly strange is how the largest macro events cause quantum strangeness to reemerge in the extremely energetic conditions found there because another form of "time travel" is to force energy to approach somewhat near the high levels of the bang itself and that is what happens at black holes among other places, like neutron stars.

To not include this sort of thing in the scientific description of the world, to not include all the unpredictability in terms of any small number of events (because Newtonian determinism is only the result of the statistics of incredibly large numbers) leads to a false view of what science has established beyond doubt.

It is only that there are so many quantum events that the deterministic world can be said to exist, overwhelmingly nearly "infinitely" statistically determined rather than by some fixed law. To me, free will is first exposed in quantum effects in part by choice of experiment but also it seems in the events themselves.

Anonymous said...

"...into the eyes of a giant lizard."

or a doll's - Quint

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073195/quotes

robinstarfish said...

"The episode helps explain how Obama, a 46-year-old first-term senator not four years out of the Illinois General Assembly, pulled off the feat of capturing his party's presidential nomination. Displaying preternatural self-assurance and confidence in his game plan - especially in the rocky weeks this spring when it looked as if his star was dimming - Obama proved he could be uplifting, resilient, and tough when he had to." - Boston Globe, June 4

Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what's puzzling you
Is the nature of my game

Joan of Argghh! said...

Christopher, you may find this interesting, because physics is finally jumping the shark.

I lurves me some quantum dimensions!

jp said...

Robin Starfish says:

"Displaying preternatural self-assurance and confidence in his game plan - especially in the rocky weeks this spring when it looked as if his star was dimming -Obama proved he could be uplifting, resilient, and tough when he had to."

I can tell you where the "preternatural self-assurance and confidence" is coming from.

It's coming from the teleprompter.

Ray Ingles said...

Making predictions,
then actually testing.
An uncommon drug.

Gagdad Bob said...

Speaking of Obama, I recently read a book that goes into the gifts of the demonic spirit; they include

--increased capacity for work and the releasing of latent energies
--immediate gains as against deferred payment
--wealth
--immunity from danger
--a master key to open with ease all female and MSM hearts
--pseudo-healing powers
--a perverse knowledge that the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light
--a cure for despair when all hope is gone

Warren said...

"I remember being in the presence of a demon during my internship at Camarillo State Mental Hospital, a man who was clearly morally insane."

Hopefully it was not the direcor of the hospital....

Gagdad Bob said...

You're not too far from the truth. Being that it was a government run agency, the psychiatrists and psychologists were the biggest bunch of losers and mediocrities you could imagine. And the psych techs were like trustees. You could just as easily put badges on the patients and have them watch the psych techs.

Anonymous said...

Making assumptions
so my point can be proven
why bother with me

Warren said...

A side issue....

"Indeed, it is perhaps difficult for modern sophisticates to understand how easily Christianity spread. People simply heard the story and said, "makes sense to me," and that was that."

I'm not at all sure that this is true. Christianity was initially news about the Resurrection. Now, the eastern parts of the Greco-Roman world were in many ways not all that different from our own. The people were largely bored, jaded, cynical, rich, fairly intelligent, decadent pagans, just like us. I guarantee you that a band of Jewish nobodies talking about a guy who rose from the dead provoked mostly snickers, head-shaking pity, and disgust. The Christian story was every bit as ridiculous and/or scandalous to all the "best people" then, as it is now. And yet it spread - why?

Good question.

Anonymous said...

what is that odor?
where can your God be hiding?
why is my head here?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your site, Joan.

I know about that. There are also of course scientists like Fred Alan Wolff and Frithjof Capra who come to mind just now, who are quite instructive. It is obvious that science is not a monolith if by that you mean Scientism as it is described here so accurately so often. There are many scientists who either publicly (as in writing books) or privately will point to the divine in some way.

I am waiting for some quark to talk back sometime soon.

Joan of Argghh! said...

what is that odor?
where can your God be hiding?
why is my head here?


I have no idea to which post you're alluding, but it has to be the best.Elijah.haiku evah!

LOL!

Gagdad Bob said...

The One.

Joan of Argghh! said...

It's a great day to be a Republican.

Never thought I'd see the Pubbies all rebellious-like. Heh.

Anonymous said...

It was for and in response to Ray, the stunted Thersites of this site, a war to bring down the City of Self.

Anonymous said...

I stayed in a seminary residence during two years of my engineering undergrad (it was quiet, removed from the hubbub so I could actually study).

