On reading Scripture

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by AletheiaRivers

I didn't say that a Christian mystic is considered liberal.

Q, I made my first comment about delving into the deeper layers of the scriptures in the thread on LIBERAL CHRISTIANITY.

When I made the comment in Thomas's thread, I was qualifying my previous statement in that thread by saying that the liberals I know aren't necessarily mystical.

I don't consider myself "liberal" by the way. I'm not conservative in the Evangelical (or social) sense either.

I really get the feeling you like to twist things.

I'm going to fix this right here: You said:

That was my thought on the "liberal Christianity" thread. To see only the surface meaning, imo, impoverishes the message. (To be fair, however, most liberal Christians I know don't desire to search the deeper meaning of scripture either.)

My reply was:

This got my attention. If it conflicts with their schedule or agenda, it is irrelevent. Is that really Christianity?

You came back with:

Not what I said. Most liberal Christians I know are deeply concerned with social issues (ie caring for widows and orphans) rather than contemplative/esoteric searching. That's not really a bad thing, imo, as perhaps they are the ones manifesting the Kingdom of God on Earth.

I just didn't want to give the impression that liberal Christianity = mysticism. There are many liberal Christian mystics, but perhaps more traditional Christian mystics.

I stated:

Ok, I can agree (to a point). But that is not what you said (which brings me back to our innability to communicate clearly, even though we speak the same language...)

I'm also not sure where a Christian "mystic" is considered "liberal"...

You replied:

I didn't say that a Christian mystic is considered liberal.

Q, I made my first comment about delving into the deeper layers of the scriptures in the thread on LIBERAL CHRISTIANITY.

When I made the comment in Thomas's thread, I was qualifying my previous statement in that thread by saying that the liberals I know aren't necessarily mystical.

No one was "twisting" anything. We appear to have been saying the exact same thing. What I noticed is it appears that we didn't like the way each other WAS stating the same thing.

I think many of our issues about scripture fall into the same category as you and I have just demonstrated (unwittingly)

Take a look at what I highlighted and tell me what you think about my hypothesis...please?

v/r

Q

[AletheiaRivers]

I'm willing to say that we probably were stating the exact same thing in different terminology.

The same thing just happened to me in the thread over on the pagan forum.

I know that I'm misunderstood quite often. I'm certainly capable of doing the misunderstanding.

Your fellow misunderstood and misunderstanding sister in Christ ... (say that three times fast),

Aletheia

[enton]

Originally Posted by Thomas

If you really love something, you want to know its very depths, you want to know it with every fibre of your being, you want to know it with every faculty at your command.

- Yeah that is true, but the ways of God in the Bible is very deep. As what Proverbs 25:2 says, It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.

With this in the christian's remembrance, he will surely be contented that God conceals some things, not all of God is knowable, only bit of God is.

Originally Posted by Thomas

The Catholic and Orthodox believe that Scripture is not the dead record of some distant historical event; that its content is more than ink on paper; that Scripture is a Sacrament, a form of the Body of Christ; Scripture is that rainment which, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, shone forth atop Mount Tabor in the Transfiguration ...

- You have to read the Book of Revelations, and there you will be amazed because there are revelations there which are more than figurative. Within a textual connotation, there are presentations of parallel comparisons (just like the 2 olive trees and the 2 candlesticks [Revelations 11:4], the 10 kings which have received no kingdom as yet [Revelations 17:12] and the 7 heads [Revelations 12:3]) needing the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Originally Posted by Thomas

... in the Christian contemplative tradition the reading of Scripture is, in a real and immediate sense, an interview with Christ ...
-No, because in Revelations 1:3, it says Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

God is limitless, infinite, the source of all wisdom, and we are called to know that which we love, and love that which we know.

- No, not all wisdom comes from the God the Father.
James 3:15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

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