DeProfundis
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keywords: description: DeProfundis Tuesday, November 22, 2005 Why i'm not a Pagan This neo-Paganism stuff is getting really trendy these days. Just the other week (in Croyden of all places!) there took place the largest festival of Paganism and Witchcraft ever - at least that is how the event advertised itself. One could attend tarot workshops, Wicca and Druidry discussion forums, chants workshops, performance belly dancing, past lives regressions etc etc.....
Paganism is basically defined as 'pre-Christian' traditional religion. It gathers into itself all 'spiritual' belief systems that deny the existence of a transcendent being who created and sustains the world, who has revealed himself through a specific act of self revelation. There are, of course, some subtle Pagan philosophies which on the surface seem to be quite close to traditional Christianity but which, when analyzed further, are in fact closer to the Gnostic heresies that the early Church battled with.
I'm not going to concern myself with Gnosticism at the moment - perhaps another time. For now, I want to mention the major philosophy undergirding most forms of Paganism: Pantheism.
Pantheists believe in what Nietzsche called the eternal recurrence: the universe had no beginning and will have no end - it is eternally and endlessly reconfiguring matter. Nothing new happens. No new matter comes into existence. Nothing passes out of existence - just the endless and pointless movement of matter and energy. This is precisely the opposite of Christianity which believes in an eternal God who bought the universe into being ex nihilo - out of nothing. The universe had a beginning and will therefore, to quote the film Matrix Revolutions, have an end. There are only two possible philosophies - eternal universe or eternal god. Pantheism = Eternal universe. Christianity = Eternal God
What do Pantheists believe about God? Pan is the Greek word for nature. Theos is the Greek word for God. Pan-Theists believe that the universe is divine. There is no God who transcends the universe - over and above it. The best way to explain it is to talk about the 'soul of the world' - in the same way that humans have physical bodies animated by a soul - so too, the universe is physical matter which is animated by a divine life force. The God of pantheism is not a person - it is just a 'life force'.
This belief has led the Pantheists into nature worship. One looks for various manifestations of nature, isolates them and then worships them. It ends up that men and women worship the natural world. A non - Christian friend of mine recently suggested to me that he thought this was a great idea but I begged to differ. Here's the problem:
It's fine to worship nature when you observe the harmony and order and beauty of nature. That is certainly something to contemplate and aspire to. We always take on the image of our Gods. An eagle soaring, a strong horse galloping, the beauty of the sea and mountains - magnificent. But that is not the whole story when it comes to nature - is it? While we do indeed observe many beautiful and harmonious aspects of this universe, we just as quickly observe a stark, violent brutality dominated by chaos and death. The soaring eagle dives to catch its prey in its claws then rips it to pieces. The horse falls and dies of disease, eaten by rotten maggots. The seas flood cities and the mountains burst forth hot ash and lava.
If the pantheist is totally honest and logical in their beliefs, they will have to worship and aspire to be like the creation in both its splendor and brutality. After all, there is no higher God to help us decide what is good and worthy of our worship - it is all part of the same fundamental reality. The maggots and the humans are equal - because there is nothing outside the system of the universe by which we might judge what is high and what is low, what is good and what is bad.
So, will pantheism really help us treat the world better? Will we live more in harmony with nature if we become Pantheists? There is absolutely no reason to suggest that this would be the case. It certainly does not follow logically.
In fact, a brief observation of a few pantheistic cultures throughout human history reveals the truth of the matter. Their cultures truly reflected nature. Child sacrifice, brutal military practices, nothing to distinguish right from from wrong - ultimately no hope and no reason to live. Is life better than death? To the true pantheist, they are equal - because nature contains as much life as death.
The Christian believes that God created the world separate from himself. It is a world that God created as a reliant and free world which unlike himself, is subject to decay and chaos. God then turned to his creation and invited it to participate in him. Christians believe that one day, this chaos will be overcome as creation enters into Gods rest once and for all. Until that day, we struggle and fight to bring Gods reality into this universe and experience moments of anticipation of this great future day.
In the light of all this, we can truly look at this world and distinguish between good and bad. We can easily see that God loves life and sees death as the great enemy. We can enjoy those eagles and horses and mountains for what they are - Gods handiwork bearing the marks and image of the creator. And we can hate the death and decay and understand that while the brutalities of nature might be a necessary part of this present reality, they are not Gods ultimate plan - for one day they will be no longer.
Which is one reason why i'm a Christian and not a Pantheist.