I don't know if it was the seminary work that brought out some demons or it just attracted those types but I saw at least two examples of what I can only describe as demonic possession that came out in the evening.

On a lighter note, creativity thrives on constraint: I wonder what a day would be like here in the comments section where every comment had to be relevant to the day's post AND in haiku form ;-) - in honor of RS and her growing list of aspiring imitators.

NoMo said...

Ahem, Alan...just for the record, RS is a he.

Anonymous said...

She's a man, baby!

Anonymous said...

writing just haiku
would require much aspirin.
Plagiarisming!

Anonymous said...

But if you check out haiku in its tradition in Japan, you can have another older form which is 5-7-5, then 7-7, then 5-7-5 again. This has another name that I am too lazy to check out just now, but Robin, HE gave us the link to the site a couple days ago.

Or we could just write any old poetry/doggerel ;0)

Anonymous said...

Darn, Robin, sorry - this one I don't get to blame on my typing skills - just not thinking while typing... I work with two Robins and they're she's and you aren't obviously.

Anonymous said...

I wish you wouldn't use the term "Lizard" in a deragatory manner.

My wife and I are Green Iguanas and we resent being stereotyped. If you would get to know an iguana (that is, if you could put aside your prejudices and actually talk to one of us) you would find that we are sensitive, God fearing creatures and actually alot of fun to hang out with.

Try bringing some red-leaf lettuce and watch us munch! :)

Our smooth green exterior, with the interlocking, tile-like scutes or scales, is a marvel of the Lord's engineering. Our sleek bodies and prehensile hands and feet are well adapted to our aboreal homes. Some of us have the brilliant, expressive red eyes, in which all emotions can be read, just like your mammalian orbs.

So why pick on us? Or, if you must, pick on an ugly species like the California alligator lizard.

Thank you in advance,

Irma and Jim Rep Tile.

Anonymous said...

The California Allahater Lizard -- is that the one with the spandex, beady eyes, and ponytail?

Rick said...

Gagdad,
RE The One, I think the rope-a-dope may be working.
It wasn’t my idea, but I'm all for it.

Rick said...

It IS a “great day”, Joan…and the hands are pointed to tequila-o-clock.

Anonymous said...

The Allahater Lizard devolved to the point that its third eye became a mere virtuality, thus proving Godwin's theory of supernatural election.

robinstarfish said...

Alan - no prob, I'm in touch with my inner lesbian.

There are many forms of haiku, and if y'all wanna get technical, what we do here is more senryu than haiku. But haiku's more fun to say.

I'm partial to the 5-7-5 format because it's like a favorite beer mug, but grog tastes good in about anything.

walt said...

Was Alan implying that not all these comments are relevant to today's post?

Dang! I was thinking that they were!

Jim said...

Bob said:

“Indeed, it is perhaps difficult for modern sophisticates to understand how easily Christianity spread. People simply heard the story and said, "makes sense to me," and that was that.”


I found out how the Christian religion spread so fast; the first time I attended an Orthodox Church service, it truly is inspiring.

Anonymous said...

"So you have in-laws too?"

That's hilarious Bob! I thought that very thing as I read Joan's account. Too relatable and unfortunately partially true in my own case.

julie said...

Bob,

"Being that it was a government run agency, the psychiatrists and psychologists were the biggest bunch of losers and mediocrities you could imagine. And the psych techs were like trustees. You could just as easily put badges on the patients and have them watch the psych techs."

Funny you say that; my SIL works for a county outpatient clinic. She said that there were quite a few doctors who probably should be patients.

Van Harvey said...

OT, but I've got a question. Might want to copy the address bar address above (assuming you're in comment mode, if not, I'm betting you won't see this at all) this comment page works, but regular address page.

Try opening up the main One Cosmos page... or refreshing it on all our computers, I get a "Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site... operation aborted" message, there and the rest of the blogspot blogosphere. I can open my sites mgmt page, but none of the actual pages, can't open Robins, Bens, Rickies, etc.

Just me? Selective Demons with good taste?

Joan of Argghh! said...

Hmmm... all's fine from here, Van. Just you, man!

I have a theory...

julie said...

Hm. All's well on my network. Maybe just you, Van.

Van Harvey said...

That is weird then... I can't open Joan's site, but I can Julies wordpress site. Not just Vista, since my wife's XP, and my PocketPC won't display anything after 4:00.

You both tried http://onecosmos.blogspot.com and it worked?

Odd.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Much learning hath made thee mad, Van!!

:o)

walt said...

All clear in the Great Northwest, Van.

