Thoughts On A Theological Smugging, Part III

This should be the last “foundation” post for this series, but it is information that is good to keep in mind as we move forward. Especially since, as I said then, I’m not a theologian nor do I present this in any way, shape, or form as definitive or incisive. To quote: “…rather, it is an opportunity to lay out for your edification and my clarification some points about early Christianity and traditional faiths and how they differ from non-traditional Christianity. Given how many people there are out there today for whom history begins and ends with their own lifetime, it is good to review real history and how a number of things developed within it.”

Before moving forward with the discussion, I thought it would be good to review some aspects of the nature of God, and of man. I fear both often get overlooked in the rush to judgement, as it were, of commentary and rebuttal. In this case, I think both play an important role in understanding the veneration of the Theotokos and in why I think the concept I refer to as “Rent A Womb” is lunacy as well as heresy.

As I’ve noted in some previous writings (previously linked in this series I believe), the mind of God is not something we can understand save through what is shared in scripture. Let’s face it, God is larger than the universe; existed before time and will exist after time; is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent; and, a being for whom all of time is but a single instant. Those are not concepts easy to grasp.

Now, add to it that even the angels can’t look upon his face. In the Bible, there are many references to God appearing in or as fire. God appears as a cloud of smoke and fire, which causes mountains to burn and fall at his touch. The fire of God has more than thirty references in the Bible if memory (and some quick research) serves. A cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Keep in mind that fire was often used to destroy, as with Sodom and Gomorrah. There are a number of references to those not found in the book of life, or the unproductive vines (same), that will be cast into the fire. God also spoke from the fire more than once, and it is worth remembering that the burning bush is a foreshadowing of Mary the Mother of God.

It is also worth noting that the fire of God was not always destructive. Again, there is the burning bush, which burned but was not consumed. There are also references to the fire of God as a means of purification and sanctification (Malachi) and in Acts there are tongues like flames of a fire that filled the Apostles with the Holy Spirit.

A point that will come up again later (I hope) is that foreknowledge by God does not equal coercion, manipulation, or invalidation in any form of free will. It simply means that God knows what we are going to do before we do it.

In comparison, humans are limited in senses and in how we perceive time. We are limited to Chronos, or linear time, while God experiences time as Kairos. Think I’ve talked a little bit about this before, but we tend to try to put things divine into terms of Chronos, where they don’t belong, instead of Kairos (God Time). Our five basic senses are rather limited, nor are we the strongest, fastest, toughest, etc. as a creature. In fact, we are rather fragile when you get right down to it. We are also most definitely not fire proof.

There is a special part of the human condition that I want to bring up today. That is microchimerism, specifically fetal maternal microchimerism. This refers to stem cells and other fetal cells pass through the placenta and into the mother. These have been shown in at least some cases to protect the mother from cancer and other issues during and even after childbirth as those cells are detectable for a period of time after childbirth. In some respects, your baby will always be a part of you.

Which, as an aside, just makes even more horrifying the imaging showing a baby in the womb trying to escape the suction of an abortion, desperately reaching out and trying to cling to it’s mother as best it can as it is ripped apart. If you haven’t seen that video, I’m torn on recommending it as once you see it you will never forget it.

A short one today, but some important things to think about and to keep in mind in the upcoming discussions. Yes, this does all tie together, though it may take a bit to do so. The reasons why traditional Churches venerate the Theotokos/Mary the Mother of God are many and complex, but they do all tie together.

Probably not going to wait a week to do the next post, so stay tuned.

Posts In This Series:

Thoughts On A Theological Smugging

Thoughts On A Theological Smugging, Part II

Thoughts On A Theological Smugging, Part III