I feel I'm losing my faith. It's upsetting, not because when I die I might just cease to be but because I don't feel Him here anymore but I used to all the time. God was undeniable to me, I was confident in my faith and felt his love. How does John and yourself hold your faith, knowing we are mere animals on a small blue ball that is hard to imagine being significant in the vastness of the universe which science keeps uncovering with God?
Don’t worry – this feeling is very common. CS Lewis is very good on it in The Screwtape Letters – if you haven’t read them then you are in for a treat, and if not try and find the bit about “the law of undulation”.
We are, of course, animals, but we are not mere animals. God has made us in His image and given us the unique responsibility and privilege of becoming His sons and daughters. It is precisely faith in God that makes it possible for us to be more than mere animals.
As for the size of the earth – so what? The universe is vastly bigger than the earth and whether it is 10^10 times bigger or 10^20 or 10^200 makes no difference at all. Even in Genesis it was believed that there were about as many stars as there are grains of sand on the earth. God is infinite, we are finite. But we are joined to him by his infinite love – whether we feel it at the moment or not.
Thank you very much to your reply, I really appreciate your time. I never thought of it like that, but what do you think of Steven Hawking's book The Grand Design, is it really possible for the laws of physics alone to create matter and energy and the entire universe?
NO. Clearly equations can’t create the universe. There must be something/someone that “breathes fire into the equations” and causes it to be that case that these equations apply to the real world, and not some other set of equations.
Showing posts with label CS Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CS Lewis. Show all posts
Sunday, 10 August 2014
The nature of Joy in Heaven
I want to 'relate' to God rather than just seeing Him as an abstract 'good' that I have to force myself to desire by knowing I will desire Him when I see Him. I know I desire an unexplainable, unimaginable thing yet it is brought about via interests I have within this world. Indeed, if those interests have nothing to do with the ultimate goal or ultimate perfection, it makes me feel the same way about the arts and sciences as I did about mankind as an atheist...that all is met in death and therefore all is a fleeting thing, forgotten and not even allowed to make a lasting mark. A waste. They are lovely but pointless in the same way as a true love would be if you never could manage to meet her and bring about the satisfaction of marriage.
To be utterly honest, when I read the words of famous writers like Jonathan Edwards talking about how beatification is perfect and joy, as a word, is but a low shadow of the reality of the enjoyment we will have...I feel suspicion. I feel nothing can be verified and the more I research the more it seems everything we say about Heaven is made up. The idea of eternal linear time is disturbing...and the object of my longing seems so undefinable (although it seems (to me) as though some of my loves may be distant reflections) that, on the whole, trying to pin point what I'm seeking is torturous! ... I believe it to be vital because it is a desperate search to find out what God is 'like'. Obviously, as He is infinite, we cannot know Him perfectly in this mortal world, however me must be able to relate to Him via our hopes/loves and desires (so long as they are not sinful). We must follow His words, no doubt, yet I also wish to love Him as well as serve Him...or, else, attempts all seems rather hollow and meaningless. Platonism has, through reading CS Lewis, given me a glimmer of an idea.
How widely is it thought everything in 'this World' reflects a greater reality where those things are perfect (in God)? That we might reach this perfection via beatification? And how widely do they take that claim; can a love of fiction reflect this higher reality? Can films? Can objects?
And if this reality (to be) is greater, to what degree would it be sensible to assume it (they) might be perfected? Are words, to quote Jonathan Edwards,like joy but "low shadows" of how great and perfectly satisfying the joy of the World to come is?
To use an example, I have often hoped (via reading CS Lewis's Platonism inspired writings) that my love for Norse Myth, Tolkien, 'Dr Who' and my nerdy interest in collecting figures based on that program's characters and monsters, might in fact be instigations of something. I feel, via such, as CS Lewis felt via fairy tales, a desire for something 'ineffible' and far mightier/joyful than we might know or guess- sehnsucht. Wordsworth felt a similar desire through nature...but how many Christians believe that these feelings are 'for something' that they reflect when, as some do say (and intelligent men within the Church say) it may well be that the only similarity between objects and enjoyments here and the World to come, is that both are enjoyable.
The only really reliable answer we have to “what is God like” is “God is like Jesus”.
If you look at the starcourse blog you’ll see I’ve recently finished “Tokens of Trust” by Rowan Williams. He makes the excellent points that:
To be utterly honest, when I read the words of famous writers like Jonathan Edwards talking about how beatification is perfect and joy, as a word, is but a low shadow of the reality of the enjoyment we will have...I feel suspicion. I feel nothing can be verified and the more I research the more it seems everything we say about Heaven is made up. The idea of eternal linear time is disturbing...and the object of my longing seems so undefinable (although it seems (to me) as though some of my loves may be distant reflections) that, on the whole, trying to pin point what I'm seeking is torturous! ... I believe it to be vital because it is a desperate search to find out what God is 'like'. Obviously, as He is infinite, we cannot know Him perfectly in this mortal world, however me must be able to relate to Him via our hopes/loves and desires (so long as they are not sinful). We must follow His words, no doubt, yet I also wish to love Him as well as serve Him...or, else, attempts all seems rather hollow and meaningless. Platonism has, through reading CS Lewis, given me a glimmer of an idea.
