Polytheism is man’s guess at God.It’s not so much the plurality that is the problem, but the fact that it’s man making God in his image.
A manufactured God is still only an idea, and regardless of how beautiful or how true the stories about the gods are, they don’t lead anywhere, they only entertain.
That’s why even a monotheism that is man’s guess at God is no good, cannot raise us to a higher state of being, cannot save us or bestow life to those in the tombs. All it can do is incite us to efface and destroy the evidences of the common lie, that man can and does make up God or gods in our image. If it buries every polytheism or monotheism that is not itself, perhaps it will not be noticed that it too is a lie. Since human freedom results in abuse of freedom, it seeks to eliminate freedom because it has no power to grant true freedom.
Then, we are right to be atheists, if it is these gods or that God that we refuse to believe in. Until the revelation of the true and only God, an honest man must be an atheist. If God does not reveal Himself, we have nothing to go on, only speculation.
When God does reveal Himself, we find that all our ideas about Him fall short. We finally see that we have been wrong all along about Him, except for our guess that He must be.When God reveals Himself, we discover that He is One after all, because His love, His will, and all His acts are one. When God reveals Himself, we experience that He is more than one because He is among us.
Our guesses about Him no longer must be judged as right or wrong, because now we know they were only stories, only ideas that we had made, without power to help or hinder us, to free or enslave us.
The games we played when we were children are finally over.
The real life has begun, we can now be men, we can think and speak and act, as men.
The Real Life has come, the desired of the ages has arrived.
It is only Jesus.
5 comments:
Amen. As Aaron discovered, in theology, creativity is not a virtue.
very interesting and true. Somehow it reminds me with the Philosophy class which I am attending now, that sometimes leads me to become to rationalistic or too philosopical. But I remember Blessed Clement of Alexandria says; "Philosophers are children until they become men through Christ. For truth is never thinking only." :)
Wow! Thanks, Yudhie, for this wonderful quote of Clement of Alexandria! Excellent!
"Philosophers are children until they become men through Christ. For truth is never thinking only."
Wonderful post!!!! I am something of a philosopher, or I should say was. One night I was graced (for there is no other word) that showed me the utter triviality of all I thought I knew about God...even the apophatic leadings I had were disintegrated like dust in that vision. Now, a few years later, when it all comes back to me, I can but set on the ground and sing a song of wonder. All the pretty theories, pictures, and rationale were just dust. Were it not for the Incarnation we humans would continue worshipping that which we know not in the image of that which we construct. Jesus showed that these bodies can contain the Fire that does not consume, because as the fire within us grows there is nothing left but the Fire. I apologize, but your post rang so true that I find myself trying to give words to that which transcends words. I am edified by your blog.
Timothy
Amín, brother Tim! I think from reading your words we are of the same heart and experience. Without the certainty that Christ Himself came, the only Theánthropos (God-man) in all of history, proven by His resurrection from the dead and His dwelling in our midst to this very day, Christianity would be nothing more than a religion or a speculation on the Divine Nature, as good as it might get. But He did enanthropize (enanthropísas > Greek, "become a human"), and His body knows no tomb, and His life among us continues, and He speaks and acts even now. There is no past tense for Him. Glory to God!
Thanks for your comment, brother!
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