News

11.3.14

Natural evil & moral evil

Devils

Books – “Understanding Spiritual Warfare” – Ed. James Beilby & Paul Eddy

Evangelicals ~ Puritans
Vs.
Charismatics ~ Quakers

Evil, the Cross & Christian theodicy

GOD – ruler or warrior or victim??

Pentecostal systematic theology!

“An und fur sich”
Essence & existence

12.3.14

– Freedom – define liberty, independence & autonomy

– Spiritual formation
Spiritual warfare
Spiritual direction

– The GOD of the fools
Vs.
The God of the wise

– “A dream like a dream” – Stan Lai

– inured

– An intelligentsia that fosters public opinion

– accost

– missus
Wifey

– kutcheri

– say-so
The final vote

– I didn’t know that ‘lovely’ referred to the character of a person, & ‘beautiful’ referred only to the appearance…

– Artisanal

– Cooper

– Hospitable ~ entertain

– Jedi & Yoda

– Immediacy
Vs.
Urgency

– Caste & class
Science & tradition
Religion & morality

– Developmentalism

– State, quality, act

– Intermediacy

– Article on Kangana Ranaut in India Today Woman

– Nandan Nilekani in politics

– A reliable, effective & replicable framework

– A comprehensive exploration of what agency actually means

– Secular-religious & spiritual-material – 50 shades of grey!

– Axiological, ontological & cosmological

– Value judgments & moral decisions

– Vindicated, but impoverished!

– Creativity & improvisation

– In-depth observation, systematic analysis & clear articulation

– Ethnography

– State actors

– Commentators, activists & bureaucrats

– Gramscian analysis
Cultural hegemony
Capitalist ideology

– Melange

– “Theater of the absurd”
Irrational, purposeless, chaotic!

– Wisden

– Maverick genre – ‘narrative non-fiction’

– Literati     Clerisy

– Passionate about being laid-back!

– Withal

– Raconteur

– Postpositive

– Personal essay

– Nalanda University reborn… WOW!  🙂

– Satellite cities
Mini capitals

– Visit countries that are socialist & democratic

– Trademark dare-devilry

– ‘Mohalla sabha’

– Arvind Kejriwal – buffoon or genius??

– NaMo
NaBloPoMo

– Illicit dance

Jottings

9.3.14

Neither moralistic nor nihilistic!

Moral judgments & nonmoral evaluations

Obligation > supererogatory > permissible > prohibited

The intricate interweaving of psychology, morality & theology!

Internalized social norms

10.3.14

The tug-o-war in the present – Hope vs. Nostalgia
Regret, stagnation, & purpose

Obsession
Vs.
Escapism

Homonymy, homophone, homography

Christian-scholarly research on spirit-beings (angels & demons)!

The extra-human realm
“He is Lord, He is Lord…”:
Can you sing this song from your heart, now?

Spiritual beings or just supernatural forces? Or both?!

Rantings

9.3.14

– Book-ended

– Movies:
Two Mothers/Adore

10.3.14

– Distinguish:
Flick, movie & film

– Quip

– True Caller

– Wunderlist

– Jamboree

– Screed

– Liberal, liberation & libertarian

– Passion, service & discipline

– Blogroll

– My apps, podcasts, bookmarks & feeds

– Horror/comedy/erotic films… & Philosophy/Psychology/ Theology!

– ‘Seven year itch’ – just imagine!

– Sorry, this is an adults-only ministry, folks!

– The suffering of (macro) boredom
&
The monotony of (chronic) pain

Thoughts

8.3.14

– Personal idealism

– Hypostatisation of transcendental ego

– Beyond the materialist-idealist dichotomy, to the ultimate resolution in personalism!

– Person – consciousness, agency & relationality

– The subpersonal & impersonal

– Person > mind > brain

– The common sense philosophers

– Movies:

The Trial – Orson Welles (based on novel by Franz Kafka)

– Watcher in the sky

Lines

7.3.14

– International Conference on Persons.

– Computational theory of mind.

– Senescence

– Birth, growth, maturity, ageing & death.

– Counter-episteme

– The psycho-dynamics of faith

– The mass massacres & brutal judgments of the OT are there to remind us that GOD is absolutely free, & has the legitimate moral right to do with his creation (this world, & especially humans) as he pleases! And on the Cross, this very same GOD demonstrates his willingness to forego this divine prerogative.

– Austin Farrer

Michael Polanyi

– Homiletic verses

– Birkin & Ursula ~ Joseph & Salome!

– Dynamic equilibrium of passion & integrity.

– Merge culture club, online student-fellowship & webinar!

– Usiology

– The Gifford Lectures

– Axiology     Cosmology

– Does the Created Order simply refer to the physical limits of our function or does it also include moral norms for our conduct?

– Natural Theology

– ‘Sensual arousal blog’ – shouldn’t I be ashamed?!

– Distinguish:

Impudence

&

Boldness

– I CAN know GOD!

– Insolvency

– Hostile takeover

– From selfism to personalism

– Transcendence + immanence = imminence!

– The patient application of sharp correction…

– The personalist metaphysic!

