Politics and Religion, a Dinnertable Chat.

It struck me over the Thanksgiving weekend that there is something inherently theistic about democracy and something inherently undemocratic and indeed atheistic about modern American politics. Let me say before I go further that this is not a partisan opinion piece for a popular brand of religious politics in America, and that indeed I feel my realization and objections apply equally well to either major party in American politics today. For my readers outside of the United States, I apologize for my specifically American usages, and invite you to consider if similar truths apply to the politics of your home country.

Doubts and Worldviews

I have been struck this past week with a moment of profundity. I have tried more than once to capture this moment in words, but have found every effort to be inadequate. I have had a feeling much like Thomas Aquinas, next to what I have seen, all my efforts to express it are but dross. As such, I am stepping back a few paces. I do not know if what I have seen in inexpressible, but it is beyond my skills in the moment to express it, and I must let it abide. Therefore I chose now to express a smaller bit of thought and contemplation which has occurred to me to get my mind and hands back into the proper gear of sharing what I am capable of expressing.

The idea I want to share today is not unique to me, and indeed I think that the expression by Chesterton in Orthodoxy is in many ways superior to my own efforts. I would even say that these thoughts are a natural cousin to Hobson’s Dilemma, and thus even farther from being my own. Nevertheless, I will endeavor to share them in my own style and with my own interpretations, in the hope that they may enhance the body of thought on the subject, and perhaps allow someone stymied by the works of others a new chance to grasp the message.

To Know God Personally

Today I want to contemplate on an aspect of Christ’s ministry which involves looking at one of his best known activities through the lens of one of one of his other teachings. I also want to talk about abstract math and geometry, and the human capacity to identify and sort. As I have in other posts before, I will promise you now that this all comes together in the end, just come along for the journey.

Excess Ain't Rebellion

Living in modern America can sometimes make for a surreal experience, allowing us to worry about problems which many people in many times would simply not be able to fathom. “Do I want the Steak or the Seafood?” “Does this outfit flatter my figure?” “I’m not sure if I can afford that new video game after I’ve paid off my phone bill.” These problems are very much artifacts of modern consumer living, artifacts of a comfortable first world life. But we still think of them as problems, and they still impact the choices we make. Does the reality of living as a consumer in the modern West cause difficulty in living up to the standards Christ has set?

Making Holy Offerings

Sacrifice, from sacre (holy) and facere (to make, do). A word whose roots mean “to make holy” but whose modern use is more understood as “to give up”. One definition is “the loss incurred in selling something below its value.” Certainly we still see some echoes of the origin in other definitions, such as “the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.” I think that this is a word in need of reflection, reevaluation, and a new respect.