Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Money Quote:By Karen Armstrong (in "A History of G-d"- 1993)

Annotations by the Bray of Fundie

"One of the reasons why religion seems irrelevant today* is that many of us no longer have the sense that we are surrounded* by the unseen*. Our scientific culture educates us to focus our attention on the physical and material world in front of us*. This method of looking at the world has achieved great results*. One of it consequences, however, is that we have… edited out* the sense of the “spiritual” or “holy”*which pervades the lives of people in more traditional societies at every level and which was once and essential component* of our human experience of the world*."

seems irrelevant today-published eight years before 9.11.01

surrounded- G-d is described in the Qabbalistic tradition as סובב כל עלמין surrounder of all worlds

the unseen- G-d (and the human soul ) are described in the khazal as רואה ואינו נראה= seeing but unseen.


the physical and material world in front of us- and you lose focus of the world to come that although it also lies "in front of us" does so at a much later date.

achieved great results- indoor plumbing, microwave and penicillin to name a few. Also rhinoplasty and nuclear armaments and the arrogant conviction that these “results” somehow prove contemporary mans superior wisdom and morality when compared to the ancients.

edited out- loss of qedusha consciousness.


“spiritual” or “holy”- Neo-Qefira i.e. “There are no differences and there is no Difference maker”. AKA Havdala Obliviousness.

essential component of our human experience- this compromises not only religious life but impacts negatively on art, poetry and music as well..

our human experience of the world.- One cannot kill G-d without wounding the G-dly within themselves. We may have "straight" and/or "queer" eyes today but we lack G-dly eyes. ---------



If you find G-d ahistorical then Buy Dov's book. (please)

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