Words

7.3.14

Should we read something very heavy/dense together, & then & there struggle through it?

8.3.14

Thoughts on life, love & lust…

Philosophy, sexuality & relationships

Sex – intimacy, pleasure & reproduction

The unanticipated & surprising rewards of theorizing about anything & everything!

Seduction as ‘nonviolent rape’

Conceptual analysis (~ phenomenology, etc.)
Vs.
Normative philosophy (~ ethics, etc.)

Reflect
Vs.
Reflex

Impulse, desire & act

Uncontrollable, involuntary, wild, dangerous!

Fear >> delusion, anxiety, obsession & aggression

Coercive/manipulative/deceptive offers

Demonising >> divinising >> humanising sex!

Slink

Commitment – permanence, exclusivity & dignity

Seeking a morally virtuous (& sensually passionate?) sexuality

Intrinsic value
Vs.
Instrumental value

Russel Vannoy

Is it possible/desirable to be passionate (spiritual/psychological) without being sensual (physical/sexual)?

Irving Singer
Jean Hampton

Can anything that is nonviolent be (termed as) evil?

Distinguish:
Sin (religious/theological)
&
Immorality (social/personal)

Is there an innate (though latent/suppressed) animal dimension to human nature?

Supererogatory stuff

Musings

6.3.14

Natural desalination: sea water >> water vapour >> clouds >> rain >> drinking water!

Austerity & charity
Enjoyment & friendship

Survival (biological) > security (material) > comfort (psychological) > status (social) > meaning (spiritual)
Comfort ~ pleasure; Status ~ power; Meaning ~ transcendence

Distinguish:
Indulgence
&
Celebration
Is solitary enjoyment always evil?

There can be no enjoyment without desire. But the root of all misery is surely attachment. So what could be the solution to this conundrum?

Distinguish:
Equanimity
&
Stoic

“Cure the senses with the soul, and cure the soul with the senses.” – Oscar Wilde
I agree!

The moral, the intellectual & the sensual
Ethics, philosophy & aesthetics
What about politics?
The social comes only later…!

Ecstasy (momentary elation)
Vs.
Bliss (lasting peace)

Sacrifice (psychological) >> life (spiritual)

Indulgence, moderation & addiction

There is no way into the desired positive, except through the negative! The greater the desired positive, the greater the required negative…

Renunciation & liberation ~ moderation & happiness

Variety & balance
Vs.
Focus & intensity

Control is freedom
Vs.
Trust is freedom

Sublimation/transcending
Vs.
Moderation/ruling

‘The moral majority’

Will – tyrannical ruler or wise master?
Conscience – haunting spectre or benevolent guide?

Detachment & freedom
Vs.
Compassion & relationship

Doxography

Liberation from sin ~ realization of the absolute

The birth, growth, decline, death…… & resurrection of Christianity!

Resurrection as the non-dual transcendence of the life/creation/sustenance-&-death/destruction/decay dichotomy!
The eternality of the present!

Father – the self-creating & eternal GOD; the Son – the self-sustaining & manifesting GOD; and the Spirit – the self-destroying & metamorphosing GOD!

Come up with a system/structure/rule that gives enough space for spontaneity & leisure. But once fixed, do not compromise! Changes can be made only after a proper review, not impulsively.

Father, Son & Holy Spirit ~ life, death & resurrection!
Being, time & nothingness
The past as the faded present, & the future as the potential present…

GOD, man & cosmos; Cosmos, GOD & man; Man, cosmos & GOD; Man, GOD & cosmos; GOD, cosmos & man; Cosmos, man & GOD.
Created order; hierarchy of being; levels of consciousness; forms of reality…

Past, present & future ~ being created/born, living/dying & resurrection/afterlife

No ashes, no Phoenix!

Blithe

Belle sauvage

Lambent

Gleam Flicker

‘Old dead morality’ or ‘Law of creation’?

Unison & balance; integrity & freedom

Without the tension caused by the id & superego, the ego would die of laxity!

Mino

The self (I), the other within (you) & the other without (them)

Reflections

5.3.14

Personalism vs. Idealism

Physical resurrection vs. Immortality of the soul

What is passion without sacrifice/suffering?
Nothing!
Suffering – voluntary (sacrifice, discipline, etc.) & involuntary (persecution, sickness, loss, etc.)

Condemning (private) immorality >> fighting (public) injustice
Condemning idolatry (religious) >> fighting (spiritual) ignorance

Potholes & pitfalls; bumps & hurdles; by-lanes & mazes

Moving the emphasis from (sexual) chastity to (character) integrity

Hypocrisy, self-righteousness/judgmentalism & cowardice always go together!

Only the weak are aggressive!

“Strength is life, weakness is death.” – Swami Vivekananda

The root of wickedness (moral corruption) is ignorance (spiritual unconsciousness) & weakness (personality defects).
So is foolishness nothing more than ignorance? Lack of knowledge (active processing) is more than just lack of information (passive reception)!

The theology of Spiritual Disciplines
&
The spiritual discipline of Theology

Abelraj & “Zoaetic”

Unrealized, unconscious, unawakened

Noesis & Metanoia
Know, understand, believe & respond!

