Faith is neither knowledge nor conviction. It is a leap into the void, without guarantees. Faith is risk, trepidation, and loneliness. Оtherwise there would be no sacramental act, but simply conviction. Faith is not knowledge, for if a person simply knows, they have no doubt. Faith is, on the one hand, imperfect certainty, on the other, intention, and, on the third, a constant feeling of uncertainty. Any attempt to convey the content of the concept of "Faith," in my opinion, seems speculative, because it is a feeling that becomes a judgment when expressed in words . — Astorre
What I call good is not humankindness and responsible conduct, but just being good at what is done by your own intrinsic virtuosities. Goodness, as I understand it, certainly does not mean humankindness and responsible conduct! It is just fully allowing the uncontrived condition of the inborn nature and allotment of life to play itself out. What I call sharp hearing is not hearkening to others, but rather hearkening to oneself, nothing more.
The preacher supposedly doesn't teach, but testifies. He doesn't impose; he simply shares his experience. This is personal testimony, not preaching in the traditional sense.
But then: The testimony itself is already public and therefore becomes an example, an instruction, a guide. — Astorre
I don’t know much about preaching or how preachers see their vocation, but this description doesn’t seem right to me. I don’t think saying “Here’s what I’ve experienced. You can pay attention and see what you find, experience, inside yourself” is necessarily an instruction. Someone may show you a path, but you have to walk it yourself. — T Clark
He asserts: I want others to be saved, too. After all, is it wrong to wish for others to be saved? — Astorre
True religion is not about possessing the truth. No religion does that. It is rather an invitation into a journey that leads one toward the mystery of God. Idolatry is religion pretending that it has all the answers.
But some want to do it through dogma or authority, . — Tom Storm
while others aim to promote individualised faith or pluralism through empathy and contemplation — Tom Storm
Any attempt to convey the content of the concept of "Faith," in my opinion, seems speculative, because it is a feeling that becomes a judgment when expressed in words . — Astorre
When someone sends us a directive, an imperative, or a command to act, it's not limited to a simple act of coercion—within any command lies a context: I'm telling you what to do and accepting responsibility for it. For example: a mother tells her child to wipe his nose (the mother is willing to accept the consequences of the wrong decision to wipe his nose), or a manager tells a subordinate exactly how to sell (the manager accepts the risk that if their subordinate follows their instructions and it doesn't work), or a state proclaiming an ideology (the sovereign is responsible and accepts the consequences of the ideology's failure). Any act of affirmation carries responsibility. When you say, "You must do X," if you're not willing to share the consequences of doing X with those you're addressing, you're simply a windbag or a demagogue. But if you say, "Guys, do A, because if it doesn't work, I'll compensate you for all the losses you incur (and that's how it will be)"—that's a whole other level of responsibility.
I was drawn to this topic by conversations with so-called preachers (not necessarily Christian ones, but any kind). They say, "You must do this, because I'm a wise man and have learned the truth." When you ask, "What if I do this and it doesn't work?" Silence ensues, or something like, "That means you didn't do what I told you to do/you didn't believe/you weren't chosen." — Astorre
he says, "I believe and invite you to take a risk too." But then: to invite risk, you need to define what it is and what's at stake. If you don't know what you're offering, you're irresponsible (you're not risking—you're just enticing). If you know, you've once again moved from faith to knowledge and lost the right to call it faith. — Astorre
I was drawn to this topic by conversations with so-called preachers (not necessarily Christian ones, but any kind). They say, "You must do this, because I'm a wise man and have learned the truth." When you ask, "What if I do this and it doesn't work?" Silence ensues, or something like, "That means you didn't do what I told you to do/you didn't believe/you weren't chosen." — Astorre
Please share: do you see the "preacher's paradox" or do you think it doesn't exist?
Perhaps I'm proposing too rigid a dichotomy? — Astorre
Sorry, the idea doesn't resonate with me. The best preachers I’ve seen make no demands and simply promote contemplative living, in harmony with others, often using scripture as allegorical stories. It’s about generating a conversation about value and eschewing dogma. — Tom Storm
What exactly does that look like when authoritarianism takes responsibility? In that it punishes, ostracizes, imprisons, or kills those who fail to live up to the set standards?Oh, here's where I'm ready to intervene and responsibly state: authoritarianism, unlike liberalism, dictates how to act and what to do, but it also doesn't shirk responsibility. — Astorre
In other words, a one-way relationship, a one-way responsibility.Here, I view the preacher as a pure liberal: "I'm saying this, and you have the right to follow through or not, but the responsibility is yours."
Preaching is persuasion. It is a public word addressed to others, with the goal of evoking faith in them, that is, persuading them to accept something illogical, unprovable, and inexpressible. — Astorre
What exactly does that look like when authoritarianism takes responsibility? In that it punishes, ostracizes, imprisons, or kills those who fail to live up to the set standards? — baker
Note how preaching to outsiders is not common to all religions; only the expansive religions (such as Christianity and Islam) preach to outsiders. Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, for example, do normally not preach to outsiders. — baker
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