Even in the Eucharist from a strictly institutional denomination of your choice is embedded the clear message that the relationship with Christ is personal, the institution though setup to provide that. It's core role - all the other trappings are mostly extraneous.
As you elaborated in your other post, a traditional Christian to live as such should disconnect from the politics of the institution. Embedded over and over again in the Saint stories are tales of someone achieving a personal, direct relationship with God in-the-face-of institutional corruption - and how much worse it is today.
The corruption and contradiction itself is a sign that our faith must personal, that we have no choice but to use discernment as to what the institutional weasel-speech means, and how much to pay attention.
Our local Bishop for years has extended great effort put out long-winded letters full of contradictory, meaningless and confusing paragraphs that no one reads, along with conferences on how they need more conferences, but they still manage to do the thing they exist for which is Mass and Eucharist.
27 November 2023 at 16:49
A couple of observations... In geopolitics, it is clear that the Western world is increasingly dominated in its major policies by agents of Sorathic destruction. They have set-up the global situation such that a full-on third world war is little more than a hairsbreadth away. On the flip-side: at the time of writing it has not happened. While the world has been poised and teetering ever closer to the edge of a precipice for the past 21 months or so - the nations have not yet thrown themselves off it (despite quite extraordinary provocations). This must (I think) mean that there are powerful agents who do not want all-in world war. What I am unsure about is whether these agents of 'restraint' are positively motivated by Good in any shape or form; or whether they merely favour the less violent evil of international totalitarianism - with its omni-surveillance and complete mind-control; and that they recognize that achieving this goal would be disrupted by major wars, and so are holding-back the destruction merchants from irreversible escalation. Another possibility is that plans of any kind are constantly being subverted by the selfish short-termism of those tasked with their implementation. e.g. instead of following the strategy of making war, the agents are tempted and distracted into making money. Still, what we are seeing is at least consistent-with the operation of covert Good motivations that (to an extent) counteract the much-more-obvious and explicit evil for the major leadership class. Further: When it comes to individuals, my impression (and that is all it can be) is that "the side of Good" continues to lose people. As The System continues to bring forward more and more Litmus Test issues - it seems that each new wave of challenges is 'failed' by a significant proportion of those Christians who had previously been stalwart*. Indeed, claims of an exclusive, church-based Christianity has now itself become a Litmus Test. To believe that Christianity must be institutional - is to fall into the hands of totalitarianism; since They now control the entire institutional framework of The West. For instance; whereas I hoped that the post-2020 situation might lead to an alliance of serious Christians of all denominations (and none); this has not happened. Way too many Christians still expend far too much energy denigrating other types of Christian, and denying (what they call "proving") that those outwith their chosen-church/ denomination are Christians at all. Religious definitions and rules have often become more strict, literal and communally-defined and -enforced; as a way of trying to prevent liberalizing slippage. Thus these stalwart church-Christians become focused on institutional survival and thriving in an increasingly hostile environment, instead of engaging in the spiritual war. Those who respond to the triumphant evil of this-world by putting all their faith into obedience to any this-world institution (including any church) have become captives to this-world; and have made an advance vow to follow this-world where it may lead, insofar as this-world control the institution. In effect; each self-identified Christian church asserts a formula for maintaining its faithfulness to God's wishes. But, because the church is an institution that exists at the social level, the formula takes some publicly observable, publicly enforceable form. And that is how The System is able to penetrate and corrupts all institutions. Only our consciousness and chosen personal relationships stand outside The System; all institutions are inside it. There is no doubt that the modern world, especially in The West, is a harsh examination; and there is no formula for success - because formulae are exactly the mechanism by which corruption is operative. *This is a problem of any essentially defensive strategy. If it succeeds then things stay the same, if it loses then they get worse. People may default from defence, but defence can never be victorious. On the other hand, any positive attitude that depends on institutions, any materially-positive strategy, will sooner or later be corrupted by The System. The answer is to be individually and spiritually positive - and to find a way of doing this that does not ultimately depend on other people.
"How are things going, on the whole?"
1 Comment -
Quite right!
Even in the Eucharist from a strictly institutional denomination of your choice is embedded the clear message that the relationship with Christ is personal, the institution though setup to provide that. It's core role - all the other trappings are mostly extraneous.
As you elaborated in your other post, a traditional Christian to live as such should disconnect from the politics of the institution. Embedded over and over again in the Saint stories are tales of someone achieving a personal, direct relationship with God in-the-face-of institutional corruption - and how much worse it is today.
The corruption and contradiction itself is a sign that our faith must personal, that we have no choice but to use discernment as to what the institutional weasel-speech means, and how much to pay attention.
Our local Bishop for years has extended great effort put out long-winded letters full of contradictory, meaningless and confusing paragraphs that no one reads, along with conferences on how they need more conferences, but they still manage to do the thing they exist for which is Mass and Eucharist.
27 November 2023 at 16:49