The obvious correlations between the two spheres are intolerance of uncertainty and the need to dominate, which is to say; to control. The two may appear redundant, but that is because they partially overlap.
The profane always seeks determination of result or outcome.
The sacred can be experienced, but is ultimately beyond understanding as we "know" it. We need only observe the beseeching attempts to bargain with the Almighty, to verify the attempts at mastery.
Let us pray.
"Oh mighty Atom, bestow your blessings upon us, your chosen Secular. Give us this day our energy, our gravity, our rain and our sunshine, equal in measure with our triumph over the demon Carbon."
Or, perhaps, a more traditional form:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
There is, it would seem, a form of beseechment congenial to every taste. Were I to think that God owed me anything at all, I would prefer the latter of the above two prayers over the former. I have reached the conclusion that He owes me nothing, and therefore I beseech only that His will be done. Even so, the twenty-third Psalm brings comfort to those in whose heart it resonates.
So might the former, the secularist, prayer palliate, were self-deception not so essential to the secularists. In denial, their faith is affirmed. From the deists, a rigorous dogma that, ironically enough, is secular in origin. From the secularists, sneering condescension proclaims the depth of their devotion.
When the Chosen Ones achieve their objective, it is experienced as a contract fulfilled. The "Faustian Bargain" obtains.
What is missing is humility and it's cousin; gratitude.
Shall suffering cease only when a bargain has been fulfilled?
Render unto science that which is scientific, unto the Almighty; acceptance and humble thanks for blessings bestowed freely.
Whether ones "Truth" is the sacred or the profane, no benefit derives from a hubristic illusion of coercion that is the nature of contractual agreement.
Thanks for the lovely essay. It provoked the thoughts of a tired mind and touched the weary heart of an old man.
The obvious correlations between the two spheres are intolerance of uncertainty and the need to dominate, which is to say; to control. The two may appear redundant, but that is because they partially overlap.
The profane always seeks determination of result or outcome.
The sacred can be experienced, but is ultimately beyond understanding as we "know" it. We need only observe the beseeching attempts to bargain with the Almighty, to verify the attempts at mastery.
Let us pray.
"Oh mighty Atom, bestow your blessings upon us, your chosen Secular. Give us this day our energy, our gravity, our rain and our sunshine, equal in measure with our triumph over the demon Carbon."
Or, perhaps, a more traditional form:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
There is, it would seem, a form of beseechment congenial to every taste. Were I to think that God owed me anything at all, I would prefer the latter of the above two prayers over the former. I have reached the conclusion that He owes me nothing, and therefore I beseech only that His will be done. Even so, the twenty-third Psalm brings comfort to those in whose heart it resonates.
So might the former, the secularist, prayer palliate, were self-deception not so essential to the secularists. In denial, their faith is affirmed. From the deists, a rigorous dogma that, ironically enough, is secular in origin. From the secularists, sneering condescension proclaims the depth of their devotion.
When the Chosen Ones achieve their objective, it is experienced as a contract fulfilled. The "Faustian Bargain" obtains.
What is missing is humility and it's cousin; gratitude.
Shall suffering cease only when a bargain has been fulfilled?
Render unto science that which is scientific, unto the Almighty; acceptance and humble thanks for blessings bestowed freely.
Whether ones "Truth" is the sacred or the profane, no benefit derives from a hubristic illusion of coercion that is the nature of contractual agreement.
Thanks for the lovely essay. It provoked the thoughts of a tired mind and touched the weary heart of an old man.
Great essay- a major improvement on the previous version.