If, as some say, the object of religious experience is
neither a being nor even the supreme being but being itself or the ground of
being, then it is not a person. It cannot be prayed to and should not be
addressed, certainly not as "Father" which implies, if not a biological
relationship, then at least a close relationship with another person. Being is
the source of life and love but only because it is the source of everything.
Maybe Jesus, while alive, was one with being but not uniquely so (and is not
still alive in the meaning of being!)
Being becomes conscious by dividing into subjects and
objects. Consciousness occurs neither in the unity preceding subjects and
objects nor in objects but in subjects. Religious experience is of inner oneness
or outer transcendence but consciousness is in the experiencer, not in the
oneness or transcendence.
The Biblical deity is "holy." Holiness synthesizes
awesomeness with moral goodness. Goodness is a personal attribute but
awesomeness is not. The Grand Canyon is awesome but not a person. Theists,
discerning awesomeness in their object of worship and goodness in at least some
of their fellow worshipers, project both attributes onto the personified object.
Natural forces are personified or regarded as God at work
but are impersonal. Gravity, electromagnetism and nuclei function unconsciously.
Some organisms become conscious. One species becomes self-conscious, then
projects self-consciousness or personality onto the heavens. A person is a
single subject of consciousness whereas the transcendent-immanent-omnipresent
reality (ie, everything) knows itself through every subject, thus is not a
single person.
No comments:
Post a Comment