Van Harvey said...

Joan said "Much learning hath made thee mad, Van!!"

aaAARRGGHHH!!!!!

Joan of Argghh! said...

So, wait a minute, we can all see Van, but he can't see us?

Time for mischief!!

Heh.

Oh wait! Do we exist, if Van can't see us? Who's the dreamer and who's the dreamed? Oh noes!

julie said...

Hm. The problem may be contagious - I just tried to post a comment and got the "oops" message.

What I was trying to say, though, is maybe your firewall is blocking the site because of the spamblog thing yesterday. I've heard that when that problem comes up, sometimes peoples sites get tagged with a "suspicious script" flag even after they've been cleared.

julie said...

Joan - if we're figments of Van's imagination, shouldn't that make life a little easier? Because when he can't perceive us, nothing should be happening...

Joan of Argghh! said...

Well, I can just imagine him scurrying about, cursing Bill Gates, Vista and Google--worthy targets all--instead of, well, whatever it is he would be doing on a Friday night!

Magnus Itland said...

Hmm, Internet Exploder just refused to load Google here (Opera still loads it fine). Perhaps there is some battle between the principalities of the Net or something?

Van Harvey said...

Niggardly Phil said...
"How do you distinguish reason (I guess I resist "logic" as something more specific) from faith? "

I'm may be the odd ball, but I really don't, or rather I distinguish between the 'material' being reasoned upon, rather than between Reason and Faith as being (w)holy different modes of thought.

Most Reasoning involves thinking from some material object, evidence or principle rooted in physical experience alone. When obamama mentions 'saving' money with a windfall profits tax upon 'obscene profits' of the oil companies, I know through economic principles rooted in fact and experience, that nothing but ruin and loss of wealth, is going to follow. That and probably more gov't growth (which like 'public education', the more it fails, the more it is able to convince people that it needs to do more).

There are principles of Philosophy and psychology which we can and should know, which operate sure as shite, that if you relieve people of responsibility for their own lives, tell them that they can have something for nothing, they will become irresponsible leftists. If you daily spoil a child, they will become spoiled narcissists. The exceptions being those few who don't just believe what they are told, but reach towards higher truths they internally know and revere, which save them from being swept along into the lopsided 'fallen' state.

There again though, those higher truths can be found in physical experience.

IMHO, what we call Faith, derives from Reasoning upon the Metaphysical principles of Religion. I know that the person, or the people, that doesn't revere the One Truth, those who are "without a Vision", who live on the horizontal plane and never look towards the Vertical... will spiritually perish, crash and burn, no matter how much 'wealth' they might amass.

Faith, in my view, is Reasoning from the Metaphysical principles of Religion, and with or without particular evidence, I can rest assured that they will be borne out in Truth... Truth, the living Truth, being what they are formed of. I have no need for evidence to justify or reinforce this faith - it simply IS True.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Friday Night Fights! Internet titans square off for the title of Most Annoying Over-featured Software. Traffic-heavy Google goes up against the maddening new AVG Firewall updates!

Everyone re-set your security settings and pop the popcorn. Gonna be a long night...

Van Harvey said...

Magnus Itland said "Hmm, Internet Exploder just refused to load Google here (Opera still loads it fine). Perhaps there is some battle between the principalities of the Net or something?"

Ah-HA!!!

Joan of Argghh! said "So, wait a minute, we can all see Van, but he can't see us?"

Foolish mortal! You can't hide from me!!!

Bwa-hahahaaaahhhahah!


"instead of, well, whatever it is he would be doing on a Friday night!"

Yeah. Nine year old girls having a sleep over ('sleep' being merely a figure of speech of course.)

They're bouncing on my bed with my wife, watching the goofiest of shows and laughing to make my 'bwa-hahahah' seem sedate. I'm on the couch... living it up.

Ahhh the exciting life of a former musician.

Van Harvey said...

Julie said "What I was trying to say, though, is maybe your firewall is blocking the site because of the spamblog thing yesterday."

Yeah, that's what I'm figuring. Since I found the address to the comment page, I'm ok... not sure what'll happen tomorrow... I want to avoid any sort of PC/Firewall fiddling work at all costs.

julie said...

Nine-year-old girls - isn't that more of a screech-over?

Van Harvey said...

Joan said "the maddening new AVG Firewall updates!"

That's it! I yanked the miserably oppressive Norton last week, and put in AVG...

"Meet the new boss; same as the old boss..."

Won't get fooled again.