Just finished the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I know, i'm probably the last human being in the Western world to read the book. It took me quite a while to humble myself low enough to go into a bookshop and buy the book. I think I was wearing sunglasses and a fake moustach when I bought it. I recall that I also bought a Haruki Murakami novel at the same time to make myself look a bit more clever and sophisticated.
O.K. what did I think of the book? To be honest, it's one of the best pacy, pageturner, mystery/thrillers i've ever read. Enormous fun and very entertaining. I loved the twists and turns of the plot and I think the whole novel will translate into film very easily.
But this isn't a popular literature blog. No No NO. It's a deep-thinking theological discussion space for weighty thinkers and their pets.
The great news, folks, is that i'm now in the position to enter into the great cultural-religious-philosophical debate that has been raging through the popular cultures of the world.
As I finished the last pages of the book, I suddenly decided that I was going to write a book, or maybe an essay, entitled 'the Revelation and Poverty of Paganism'. It would discuss Paganism and particularly the postmodern revival of 'neo-Paganism' and the associated cultural expressions such as new age spirituality, wicca and the various 'new gnosticisms'. Rather than dismissing it all outright as 'deception', the book would attempt to explore both ancient new paganism, finding gems of wisdom and moments of 'natural revelation' inherant in the philosophies. The book would then go beyond this to offer a rigorous philosophical analysis of the various ideas showing how they fail to deliver what they promise and fail to be rationally coherant. It would then demonstrate that the Christian faith is the true source of food for the spiritually hungry and light for the searching. The book would be a kind of conversation between Paganism and Christianity. Paganism would be doing the questioning, demanding answers from Christianity. The book would show that Christianity answers those questions in a far more satisfying way than Paganism ever could. People have some big questions to ask of Christianity - but few people realise that Christainity has powerful and logical answers!
Let me give one example.
Throughout the Da Vinci Code, the criticism is offered that Christianity is a totally man - centred religion. God is masculine. The religion is organised by men, who use the religion to hold power over society. Women are seen as the great seductresses, inherantly evil. The book calls for the rediscovery of 'the Sacred Feminine' and exalts those 'Pagan' religions that worshipped female gods. At one point in the book, it is claimed that the ancient Jews once worshipped two deities Yahweh - a male deity and Shekinah - a female deity. Needless to say, this is completely wrong - it totally misunderstands biblical theology. I'll explain why in a minute.
Here's the 'listening to Paganism' bit - A lot of traditional theology has indeed failed to listen to the Bible and portrayed God as a man with a white beard. This figure has indeed been used to legitimate a great deal of oppressive Patriarchal cultures through Christian history. Women have not been able to reach their potential, have not been able to use their God given gifts. Christians need to admit that this is true.
Here's the criticism bit - If we worship a female deity, we are worshipping everything that is female throughout nature and humanity. Fine. But what about the other half of nature, of humanity - masculinity? Do we need to worship this as well? If not why not? Where did it come from? Surely it was not created by a female deity? So that leaves us with one option. We have to worship two Gods. Is there a problem with that? You bet there is! You can't have two absolutes. There has to be a unity that is higher than both mascultinity and femininity. They can only be an expression of a higher God!
Here's the 'Christian response' bit - If you look through the Scriptures, it becomes very clear that even in the context of the Patricarchal society in which the Bible is written, there are many feminine metaphors to describe God. 'Shekinah' is not some other deity. Yes, it is a feminine word. Shekinah is God is his immanent activity, the prescence of God among his people. Another word to describe God getting alongside people is 'Sophia' - the divine Wisdom - a personification of Yahweh in his immanent and creational activity. God is described as caring for Isael as a mother hen cares for her chicks. God, the Holy Spirit is often described with feminine metaphors, the Spirit 'gives birth' to Christians.
I could go on for ages. The point is made, I hope, that the Biblical God is sometimes described with feminine words, sometimes with masculine words, according to the particular activity God is engaged in. The creation story says it all; "in his image, he made them male and female". Women are the image of God! So are men! Need I say more?
Well, I think you get the point folks. I suppose I don't need to write the book now.
By clicking on that funny 'Zeitgeist' box, over there on the right, you are now able to view my very own photographs. Enjoy!!!
Thursday, October 20, 2005 The Procession of the Bride (inspired by Katie Price) The Bride of Christ,
Robed in slendour comes.
She walks through city streets,
And lays her hands on hollow - eyed kids.
They stand to dance with her
And follow in her path.
And where she steps the flowers bloom,
The Rubbish is cleared,
The broken are lifted to their feet
And crowned with dignity and splendour.
