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Amen, Warden. I discovered Kirkegaard in college while taking a philosophy class to fill my general ed requirements. I was knocked out and thought, "This is what I believe!"
If I had not found Quaker thought before I found Kierkegaard, I would have been equally impressed. Thank you for the recommendation, Warden.
That was part of the book review of PROVOCATIONS. I am using my IPad and providing websites is something I haven't figured out. That's something I can stand to get more education on.
I discovered the book from a weekly electronic publication to which my wife subscribes called "the plough" which features essays by various authors on spiritual subjects.
Soren Kierkegaard has been described as the first Christian existentialist, making him the opposite of many who followed like Jean Paul Sarte.
Wikipedia describes Kierkegaard in part as follows:
Kierkegaard's theology focuses on the single individual in relation to an unprovable, yet known God. Many of his writings were a directed assault against all of Christendom, Christianity as a political and social entity. His target was the Danish State Church, which represented Christendom in Denmark. Christendom, in Kierkegaard's view, made individuals lazy in their religion.
Kierkegaard proposed that each person must make independent choices, which then constitute his existence. Each person suffers from the anguish of indecision (whether knowingly or unknowingly) until he commits to a particular choice about the way to live. Kierkegaard also proposed three rubrics with which to understand the conditions that issue from distinct life choices: the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious.
---------end quote
I am a Christian existentialist focused on living in the now---not yesterday which is gone nor tomorrow which may never come. It is only in the present hour that we can act in service to others. I am not a believer because it will get me out of hell or because it will get me into heaven. I am a believer because of my personal experience, and I'm not interested in being a lazy believer (Kierkegaard's charge against religious people), so I read and search and contemplate many different ideas.
Unfortunately, too many that claim to believe also have to own up to being lazy with growth of their faith. I don't think I need to point out on this thread one of those too lazy to expand their faith through learning.
Very interesting subject from a philosphers perspective.
But this is a Christian sub forum.
Sorry to burst the bubble so to speak.
But the moderators closed a thread of mine at even a mention of philosophy in this forum.
The very sentence I quoted and queried is something you might want to toss.
If I had not found Quaker thought before I found Kierkegaard, I would have been equally impressed. Thank you for the recommendation, Warden.
As an example of how God can and does operate through "secular" thought, consider this event that Peter Enns describes in his book, The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs. He was flying home from an evangelical conference and decided to watch the movie Bridge to Teribithia produced by Disney. The story is about two fifth graders, the boy, Jess a fundamentalist prodigy and a girl, Leslie, who is rather free-spirited. Leslie agrees to go to the boy's church and hears some hellfire and brimstone. Afterwards, they are in the back of the boy's family truck when this scene unfolds:
[Leslie] "That whole Jesus thing. It's really interesting."
[May Belle, Jess' sister is shocked] "It's not an interesting story! It's scary! It's nailing holes through your hands. It's because we are all vile sinners that God made Jesus die."
[Leslie looks at Maybelle like she had just declared babies were delivered by storks] "Do you really think that's true?"
[Not only do they believe it, but they have to according to Jess] "Because it's in the Bible."
[May Belle]"If you don't believe in the Bible, God will damn you to hell when you die."
[Leslie, having none of it] "I seriously do not think God goes around damning people to hell. He's too busy running all this!" [pointing to the sky and trees]
Enns said he was completely taken aback when the Disney that brought us Mickey Mouse and Goofy, and Son of Flubber ventured into a religious debate. He writes:
Quote:
--caught off guard. Me--a professional Christian, a seminary professor, paid to think right thoughts about God and to tell others about them. But after a long trip my orthodoxy shield was resting at my side. I was unarmed and Leslie's words hit their mark. In a flash, and without words, I thought, "I think Leslie's right.
Peter Enns, The Sin of Certainty: Why God Desires Our Trust More Than Our "Correct" Beliefs, Chapter one.
He follows up by saying that a 52 second clip of that movie had his view of God flying out the cabin window like a loss of air pressure.
And that's how God can and does work OUTSIDE Scripture to bring new insights to those He is looking to grow.
Very interesting subject from a philosphers perspective.
But this is a Christian sub forum.
Sorry to burst the bubble so to speak.
But the moderators closed a thread of mine at even a mention of philosophy in this forum.
The very sentence I quoted and queried is something you might want to toss.
Kierkegaard is also considered a theologian. You would not make such an ignorant statement if you simply read Wikipedia about his life--let alone one of several biographies. You have a god trapped in the pages of Scripture.
Mine is EVERYWHERE! And that is His characteristic!
Very interesting subject from a philosphers perspective.
But this is a Christian sub forum.
Sorry to burst the bubble so to speak.
But the moderators closed a thread of mine at even a mention of philosophy in this forum.
The very sentence I quoted and queried is something you might want to toss.
Warden stated that he is a Christian existentialist. As am I.
If you want to report us for mentioning that on a forum discussing Christianity ...go ahead and hit the report button and see if you can get us put in poster jail.
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I discovered Kirkegaard in college while taking a philosophy class to fill my general ed requirements. I was knocked out and thought, "This is what I believe!"
