"-the hopes and fears of all the years
"Are met in thee tonight."
-"The Season of Forgiveness," p. 139.
Sheila sings in a choir which today sang carols in the town centre. Aileen (daughter) and I sat opposite, drinking coffee. The choir concluded with "O little town of Bethlehem," which Aileen then said was her favourite carol. Fiction and life converged.
Someone must be able to bring the Abrahamic and other theistic traditions together. By "bring together," I do not mean "doctrinally unify." Impossible and unnecessary. We can live with doctrinal differences in such matters. I mean "understand and acknowledge instead of misunderstand and condemn." There are different versions of stories. What I call a story, some call literally true. OK. That is another difference.
Years ago, we had a Service for Peace in Lancaster Catholic Cathedral with readings from the Veda, the Torah, the Koran and the Fourth Gospel. The Bishop said that it was good to hear the Sanskrit, Hebrew and Arabic.
An Ivanhoan says that the Earthlings:
"'...should have special wisdom, now in the season of their Prince of Peace.'" (p. 137)
These Ivanhoans, unlike those in the previous story, "The Three-Cornered Wheel," have the Pagan attitude of accepting the reality of other gods.
"The everlasting light" (think of a menorah) is universal. In the Buddha Dharma, a man is enlightened. In the New Testament, the light becomes a man.
"From delusion, lead us to truth.
"From darkness, lead us to light..."
-my adaptation of the Gayatri Mantra.
7 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
But for all Nicene/Chalcedonian Christians that "light" was God becoming incarnate as Man.
I have Fr. Raymond Brown's massive commentary on the Infancy Narratives, THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH, in both the first and second editions. I've read the first but not the second version. I fear it's rather "dense" reading, but worth the effort.
Merry Christmas! Sean
Sean,
"Light" means understanding, enlightenment, wisdom or its source. Theists identify the source with their deity.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Theists understand that "light" to be a metaphor for the understanding, enlightenment, wisdom, etc., to be found in God.
Merry Christmas! Sean
Sean,
Well, of course. In the society that I envisage ("difference without division; unity without uniformity"), everyone will state their own beliefs and listen to others. Anyone that wants further discussion will be able to have it as in Star House in Ys.
Paul.
Paul.
Two Pauls for some reason.
Kaor,. Paul!
I am far more skeptical of any "ideal" societies ever existing. For reasons I don't need to repeat.
Sometimes I mistakenly repeat my sign offs.
Merry Christmas! Sean
Sean,
But that kind of information-sharing and discussion is hardly ideal. It could be regarded as a minimum educational and social goal.
In Nottingham, a single gateway led to the approach drives to two schools, one Catholic, the other Krishna Consciousness! Should they simply ignore each other?
In Preston, a church, a mosque and a gurdwara were literally side by side. Three monotheist traditions. Again, should they ignore each other?
I read that, in the US, a Catholic and a Buddhist monastery exchanged culture-sharing visits. A Sedevacantist Catholic wrote that this was wrong because Buddhism is a false religion that endangers souls.
Paul.
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