Saturday, 22 Aug 2009

Do we Christians view God in the same way the Jewish people do?

Dear Friends,

Having had to do it myself in an earlier phase of my life, I have enormous sympathy with university lecturers having to assess essays from undergraduates who are only studying some subject out of a sense of having to. Having a student in your class actually enthuasistic for the subject under examination is always a great thrill. I am sure having today's lead commentator, Daniel Gullotta, in a theology class must make life interesting and rewarding. I suspect from many young people the study of theology must be as boring as batshit.

I find his reflection today curiously uplifting — and very interesting. All of us carry in our being an image of God — God as a mate, a judge, the source of abundance, a source of security, and so on. Where did these ideas — these theologies — originally come from? Today's essay is exploring the origins of one of the theological understandings we have in the travails that built the theologies of the nation or Israel. There is rich material as a springboard for reflection, and discussion, in what Daniel explores today. Not that we need it these days — the discussion forum is humming along these days at such a pace that most can't keep up with it from the feedback reaching me. As I reported a few days ago, we seem to be experiencing a sustained growth in readership and this is partly reflected in the pace of discussions on the forum.
<Link to Daniel's essay>
<www.catholica.com.au/gc1/dg/038_dg_220809.php

Understanding Fundamentalism... In some senses the very existence of Catholica could be considered to be a response to fundamentalist thinking. Catholica itself might be characterised as a search for an alternative way of looking at religion, spirituality, theology and God to fundamentalist perspectives. Perhaps it is no surprise then that the editor, Brian Coyne has been deeply impressed by a study he recently came across by Karen Armstrong which explores Fundamentalism in the three great monotheist faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Today's lead commentary is a review of Karen Armstrong's book, The Battle for God. <more>

Does Forty mean 40? A new contributor to our forum today, Raymond, has sparked an interesting discussion that intersects well with what Dr Elmer is exploring today — applying critical reason to the reading of Scripture. The ancient scribes who laid out the inspired word of God didn't necessarily work in the same thought paradigms we work in today. When does seven not mean 7, or forty not mean 40? Welcome to the wonderful world of Biblical numerology! <more>

A tribute to two priests! As telegraphed last week, Tom McMahon provides us with an interlude to his exploration of the psychology of priesthood by today bringing us an essay he wrote ten years ago paying tribute to a man and woman, Msgr James Wade, and Margo Schorno, whom Tom considers exhibited the very best qualities of what any priest — and person — ought witness through their lives. <more>

20.4: The Triumph of Christianity! This final section from Chapter 20 of Tom Lee's manuscript is an interesting read that will likely take many readers off into deeper explorations. (We've included a couple of Wikipedia links to assist.) It recounts how, after the setback of Emperor Julian re-instating Pagansim as the official State religion of the Empire, Christianity was re-instated under his successor, Jovian. Towards the end of this essay Tom offers an opinion why Christianity triumphed over its rivals. <more>

A lifetime spiritual journey#8… Do you have memories of your childhood as distinct as these ones Francis Brown is sharing with us? In Chapter 6, which we are splitting into two parts, he reflects on the sense of separation that he felt the formal education process gave him from the pre-school sense of wholeness and oneness he experienced. <more>

Best wishes for a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life or in our world.

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher