Head Knowledge
The volumes of inner learning
There was a time in the not so distant past when i collected books, even for the sake of their subject matter because they related to a part of my spiritual awakening, my journey, the quest to understand the hidden things and the secrets of God. When I studied Judaism, i bought a dozen different books including two more versions of the bible which already sat on the shelf with seven completely different translations, hoping to gleen that tidbit of golden wisdom out of a sea of words. When i studied the occult, i collected for myself books related to that subject hoping to learn the inner workings of the art. The same with meditation, I collected books. Ayurveda, more books. Zen Buddhism, Taoist? yep, more books.
Not to diminish the importance of study, or the pursuit of knowledge, but i have since come to realize that no book written (sorry, not even the bible) should be taken as a word for word prescription for learning the truth. Afterall, the secret things that I was seeking wouldn't have been written in books, but on the inner lining of the heart where those things dwell. We take books and regard them as holy relics, penned by the inspiration of God himself, but the book is still paper and ink and its content only points in a direction. It is only intended to steer the course, not walk you all the way home.
"Blessed are those who believe and have not seen." said Jesus to his followers. But even today, without the presence of the Messiah in physical form or God speaking from a burning bush, we rationalize our faith into verse and chapter and book. We try to make sense of the unseen - we want it to be visible, rational, something we can comprehend and ultimately, because of our great wisdom we've learned from all our study, control. That is impossible, and erogant.
The reality of this is, God is not found in books written with hands but in flesh and blood, in His creation. Life is bigger than a book can describe it. We cannot fathom His greatness by trying to write it down. It will not give us anymore peace to memorize them or quote verses to try and gain favor with and please the master school teacher.
"In the beginning was the Word". says the first chapter of John, first verse. Many take this to mean the bible itself, but this is incorrect. The "Word" John spoke of was the plan, the fulfillment of all things which culminated in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. "and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us". God's divine plan is not written with hands, it is not carved into stone - those things are merely guideposts on the spiritual journey to find the one who sent us here.
Chris
There was a time in the not so distant past when i collected books, even for the sake of their subject matter because they related to a part of my spiritual awakening, my journey, the quest to understand the hidden things and the secrets of God. When I studied Judaism, i bought a dozen different books including two more versions of the bible which already sat on the shelf with seven completely different translations, hoping to gleen that tidbit of golden wisdom out of a sea of words. When i studied the occult, i collected for myself books related to that subject hoping to learn the inner workings of the art. The same with meditation, I collected books. Ayurveda, more books. Zen Buddhism, Taoist? yep, more books.
Not to diminish the importance of study, or the pursuit of knowledge, but i have since come to realize that no book written (sorry, not even the bible) should be taken as a word for word prescription for learning the truth. Afterall, the secret things that I was seeking wouldn't have been written in books, but on the inner lining of the heart where those things dwell. We take books and regard them as holy relics, penned by the inspiration of God himself, but the book is still paper and ink and its content only points in a direction. It is only intended to steer the course, not walk you all the way home.
"Blessed are those who believe and have not seen." said Jesus to his followers. But even today, without the presence of the Messiah in physical form or God speaking from a burning bush, we rationalize our faith into verse and chapter and book. We try to make sense of the unseen - we want it to be visible, rational, something we can comprehend and ultimately, because of our great wisdom we've learned from all our study, control. That is impossible, and erogant.
The reality of this is, God is not found in books written with hands but in flesh and blood, in His creation. Life is bigger than a book can describe it. We cannot fathom His greatness by trying to write it down. It will not give us anymore peace to memorize them or quote verses to try and gain favor with and please the master school teacher.
"In the beginning was the Word". says the first chapter of John, first verse. Many take this to mean the bible itself, but this is incorrect. The "Word" John spoke of was the plan, the fulfillment of all things which culminated in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah. "and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us". God's divine plan is not written with hands, it is not carved into stone - those things are merely guideposts on the spiritual journey to find the one who sent us here.
Chris
posted by Chris at
7:49 PM
1 Comments:
I'd like to see how this story ends. I'm kinda in the same bucket. Spiritual but don't like pretentious ceremonies. I was raised Protestant and I like it for the most part, but I've also been to too many churches that condemn people for doing what they want to do (granting that they arn't hurting or exploiting other Adults without their consent). If you are gay, or musulim, or jewish, or a swinger, or whatever... do your thang. Who am I to judge? I'm also not a fan of the big Wal-Churches. I guess I'm gonna have to make my own religion. Maybe we can construct a set of rules this weekend over a cuppa coffee. ; )
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home