It is more political and religious than I usually would send to a group of people, but you all know about our discussion. It does make clear about the church he was raised in, and how that affected his feelings. (I think he was Everett himself.) Carmen
Just read David James Duncan's essay, What fundamentalists need for their salvation, Wow! What a marvelous writer.
Here's a paragraph that really stood out for me and not only for spiritual vocabulary but words in general:
"There is, for most humans born on earth, just one mother tongue, and a given tongue at a given time consists of only so many words. These words can absorb only so many abuses before they cease to mean. America's spiritual vocabulary—with its huge defining terms such as "God," "soul," "sacrifice," "mysticism," "faith," "salvation," "grace," "redemption"—has been enduring a series of abuses so constricting that the damage may last for centuries. Too many of us have tried to sidestep this damage by simply rejecting the terminology. But the defamation of a religious vocabulary cannot be undone by turning away: the harm is undone when we work to reopen each word's true history, nuance and depth. Holy words need stewardship as surely as do gardens, orchards or ecosystems. When lovingly tended, such words surround us with spaciousness and mystery the way a sacred grove surrounds us with peace and oxygenated air. But when we abandon our holy words and fail to replace them, we end up living in a spiritual clearcut." David James Duncan
It seems that his own life was intertwined within The Brothers K. I agree with you, Carmen. He was Everett ;)
I finished!!!!!
ReplyDeleteVic...
I did find the link to the David James Duncan article our friend had sent John and me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.orionsociety.org/pages/om/05-4om/Duncan.html
It is more political and religious than I usually would send to a group of people, but you all know about our discussion.
It does make clear about the church he was raised in, and how that affected his feelings. (I think he was Everett himself.)
Carmen
Thank you, Carmen.
ReplyDeleteJust read David James Duncan's essay, What fundamentalists need for their salvation, Wow! What a marvelous writer.
Here's a paragraph that really stood out for me and not only for spiritual vocabulary but words in general:
"There is, for most humans born on earth, just one mother tongue, and a given tongue at a given time consists of only so many words. These words can absorb only so many abuses before they cease to mean. America's spiritual vocabulary—with its huge defining terms such as "God," "soul," "sacrifice," "mysticism," "faith," "salvation," "grace," "redemption"—has been enduring a series of abuses so constricting that the damage may last for centuries. Too many of us have tried to sidestep this damage by simply rejecting the terminology. But the defamation of a religious vocabulary cannot be undone by turning away: the harm is undone when we work to reopen each word's true history, nuance and depth. Holy words need stewardship as surely as do gardens, orchards or ecosystems. When lovingly tended, such words surround us with spaciousness and mystery the way a sacred grove surrounds us with peace and oxygenated air. But when we abandon our holy words and fail to replace them, we end up living in a spiritual clearcut."
David James Duncan
It seems that his own life was intertwined within The Brothers K. I agree with you, Carmen. He was Everett ;)
Vic...