Paradox

I have long been fascinated by paradox.

Coming from a childhood belief in rational, intellectual, reasonable, logical "thought", for a long while I erred in dismissing paradox as merely a way to explain the inexplicable.  The seeming contradictions were at best confusing to me, especially when used in a quasi-religious manner, citing Jesus as a literal example of "you must lose your life to keep it".

As an adult, I became acquainted with recovery phrases that fit this category:  "You have to give up to win"; "Give it away to keep it", "From weakness comes strength" and so forth.  (There is even a list on the wiki-net of paradoxical statements, and more quotes on paradox by famous folk.)  

Living from the perspective previously described, these statements just did not make sense to me.  Then, one day, someone explained that I was having difficulty understanding because paradox was related to spiritual understanding, a spiritual truth, not a literal, logical, intellectual truth.

When reading "A Handbook of Theological Terms" (Harvey), I read the statement that  "...metaphysics is attempting to resolve matters that are impossible for reason to do in the nature of the case." (p. 24; definition of Antinomy).  In the same book, within the definition of "paradox" is the statement "All true theological doctrines, therefore, are alleged to be paradoxical..."

When I run into statement that impact me as "possible Truth", the scientist in me launches an experiment. (I am wary of any statement with the word "all"...)  From the point when I hear/feel something that strikes me as "possible Truth", I "try it on" for a while.  I test the hypothesis against what I think I know, what I was taught, and how it looks/works in my life while reserving judgment about it's validity.

So, what do you think about that statement?  What are your favorite paradoxical concepts?







    

Theological Snapshot...

I have always had a belief that there IS a God – but I have not been able to subscribe to any particular “Christian” doctrine. I cannot believe that a God of Love would purposely predetermine anyone (Jesus) should be tortured to death, nor do I believe in “original sin”.

As a child I was exposed to Sunday school and Vacation Bible School.  My stepdad loudly proclaimed the curious phenomenon in the Bible “nonsense”, and my mother was non-verbal on the subject.  In my youth, I determined that I did not need any man – Jesus, the preacher, or anyone else – to be a translator between me and God.  I promptly pushed all thought of God and religion into the background, and began drinking my way through life.  Twenty five years later, in a 12 step program, I re-opened the question of “God”.  I began attending church again.

After about 5 years, I found I could not resolve the questions in my mind with the statements I heard in church.  I resigned myself to not understanding or believing that which was taught as “Christianity.” 

At some point I became acquainted with the writings of Emmet Fox.  I collected and read as many of Fox’s books and pamphlets as I could find.  About 3 years ago, I began attending a Unity church regularly, and taking classes, learned about metaphysics.  I began to piece together a concept that worked for me.

Through this process, I arrived at and settled on the following concepts:

• There are spiritual forces at work in the universe that are God-related.  If I cooperate with those forces, my life goes a lot more smoothly.
• I understand “God” today as a set of immutable spiritual laws that are at work whether or not I recognize them. 
• Prayer and meditation are spiritual  practices I use to connect with the essence of  God that lives within me, any time I desire.
•  I try to live by specific spiritual/moral principles:  Honesty, hope, faith, courage, integrity, willingness, humility, brotherly love, justice, perseverance, conscious contact with God, and service.
• Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and thoughts about how God works in their life.  There are as many paths to God as there are people.
• Jesus’s teachings are worth studying and trying to live by.  I believe that Jesus is one of the most spiritually evolved humans ever to walk the planet. 
• Sin is that which separates me from my connection with God and other people.
• At the current time and at my current level of understanding, I do not subscribe to “conventional” Christianity.
• There is so much I do not know!

Today my understanding of God is framed in the reference of the metaphysics classes I’ve taken.  I explore and re-examine each thought and statement in light of what I have learned in recent classes.  Some thoughts require further dissection, and analysis; others ring with truth and still others are discarded because they don’t hold up to what I believe at this point.