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Dec. 21st, 2013
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Dec. 21st, 2013 11:48 pmWhile Lisa was doing laundry, I read more of Weber. (On a side note, I was feeling a little bogged down in the text, so I looked ahead and found that there are something like 100 pages of end notes. That makes me feel a little better. I also have come to conclusion, having dug well into part two, that I could have largely skipped the introduction and part one. *laughs*)
He's talking a lot about the beliefs of various Christian sects. Calvinists, Lutherans, Methodists. As I read about the contrasting conceptions of salvation through faith, salvation through works, predestination, and more, I realized something about the Catholic mass I used to go to as a child. The Nicene Creed was recited at some point during the proceedings. I didn't think of it as more than another bit of ritualized proceeding. (I should analyze what I thought of mass and religion in general as a child some time.) But in reading Weber's comparative theology here, I'm realizing how deeply political statements like those in the creed are. These have been, at times, some very bold, divisive sentiments! There's very clear definition of identity and exclusion of divergent forms of faith in those lines. I wish I'd had the context for that understanding before. Lisa says that growing up the Unitarian Universalist church, these are things that were presented and talked about. I really like so much of what I know about the UU faith. I think if I attended church, they'd be a strong contender.
I don't understand religion. It is complex, confusing, and somewhat alien to me. I think I need to read Varieties of Religious Experience. I also have God is Red: a Native View of Religion on my reading list.
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I dropped off 14 dead laptops at Freegeek today. The folks there seemed quite happy to have them, and I'm happy to be rid of them! Near where I parked the car was an amazing climbing structure made of ropes linked into a three dimensional matrix. The playground was supposedly for children only, but I was naughty. Lisa aided and abetted my misbehaviour by documenting my crime.
He's talking a lot about the beliefs of various Christian sects. Calvinists, Lutherans, Methodists. As I read about the contrasting conceptions of salvation through faith, salvation through works, predestination, and more, I realized something about the Catholic mass I used to go to as a child. The Nicene Creed was recited at some point during the proceedings. I didn't think of it as more than another bit of ritualized proceeding. (I should analyze what I thought of mass and religion in general as a child some time.) But in reading Weber's comparative theology here, I'm realizing how deeply political statements like those in the creed are. These have been, at times, some very bold, divisive sentiments! There's very clear definition of identity and exclusion of divergent forms of faith in those lines. I wish I'd had the context for that understanding before. Lisa says that growing up the Unitarian Universalist church, these are things that were presented and talked about. I really like so much of what I know about the UU faith. I think if I attended church, they'd be a strong contender.
I don't understand religion. It is complex, confusing, and somewhat alien to me. I think I need to read Varieties of Religious Experience. I also have God is Red: a Native View of Religion on my reading list.
---
I dropped off 14 dead laptops at Freegeek today. The folks there seemed quite happy to have them, and I'm happy to be rid of them! Near where I parked the car was an amazing climbing structure made of ropes linked into a three dimensional matrix. The playground was supposedly for children only, but I was naughty. Lisa aided and abetted my misbehaviour by documenting my crime.