Yep.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Good thing you weren't hanging around the Lizard Lounge. Charles is proclaiming the End of the World as we know it. Or some such.

Seriously, though, the new AVG automatically resets security to "So tight that mite on a flea couldn't squeeze through" levels.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Joan said-
"Maybe faith is acknowledging what is already there, and a confidence that it will make sense and bear up under further scrutiny."

I cooncur! I'm not one to buy the "common" whizdum that if we could detect God with reason we wouldn't need faitrh.

This phrase implies that one has to be unreasonable to detect or understand God (inasfar as we can understand).

No, faith is EVIDENCE of the unseen, which means it's not only Reasonable but beyond reason, logic, and human rationale.

Faith isn't blind hope, and that's where non-believers and luke warm believers get it wrong, IMO.

And because faith is evidence, we (to use a CSI term) follow the Evidence.
That is when Truth becomes self evident.

Man, it was tough to get here today. I hadta use a different browser, 'cause IE is on the fritz.
Anyway, time to catch up on Bob's post and all of these great comments.

Excellent post, Bob! Thanks! This will provide hours of coontemplation just to make a dent, but thar's gold in them there hills, so I'll be mining my own business! :^)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Oh, and it appears as if John McCain has escaped the evil eye of Sauron...I mean Queeg.

Early this mornin' he praised Bobby Jindal and his new school bill he signed into law.

Ha ha! There heads are gonna explode when they find out...or maybe they'll just ignore it or say something like "he doesn't really believe what he just said."

Denial is strong with the Queeglings.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Nope. Not the end of the world, but if you take sitemeter off of your blog, everyone with IE7 can then see it.

So the conspiracy seems to be aimed at sitemeter, not you, Van.

Van Harvey said...

Joan said "So the conspiracy seems to be aimed at sitemeter, not you, Van."

A likely story. But I see the black helicopters. I know what's what. Follow me. Follow me. That's good, that's good! A nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat!

(Cue Walt)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

"Now, it is again a simplification, but it is safe to say that the left brain operates along the lines of asymmetrical logic, while the right brain is the realm of symmetrical logic. But no one, unless they are severely brain damaged, operates out of only one lobe, so there is always some degree of integration, although it can be relatively conscious and harmonious or unconscious and unharmonious. For example, much of the bonehead philosophy that emanates from scientism comes either from unacknowledged sympathies coming from the right brain, or a denial of its voice altogether. It sounds half-witted because it is."

Ho! You hammered the Proverbsnail on the head with that, Bob!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Daamn! MSN is performing an abortion on our blogs!
Bastards! I didn't even get a "choice" in the matter.

Of course, that's always where "pro-choice" leads to in regards to Life.

Anonymous said...

QIK streaming video from the House this afternoon, where some Pubs discovered, to their amazement, that they still have a pair, buried down there in never-never-land.

http://qik.com/video/147257

'bout f'n time too

robinstarfish said...

Latest Blogger Buzz:

Spam Fridays
August 1, 2008 — permalink
While we wish that every post on this blog could be about cool features or other Blogger news, sometimes we have to step in and admit a mistake.

We've noticed that a number of users have had their blogs mistakenly marked as spam, and wanted to sound off real quick to let you know that, despite it being Friday afternoon, we are working hard to sort this out. So to those folks who have received an email saying that your blog has been classified as spam and can't post right now, we offer our sincere apologies for the trouble.

We hope to have this resolved shortly, and appreciate your patience as we work through the kinks.
— Brett


So, liztards get a pass on this one.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

"We've noticed that a number of users have had their blogs mistakenly marked as spam..."

Oh really? They noticed? How in the hell did this happen?
And why Raccoon blogs?

I sense a coonspiracy here.

Van Harvey said...

Speaking of weird
"That is, does God have divine mind parasites?
Oh yes. I’m afraid so. For what is a mind parasite in the final analysis? It is a relativity that partakes of, and confuses itself with, absoluteness."

Seeking material fact alone... falling through the physical and into the horizontal, literal, the separated mind. Engaging in and with one view, excluding or denying the other, ensared in a self made trap... round and round you circularly go... until you finally realize that 'one' is more than a single digit, One is a whOle.

The scientistic sees one as '1', as a quantity, while ignoring wherever possible, One as a quality, 'mere metaphysical hokium' ... and where did it come from? '1 is a 1 is a 1, no One involved!'

That in even the most basic of scenarios, it takes too ones to become One whOle... Man and Wife or Left and Right... halves of One whOle, that... or remain divided, unbalanced, more feeding upon, rather than partaking of... a parasite.

