Jun 14
3
Integration of the Mind – Part Thirty-Four
Some Insist: Everything is Spiritual, I ask, Oh?
Every thing is this...is it spiritual?
A video made popular a few years ago, “Everything is Spiritual” was of a popular and quite bright preacher by the name of Rob Bell, when I say “quite bright” I mean FAR brighter than I. You can watch it on YouTube and I admit to it being enormously entertaining; it is an interesting point of view – I have this point of view …actually I just got a picture in my mind of the leaning tower of Pisa and when I asked, was given a word: “Sophistry.”
Everything is spiritual is a judgment, a conclusion made up by a rational, logical mind. By repeating several times, IPOV, IHTPOV – surely you remember, those letters stand for Interesting point of view, I have this point of view …it is an antidote for getting embroiled in a useless argument over what is just that …ONLY A POINT OF VIEW.
What I do want to say, after asking what now? is something that came to me while walking towards a podium to speak to a large group of teen-agers and hearing as if it were a booming voice, “It is an awesome responsibility to decide to be a spokesman for God.”
Some people are up to the task of spokesman.
I stopped in my tracks …instead of proceeding with my planned remarks, I stood at the microphone dumbfounded at what I had just heard …and looked out at the audience …and right in the middle of the crowd there was a bright beam of light shining on a girl who looked to be 15 or 16 …she was reading what appeared to be one of those pocket-sized New Testaments, given away by the organization called the Gideons.
I stood there, focused on her, and finally said, “Do you have something to share with us?” She looked up from her reading, and realized I was talking to her …and stammered, “Uh, yes I do.”
I don’t remember what she said, but I spent the next hour, simply facilitating a discussion among the students.
After the assembly, the Principal of the school, who had invited me to speak in the first place, came up to me and said something to the effect that it had been the most powerful time he had ever witnessed with a “bunch of kids that tend to be restless and even unruly when they sit for that long” …then he said, “but you still owe me one, because you didn’t say a word.”
I told him I didn’t dare and shared what had happened to me. We agreed that it was a good thing that I had taken heed to what I’d heard and let SPIRIT speak through all the kids.
Based on what happened among those teenagers, many would agree that it was a spiritual “happening.” Others might want to argue that there was a combined energy at work in each of the students working together synergistically. Other folks might describe it in yet another manner; does it really matter?
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Back to Rob Bell who happens to be a preacher with a certain mindset. All of which does not make his premise that “everything is spiritual” any more than an interesting point of view and since his premise is based on two fairly sound pieces of information, it is very convincing.
Sophistry: the use of reasoning or arguments that sound correct but are actually false. : a reason or argument that sounds correct but is actually false.
I wouldn’t want to try to debate anything with Rob Bell …and, as I already stated, for me it was entertaining to the max. If you decide to watch it, however, I do want to point to the bit of sophistry in which he indulges.
After building an excellent opening case for his thesis (I’ll let you watch to determine what that thesis is) based on some fairly solid science …beating up on the traditions of Newtonian Physics by introducing Albert Einstein’s Relativity and succeeding information about light and the speed thereof …PLUS a very correct interpretation of the Hebrew language and without saying it, directly, points out some fallacies to how the meaning gets botched because of English translation and what we’ve done with that to misinterpret some extremely important (from my perspective) information and Rob Bell does a fascinating job of highlighting it …PLUS he points out the ridiculousness of those arguing about things which cannot be explained, particularly when the brightest scientific minds are saying that what they’ve proven cannot be explained – “yup” …he says in a perfect deadpan imitation of a brilliant physicist.
So where’s the sophistry and how do we get a picture of the leaning tower of Pisa?
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“The sophistry is contained in your own reaction to the words, “spiritual” and “everything.” The reason for the picture of a tower not standing erect is so that you will see that because you were looking for something to argue and from which to make a point; you are failing to see that neither your point nor your argument matters and, therefore, the tower you were prepared to build was on a foundation of your own subconscious memory which is not entirely factual. ”
Do not unplug, sophistry may ensue.
In other words Rob Bell didn’t engage in sophistry, the sophistry was concocted in my mind. Immediately I started beating up on myself for breaking my own rule which doesn’t matter either!
My primary purpose in life is to be connected with our (your and my) SPIRIT-PARENT 24/7 and it is essentially the same purpose of Rob Bell; one of my challenges in living out this purpose is that I continually get revelation that often seems different than the revelation others are receiving from the same SOURCE …which simply means that my ability to articulate accurately what I am getting is hampered by language …WORDS and hearing correctly what others are getting has the same root …the fact that, even when we are supposedly speaking the same language, different words mean different things to each of us.
It was four years ago, from an enthusiastic reader of an article I had written, who said that I was making the same point that Rob Bell had made and asked me if I had seen the video “Everything is Spiritual.”
Ha! I wished I could make any point as eloquently as this man – witty, super-intelligent, well grounded in some of the things I’d had revealed to me, organized in beautiful fashion.
I watched and immediately, because of his take on a couple of things that DO NOT MATTER, I rejected the video. I have also carried that rejection for four years and was going to make a point out of his sophistry, when it was mine!
Sure you're forgiven but what about the consequences?
For a self-imposed penance, for this dastardly deed, I went to YouTube and suffered through one hour and twenty minutes of recrimination for being so wrong. The capper was how Mr. Bell so, again, beautifully caps off his presentation – by talking about something I believe in deeply (which doesn’t make it true) that a human being is an integration of spirit and physical and, therefore, his point in that context (had I only been listening four years ago) was everything is spiritual.
Per usual, carrying around that kind of nonsense for four years hurt only one person …yours truly. I forgive myself for, once again, missing the mark.
That one hour and twenty minutes was valuable on two counts – one is the joy of receiving accessing forgiveness from SPIRIT that was there all along, but not actively received until I also forgave myself.
The utter joy of watching this video all over again and hearing what he was saying instead of looking for ways to criticize a brother – a point he makes and quite eloquently, that we get what we look for.
Thank YOU, SPIRIT, for giving me yet another one of YOUR easy lessons …and the joy of realizing that I don’t have to feel guilty about it …just go and keep remembering the lesson so that whoever makes a point whenever and wherever, that I tune into YOU so that I hear YOU through them …and whether they be whatever religious persuasion from Baha’i to Zoroastrianism and everything in between.
Thank YOU!!!
Next we’ll look at this interesting fact: “Whatever you’re thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you’re worrying, you are planning. When you’re appreciating you are planning… What are you planning?” Let’s become aware and make the necessary changes so we have a plan that delivers what we want …shall we?