Poltical systems fall before her.
Religions bow, Empires crumble.
For she is the reality that all these things long to see.
There are people of every nation walking in her train,
Captivated by her melodies,
Enthraled by her coloured robes;
Every colour in heaven and on earth.
Winsome.
Splendid.
Her eyes are fire,
Yet tears fall and flow through backstreets and alleyways,
Cleansing the dirty,
An ointment for the sick.
Hearing the celebrations,
People lean out of the windows.
Families watch from doorways,
Smiles plastered across their faces,
Parents arms wrapped around their children.
Angels stand on the pavements,
Mingled with the cheering crowds.
Kids run alongside the processsion,
Breathless with excitement.
And her eyes are fixed on the Bridegroom.
Straight ahead on towards the Heavenly City.
No distractions. No looking back.
For there He stands waiting to recieve her.
Waiting for the wedding.
For the wedding feast that will go on forever.
Then the party will truly begin...
Humility is a rare thing to find in this day and age. Few people ever speak of it as an important characteristic for human beings in this culture. Rather, we observe that most people are aggressively trying to establish themselves, elevating themselves over others.
A little while ago, a very trendy vicar I know was doing some ‘faith classes’ with a number of inner city, well ‘ard, estate - dwelling teenage girls., innit. Everything seemed to be going well for my friend as they discussed and learnt about the Christian faith. However, a few sessions in, my trendy vicar friend began to speak about the importance of humility. Immediately something changed in their attitude and for the rest of the session, they went round and round in circles, arguing that humility was stupid, weak and asking for trouble. In their eyes, you had to be a go-getter, you had to be strong, not be prepared to back down or compromise. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there and humility wasn’t going to get you anywhere.
130 years ago the philosopher Nietzsche wrote about humility. In his estimate, the humility of Christianity was the product of what he called resentment. The Jews of the first century had become so weak and disempowered under the exilic conditions of Roman occupation that instead of throwing off the oppressor through revolution, they had simply accepted their situation and satisfied themselves with the myth that one day, their God would judge all the strong people (the oppressors, in other words) and enthrone the weak Jews as Lords of creation. Nietzsche called people to throw off this God of resentment and his bed-fellow humility and become heroes and warrior figures who would usher in a new age of Greek heroic tragedy.
To be quite honest, I find both Nietzsche and the rude girlz to have impecile reasoning. They are being quite rational as far as I can see. Strength is good surely. Strength is godly. Didn’t God tell Adam and Eve to go and subdue (conquer, suppress, tame) the earth? Didn’t God give strength and power to Joseph, Sampson and Solomon? Didn’t Jesus overturn the money tables and pronounce judgement? Don’t his eyes burn with fire and a sharp sword come from his mouth? Is he not called El Gibbor (Mighty God) in the Old Testament? Above all, as the crown of all my arguments, no one likes a lillly-livered bandy kneed sissy? Do they, eh?
What’s the problem then? Is there anything good to be said for humilty? Why should we strive to be humble?
Ultimately, to live authentically in this world, to live most true to what we are, we need humility.. Let me suggest that there are two reasons for humility: Firstly, because we are not like God and secondly because we are like God. Confused? Let me explain.
1. We need humility because we are not like God.
This is fairly self explanatory. To admit that we are contingent and dependent beings, mortal and frail, fleeting and weak is simply to face up to the truth of the matter. When we admit that we need help from others and ultimately from a higher source (God?) we begin to live true to who and what we are. The trouble is that we are self - dependent, proud and unwilling to ask for help from others and especially from God. The Christian faith, indeed virtually every faith and philosophy teaches that we cannot make it by ourselves. We need families and friends, food and sunshine. But even these things are contingent; are reliant upon other things. God is the only one who is not reliant upon anything, he is the only self sufficient one. To admit this simple fact is to become humble. But it is also the moment when you open yourself up to others and begin to share life with others and share life with God. And that sharing is what we call Love. And love is the highest value
2. We need humility because we are like God.
I was once mocked by a Muslim in a discussion on Hyde Park Corner for believing that the humble Jesus was the revelation of the creator God. How can a being who needs to eat and defecate be a revelation of the almighty, glorious king of the universe? What kind of God washes peoples feet? A little later that day, a number of thoughts struck me. Firstly, the real crux of the issue is this question: How can humility and self-limitation be a characteristic of God. For a Muslim (and for all non-Trinitarian theists), humility is not proper, or original to Gods being and nature. Therefore, the idea that God could humble himself and partake in an experience of dependency is ridiculous – God would cease being God! Furthermore, if God did somehow manage to find a way to humble and limit himself, how would God in humility be a revelation of God in his glory? In that case Jesus wouldn’t really and truly reveal God.
