The Chair of Christian Thought brings the academic study of religion into the wider community through events such as lectures and symposia. Initiatives include four annual, endowed lectures: The Bentall Lecture on Education and Theology; The Iwaasa Lecture on Urban Theology; The Lebel Lecture in Christian Ethics; The Swanson Lecture in Spirituality. These and other events are featured on this website.
The current Chair of Christian Thought is Professor Carolyn Muessig. For further details about the Chair of Christian Thought please see the link below.
Excellent insights. Is his next topic posted anywhere? "Why mental disorders are not brain disorders alone a holistic christian approach to mental health care".
Merton was an hypocrite. He had a sexual affair with a nurse and broke his vows. All his vows. He was not a faithful monk. He was a fraud. He was neither obedient nor faithful.
i can never get an answer to this question--- The church supports women who go to the mission field to preach the gospel or even stand on the sidewalk handing out tracts and telling others of the good news. But when a woman with the exact same message steps inside the church she is labeled a heretic, rebellious, disobedient. If the church building were to blow away in a tornado leaving an empty lot, , could she then stand where the church once stood and preach the gospel? p.s. the early church did not have pulpits. They were invented about 400 years later s a way to project the voice in a large area-such as a church sanctuary which they were not part of the early church either.
Light needs to be shined on evil. Merton's death begs question after question after question... it is more probable his death was murder, NOT accidental as the speaker claims.
All experiences and thoughts must be held up to the Word of God. Experiences are not the criteria for judging apart from the Word. The foundation of faith collapses when scripture has been added to Or scripture replaced by ideologies. All cults have a few things in common. They do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God incarnate and they have other sources other than the Holy Scriptures that has been added to the Torah and the New Testament like The Book of Mormon which was given to Joseph Smith (a spiritist) by a demon appearing as an angel of light. Only Belief in Christ can redeem people from sin. It is a great danger to empty the mind. We are never told in the scriptures to empty the mind. Nature deplores a vacuum and so do demons. Jesus said why seek the living among the dead. One cannot cherry pick out of the Word what to believe.
“Christ the still point of a turning world” said TS Elliott. When Jesus said to “wake up” so to speak, He was saying wake up to the truth that He is God. You can’t interpret the Gospels or epistles apart from the Holy Spirit. Zen means to see nothing. This interweaving of Catholic theology with Buddhism is poison and new age lies. Such a shame and dangerous. This will probably anger many who love Merton but perhaps the Lord removed him because he was going into extreme error. Buddhism numbs the mind.
Christianity and Hinduism have little in common. Natural religion like Buddhism. Taoism and Hindu or Vedic teachings can take man to his highest natural state of unitive consciousness. The experience of “oneness” and the “Self” are expressed in Christian mysticism but the ultimate revelation is Christian. The Word that descends and lifts the donor up to review the Godhead, the Pleroma, the Father of Lights if far beyond the natural religions experience and drugs won’t help you get there either. Only the name of Jesus. The Word of God by Whom all things are created.
I married a practicing Buddhist who converted to Christianity, I must tell you and my wife would agree, “Buddhism leads to good, but not to God” so be loving always but cautious. It’s easy to get lost while intoxicated. ✝️
I like this quote, and it's very true. The Buddha didn't answer questions pertaining to God(s) because it was irrelevant to the teachings. The goal of Buddhism is the "cessation of suffering" and anything relavent to that is what the Buddha taught. Both Buddhism and Christianity are essential to life, not just one or the other. The two have very important goals.
What is God ? Is God a concrete object or being ? If a Christian or Buddhist reaches perfect love, they are both with God. It doesn't matter what you call it.
