Well, for now at least one of the Thompson clan is married off! Long live the Thompsons!
I was honored to see my brother join his beautiful bride, Ellen in holy matrimony this weekend. And yes, it was a Greek Wedding.
A quick note on the greek wedding ritual...
Yes, it was much like the wedding in the movie, and no, to my knowledge, my brother was not covered from head to toe with oil (he was already Chrismated a couple of years ago). There was much standing...lots of stuff in Greek....more standing....stuff sung in Greek....standing again...a couple of words in english....and then yes....more standing. Yes, we protestants love our seats (that's why we pad them). The Greeks know how to show reverence. That I will grant them.
I must say on a serious note that the ceremony was absolutely beautiful. The Greek Orthodox Church does a wonderful job of focusing on the community aspect of marraige, tying in the collective body of the Church where my brother and his bride are concerned. And Father Jerry (sp?) did a fantastic job with the wedding, noting that he had not planned to lead it, but had to since the other Father was sick.
The reception was great. The food was incredible. And if I do say so myself, the best man's speech was great (except fot a brief emotional stall *choke*).
Blessings to my brother and his new wife!!!
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Monday, May 02, 2005
The New Cathedral: A Faith of Reason
History is a remarkable mistress. She has never been one to leave us in a stalemate. No. She delights in extremes. In bipolar fashion she finds herself rarely in a place of moderation. It is no surprise then to find her mischievousness once again in the workings of today, the workings of Reason.
At a certain point she found it an entertainment to position western humanity in the grip of an ever powerful Catholic Church, who imposed (with vigorous design) the regulation of mankind's thinking, belief, and conduct. But that became all too boorish for History's taste. She fashioned an even greater demise. In her planning she purposed a great rebellion, such as the world had not yet seen. A rebellion of intellect. Something the Church would not expect.
She would cause the Church to become so power, so cruel, so unreasonable as to create an unstoppable malignant hatred in its people. They would find no solace in simply leaving. No. In their rebellion they would create a standard of such unreasonable reason as to eliminate even the possibility of the Church's interference ever again. The people of this dark and abusive church, like rebellious adolescents, would build a wall of design impenetrable, a wall which itself (unbeknownst to them) would even cause them to embrace that which they so vehemently battled to be rid of.
Of course, we today call this the Enlightenment - that era in history which laid its foundation upon the words of Descartes. It was his thought which most likely impowered the idea that it was not the Church who formed reason, or purpose, not the Church indeed. In Descartes' words, "I think, therefore I am."
It was this fulcrum which tipped the tides into a rebellion of human centered reason, creating a rip-tide the Church never expected. At the hands of the enlightenment philosophers humanity began to ask the very needed and dangerous question, "If we will no longer trust the abusive Church for our standard in reason, what shall our standard be?"
Out of this reformation of thought came a deluge of intellects, all fueled by the distain of an overbearing Church's abuse, ready to construct a new standard for measuring truth. It would become a standard which Science would lift into the halls of Scripture, as if the red-typed words of Christ contained them for all of eternity.
David Hume, the eighteenth century empiricist delivered what might have well been the death-blow to a Church who had far removed themselves from the trust of the people. In his work, "On Miracles" Hume brings a definition of reason which finally digs the grave of the Church's truth in all of its superstitious and supernatural speculation...or did he?
At a certain point she found it an entertainment to position western humanity in the grip of an ever powerful Catholic Church, who imposed (with vigorous design) the regulation of mankind's thinking, belief, and conduct. But that became all too boorish for History's taste. She fashioned an even greater demise. In her planning she purposed a great rebellion, such as the world had not yet seen. A rebellion of intellect. Something the Church would not expect.
She would cause the Church to become so power, so cruel, so unreasonable as to create an unstoppable malignant hatred in its people. They would find no solace in simply leaving. No. In their rebellion they would create a standard of such unreasonable reason as to eliminate even the possibility of the Church's interference ever again. The people of this dark and abusive church, like rebellious adolescents, would build a wall of design impenetrable, a wall which itself (unbeknownst to them) would even cause them to embrace that which they so vehemently battled to be rid of.
Of course, we today call this the Enlightenment - that era in history which laid its foundation upon the words of Descartes. It was his thought which most likely impowered the idea that it was not the Church who formed reason, or purpose, not the Church indeed. In Descartes' words, "I think, therefore I am."
It was this fulcrum which tipped the tides into a rebellion of human centered reason, creating a rip-tide the Church never expected. At the hands of the enlightenment philosophers humanity began to ask the very needed and dangerous question, "If we will no longer trust the abusive Church for our standard in reason, what shall our standard be?"
Out of this reformation of thought came a deluge of intellects, all fueled by the distain of an overbearing Church's abuse, ready to construct a new standard for measuring truth. It would become a standard which Science would lift into the halls of Scripture, as if the red-typed words of Christ contained them for all of eternity.
David Hume, the eighteenth century empiricist delivered what might have well been the death-blow to a Church who had far removed themselves from the trust of the people. In his work, "On Miracles" Hume brings a definition of reason which finally digs the grave of the Church's truth in all of its superstitious and supernatural speculation...or did he?
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