vol 2: Synopsis
part V: Applied divinity
page 41: Metanoia
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... to restore theology to the mainstream of science
Metanoia
Metanoia is Greek for changing ones mind, learning new things, learning a new outlook. The practical conclusion of this essay is that we maximize human entropy, headroom, grace, freedom and survivability by learning to communicate, cooperate and share more effectively. The religious attitudes of small communities contain an element of 'us' and 'them' which lies at the root of religious war. In the new global religious picture, there is no us and them, we are all in this together.
In any survey we judge our accuracy by closure. We have gone in a circle, coming back to our starting point. How closely do our readings and calculations reflect that facts? We began here from a feeling, a state of being that said that there has got be be a better way to do theology. If nothing else, the prevalence of religious war over the entire period of recorded history suggests that there is a dire need for a theological unification.
We began this unification with a scientific article of faith: if we study something that is one and whole, our results should point to its unity and wholeness. We agree with the monotheists that there is only one god. There can therefore be only one theology. Further, we can arrive at this theology by seeing what the one god is really like.
The ancient religions tell us we cannot do this. God reveals himself to us only through his prophets. We cannot look for ourselves. As it turns out when we read the prophets, most of them sound like cranky old men trying to maintain some sort of status quo. Most of them are preaching holy war against something or other. Prophets from different traditions are inclined to discount the truth of other prophetic utterances. In a word, they are often not talking about the one god, but their own problems.
We have defined personal religion as everything that a person learns after birth. Personal religion is very much influenced by public religion, the collective learning of a community. Let us no longer be deceived by old fogglies, dead or alive. Let us get together and learn anew how to live and love in peace with our world. This needs to be a critical (error tolerant and error resistant) process, taking every point of view into consideration wherever we need to formulate a common path.
We look for a change of heart away from politically motivated idealism into real scientific theology. Theology and theologians need a new direction. The time has come to see ancient texts for what they are and start looking at god face to face. We must recognize that god is not hidden, but here, for us all to see and agree on. In this site, we try to give an account of the world which removes any doubt that it is divine, and so set theology off on this new quest.
This site is the beginning of a task that will never be complete. But I hope it points to a complete beginning, that is a firm foundation to hold the superstructure to come. It is complete in that in principle (if it is true) there are no theological questions that it cannot answer, given sufficient observation and thought. It is happy to deal with any consistent system of any size.
Books
| Ali , Abdullah Yusuf (editor), The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary, Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an 1987 Amazon Customer Review: 'The best method to study the Qur'an is of course to study the Arabic language since it is a complex language. However, reading Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation is a very good place to start. I have the translation of the Qur'an by other authors, none came close to the excellent work by this author. Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Qur'an comes with the Arabic text alongside with the English translation. It is faithful to the text, and the commentary accompanying the text is well written and balanced. This translation is long regarded as the best book to consult by most Muslims.' Amazon back |
| Armstrong, Karen, Holy War: The Crusades amd their impact on today's world, Anchor Books (Random House) 2001 Jacket: 'In 1095, with the tomb of Jesus still in the hands of infidels and the Byzantine empire overrun by Muslim Turks, Pope Urban II summoned Christian warriors to take up the cross and their swords against the Turks and then recover the holy city of Jerusalem from Islam. It was to be the first of the Crusades, a holy war that would focus the power of the European kingdoms against a common enemy. The Crusades became the stuff of romantic legend, but in reality were a series of rabidly savage battles carried out in the name of Christian piety to advance the power of the Western Church. Their legacy of religious violence is felt today as the age old conflict of Christians, Muslims and Jews persists.' Amazon back |
| Budziszewski, J , Written on the Heart : The Case for Natural Law, Intervarsity Press 1997 Written on the Heart expounds the work of the leading architects of theory on natural law, including Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and John Locke. It also takes up contemporary philosophy, running against the tide of pluralism that abhors natural law. Amazon back |
| Ford, David, and (editor), The Modern Theologians : An Introduction to Christian Theology in the Twentieth Century, Blackwell 1997 Preface: 'The main aim of this volume is to introduce the theology of most leading twentieth-century Christian theologians and movements in theology. ... The contributors are mostly based in Europe of North America and come from a wide range of institutions, denominational backgrounds, and countries. Most are themselves constructively engaged in modern theology, and their purpose has been to produce a scholarly account of their subject and also carry further the theological dialogue in each case." http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0631195920/tnrp">Amazon back |
| Jones, Alexander (ed), The Jerusalem Bible, Darton Longman and Todd 1966 Editor's Foreword: '... The Bible ... is of its nature a written charter guaranteed (as Christians believe) by the Spirit of God, crystallised in antiquity, never to be changed ... . This present volume is the English equivalent of [La Bible de Jerusalem] ... an entirely faithful version of the ancient texts which, in doubntful points, preserves the text established and (for the most part) the interpretation adopted by the French scholars in the light of the most recent researches in the fields of history, archaeology and literary criticism.' (v-vi) Amazon back |
| Jones, Alexander (ed), The Jerusalem Bible, Darton Longman and Todd 1966 Editor's Foreword: '... The Bible ... is of its nature a written charter guaranteed (as Christians believe) by the Spirit of God, crystallised in antiquity, never to be changed ... . This present volume is the English equivalent of [La Bible de Jerusalem] ... an entirely faithful version of the ancient texts which, in doubntful points, preserves the text established and (for the most part) the interpretation adopted by the French scholars in the light of the most recent researches in the fields of history, archaeology and literary criticism.' (v-vi) Amazon back |
| Lonergan, Bernard J F, Method in Theology, University of Toronto Press for Lonergan Research Institute 1996 Introduction: 'A theology mediates between a cultural matrix and the signifcance and role of religion in that matrix. ... When the classicist notion of culture prevails, theology is conceived as a permanent achievement, and then one discourses on its nature. When culture is conceived empirically, theology is known to be an ongoing process, and then one writes on its method. Method ... is a framework for collaborative creativity.' Amazon back |
| Vardey, Lucinda, and (Edited and with an Introduction by), God in All Worlds: An Anthology of Contemporary Spiritual Writing, E J Dwyer 1995 Introduction: '... we live in a time when the moral order in the world is seesawing between liberal beliefs and rigid fundamentalism, and science and technology are advancing so rapidly that we lose sight of the need to reflect. This in turn can contribute to the sense of struggle, of being without direction, as we search for ways of finding meaning and peace in our lives. In this confusion, I believe that it is possible to give form to a personal spirituality and I have compiled this anthology as a guide. Here are writings from the past fifty years - 1945 to the present day - writings that touch upon the conservatism of the 1950s, the non-confromity and experimental rebelliousness of the 1960s, the commune life and feminist movements of the 1970s, through the heady materialism of the 1980s to the soul-seeking spiritually hungry "New Age" of the 1990s.' Amazon back |
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