Reading the books of the New Testament, we probably asked ourselves more than once: *"Why 2000 years we do not see those miracles that accompanied the Сhurch of Christ in the I century, as described in the New Testament?"* Why do the so-called preachers of Christ have to prove that Jesus really existed and atheists boldly deny the historicity or divine origin of Christ? Maybe because the Сhurch of Christ has not existed for 2000 years? The Сhurch does not exist in the form in which it is presented in the books of the New Testament, but there are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and other christian sects claiming to be the place of the Church, but they not have the only thing that distinguishes the divine from the human and is characteristic of just the Сhurch of Christ -the reinforcement of the word with signs, that is, miracles (Mark 16:15-20). Therefore, some researchers doubt the historicity of Christ, and some of them are not opposed to declaring him a an ordinary philosopher, teacher. But even if Jesus were an ordinary philosopher, his disciples would be ordinary followers of Jesus. And they would not dare to write about the miracles that not only Jesus, but also his disciples, could perform. In this world, the great fertility of atheism can be explained by the fact that there is no main opponent of critics of the Bible - the Church. If there were the Church in our time as described by the authors of the New Testament books, where miracles are performed, the sick are healed, where prophesied, and the dead are raised, no one would doubt the historicity of Christ. Then there would be the same controversy throughout the world as in the first century - Jesus the Son of God or the false prophet who seduces the world by miracles. As a result, we can say that the emergence and development of christian sects and atheism was the result of the fact that over the 2000 years the Сhurch of Christ did not exist. Find *"The Mystery about the Church of Christ"* video on RU-vid. The video reveals the prophecy of the disappearance and reappearance of the Church of Christ before the End of the World. Watching this video will give hope to all who sincerely seek God and will interest those who are not too lazy to think freely. Click on my name to watch the video (The video is in Russian, but English subtitles are included).
At 24:26 Dr. Thorston makes a very quick comparison between christianity and buddhism, stating that buddhism has articulated much more clearly the psychological steps of spiritual development, but she doesn’t provide any specific examples, or any clarification. It just sounds arbitrary and unfair towards christianity and the history of christian mysticism. Are we supposed to take such a delicate and hugely arguable statement at face value?
Tibet's introverted cultural focus is a singular pursuit of awareness, enlightenment in contrast to the West's extroverted material orientation. We in the West have the technology to send men to the moon, split the atom. Tibetan Buddhism has an inner-oriented technology that can take a practitioner to the heart of inner space, conciousness. It's not a religion so much as a technological system developed over countless generations of practitioners that can be culturally neutral within the context of varied religious systems. Sadly Buddhist teachings are no longer available in Chinese-occupied Tibet itself but happily the traditions are alive in diaspora in India, Nepal and even in the West. If one is very lucky, teachers of profound insight and kindness can be met as guides along the path. They can share meditative practices that can be effectively applied within other cultural and religious contexts if one does not feel called to be a Buddhist. It feels as if Tibet's special destiny as an inward-looking culture has been to explore consciousness and preserve the pathways for humanity's inward journeys.
@@insertnamehere7947 All great. The fact that “the West” tends towards extroverted materialism might be true, but it’s a generalization that doesn’t account for christian mysticism (for example), which has been inward-looking for century upon century. But even beyond the mystics, Christianity has always been inward-looking, and it has developed very insightful psychological techniques as part of christian spirituality. So making comparisons doesn’t make much sense. The professor’s mistake here was to bring up a rather crass comparison.
Western mysticism, of course! But not central to our culture. The glorious fringe. Just as there are "materialistic" Tibetans, there are "mystical" Westerners but not as mainstream personifications, one of the reasons we see Thomas Merton as so exceptional. Tibetan and Western collective focus are very different expressions of human aspiration. . C.G.Jung was certainly aware of the hemispheric differences of human conciousness. The Dalai Lama once said that if we could bring these capabilities together our world would be whole. He has spent a good deal of time conferring with Western scientists exploring the possibilities in the cultural cross-pollination of human potential, the union of inner and outer technologies.
@@insertnamehere7947 Ooooh… no. Mystical christians and “materialistic tibetans” should not belong in the same sentence, not even to compare the two groups, because it doesn’t make sense. Christianity has developed immensely profound psychological techniques. So, no comparison with Eastern disciplines is worth or valid. The talk was biased towards the speaker’s preference for some Eastern disciplines, and that’s really bad, also for Thomas Merton it would have been bad. We disagree. And that’s cool.
First of all, Buddhism is not a "religion" , it is a philosophy just as Judaism, Christianity and Islam are at their core. That said, it has been made to operate as a "religion" by those who have added all the dogma and tenets and other trappings of religions. It has been made a profitable enterprise complete with all the traditions and ceremonies and conflicting dogma just as can be seen in all other religions. The world is full of "priest", pastors, rabbis, gurus; all kinds of self proclaimed " holy teachers", each with their own special irrefutable knowledge of the way of "salvation". Merton is not unique in any way. He was , just as so many religious mentors have been, a man with a different personal idea of what, how and why his ideas are note worthy.