Unless, of course, if self - limitation lies at the heart of God. What kind of a God is that?, one might ask. How can self-limitation and humility be a revelation of Gods eternal being? Only the Trinitarian God can answer that question.
At the heart of the Trinity are self limiting relationships of humilty which allow the other persons of the Trinity space to be all they can be. The Trinity is like a dance, where each of the three persons simultaneously steps back to allow space for the others to strut their stuff while stepping into space that the others have made. This space that the persons step into, is wide and broad enough for them to move and express themselves without inhibition and restriction.
If the Father puffed himself up, he would be glorious indeed but he would restrict the Son and the Spirit. They would become his weak servants. Instead the Father creates the world as a gift for the Son, as a sphere in which the Son might be honoured and glorified. In response the Son offers creation back to the Father in worshipful love. At the heart of the Trinity is self -restriction from which all others benefit.
Hence the incarnation is not a denial of Gods eternal being but a means by which Trinitarian humanity is beautifully and clearly expressed. Jesus is, after all, The Revelation of God. God does wash sinners feet! Yipee!
And so, if this is the God of the universe, we must be like this, because we are made in his image. Yes, we need to be strong because human strength is an image of God’s strength - but that strength needs to be filtered through humility because humility allows true strength to surface in others.
One day, all human relationships will mirror the image of the trinity. One day all human relationships will partake in Trinitarian communion. Until that day, the Church must be a community of humble, strong people, a people who reveal to the world the humility and strength of the Trinity. Yes, we must sometimes suffer as we take the option of humility but we will see the benefit in others and ultimately reap the reward for ourselves on the great day of his justice.
Suffering for the sake of others? That sounds a bit like God, doesn’t it? Oh well, this entry is long enough already. Maybe we can look at suffering at a later date. That would be fun now, wouldn't it folks?
This blog has laid dorment in the dust of death for three months. Now I move the stone. Now the grave clothes will fall away. It will be a whole new eschatologised blog, radiating out the powers of the new age into this dark and lonesome world.
But seriously folks. I have eventually decided that blogs are not a waste of time. I will try to dedicate one hour of my life each week to this blog. The articles will be deep and chewy. We will all become better people and will dance and prance with all our might.
Join me on this journey of joy and discovery. Travel with me through the dimensions of existence. We will all look back on these days and say "Ah, I was there! I did that"! And our grandchildren will look up at us with open mouths and wonderment in their shiny little eyes.
Hold on tight folks. The first new entry is coming any day now!
You are all wonderful and loved very much. Even if you don't recognise that yet.
Disney are filming the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the moment. It is due for release in December this year. Apparently, Dawn French has a major role in the film. Is she the Witch? I doubt it, unless it is a French and Saunders remake.
You can see the official website at www.narnia.com
Just in case you haven't noticed, the story is a grand metaphor of Christianity. Most people have a fairly good grasp of the basic symbolism. The Witch symbolizes the devil. She has misused her Aslan-given powers and all of Narnia lies under a spell. Narnia is in a constant state of winter. Aslan symbolizes Jesus. His death on the stone table is a symbol of the cross. Just as Jesus rose from the grave, Aslan gets off the table and leads the children and animals into a victorious battle over the Witch. The snow melts and spring arrives.
All good and clear. But wait! Would someone please explain why one of the main characters of the book is a Faun (Mr Tumnus). Fauns are wild forest deity's with horns, hooves and little tails from ancient Rome. The Greeks called them Satyrs and pictured them accompanying the God of Wine, Dionysus (or Bacchus) in his ecstatic and orgiastic frivolities.
What about the bits in the story where the Witch turns people to stone?
And why the monkey does Santa Claus ride through Narnia just before Aslan arrives?
Let me have a little stab at it.
Whether we realize it or not, our culture is saturated in our ancient Greek heritage. Everyone, from philosophers to architects recognize this inheritance. But few realize that much of everyday popular culture is saturated with Greek presuppositions and mindsets.
The Greeks often wrote about the Dionysian and the Apollonian. They perceived that there were two principles at work in the world which were symbolized by the two deity's, Dionysus and Apollo. Dionysus stood for disorder, energy, frivolity, play and orgy. It was the principle of multiplicity, abundance, and profusion. They saw this everywhere in nature and human culture. Apollo stood for the opposite: Mathematical order, structure and harmony.
