Is it possible to know God as one can know another human?
Yes, in my opinion
No, in my opinion
I do not know for sure, but I am interested in finding out
I do not know for sure and I am not interested in finding out
0voters
So, I have been looking through ccel.org and I’ve come across a lot of good books and writing of church fathers and historical documents and essays! It is really exciting!
I’m reading St. John of the Cross’ book “Ascent of Mount Carmel”. Mmmm…caramel…gargle gargle… Ok I’m done drooling. But really, apparently he has written a few books speaking of initimacy with the Holy Spirit. I would like to open this forum to discuss this book if any of you have read it and are serious about posting on it.
the website where you can read it if you haven’t already is specifically:
Just click on the format that you would like to view it in below the title page. I always find pdf is the best.
There are a few essays before the actual book.
Tell me what you think if you are a Christian who is seriously seeking Divine Communion. If you are not, then you can still post if you have read the book; just keep what you say respectful and easy to read. Anyone can vote on the poll whether you have read the book or not.
I think most talk about knowing God as a person are platitudes. When we see a dog do something cute, like carry it’s dish around because it’s hungry, we think of it being more like a person. Similarly, a brief moment of being close to God could give us a similar sensation, that he’s come down to us, or we’ve gone up to him. But it’s brief, and the exception and not the rule. In fact, these moments are so poignant specifically because they are the exception, and God is for the most part alien to us.
[i]"God cannot talk to them
And they cannot talk to God.
He being not made of matter
And locked in another realm;
They being made of matter
And locked in another realm.
A rare birth
And a spiritual mutation
Then a hand full of periodic psychics established the link.
They thought that it was God
The all-mighty, all-knowing, all-capable;
God was the drug that blew their mind.
One can’t help but distort the world in such a state.
The fact that it be so rare and so hard,
And only a few able,
Shows just how incapable God is.
God’s own inability to effect us
Became a twisted idea
That others then called transcendence and piety.
Too many fools to number
And they all believed."[/i] ~Mios.
lol…yes, I suppose it would! He wrote a lot about the nights that a Christians must go through to be united to God. I would be interested in your opinion, do you agree with most of what St. John of the Cross says in the book “Dark Night of the Soul”? That book is a sequel “to Ascent of Mount Carmel” I believe. Ascent of Mount Carmel talks breifly about the dark night of the soul. I’m in the middle of Book II (of 3) of Ascent of Mount Carmel, and I am reading through it carefully. I guess I would just like your personal opinion on Dark Night of the Soul then. Did you find it helpful or inspiring? Did you find it stupid/intelligent? If so, why?
I intend to read “Dark Night of the Sould” once I’m done with “Ascent of Mount Carmel”.
Ooh, I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint. I was referring merely to the poem that he based the book on. I do have the book in my possession but it’s in a stack currently right under Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love. I will get to it, I promise.
The Christian Mystics resonate with me greatly. Greatly. The poem Dark Night of the Soul is fascinating and beautiful and, as an aside, if you don’t have Loreena McKennitt’s “The Mask and Mirror” CD I highly recommend you rush out and buy it. She puts his lyrics to music in what just might be one of the most beautiful love songs of all times. That it is a love song about love of God makes it more beautiful still.
Yes, the dark nights. The mystics inspire. Definitely.
Oh, I see. No worries! Ya, the book explains the poems that he wrote. It is very in-depth! I’m going to definitely read Julianna of Norwich too. I can’t believe I have never heard of these mystics before! The things they write are so to-the-point, and their poetry is so elegant! Anyways, no rush if you haven’t read the book. It is pretty good so far, though. If you want to read any more classics, here is a library full of them…
Wow, light, that’s quite a link. Thank you for that. I assumed it was just a list but looking closer it’s the texts themselves. Nice. This could keep a person busy.
Absolutely! Ya, they are trying to grow this library into the largest online library of Christian Classical e-books as well as Church letters in the early church. They have tonnes of stuff on it! No problem!