'Picture this if you will'

Rod Serling is always watching.

Anonymous said...

"have had their blogs mistakenly marked as spam"

How & by whom?

Could the Raccoons get chain-tagged due to their direct-links to each other?

Sorry, no pass for obstructionist till the how/whom gets answered.

I'm willing to bet ten-bob Blogger won't cop to how wide-open & vulnerable this feature is, so we may never know. It'll be interesting to see if they tighten the 'mark as spam' dealie in the near future.

Anonymous said...

On a more amusing note:

Obamabots are in meltdown on "The One" youtube comments threads: flailing around & not even getting it wrong, poor things.

ahhh, it's a beautiful sight

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

This is odd...I read somewhere that Sitemeter has a glitch with MSN/IE (or somethin' like that) that's causing this problem (although why now in particular isn't explained).

However, I can't coonfirm this 'cause I can't even get into Sitemeter to take it off, no matter which browser I use.

Times like this that I really wish Patti would've gotten me a Mac instead of a PC. Sigh.

I can't get to my own site. I'm not even sure how I got here, but I'm glad I did. :^)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Van said-
"The scientistic sees one as '1', as a quantity, while ignoring wherever possible, One as a quality, 'mere metaphysical hokium' ... and where did it come from? '1 is a 1 is a 1, no One involved!'"

Hokium for the masses.

Sorry, I couldn't resist. :^)

Anonymous said...

Ximeze-
Ha ha! I love the smell of Obamabots melting in the mornin'.

Anonymous said...

I think about two weeks ago I was inundated by demonic presence. Let me describe it because it was kind of interesting. I was sitting on the train and from across the aisle I kept hearing various commentary about me - for example, if I would avoid looking at a dirty or homeless person, there was this little song mocking me as privileged, or if I looked out the window at the city passing by, looking at a building and then a tree and then another building and then a car, etc., another one said like "one, two," - ie, kind of commenting on some of the basic psychological processes as I picked various things out of the cityscape and focused on them as a single object. Basically, for fifty minutes, it was like all of the techniques and maneuvers my mind used were being mocked by those voices coming from across the aisle.

So, I actually didn't look over at the girls I assumed were saying these things, because I think encouraging rude people does no good. So frankly, I can't account for any of these things I heard coming from any of the girls. It could be one of those psychological issues where you hear voices, though this kind of thing is generally uncharacteristic, and the voices were pretty detailed and multifaceted (ie, it was not one at a time, but a weave of commentary during the train ride). Alternately, it's possible that the girls were slightly too far away to hear completely and so my brain was kind of stitching things together to make sense of the noises, but that it did a poor job and misinterpreted it all. These are both possible. It just seemed like demons, though, really viscerally. It was actually pretty upsetting.

What do you think having demons suddenly surrounding you and saying such things means?

Sibylline Zipper said...

I remember reading a book when I was 15 or so, called ''Hostage to the Devil'' I think, about several people who were possessed. For months afterward I was so worried that I would get possessed myself. Nothing happened, but I have always wondered about how demon possession takes place. Is there some special flaw or mistake that someone makes that weakens their defenses, or is it just bad luck like being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyone know? I was raised in a religious house but no one really went into any detail about such things, even at church(Baptist).

Anonymous said...

Ben,
You're showing-up blue, with avatar intact. Have ya tried logging-out of your Goggle/Blogger acct to see if you can, as a mere mortal, then get the Raccoon blogs to load?

Yikes! gotta go beddie-bye

Joan of Argghh! said...

Somebody email Ben and tell him how to download FIrefox so he can get to his site. IE7 is NOT going to play nice.

'scuse me while I go kill sitemeter on my blog. But not for long.

Get Firefox, people. Don't let good blogs go bad!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Thanks Joan!
I'm just waitin' for Patti to wake up. I don't wanna try downloading anything (especially on dial-up) without her supervision, because if it's possible to screw something up in the process then...

Well, let's just say that Murphy has nothin' on me! LOL!

phil g said...

My IE is not working either this morning. I had to use Safari to get to this sight. Any fixes or is this just a wait until it gets resolved thing?

phil g said...

oops..."site" not "sight".

Any advice on Safari versus Firefox? Is there any reason to use IE?

phil g said...

OK...using Firefox now, everything seems to be working. Buh bye IE 7.

Joan of Argghh! said...

