"Pockets of lucidity" appear here and there throughout profane history, as the divine light is prolonged through time. In hindsight, an "Arc of Salvation" becomes recognizable, a sort of rolling horizontal revelation to go along with the vertical. In this regard, we can indeed trace a continuous line -- or wave -- of light, say, from the Hebrew prophets -- and the ancient Greek philosophers -- to America's founders. Looking down, I see these waves lapping at my feet as I type this. The water is both warm and transparent."
The paragraph from up above comes from a blog called http://onecosmos.blogspot.com/ I really enjoy it quite a bit and while I do not often agree with his mix of eastern mysticism and western religion I do feel that he often has some valid points to make. But this last section there about "Pockets of lucidity" and running a vertical path of enlightenment from Hebrew Prophets all the way up to America's founders. I just do not get. I am not even sure how one can justify the concept. I guess for me it has always seemed like America came out of a need for a few people to not want to pay taxes and a desire to not be controlled by the institutional Church of England. Not that they were after freedom of religion, of all religions, just the freedom of their religion and I really do not see how one gets from that origin to the idea that the founding fathers were somehow touched by God. When a fair amount of them were Diest and would have thought the idea that God was giving them a direct current to knowledge preposterous. I just am interested as to what others think of this.
9 comments:
Unfortunately, your understanding of history amounts to little more than a projection of your historical ignorance into the past -- or perhaps just misinformation you have picked up in the course of your secular indoctrination. Either way, you're talking out of your hat. Do yourself a favor and read Novak's On Two Wings: Humble Faith and Common Sense at the American Founding, which will set you right.
Gee el kabong, thanks for your patronizing and unhelpful comment. I am but a product of my American schooling system and I am very well read. I just do not think that the founding father's of America would have compared themselves to the Hebrew prophets. I just do not get that impression of them in the different books and stories I have read of them.
You are not well read. Hell, you can't even spell. Your mind is just a melange of half-digested ideas, with no coherent or objective center.
As it so happens, Jefferson proposed that the seal of America feature the image of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, toward liberty and the possibility of a higher life. The founders -- who were well read -- were very conscious of the idea that they were leading humanity out of a decadent Europe toward a wonderful new experiment in liberty. And they were correct. Although you probably believe this.
To the extent that you are a product of our educational system, you wouldn't know this. To be "well read" in such a context is simply a confession of ignorance. I say this not to insult you, but to help you wake up from your dysfunctional dream. So don't act like a whiny girl. No one else will give you what you need but El Kabong. Accept your pimp slap like a man, and learn from it.
wow! I am sorry that my ignorance has so offended you. Please allow me to present, to you, my apologies for my audacity. I did not realize I was discussing history with such a gifted and knowledgeable individual. You sir, are a colossal tool of the first order. At least Van had the decency to be polite when he abused and educated me. As far as the pimp slap goes, save that for your mama. Oh ya! Thanks for nothing, kabong.
Your ignorance hardly "offended" me. Rather, it clearly aroused my compassion.
It is possible that, in your pride, you are refractory to intelligence. I would suggest that you read what I have written in, say, ten years. If you are indeed susceptible to intelligence, you will cringe in embarrassment and say to yourself, "what an idiot I was. This man -- El Kabong -- was plainly trying to help lift my mind out of its swamp of ignorance, and I treated him like an old shoe."
El Kabong, I actually have some "old shoes" that I love and treasure. But usually those old shoes do not tell me,
"You are not well read. Hell, you can't even spell. Your mind is just a melange of half-digested ideas, with no coherent or objective center."
That does not make me want to have a rational intelligent conversation in fact it makes me want to argue back and that is not my intention. I apologize for the "Tool" comment. I need to rise above when I am feeling baited.
(I think maybe el kabong be hitting the big bong. Just sayin')
When I first started researching the Founders, having come off Ernest Cassara's 'The Enlightenment in America', and the books or writings of Tom Paine, Ben Franklin and Ethan Allen - to say nothing of Objectivist related material - I was sure that I was going to uncover how the Founders were at most all Deists, and tilting heavily towards agnosticism, even atheism, and all intent on building a steel reinforced wall between church and state.
I was rather startled to discover that that wasn't the case.
As you get deeper into the material of the time, their own letters, what they read... that soon begins to show as a very selective interpretation with very shaky legs. The majority of the Founders were deeply religious... but you also have to remember that their conception of Religious would have clashed, probably violently, with what we typically tout as religious today... those such as Jimmy Swaggart and even Billy Graham and the like, would have, IMHO, struck them as shallow showmen preying on the rootless and uninformed. The leading fire and brimstone preacher of their period, Johathan Edwards, no mere preacher but a substantial theologian who would make any of our current crop appear the self involved lightweights they are... he tended to make many of the Founders era somewhat wary of those who would stir up 'popular enthusiasms' - it is difficult to compare their conception of religion and ours, but deeper and more substantial, rooted in religious principles, not showy behaviors....
I'll have... I think... the post I thought I was going to have the time to post about a month ago, up soon, which will touch on a portion of this.
Not to speak for Gagdad, but keep in mind he is usually speaking more esoterically of the living Truth, that which can be found equally in Socrates & Aeschylus as St. Paul and John Locke, even though no verses are common between them, yet Truth has been conveyed unbroken from their time to ours.
Oh my... far too late to be trying to get into this... will catch up with you later.
Thanks for the heads up Van. I genuinely have concerns about how the founding fathers are presented to people. One of my concerns being the battle over church and state and just the overall concept that people have of America being God's chosen country. It concerns me and I think people use it as an excuse for a lot of things that maybe God wouldn't agree with.
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