From: Kevin Perez (juan825diego@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Sep 11 2005 - 13:02:09 BST
Thanks for asking David,
In the quote you cited I used the term in the sense that mysticism is of the mystery. The examples I mentioned are all traditional Christian practices for maintaining a personal relationship with God. Their purpose is to orient a person toward God so that he or she may experience and then reflect God's grace and love. These can rightly be called mystical because they are all mysteries.
Not everyone uses the term the same way. In ZAMM and Lila Pirsig associates mysticism with Eastern religions and philosophies. He even went as far as associating it with insanity. That his purpose was to explain insanity did nothing for mysticism, in my opinion.
A brief search of the Internet returned the following.
From dictionary.com,
1. Of or having a spiritual reality or import not apparent to the intelligence or senses.
2. Of, relating to, or stemming from direct communion with ultimate reality or God: a
mystical religion.
From Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Worship,” The Conduct of Life (1860),
<http://www.emersoncentral.com/worship.htm>,
Draw, if thou canst, the mystic line,
Severing rightly his from thine,
Which is human, which divine.
I think Emerson would agree that life is first and foremost a mystical experience. I wonder what he would say about Christianity if he were alive today.
Kevin Perez
----- Original Message -----
From: "david buchanan" <dmbuchanan@hotmail.com>
To: <moq_discuss@moq.org>
Sent: Sun 11 Sep 2005 11:20 AM GMT +0800
Subject: Re: MD A Christian interpretation of the MOQ
Dear MOQers:
You may recall that Anthony asked Kevin if his RCIA education put an
emphasis on mysticism.
Kevin replied:
Yes, absolutely. RCIA involves prayer, sacraments (e.g., Eucharist,
Pennance, Confirmation and, for those not baptized, Baptism), the Rosary and
theological reflection.
dmb says:
I don't understand how any of these things are related to mysticism. Perhaps
the word is used to describe such ritulas within the church, but I'm pretty
sure Anthony is asking you a philosophical question here. Further, I think
its safe to assume that he asking about mysticism as its described in
Pirsig's books and as it works within the MOQ. Was anything like mysticism
IN THAT SENSE OF THE WORD emphsized or even taught in your RICA education?
As I understand it, mysticism has very little to do with the ritual
activities you've listed. In what sense is Baptism and prayer mystical? What
is your definition of mystical in these assertions?
Please explain.
dmb
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