Philosophy means "love of wisdom". Religion means "re-joining". Whatever name you choose to call it by.... it remains the same. All provide a path to reunification and atonement. Philosophy offers not such.
I think the Buddha is closer to Aristotle and Plato than he is to Christ or Moses, and the tradition based on his sayings is more like what we mean by philosophy than what we mean by faith or religion. It is worth saying, though, that philosophy in the sense of Plato and Aristotle meant a way of life rather than a dry academic study as most people in the West understand by it (which shows that we westerners have lost the plot). It may be worth pointing out that there are no dogmas or articles of faith as we understand them in the Buddha’s teachings. On the question of God he was what we would call an agnostic. Like Camus he would say that the question didn’t interest him.
Not to be too critical, but does anyone else realize that Thomas Merton, like Joseph Campbell, is promoted and emphasized, because he / they fulfilled a leftist world vision and movement that did not challenge the predominant academic views at the time? If one examines them carefully one finds a quite biased world view.....
I don't know your age, but nobody "promotes" Joseph Campbell today, or Thomas Merton. As your post shows, religious people who are especially Correct, like the Pharisee in the temple thanking God that he is "not like other men," promote their own unhappy discontent & political ruffianship, far from God, just as Merton perceived & warned in all those writings one perhaps finds a stumbling block to one's correctitude & self- assurances. I doubt you would like Jesus at all.
This rings a bell as I left Christianity many years ago because there was no path for spiritual development. The only toolkit in Christianity was prayer which often proved ineffective. Hence Christianity is resigned to the spirit is willing but flesh weak. I am attracted to Buddhism because it is practical and a wholistic spiritual practice starting from generosity, virtue, deep meditation and finally spiritual wisdom. It changes character , outlook and is a gradual release from suffering, from the inside out. Cheers.
Thomas Merton had no intention of leaving Christianity or his position as a Catholic Priest. He wrote to a Monk at Gethsemani from Asia, and said this in a letter, telling him not to believe otherwise, despite what others would claim to him.
@@cherylmburton5577 I left Christianity as the bible is unreliable as it contains too many unfufilled prophecies, self contradictions and atrocities. Here's a sample. 1) End time Jesus said some of those standing with him shall not !see death till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom Matt 16:28 Jesus said this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away Luke 21:32-33 2) Temptation God does not tempt man James 1:13 God did tempt Abraham Gen 22:1 3) Earth Earth abides forever Eccl 1:4 Elements shall melt, earth and the works shall be burned up 2 Peter 3:10 4) power of god With god all things are possible Matt 19:26 Lord was with Judah, drove out inhabitants of the mountain but not inhabitants of the Valley because they had chariots of iron Judges 1:19 5) Sword Put aside your sword, for all who take sword shall perish with the sword Matt26:52 He that has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one Luke 22:36 6) crucifixion They crucified him in the 3rd hour Mark 15:25 About the 6th hour, they crucified him John 19: 14-16 7) Jesus Jesus never answered Pilate and Pilate marvelled greatly Matt 27:13-14 Jesus answered Pilate John 18:33-34 8) Sins Everyone bear own sins. Sins not passed to another Deut 24:16 Sins are passed down to the 4th generations Exodus 20:5 All sin thru one man Romans 5:12 Children do not bear parent's sins Ezekial 18:20 Slaughter the children for their father's sins Isaiah 14:21:22 9) god God does not change Malachi 3:6 God does not lie and repent Numbers 23:19 The lord repented of the evil he thought of doing to his people Exodus 32:14 The lord put a lying spirit in the mouth of some prophets 1 kings 22:23 and god allows people to be deluded Thessul 2:11-12 though lying lips are a abomination to the lord Prov 12:22 New covenants given because first eternal covenants given to Jews were faulty Hebrews 8:7 10) Grace Man is saved through grace, not works Ephesians 2:8-9 By works a man is justified, not by faith alone James 2:24 11) Parents Honor thy parents Exodus 20:12 Death for disobeying parents Romans 1:29-32 Whoever does not hate father, mother cannot be my disciple Luke 14:26, Matt 10:34 12) Freewill Freewill in Christianity is a myth as shown in Romans 9:9-24 where things are predistined and mankind could be punished even for things out of their control. The list does not end here and anyone of the above is sufficient to prove the bible is unreliable. Since we cannot trust the bible on things we can see, all the more reasons we cannot trust the bible on what it says about things we cannot see.
