Well, thanks to a relatively sleepless night, I've set up this little spot as a repository for some thoughts and expressions. I've been thinking about it for some time, and after a little encouragement, I've decided to begin. I'm not sure what sort of shape I think this little project will take -- I suspect I will talk a lot about religion, and my own journey of faith and thought . . . I suspect a healthy dose of politics will be involved, especially with the election upon us in 4 weeks . . . I suspect that my posts will range from inconsequential musings to attempts at philosophical sophistication. So, I think that what will emerge will be a sort of auto-biographical smattering -- like my life as a Jackson Pollock painting -- although perhaps not so interesting or substantial.
So, I should say a bit about why . . . . Well, for those who have come across my Facebook profile, you will probably immediately recognize the impulse, per my incessant status updates filled with propaganda. For some time, I suppose, I have wanted to, in some form, write down my own intellectual and spiritual journey -- and I hope to accomplish this is some form through writing about whatever comes across the path here. Sometimes I just want to say things -- sometimes to explain myself, sometimes to convince others, and even sometimes to pick a fight (I bet that an inquiry into that "fight" bit will find its way here). I also hope to create a few interesting conversations between myself and whoever might read this -- I miss my days as an aspiring theologian.
Now, a word about the Title of the Blog . . . some of you may recognize this as having been adapted from Martin Gardner's "The Flight of Peter Fromm." I read this book in seminary at Emory University in a New Testament class. It shook me. I'm not sure exactly why reading it was such a powerful experience for me -- maybe it was because I saw myself in Peter -- maybe it was because it tackled some of the same questions that I was having and had in the time leading up to it -- maybe because of its (at least what seemed so at the time) razor sharp theological discourse embedded in a fictional narrative.
I should tell you more about the book -- and because I am lazy and cannot remember the details, I will let Wikipedia explain a little about Gardner and the book:
"Gardner has had an abiding fascination in religious belief. He has written repeatedly about what public figures such as [[Robert Maynard Hutchins]], [[Mortimer Adler]], and [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]] believed and whether their beliefs were [[logically consistent]]. In some cases, he has attacked prominent religious figures such as [[Mary Baker Eddy]] on the grounds that their claims are unsupportable. His semi-autobiographical novel ''The Flight of Peter Fromm'' depicts a traditionally Protestant Christian man struggling with his faith, examining 20th century scholarship and intellectual movements and ultimately rejecting Christianity while remaining a theist. He describes his own belief as philosophical [[theism]] inspired by the theology of the philosopher [[Miguel de Unamuno]]. While critical of organized religions, Gardner believes in God, claiming that this belief cannot be confirmed or disconfirmed by reason. At the same time, he is skeptical of claims that God has communicated with human beings through spoken or telepathic [[revelation]] or through [[miracle]]s in the natural world." from Wikipedia, entry "The Flight of Peter Fromm.
Thus, The Flight of Vance West.
Now, I can already anticipate some reaction from what I just posted about the book -- and I should say that I am not using the book AS my autobiography -- I am just drawing some parallels. Whether or not I agree with Garnder's beliefs is not illustrated by my use of the title. Probably, for anyone who might be interested in them, my beliefs will show up in the posts, I am sure. And some of them will maybe get worked out as I think and write -- and am hopefully engaged by a couple of you about different ideas.
So, for those who are so inclined, please leave comments if a particular post strikes anything in you -- thanks for reading.
Posts
3 comments:
I've never really considered getting inside your head but I'm looking forward to it.... Keep it coming. With respect to politics, there are probably some who may not have a strong sense of which candidate is right for them so maybe you can help persuade those in that category!
Yay! Vance has a blog. Looking forward to reading along, my long-lost friend. :)
lcome to the blogosphere...i get google alerts for several things, one of which is mary Baker Eddy....hence your blog came up...glad it did...when i read your first post i was reminded of my own sense at the start of my blog 'tell the purpose....say the reason..' i now write just because..and to share insights i think are gonna be helpful to someone...but re: mary baker eddy, actually, the teachings she wrote about in her seminal work "science and health' you may really find appealing. it's a complete statement on practical spirituality and really for me the most comprehensive. yet b/c she wrote it 125 many men of that day couldn't fathom a woman theologian, a woman scientist, a woman author, public speaker, writer, founder of a publishing society, an international daily newspaper, first to ever establish a college for metaphysical healing...and since she achieved all of that as well as offer insights to practical spirituality--she describes what are the laws of god and how to prove them to heal any/all discord--whoosh--well b/c she did do all of this and so much more, MANY condemned her....so hard for them to fathom what her words said could be true. you should take a peek at science and health esp. with your interests in philosophy and theology.
and do this for your blog: find a host...and buy the url...it's not expensive. that way you can always own your domain and have it hosted which down the road will allow you to put a ton of things/addons/links, etc to your sidebars...and it just builds traffic in the long run.
have fun with it and just be true to you in your writing...you are gonna really dig it....
Tre
http://thoughtbythought.net
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