On the Sharing of Spiritual Experience

This is a follow-up to this previous post.

OK, this is going to be highly spectulative and/or naive, but here goes anyway.

Suppose we accept that inter-subjective exploration of phenomena helps us toward coming closer and closer to truth. It certainly seems to work relative to the physical world, to the extent that we can conceive of objective truth about the physical world, at least. But can it help us with regard to approaching spiritual truth?

I think/suspect/hope that the answer is a qualified “yes”.

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A few quotes

I’m working a long post that is taking awhile to gel. So in the meanwhile, thought I’d post a few quotes that say more poetically and succinctly some of what I was tryig to say here.

ALBERT EINSTEIN:
The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious – the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science.
Living Philosophies, 1931

ANAIS NIN:
The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.

HENRY MILLER:
The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.

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“Objective” vs. “Inter-subjective” truth

Oh, boy, have I ever stepped into deep water with this one. But let me persevere.

I was thinking the concept I want to communicate would be fairly quick and straightforward to capture in writing, but then I made the mistake of deciding I should start with a quick statement of generally accepted meaning of “objective truth”. Ha! I should have known better.

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The known, the unknown, and the unknowable

The known and the unknown are blessings. The unknowable is both a mystery and a blessing, a blessing because it is a mystery.

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Why metaphysics?

God is . . . our name for that which is greater than all and present in each. God is a symbol expressive of ultimate mystery, meaning and power, . . . .

Forrest Church, from a sermon preached at All Souls UU Church 6/5/05

I quote this just to clarify my use of “God” below. I use the term in the fuzziest possible way here–literally, if I knew what I was talking about–if I knew what I mean by “God”–I wouldn’t be writing this. (Interesting that greater clarity, in this case, implies greater fuzziness. Somehow that tickles me.)

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THE ONE TRUE GOSPEL

I love a good sermon, and the following sermon comes closer to the spirit of the religion I was raised in (thanks, Mom and Don Smith) than the variety that seems to have become so popular these days. It gave me a lift–so I offer it here.
••••••••••••••••••••••

by Forrest Church

April 16, 2006

This has turned out to be quite an Easter for us Unitarians. Finally, after two thousand years of desecration, poor Judas has won back his good name. With the leaking of an ancient Christian classified document, at long last the Good Judas can assume his honored place right up there beside the Good Samaritan.

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The resilience of religion

Running across a variety of blogs and books recently arguing the human race would be better off without religion, or claiming to explain religion (as in “explain it away”), got me musing along the following lines.

What is religion about? That is, what do human beings get out of it? I think all of the following, not in any particular order, and not necessarily all of them for any one person.

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