My friend, it offers nothing that Christianity doesn't. Buddhism may lead to good, but it doesn't lead to God. If you saw Christianity as nothing more than an unsatisfactory religious system, you never experienced true Christianity. I pray that you return to the Person of Christ and His Living Waters. He is, for lack of better words, the Real Deal! Coming to Him requires surrender and repentance, to see our sin for what it truly is while staring into His bloody face of shame and humiliation... the Face of Love! I am 14 years into my journey with Him, and in awe that I've barely scratched the surface in terms of accessing the spiritual and emotional depth He offers!
This talk was longer and about 48 minutes of it seem truncated - Would it be possible to have access to that - it would really help in concluding a series of thought that Dr Bonnie was leading up to which in the light of Practice of Spirituality in Community and such issues would be helpful to hear the whole talk
And (specially!!!) by being a Rabbi he had to be married, that is Jewish costume... but the church with its agenda changed the story, for you are only "saved" through them, right? what a lie. It is "By Your Deeds (NOT the church) You Will be Judged" (and saved or dammed/your actions throughout your life!!) that is what Yeshua came to teach, and to restore women's rightful place at the side of men.
He is a treasure of wit and open minded truthfulness - fluid conceptually and very G++d natured - who the Hell (ahem) is gonna replace Keith when he moves on ?
Direct perception of reality is without thought. Therefore without time and without a perceiver or "self." "Perception without a perceiver" may seem paradoxical, but it is this perception that lies between thoughts, and is experienced each night during deep sleep. It is perception not by the "self" but by a witness called awareness. Awareness exists before, during and after a sense of self, but since we are preoccupied with "self," it is rarely experienced. Deep sleep is not the absence of awareness, but the awareness of absence. Zen can bring this deep sleep awareness into awake consciousness. Techniques are used to "stop the mind." Once a glimpse of "no thought" happens, this direct reality is no longer an abstraction, no longer a goal, but it is experienced as regular, daily life. Jesus knew all this. And he talked about it. But he was ultimately misunderstood. And 2,000 years of putting Jesus up on a pedestal to be worshiped has obscured his teaching almost entirely. I think it is too late for Christianity. It is soiled beyond repair. And the irony is that we must now look to the East to find out what the rabbi was on about.
The Christian Orthodox Faith is full of these kind of paradoxes. And it teaches the prayer of "No Thought". That true prayer eliminates all images, imagination, & wandering. It reaches a still point in the Nous, the highest & finest PERCEPTION of awareness of the soul, the locus of eternity & union with God.
Loved this lecture, it was extremely informative and insightful. I am a priest in the Episcopal Church and I returned to my Christian roots through the practice of Yoga when I was in my 20's. Later as a priest, I had the honor of sitting with Tibetan monks and Nuns at the feet of His Holiness the Dalai Lama as lead them in chanting. Through his own experience and writing, Merton validates these experiences for me, and for that I am truly thankful.
I noticed your comment and wonder if you could answer a question. I'm preparing a lecture and wanted to include an anecdote of a ceremony I witnessed in an Anglican church decades ago .It was a sober yet very inspiring experience. The ceremony was based around the extinguishing and re- lighting of the candles on a candelabra ,These (12 ?) . Candles were extinguished one by one, and when the last candle went out , the complete church was in complete darkness. Then the candles were lit again . I can't remember the name of this ceremony. I live in the Netherlands , so the few Anglican churches here are, are closed due to covid. Anyway. Do you happen to know the name of this ritual /ceremony ? . If i just know the name, i can find the rest via google !
@@spiritualanarchist8162 the Service of Tenebrae in the RCC. I was RCC for 62 years & a professed enclosed contemplative nun. I am now Russian Orthodox. We also have a Lenten Service of 12 scripture readings with prayers & Troparions, & lamentations. & 12 lit candles, each extinguished after each reading. This service is held on either Holy Thursday night or Good Friday night.