For the Greeks, they saw the world as the result of these two principles. However, they never fathomed the question of the relationship between the two principles. The Greek philosophers struggled with the question of the 'One and the Many'. The question was this: Why is thee so much order and harmony in the world and yet, at the same time, so much abundance and profusion? Why is every oak tree different and yet they are all oak trees? Why are no two snowflakes the same?
Just to give you a clue about the influence of this idea upon Western culture in general, just take a look at the history of Western art. Many people have regarded Titain as the greatest painter of the renaissance. Why? Because in his paintings, one can observe the highest unity and greatest balance of the two principles of the Apollonian and the Dionysian. His paintings are beautifully structured and organized, the figures are perfectly proportioned. And yet there is so much energy, so much fun, so much movement and abundance. The problem with Michelangelo, for instance, is that his paintings are too Apollonian. They compromise on the movement and energy because he was so concerned with representing the structure, order and harmony of the world.
So, anyway, back to Narnia. Mr Tumnus quite blatantly symbolizes the Dionysian. In fact, throughout the Narnia books there is always a sense of celebration and fun. People are always dancing. Frivolity and play are in abundance. Lewis is clearly saying to us that there is a higher God than Dionysus. There is a God who created the Dionysian. He is fun and jovial and loves the superabundance and multiplicity of his creation. He affirms Dionysus!!!
The problem starts when Mr Tumnus comes under the rule of the Witch. He lacks a capacity for responsibility and decision-making. He is good at heart, but lacks order and harmony. He only knows how to play and have fun. Lewis is saying that when this part of Gods creation comes under the authority of the devil, it becomes destructive. But when it comes under the harmonious authority of God, it adds life and colour and excitement to creation. Thank God that he didn't make us all statues!!!
What about the Apollonian? Is Lewis saying that Aslan is the great orderer, who brings harmony and responsibility to Narnia? Actually, it seems to me that Lewis has not got as much time for the Apollonian as he does for the Dionysian. Lewis clearly, hates statues - he hates the idea of a creation without fun and superabundance! The Witch is the one who turns people into statues, who imposes an overstrict order upon life. Aslan is the one who breathes life into the people-turned-statues and they come fully alive and begin to dance around Aslan "in a blaze of colours".
There is a beautiful but heavy - going book by the late, great theologian Colin Gunton called 'The One, the Three and the Many". In that book, Gunton explains why the idea of the Trinitarian God answers that ancient problem of the relationship between the One and the Many, between the unity / harmony of creation and the superabundance / multiplicity of creation. Only the Christian God can synthesize the Apollonian and the Dionysian into a higher unity. It is well worth a read!
What of Santa Claus then? Why does he come through Narnia just before Aslan arrives? No doubt there is some tuth revealed in the statement, "She (the Witch) had made it always winter here but never Christmas". But actually, I think there is a deeper meaning. The festival of Christmas is originally a European pagan festival. Just as Lewis has been telling us that Jesus brings fulfillment to the pagan culture of ancient Greece, so now he is telling us that Jesus fulfills pre-Christian European Paganism. Jesus does not come to destroy so-called Pagan culture. He comes to fulfill it and give it its true meaning. Many of the Pagan festivities of pre Christian Europe are little anticipations of the true God who is coming to his creation to set it free, establish peace and lead its inhabitants in a joyful dance! But Santa Claus can only stay a little while, he has to make way for the true king. "Merry Christmas", cries Santa Claus "Long live the true king!"
I was born the illegimate child of a circus freak nameed Ulgor and a beautiful Ukranian acrobat named Olena. My first memories involve dangling from a rope above a cage of hopeless hippopotomus. At the age of four I ran away from the circus and found a humble job working in the cheese packing room of a little known Cheshire cheese factory. After enduring months of severe beatings by the factory owner and his wife, I ran away without even my shoes. I was kindly taken in by an ordinary surburban middle class family in North London. I spent the next years gaining GCSE's and A levels, studied art at Goldsmiths college and upon graduating began working to save the world one person at a time. Which is why i am now working with Homeless people in a Salvation Army hostel.
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Links Rach Stevie D City Boiler Room Previous Posts Why im not a Pagan The Revelation and Poverty of Paganism Photos!!! The Procession of the Bride (inspired by Katie Price) Humility Im back! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe This Sacred Life A Poem What Im reading 2: A New Perspective On Jesus Archives May 2005 June 2005 October 2005 November 2005TAGS:DeProfundis
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