fatherman Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 I had to come back to this thread to reread fatherman's post on mysticism. I realized that while I commented that gnosticism isn't the same as mysticism (you can be a gnostic and not be a mystic or be a mystic and not be a gnostic), I didn't comment on the above quote. My comment? Wonderful definition and understanding of mysticism! awww chucks.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AletheiaRivers Posted December 22, 2004 Share Posted December 22, 2004 Uh... I am currently of the opinion based on personal research, that Huxley's Perennial Religion and Panentheism are not compatible systems. Uh... maybe you should have asked what I meant by my tongue in cheek comment? I believe that there are truths to be found in every religion. That when you put everything together and then get rid of the discrepancies, most religions have basic truths in common. I use the term perennial to mean this and not to imply that I follow or believe in the hiearchical pattern of reality as espoused by Aldous Huxley. Most people don't follow a concept through to its logical conclusion. Most of us are still searching, learning, defining and refining our beliefs. Many of us are in the process of "following a concept to its logical conclusion." I was raised a Jehovah's Witness. They don't exactly encourage thinking or learning. To be able to read, study and think about philosophical and theological ideas is a relatively new experience for me. I spent 1-2 years after leaving JW's feeling I was an atheist. I spent a couple more exploring Neo-Paganism. It's only been recently (through reading Borg, Fox and Moore) that I've realized that I don't have to give up Christianity just because I can't subscribe to a literalist, fundementalist view. The Perennial Religion is Pantheism. Most pantheists that I've come across don't study philosophy. They are usually atheists looking for a way to have some awe or divinity (so to speak) in their lives. They wouldn't describe themselves as perennialists because being a perennialist still involves god. The pantheists I've talk to don't believe in god. Does that make them pantheists in the strict definition of the term? Probably not. But for most of humankind, who don't study theology or philosophy, it's the loose attributes of a philosophy that attract them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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