<2022-04-14T23:29:14.000Z> Gelert: Hi Mongoose, long-time TRS listener here. I'm currently exploring Christianity as a long time agnostic. I've heard in some podcast or another (the Godcast perhaps) you declare something along the lines of "there is only the spiritual world". I was hoping perhaps you could give me a little explanation of what you mean by that. I'm knee deep in Aquinas right now trying to uproot my materialist prejudices and would really appreciate your take. Thank you.
<2022-04-15T00:31:08.000Z> mkultra: My point being in saying such is that the material exist subject to the whims of metaphysical forces beyond, above, and superior to itself. I have several reasons for believing this but I'll keep it simple. Firstly I know materialists by their fruits, they tend to be egostistical retards bloviating on their self superiority. Secondly, the enemies of all that we consider good promote materialism to those they consider their enemies. Thirdly there exist phenomena within the material and occurrences that beggar belief and explanation (the reynold's number for example).The material world is irrevocably flawed, no perfection exists within it. No one disputes this, not even materialists themselves, who find themselves in endless cycles of masturbatory exercises trying to justify why such concepts do not manifest themselves in the material. Plato (the philosophical John the Baptist, the man who paved the way for the aryan hellens to adopt christian thought) posited that such concepts (perfection, the absolute manifestations, telos, etc) existed as the divine got closest to a real understanding of things, that reality itself due to sin is a warped understanding and reflection of the divine, just as man is a being made in God's own image but burdened by sin. I do believe I said as such on the Godcast, BTW, you are correct on that. I am no catholic, nor orthodox, my brutal and crass protestantism does not lend me a mystic tradition of saints and miracles to the present day. I have no miraculous conversion experience either, I was born into the Church and God willing I shall die in its embrace. My perspective on the mystical is merely derived from harsh observation and heuristic rejection of the materialism I observed around myself growing up within the world. Your message leads me to believe you have similar issues and wish to lay off the shackles of the mundane for the sublime grace of our Lord, Christ. Simply know that there is no requirement for miraculous experiences, soul reckoning events and other such things. These help those that need them, and Christ reaches us where we are. I feel his love as the sun kisses my skin, blessed as I am to live another day, others recite wonderous stories of miracles, apparitions and voices. God reaches into the architecture of his creation as is needed by each of us. You cannot reason yourself to him, but you cannot feel your way to him either. You will understand what you need to do on a fundamental basis, you are His and He wishes to be with you.Take heart in the fact that reality reflects the divine, albeit flawed, as God saw fit to give us a fortaste of the feast to come.I shall pray for your studies brother and I hope that you find Aquinas illuminating. I've never read him. Do take care, and God bless you.
<2022-04-15T00:31:19.000Z> mkultra: Sorry for the walltext
<2022-04-15T00:32:49.000Z> mkultra: Also Aquinas IIRC is a Aristotelian, I am a platonist (ideologically and theologically) so you may find aquinas to disagree with much of what I say. Remember that he is deeply rooted in Catholic thought and I am but a lay Lutheran drunkard.
<2022-04-15T10:33:11.000Z> Gelert: Wow, thanks for the reply!I'll definitely have a good chew on what you've said. I feel I've erected a wall between myself and God over my years of living of the world, bricked with misconceptions and lies veiled as an arrogant rationality. I'm pushing bricks out one by one but it's slow and it's difficult to figure out how to rebuild my worldview from the rubble. Perhaps that is the best place to start, to "become as little children" as it were. If it is true as you say I only hope I can overcome my pride enough to realise it and crawl out of this Platonic cave. I know not to be seduced by mere enthusiasm but I'm encouraged at the invigoration I feel the more I experience the faith.Thank you for the prayers, I truly hope they bear fruit.