tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post113728889771439524..comments2024-02-10T08:46:51.419-05:00Comments on Rude Armchair Theology: Theodicy and graceMike Croghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099387827886541138noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-1137683083570401632006-01-19T10:04:00.000-05:002006-01-19T10:04:00.000-05:00To deviate from the other comments, the thought I ...To deviate from the other comments, the thought I always have is, "what is innocent?" and is that good? In other words, what if we assume God, nature, and karma define what is "right" and we must learn to adapt to what that is -- following that path is good, even if it's not innocent.<BR/><BR/>In my own life, I have found that it is "better" if I am doing two things different from what I had in the past.<BR/><BR/>The first is to seek things that make me happy. By that, I mean to avoid the trap of the local maxima, where you assume that because any change makes things worse, this must be the best. It's analagous to climbing a mountain range: if you get to a place where any direction you go is down, you are at a peak, but that is not necessarily the highest point you can reach. Sometimes a drastic change of position is necessary to find something better.<BR/><BR/>The second is to shed the shackles of language. By acting in an intuitive way -- following my own heart -- the universe responds by making good things happen. In the past I had relied more strongly on logical argument and predicting outcomes based on past experience. I still do, but I respect the value of intuition as well.<BR/><BR/>In the end, these things, I think, are leading me toward a more harmonious relationship with everything. In other words, what we typically refer to as "innocent" in the sense of simply "not negatively affecting others" may be undesirable in God's eyes / the natural order / karmic balance. To take an active role in learning about yourself seems to be preferable to innocence as innocece seems to be preferable to actively defying your self to hurt others.Jayce from Rochesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05766605787783546357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-1137598989933081052006-01-18T10:43:00.000-05:002006-01-18T10:43:00.000-05:00Anyway ... once we define perfect justice, then we...Anyway ... once we define perfect justice, then we can get around to what does a just universe look like and then perhaps we're just looking at our speck in the universe. <BR/><BR/>I don't mean to sound heartless and horrible, but we're kind of small in the grand scheme of things. Not to mention short-lived. I'm not certain that what we call pain and suffering IS actually pain and suffering in the whole grand picture of the whole universe and eternity. Does a hurricane or series of hurricanes here on earth effect or affect the rest of the universe? How about a tsunami? Or a bad earthquake? I'm not sure they do. But they might ...<BR/><BR/>Then again the answer might just be ... 42!Sonja Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13164796660137641599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-1137598677618762782006-01-18T10:37:00.001-05:002006-01-18T10:37:00.001-05:00Hah ... guess I'm not really **that** sorry!!Hah ... guess I'm not really **that** sorry!!Sonja Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13164796660137641599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-1137598628188304692006-01-18T10:37:00.000-05:002006-01-18T10:37:00.000-05:00Well ... taking your own model, I think we have to...Well ... taking your own model, I think we have to begin by defining "justice." What is perfect justice?Sonja Andrewshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13164796660137641599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-1137334352962765362006-01-15T09:12:00.000-05:002006-01-15T09:12:00.000-05:00Here's another thought I just had: could this "fr...Here's another thought I just had: could this "free will is bigger than we thought it was" idea be related to the idea that salvation is bigger than we thought it was? That is, the idea that Jesus came to save the WHOLE GREAT BIG BENIGHTED WORLD, the whole creation, not just my teensy little it's-all-about-me-you-know benighted soul. (<A HREF="http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?new=1&word=romans+8%3A17-25§ion=0&version=nrs&language=en" REL="nofollow">Romans 8:17-25</A>)Mike Croghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18099387827886541138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-1137313006568009332006-01-15T03:16:00.000-05:002006-01-15T03:16:00.000-05:00sweet. haha. love it. 'course i don't know what...sweet. haha. love it. 'course i don't know what i think about it and will have to chew on it -- but just thinking like this makes me happy. thanks mike, for once again letting some fresh air into the dusty chamber of my brain housing group.P3T3RK3Y5https://www.blogger.com/profile/05279374793120586424noreply@blogger.com