tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post8026869108956978646..comments2024-03-25T13:40:30.747-04:00Comments on Faith and Theology: Slavoj Žižek and the loss of faithBen Myershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03800127501735910966noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-10167191744012097772007-09-02T18:30:00.000-04:002007-09-02T18:30:00.000-04:00john, spiritual master, et al.--"huh?"john, spiritual master, et al.--<BR/><BR/>"huh?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-42129093008892984322007-08-24T08:57:00.000-04:002007-08-24T08:57:00.000-04:00Zizek's the Fragile Absolute is a brilliant read p...Zizek's the Fragile Absolute is a brilliant read particualarly his Lacanian reaading of Paul's comments in Romans, the man's so persuausive when you read him you can't help but go wow! Yet I still can't escape the feeling that ultimately he's just having one almighty laugh at all the pretensions to profundity - that ghost that still haunts modern discourse - but at least he does it with flair.<BR/> What's a spiritual master is it like a headmaster? i.e someone who's mastered his head?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-60259459967442564932007-08-22T00:59:00.000-04:002007-08-22T00:59:00.000-04:00Please find this paragraph from a recent essay tit...Please find this paragraph from a recent essay titled All Imperfect "Knowledge" Is Bunk by my Spiritual Master. It deals with this theme in no uncertain terms. All the itallics are indicators of bunk ideas.<BR/><BR/>"Exoteric "religion" achieves physically effective mind-control over human individuals and collectives by means of (invariably, conspicuous) social and political "moral performances", power-alliances with social and political institutions, the public proliferation of "sacred enclosures" (such as temple architecture), and the broad scale persistent propagandizing of "sacred artifices", such as "religious" myths, IRREDUCIBLY "objectified" beliefs, symbolic ceremonials, ritual re-enactments, "religious" art, and the authoritarian of such ideas as "objective certainty", "moral absolutes", the "inherent integrity and reliability of tradition", "happiness by means of institutions", "blessedness" by means of "sacramentally authorized" hierarchies of "religious officials", "faith" as an exercise superior to all other human efforts, the "necessary immortality" of the "ego", and both the "authority" and the "ultimate sufficiency" of "religion" ("itself").Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-46786267608906196542007-08-21T22:59:00.000-04:002007-08-21T22:59:00.000-04:00Reminds me of the difference Dewey noted between "...Reminds me of the difference Dewey noted between "the quest for certainty" and "warranted assertability."::aaron g::https://www.blogger.com/profile/03849988327077565616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-82538074837595685642007-08-21T18:39:00.000-04:002007-08-21T18:39:00.000-04:00I am reminded of Hauerwas's claim (in "Unleashing ...I am reminded of Hauerwas's claim (in "Unleashing the Scripture" and continually since) that fundamentalism and historical criticism are simply two sides of the same coin, both seeing the text as just THERE, without any need for a community of interpretation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-59643060942603428142007-08-21T17:24:00.000-04:002007-08-21T17:24:00.000-04:00Yeah, shades of SK--but still a quite wonderful pa...Yeah, shades of SK--but still a quite wonderful passage. Scepticism and fundamentalism: both failures of nerve. Brilliant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-47282701982124973952007-08-21T15:13:00.000-04:002007-08-21T15:13:00.000-04:00What a great quote!What a great quote!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-49956961784798662752007-08-21T12:53:00.000-04:002007-08-21T12:53:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.derekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14925043896803292539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-48319780531440392322007-08-21T12:37:00.000-04:002007-08-21T12:37:00.000-04:00Tweedledum and TweedledeeAgreed to have a battle;F...Tweedledum and Tweedledee<BR/>Agreed to have a battle;<BR/>For Tweedledum said Tweedledee<BR/>Had spoiled his nice new rattle.<BR/><BR/>Just then flew down a monstrous crow,<BR/>As black as a tar-barrel;<BR/>Which frightened both the heroes so,<BR/>They quite forgot their quarrel.<BR/><BR/>(Lewis Carroll, <I>Through the Looking-Glass</I>)<BR/><BR/>Kierkegaard is the crow, and the quarrel, if not forgotten, is mere shadow-boxing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-22313196246184387522007-08-21T11:14:00.000-04:002007-08-21T11:14:00.000-04:00This reminds me of Tournier:"God's favorites, espe...This reminds me of Tournier:<BR/><BR/>"God's favorites, especially God's favorites, are not immune from the bewildering times when God seems silent. Where there is no longer any opportunity for doubt, there is no longer any opportunity for faith either. Faith demands uncertainty, confusion. The Bible includes many proofs of God's concern - some quite spectacular - but no guarantess. A guarantee would, after all, preclude faith." <BR/><BR/>Paul Tournier<BR/><BR/>Thanks for this post.<BR/><BR/>ZacZachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18004622931726551015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14261952.post-9303979057194529982007-08-21T11:05:00.000-04:002007-08-21T11:05:00.000-04:00Is it just me, or is there a glimpse of Kierkegaar...Is it just me, or is there a glimpse of Kierkegaard in that passage?Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10640010386034772236noreply@blogger.com