Wittgenstein

I found Wittgenstein to be interesting although I didn’t really get what the man was trying to say. I did however enjoy the idea about how he wished the place he wanted to reach was reachable by ladder yet than again if it really was reachable by a ladder what is the point of it. I guess he is saying if my destination is so simple to get to is it worth my while or should I strive to get somewhere that is much harder to get to. Also the idea about life being problematic was fun I thought. Life is never really life because with all its problems it doesn’t fit into the shape of what life is defined as yet if you take the problems out of it its going to fit yet you might think yourself blind to the problems.

Isaac of Nineveh

I really enjoyed what Isaac of Nineveh said about when people really trust in God and have faith their prayers don’t even mention their own selves. I think I have read something of C.S. Lewis’s that makes this point. It is indeed a very good point that once some one becomes so enthralled with God there is no need to think of yourself. Its just interesting to hear someone talk about God’s love for his people in an infinite way outside of the Bible. I also like how he says when a man is completely hidden to himself in himself he is completely with God…this makes total sense in the case of humility. Once we loose sight of ourselves then we can focus on good it makes me think of a blurry foreground in a picture (us as people being humble) and the crystal clear sky in the background(the bigger picture of things GOD)

Abi'l-Khayr

WOW!! I just read Abi’l- Khayr and it was pretty amazing! The whole first page is true its exactly how it happens. I have had times in my life where I thought I was pleasing God and doing what he wanted me to do… Turns out as soon as I thought I was all great and amazing I got knocked down and it was by God. He humbles people that what he is really good at. He showed me it wasn’t me doing the good things I was doing yet it was Him working through me I was just his tool and he was the engineer. Also the whole thing about how we feel good when “I Love people” and you think you can tolerate and love people for who they are on you own power and maybe with a little bit of Gods help… well I had that wrong too at times. Its funny to see how much I cant do without God I need His love and forgiveness in order to love and accept those around me. The other interesting part about this was the no right to say mine or I… when it comes down to it all everything good you do say or create is Gods by right.

Erigena

So I read Erigena this week. I thought the reading was a bit confusing after the first exert. He makes some sense to me then but I lost his train of thought after this. I liked what he says about thinking of God and His creation as one more than two separate things. I don’t believe this to the extent that I think he goes to but I do believe that God is revealed in nature and he is undeniable because of His creation. I guess its not so much as the earth is God in a literal way its just that you know there is something more than just earth and animals and people. I thought Erigena made it seem as if God lives vicariously through man and His creation. Maybe that’s a misinterpretation on my part. If this is what he is saying I would to say God uses creation to his advantage He does things certain ways so we see and understand His nature from our own ways I guess that really doesn’t make too much sense but I’m having a hard time wording it. I don’t think God takes all shapes and forms but this concept or idea from Erigena is an interesting one to say the least.

Novalis

Ok so this was bad I didn’t get a thing about this passage! I have no idea how he thinks when we dream we are dreaming we are close to waking up??? Really explain this to me Novalis because it doesn’t make sense at all to me. Say what you need to say man I’m not going to judge you I just want to know what you think. I didn’t enjoy this reading at all. I guess I got when hw said we are alone when we are with everything we love because most the things people love leave them empty and not satisfied… so I liked his point here. I have no idea why this guy thinks that marriage is a mystery. Is there something Im not getting about it?

Albert Einstein

Ok so I know the man is a genius and maybe that’s why I found what he was saying to be so far out of my minds grasp. I think there were only two points of his that I understood in the passages. I loved the way he talked about the value of a human being is limited to the to the degree of his self liberation. I think what he is saying is that if we are more liberated more free and know it, feel it, and live it we place more value on what an amazing creation we are. We begin to understand and realize things we could have never seen without this so called liberation. I thought this point to be amazing and it makes me ask myself what is keeping me from liberation? What holds us back as people from finding our liberation of self?

Maximus of Tyre

The Road to hell is paved with good intentions…Do I sound like a jerk? Here is what I say to Maximus of Tyre: I honestly don’t force my beliefs upon others in any way but to say idol worship is all good is ridiculous to me. I think it is a slap in the face to God to use a worldly object to represent Him. Its God he is better than all gold or silver in the world nothing can be made by us to be as good as him. Nothing we make will do God justice. Would it matter to God if you meant well but disrespected Him by using an idol a finite object to represent an infinite being? We cant represent God in an image that our minds are can construct so why try? But the reading was interesting to me sorry if I offended anyone by this I wasn’t trying to… but this is just how I see it.