I FIXED it in my template. I still have sitemeter and can still see my blog on IE. Stay tuned and I'll post the details.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Got it here: The Feex.

phil g said...

or you can just use Firefox

Joan of Argghh! said...

Yes, but if your web page has sitemeter on it, nobody else using IE7 can see YOUR webpage. Like Van's opposite, you can see them, but they can't see you.

Gagdad Bob said...

What happens if I close my eyes and do nothing? (there's a little leftist in everyone)

Joan of Argghh! said...

Then, Bob, you will achieve the Internet obscurity you crave!

:o)

Gagdad Bob said...

How about if I just remove the site meter altogether? Who needs it.

Joan of Argghh! said...

I believe that was my first suggestion! The less pure among us who still crave attention, affirmation, and some sense of accomplishment will want some sort of a fix for our addiction.

Pray for me, Oh B'ob ma!

julie said...

Or if you still really want to see some stats, there are other options. I use Clicky. I don't think it has as many bells and whistles as Sitemeter, but it's enough to confirm my near-utter obscurity.

Anonymous said...

The posts here are very interesting. I hope to be able to join in the discussion when I have more time.

Would that be okay?

Gagdad Bob said...

Of course, dive right in. Who do you think we are, Queeg?

Anonymous said...

Thank you Bob :)

Alas, again I have no time. I did want to say, while realizing that I have no standing here, that I have a little trouble referring to people whom I may have a disagreement with, as 'brain damaged' or '-tards'.

I myself have brain damage and my dear late brother was severely retarded. I have fought for most of my adult life to erase these terms as perjoratives from civil discourse.

Just me, perhaps, but it does seem to lessen the argument and slur disabled people who have done nothing wrong.

Okay. There, I've said it. If you regret your invitation, I can certainly understand. :)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi Mama!
First, lest me say, you certainly do have standing here!
Secondly, as someone who also has experienced brain damage, I take no offense from what Bob was sayin'.

Now, I realize you haven't got a chance to really get to know Bob, so I understand where you're coming from.

Bob is talkin' about spiritually and morally retarded people.
I'm absolutely sure he means no offense towards mentally retarded nor brain damaged folks.
I've never seen him take delight in ridiculing people with those ailments.
Bob is just not like that.

Also, whenever Bob goes after AIDS activists or the "lifestyle" (actually, deathstyle) they promote, I don't take offense, as someone who happens to have AID, because he is right.
Those people hurt those who have AIDS tremendously, and they perpetuate the disease (not to mention extorting and wasting huge sums of money on it).

So please trust me on this, Bob is not insensitive to the plight of the mentally retarded.

I hope that clears things up a bit.
I know Bob doesn't need or want me to defend him, but I just wanted to add my two cents.

Bob has, literally, helped me more than I can say! :^)

Gagdad Bob said...

Ben, while I agree with you, I certainly see her point. Really, the only reason I said "Liztard" is that it spontaneously popped into my head and seemed funny. Also, it challenges the intellectual pride of these anti-intellectuals. And let us not forget that it was the Darwinian eugenicists who engaged in the forced sterilization of the mentally retarded. But I think I'll retire the term. Its done its work, and a joke isn't funny after the first time anyway.

Joan of Argghh! said...

Mama, I must chime in with Ben, and possibly encourage you to leave off worrying about how people use terms in the pejorative. It's a losing, emotional battle that merely saps strength better used.

There are so many wonderful things to contemplate here. Take your time, Bob's not going anywhere that he knows of... lots of places, all the same!

Joan of Argghh! said...

Ah well, I think I'll start a blog called, "Nevermind!".

Thanks, Bob. I think it's a good call, if it helps even one person over the threshold.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Roger that, Bob.
If I didn't respect Mama Winger I wouldn't have replied, but I hope I conveyed to her you weren't bein' a lout, or crass for crasses sake.

Okay, that doesn't make sense on second thought, I mean, what is crasses sake? I dunno.

Anyway, I'm sure Mama will get what I'm sayin'. Hopefully.

Joan of Argghh! said...

In re-reading my comments, I assure myself that I am brain-damaged as well, Ben!

Anonymous said...

ha!

It appears that I have been blocked at LGF for making this statement here - and it was a reprimand to Bob ! LOL

Oh well ..... such is life :)

Anonymous said...

Gagdad Bob - I did not mean to cause you such trouble. I apologize if I have made life more difficult for you guys here.

Magnus Itland said...

OK, this is the first time I've heard of a moderator banning someone for calling them not brain damaged. O_O

Anonymous said...

magnus -

it is a little ironic, eh?

:)

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