Endurance (passive) & perseverance (active) – the 2 sides of the same coin of decision/commitment/determination.
But isn’t knowing when to give up (let go & move on), a sign of wisdom??

Eternal destruction ~ bottomless pit ~ second death ~ hellish existence

“According to GOD”

Lover of immortality & religious fanatic
Fanaticism – isn’t all intense devotion a kind of slavery?!

Are Abraham, Isaac & Jacob all alive now?
But if so, then how do we choose between immortality of the soul & physical resurrection as the right view of the afterlife??
Moral equivocation, theological ambiguity & metaphysical ambivalence in the Bible…

Spiritual ~ metaphysical ~ ontological ~ theological

Faith = theory + practice + experience

Rebirth, regeneration & resurrection ~ reformation, renewal & revival

Compare & contrast:
Jesus & the Hebrew Bible (Palestinian Judaism)
&
Paul & the Apocrypha (Hellenic Judaism)
Is Christianity the outcome of the interplay between the Hebraic & Greco-Roman faith-traditions/cultures?

Soul ~ person ~ life ~ being

O.T >> Apocrypha (Septuagint) >> N.T

Egyptian & Mesopotamian elements in the ancient Hebrew religion/philosophy

“GOD bless you!” >> “Let us bless GOD!”

Jewish religion + Greek philosophy = Christian theology
Roman governance & ecclesiastical politics

Inspired reflection on personal experience & contextual developments => oral tradition => Scripture => interpretive schools & devotional/liturgical/doxological works…

What is the significance of the geographical context (in biblical interpretation)?

Patristics (Orthodox – Greek), Medieval (Roman Catholic – Latin), Reformation (Evangelical Protestant – German) & contemporary – modern/postmodern (Progressive/Emergent – English) theology

Death + resurrection = transformation
…Immortality is Hell!

The soul, as an actual thing, is an invented concept!

The possession of eternal life (present) and the promise of resurrection (future).
Eschatology = apocalypse!

The philosophy of Theology
&
The theology of Philosophy
Which is your dominant position?

“Theramine trees”

Experience

5.3.14

– Veracious

Unvarnished

– The best (& only) way to help others (family & friends) to love me, is for me to love them first.

– Lent – no meat, chocolate, ice-cream, cake, milk-shake, eating out (except on Sundays).

– Meat – I have stopped eating mutton & beef, for an ethical reason – the rights of sentient creatures! I eat only chicken & fish. And eat non-veg for not more than one meal a day.

– Are erotica & porn different?

– Confession:

Remembering (GOD’s forgetfulness of) our sins!

– Penitence & mortality,

Retreat & burial,

Repentance & resurrection!

– No mourning, no rejoicing!

– Water – external washing.

Blood – internal purification.

– Wilderness – the ambiguities & complexities of our lives are simplified & clarified by extreme experiences!

– Retreat – intense rest ~ thorough preparation!

– Deliberately entering a place of severe temptation!

– Purposeful wandering

– Settling down in a half-way house…

– Up & down… down & up…

Incarnation » transfiguration » crucifixion » resurrection » Pentecost » Parousia!

– ‘Basic needs’ become an entry point for untold evil!

– Triggering the tsunami – are retreats ‘dangerous’??

Succumb to the sacred temptation & divine wooing!

– Impurity & wrath

Guilt as the internal condemnation-rebuke of our divine nature against the false ego!

– Untested = unproven = uncertain

– Father – the wholly transcendent source, basis & end of all things.

Son – the particular historical manifestation of GOD.

Spirit – the divine in all of nature (especially, the human)

– Time to flex your spiritual muscles, Joe!

– I AM – the eternal self!

– Love – care & share; give & receive; adjust & help; accept & understand…

Do this consistently, and you (& all yours) can be healthy & happy!

– Holy disturbance

– “Dear xyz… Do you think having a memorial service for your late father, every year, is good?”

– Sexual abstinence & Lent.

– Sundays (the Day of the Coming One), even during this season, are NOT part of the usual Lenten austerity!

– From glancing to gazing

– Is fun/pleasure a ‘genuine benefit’?

…What does this question say about the one who asks it?

– What happens when a sceptic engages sincerely & regularly in religious rituals & spiritual disciplines?

– Many of the lines in my journal are ‘hyperlinks’!

– Could death be your greatest ‘achievement’?!

– “Fear of GOD” – reverence for the sublime; aiming for the ideal; belief in the eternal.

Journal

4.3.14

– An immature understanding of perfection.

– The liberal/secular/ humanist defence of abortion, euthanasia and pornography.

– Bisexuality

– Violence, in the name of orthodox tradition, local culture & moral decency!

– Legislating on sexuality.

– Surrender, slavery & survival.

– Bath – use heater only during November, December, January & February.

– How are you observing Lent this year?

– caper

– escapade

– wistful

– Self-understanding – what do you hate the most?

– Goddesses

– “Share this”

– Speculative & autonomous global financial flows…

WTF?!

– Financial market

Vs.

Real economy

– social audit