How widely is it thought everything in 'this World' reflects a greater reality where those things are perfect (in God)? That we might reach this perfection via beatification? And how widely do they take that claim; can a love of fiction reflect this higher reality? Can films? Can objects?
And if this reality (to be) is greater, to what degree would it be sensible to assume it (they) might be perfected? Are words, to quote Jonathan Edwards,like joy but "low shadows" of how great and perfectly satisfying the joy of the World to come is?
To use an example, I have often hoped (via reading CS Lewis's Platonism inspired writings) that my love for Norse Myth, Tolkien, 'Dr Who' and my nerdy interest in collecting figures based on that program's characters and monsters, might in fact be instigations of something. I feel, via such, as CS Lewis felt via fairy tales, a desire for something 'ineffible' and far mightier/joyful than we might know or guess- sehnsucht. Wordsworth felt a similar desire through nature...but how many Christians believe that these feelings are 'for something' that they reflect when, as some do say (and intelligent men within the Church say) it may well be that the only similarity between objects and enjoyments here and the World to come, is that both are enjoyable.
The only really reliable answer we have to “what is God like” is “God is like Jesus”.
If you look at the starcourse blog you’ll see I’ve recently finished “Tokens of Trust” by Rowan Williams. He makes the excellent points that:
- Ultimately Christians believe in eternal life not because they believe something about themselves as human...but because they believe something about God: that God is trustworthy.
- When we have done our worst, God remains God - and remains committed to being our God...The resurrection displays God's triumphant love as still and for ever having the shape of Jesus
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Sehnsucht
"Sehnsucht represents thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alternative experiences. It has been referred to as “life’s longings”; or an individual’s search for happiness while coping with the reality of unattainable wishes. Such feelings are usually profound, and tend to be accompanied by both positive and negative feelings. This produces what has often been described as an ambiguous emotional occurrence"
Is there something about Heaven we can deem to be 'beyond words', that we cannot imagine right now? There is a deep seated human desire for something that appears to be ineffable. No matter how much we trail after it or seek to satisfaction, it eludes us. I, for instance, know what things I enjoy and appreciate...perhaps these things are, indeed, a pointer to that great 'something else'...but though the ultimate 'happiness' might be connected to Worldly matters, I cannot place my finger upon exactly what it is my desire entails.
Response: CS Lewis wrote a lot about this – he called it “joy”. His early autobiography was called “Surprised by Joy” – and then, to his great surprise, he married late in life someone called … Joy
Is there something about Heaven we can deem to be 'beyond words', that we cannot imagine right now? There is a deep seated human desire for something that appears to be ineffable. No matter how much we trail after it or seek to satisfaction, it eludes us. I, for instance, know what things I enjoy and appreciate...perhaps these things are, indeed, a pointer to that great 'something else'...but though the ultimate 'happiness' might be connected to Worldly matters, I cannot place my finger upon exactly what it is my desire entails.
Response: CS Lewis wrote a lot about this – he called it “joy”. His early autobiography was called “Surprised by Joy” – and then, to his great surprise, he married late in life someone called … Joy
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Books to reduce confusion?
I am just so confused right now.There is so much stuff out there and it
is hard to distinguish what is true or not.God always came first to me
and my whole life so far has been based on Gods words through scripture
and Jesus.Now, I have been having doubts and read some books,that I know I
should not have. It has had a negative impact on me.
My faith which I thought was stronger then anyone I knew,is now weak.I have based my whole life around him and have talked til I was blue in the face to non believers about him.I have read a few books that I thought would straighten me out and it seems it lasts only for a few days.Then I am back to believing more like a atheist.Sorry to bother you with my problems.I am just trying to get back to where I was.
Response: Don’t worry. God is still there and still loves you! Humility is a good thing.
If you have been unsettled by silly people like Dawkins and Harris then don’t worry at all – their arguments are completely bogus. We deal with some of them in Questions of Truth.
But it’s not just a question of argument and reason – it would be good to hang out with some fellow-believers who understood your concerns. (and if you haven’t already done so, you might want to read/re-read The Screwtape Letters.
My faith which I thought was stronger then anyone I knew,is now weak.I have based my whole life around him and have talked til I was blue in the face to non believers about him.I have read a few books that I thought would straighten me out and it seems it lasts only for a few days.Then I am back to believing more like a atheist.Sorry to bother you with my problems.I am just trying to get back to where I was.
Response: Don’t worry. God is still there and still loves you! Humility is a good thing.
If you have been unsettled by silly people like Dawkins and Harris then don’t worry at all – their arguments are completely bogus. We deal with some of them in Questions of Truth.
But it’s not just a question of argument and reason – it would be good to hang out with some fellow-believers who understood your concerns. (and if you haven’t already done so, you might want to read/re-read The Screwtape Letters.
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