Ellul: “Every magical means, in the eyes of the person who uses it, is the most efficient one. In the spiritual realm, magic displays all the characteristics of a technique. It is a mediator between man and ‘the higher powers,’ just as other techniques mediate between man and matter. It leads to efficacy because it subordinates the power of the gods to men, and it secures a predetermined result. It affirms human power in that it seeks to subordinate the gods to men, just as technique serves to cause nature to obey.”
This latter observation also recalls Walter Benjamin’s observation that “technology is not the mastery of nature but of the relations between nature and man.”
The master symbol is materialism without spirituality shared by all ethnic groups. The Satanic psychopathic predator is a human being who bleeds like we do when pricked. Our social systems create kinds of human beings. The West optimizes psychopathology in a different way than China or Russia and children, like corn grow as good ears and bad alike. Berdyaev writes -Man as it were has grown tired of spiritual freedom and is prepared to renounce it in the name of power, with which to order his life, both inward and outward. Man has grown tired of himself, of man, has lost the confidence in man and wants to leap off to the supra-human, even though this supra-human be a social collective. Many of the old idols have been toppled in our time, but many new idols have likewise been created. Man is so constituted, that he can live either with a faith in God, or with a faith in ideals and idols. In essence, man cannot consistently and ultimately be an atheist. Having fallen away from the faith in God, he falls into idolatry. We can see the idol-worship and the fashioning of idols within every sphere -- in science, in art, in statecraft, and in national and social life. And thus, for example, Communism is an extreme form of social idolatry.”
This is soothing to contemplate James. Sometimes I am not conscious of how many hours I spend trying to solve “ the problem “ we are currently living.
Then in exhaustion I pray or read something like this, and my diaphragm opens of its own accord....to the sweetness of the breath of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Great post and beautifully expressed – new subscriber here! I couldn't agree more that in modernising ourselves away from mystery, we have separated ourselves further from the nature of God. A parallel could be drawn here to Ian McGilchrist's work on the societal dominance of 'left-brain thinking'. A secular description of the same thing, I think.
I also couldn't agree more that 'we as Catholics are responsible for knowing the truth'. Not enough people are saying this today and it's driving me up the wall!
The sense of dutiful unknowing around Bergoglio is everywhere, and it has become almost elevated to the status of a moral virtue (to avoid the dreaded sentence of 'sedevacantist'). But this polite, self-effacing, it's-above-my-paygrade attitude to the truth is neither true humility nor obedience.
Bergoglio's sham election violated at the very least Universi Dominici Gregis 79, 81 & 82 (specifically regulating the election of the pope), the second of which carries the penalty of excommunication. As you observed here, his enthusiastic heresy has the same effect. This is not ambiguous or confusing in any way. He is already excommunicated many times over; he is not a member of the Church. His clothes and ring and private jet do not change this fact. It is actually impossible for him to be a valid pope. I personally find this to be deeply comforting. There's no need to waste brain energy on it; it's a fact. The emperor has no clothes.
By the grace of God, we are experiencing this crisis at a time when it's easier than ever before for us to be armed with the facts. But generations of modernism have so weakened our individual consciences and so thoroughly washed our brains with moral relativism that declaring an intellectual position in black and white feels terrifyingly foreign to most ordinary people. But there is no nuance here; no grey area; no room for interpretation.
In the last few years, in my own life, I have discovered the beautiful and awesome power of simply speaking the truth. It will, as they say, set you free.
"I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom: Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry." (2 Timothy 4)
With deep appreciation for your analytical exposition of God being Mystery Himself, and of the mystery of evil which only God can "deal with" even as He desires to "act in and with us to defeat it, both in our souls and in the world".
I had saved your written article in my e.mailbox until I could devote mental attention conscientiously to what you were explaining. I took notes about which I most need to learn and remember; and I understand what you are teaching---continuing your explication of the meanning of reality, and our participation by the image of God within us, with He Who is Reality Himself.
Another thing about your clear writing is that it enables me to grasp association of meaning in other persons' preaching or guidance, for example, only a few days ago Bishop Strickland addressed the Catholic Identity Conference and spoke about Jesus' desiring His Apostles to be "perfected in Truth" .
May you receive continuous blessing in graces for the good work that you do,
I looked up David Bentley Hart, thank you. On a popular culture note, in continuity with the theme of “there is no hell”, is the theme of “there is no sin only ignorance”, and the theme of “there is no devil”, and this last theme of “there is no devil” is spotlighted in the recent film “Nefarious”. In this film a modernist Catholic priest refuses to acknowledge the existence of the devil, let alone the case of demonic possession directly before him.
