Pithy quotes from our current reading which give us pause to reflect

Dale · February 4, 2023, 3:48am

Pithy quotes, to some, about factual reality (others are badly mistaken):

The experience of God, like the experience of Hobbes, is a lived experience. It is an Inside view. Consequently, it is difficult to communicate to those on the Outside. All such communication appears like talk about stuffed tigers and imaginary friends. And to be honest, I don’t think there is much that can be done about this disjoint. It is what it is. And will always be this way. But just because the life of faith is an Inside experience doesn’t mean it is a form of magical thinking. I think Watterson puts it well. The conversation isn’t about “magical thinking” or “imaginary friends.” Although the conversation may appear that way to non-believers, the conversation is actually about reality.

In the gospel according to John, Jesus said this: “My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” In short, the “truth” of Jesus (Is his teaching from God?) cannot be ascertained from the Outside. The verification of Jesus’s claims must be discovered from the Inside, by participating in the journey. Because from the Outside it’s all just stuffed tigers. But on the Inside, well, it’s Hobbes.