There is No Solution to the Evil we Face
Beautifully said. This is redolent of a final chapter in a good screed against the evils of the age
Ellul: “Every magical means, in the eyes of the person who uses it, is the most efficient one. In the spiritual realm, magic displays all the characteristics of a technique. It is a mediator between man and ‘the higher powers,’ just as other techniques mediate between man and matter. It leads to efficacy because it subordinates the power of the gods to men, and it secures a predetermined result. It affirms human power in that it seeks to subordinate the gods to men, just as technique serves to cause nature to obey.”
This latter observation also recalls Walter Benjamin’s observation that “technology is not the mastery of nature but of the relations between nature and man.”
The master symbol is materialism without spirituality shared by all ethnic groups. The Satanic psychopathic predator is a human being who bleeds like we do when pricked. Our social systems create kinds of human beings. The West optimizes psychopathology in a different way than China or Russia and children, like corn grow as good ears and bad alike. Berdyaev writes -Man as it were has grown tired of spiritual freedom and is prepared to renounce it in the name of power, with which to order his life, both inward and outward. Man has grown tired of himself, of man, has lost the confidence in man and wants to leap off to the supra-human, even though this supra-human be a social collective. Many of the old idols have been toppled in our time, but many new idols have likewise been created. Man is so constituted, that he can live either with a faith in God, or with a faith in ideals and idols. In essence, man cannot consistently and ultimately be an atheist. Having fallen away from the faith in God, he falls into idolatry. We can see the idol-worship and the fashioning of idols within every sphere -- in science, in art, in statecraft, and in national and social life. And thus, for example, Communism is an extreme form of social idolatry.”
This is outstanding.
This is soothing to contemplate James. Sometimes I am not conscious of how many hours I spend trying to solve “ the problem “ we are currently living.
Then in exhaustion I pray or read something like this, and my diaphragm opens of its own accord....to the sweetness of the breath of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you.
Great post and beautifully expressed – new subscriber here! I couldn't agree more that in modernising ourselves away from mystery, we have separated ourselves further from the nature of God. A parallel could be drawn here to Ian McGilchrist's work on the societal dominance of 'left-brain thinking'. A secular description of the same thing, I think.
I also couldn't agree more that 'we as Catholics are responsible for knowing the truth'. Not enough people are saying this today and it's driving me up the wall!
The sense of dutiful unknowing around Bergoglio is everywhere, and it has become almost elevated to the status of a moral virtue (to avoid the dreaded sentence of 'sedevacantist'). But this polite, self-effacing, it's-above-my-paygrade attitude to the truth is neither true humility nor obedience.
Bergoglio's sham election violated at the very least Universi Dominici Gregis 79, 81 & 82 (specifically regulating the election of the pope), the second of which carries the penalty of excommunication. As you observed here, his enthusiastic heresy has the same effect. This is not ambiguous or confusing in any way. He is already excommunicated many times over; he is not a member of the Church. His clothes and ring and private jet do not change this fact. It is actually impossible for him to be a valid pope. I personally find this to be deeply comforting. There's no need to waste brain energy on it; it's a fact. The emperor has no clothes.
By the grace of God, we are experiencing this crisis at a time when it's easier than ever before for us to be armed with the facts. But generations of modernism have so weakened our individual consciences and so thoroughly washed our brains with moral relativism that declaring an intellectual position in black and white feels terrifyingly foreign to most ordinary people. But there is no nuance here; no grey area; no room for interpretation.
In the last few years, in my own life, I have discovered the beautiful and awesome power of simply speaking the truth. It will, as they say, set you free.
"I charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead, by his coming and his kingdom: Preach the word, be instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time when they will not endure sound doctrine but, according to their own desires, they will heap to themselves teachers having itching ears: And will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil thy ministry." (2 Timothy 4)
Dear Mr. Kozinski,
With deep appreciation for your analytical exposition of God being Mystery Himself, and of the mystery of evil which only God can "deal with" even as He desires to "act in and with us to defeat it, both in our souls and in the world".
I had saved your written article in my e.mailbox until I could devote mental attention conscientiously to what you were explaining. I took notes about which I most need to learn and remember; and I understand what you are teaching---continuing your explication of the meanning of reality, and our participation by the image of God within us, with He Who is Reality Himself.
Another thing about your clear writing is that it enables me to grasp association of meaning in other persons' preaching or guidance, for example, only a few days ago Bishop Strickland addressed the Catholic Identity Conference and spoke about Jesus' desiring His Apostles to be "perfected in Truth" .
May you receive continuous blessing in graces for the good work that you do,
Sincerely,
Joanne Wasserman
I looked up David Bentley Hart, thank you. On a popular culture note, in continuity with the theme of “there is no hell”, is the theme of “there is no sin only ignorance”, and the theme of “there is no devil”, and this last theme of “there is no devil” is spotlighted in the recent film “Nefarious”. In this film a modernist Catholic priest refuses to acknowledge the existence of the devil, let alone the case of demonic possession directly before him.
You write: “Ignorance doesn’t suffice.”