Is there a similar list on the topic of christian meditation/contemplation? What would be good ways to start?
Great!
God is supremely good. Of all creation that is capable of rational thought and free will, some are friends to God, some are His true servants, some are estranged, and there are others who, despite their weakness, take their stand against Him. We might imagine that God's friends are those angelic beings which surround him (Seraphim, Cherubim etc...). His true servants are those who sincerely attempt to do His will to the best of their ability. The estranged are those who have not yet met Christ. His opponents are those who go out of their way to attack Him and those who believe.
Lets focus on His true servants because that is all humanity can ever hope to be. In order to be His servant we first must attempt to know who He is. God is the life of all free beings. He is the salvation of all, of the just or the unjust, of the pious or the impious, and of the young or the old. He is like the sun's warmth which is the same for everyone without exception (Rom 2:11). An impious man is a rational being, one that must die, who willingly runs away from life. A Christian is one who attempts to imitate Christ in thought, word and deed to the best of their ability.
>>1237059
The angelic friends of God live in a higher plane of existence which is uncorrupted by sin. These beings are capable of rational thought and attempt to influence our plane of existence when they can. Of course they are not omnipotent so their influence is limited to what God permits. The blessed man attempts to mirror his life to those angelic beings (who are themselves imitators of Christ). In his mind, the Christian attempts to spiritually raise himself up to heaven and perceive the world as Christ did, then act accordingly. We are incapable of perfectly achieving this goal, but the mere act of striving for it is a key to our redemption. The blessed sincerely believes the validity of God's commandments and does all that he can to obey them even through failure. Attempting to live righteously is a constant struggle within one's consciousness but by simply engaging in it we begin to imitate God Himself. Rejecting earthly values is the willing acceptance of ridicule in exchange for a spiritual kingdom.
Christians have many reasons to reject the world; either for the hope of things to come, or because of the number of their sins, or simply because they love God. Without these objectives, denial of the earthly pleasures would make no sense. We believe God will judge us if we do not prepare for Him and will likewise reward us if we love Him (Heb 11:6).
Those of us who wish to escape this worldly prison, to free ourselves from Pharaoh, need our own version of Moses to be our intermediary with God, to translate His will for us. Those who believe in God but attempt to serve Him on their own terms, without a leader, are deceiving themselves. We need someone to teach us how we can best serve God.
>>1237063
Christ is our leader and although we fail Him, let us try our best to follow His example because He truly knows how to make us happy. His teachings are those of our Creator Himself, it would be arrogant and foolish to reject them. Let all those considering this marvelous, tough and painful yet paradoxically easy leap of faith remember that Christ promised to help us and that our rewards are peace and happiness.
If we decide to take the leap, we must prepare a fertile soil from which Christ's vine can grow. Therefore, a Christian will attempt to turn away from worldly pleasures in order to pursue heavenly ones. Innocence, abstinence and temperance are a thrice-firm foundation upon which we can pursue our faith. Let all infants to Christian life begin with these virtues, taking real infants as their example; for among young children no evil is found, nothing deceitful, no insatiable greed or gluttony, no flaming lust. A Christian must remember that we are all children before the Lord.
It is detestable and dangerous for a wrestler to be slack at the start of a contest, thereby giving proof of his impending defeat to everyone. Let us have a firm beginning to our spiritual life, for this will help us if slackness comes later. A bold and eager soul will be spurred on by memory of its first zeal and new wings can thus be obtained.
When the soul betrays itself, when our innocence becomes blemished and our happy warmth grows cold, the reasons for such a loss ought to be carefully sought and, once found, ought to be combated with all possible zeal. The man who turns away from worldly pleasures out of fear is like burning incense, which begins with fragrance but ends in smoke. But the man who leaves the world because he loves God has taken fire from the start and ignited his heart creating warmth wherever he goes.
>>1237068
Some people build their house trusting in masonry. Others raise pillars up from the ground. The blessed builds his house with Christ as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). A subtle mind will understand this analogy.
Let us run our spiritual race eagerly for we are summoned to do so by God Himself. Our time is short; for what is a man's life compared to eternity. Let us not be found barren on the day of harvest and perish in hunger. Instead, let us please the Lord as soldiers please an emperor; for we are at the mercy of our commander in chief. We should fear God in the way we fear wild animals because God and His creation are both sublime. I have seen men do wickedness with no fear of God and these same men become afraid of a police dog. Such blindness is the precursor to spiritual death.
We should love the Lord as we love our friends. I have seen people casually dismiss God and I have seen these same people resort to every device, plan and plea to mend a broken friendship. If we can afford such love to our friends, how much more can we love our Creator?
In this world when our employer summons us to obedience, we answer the call without excuse. We had better be careful then not to refuse the summons of our God. Someone caught up in the affairs of the world can make spiritual progress, if they are determined, but it will be difficult. Just as a man in chains can still walk, so too can a worldly person undertake the spiritual journey. But both will often stumble and injure themselves.
Some people living carelessly in the world asked a saint: "How can we who are married and have careers aspire to the spiritual life?"
The saint replied: "Do whatever good you can. Speak evil of no one. Tell the truth and do not steal. Despise no one and carry no hate. Go to church. Be compassionate and avoid all scandals. Love your spouse. If you do all this, you will not be far from the kingdom of heaven."
>>1237070
Let us pursue our spiritual lives joyfully and without fear of our enemies. They are unseen but can sense the disposition of our heart. A fearful and despairing soul is easily lead into darkness. Therefore, let us be brave and walk our spiritual paths confidently fully trusting in our Lord to deliver us.
The Lord wisely eases the struggles of spiritual novices so that they will not be driven back into the world. Let us then rejoice always in the Lord because He even chooses the adversities we overcome and will never give us more than we can handle. God identifies courageous souls and allows them to become embattled from the very beginning, so that they may be rewarded sooner.
Having accepted God's grace, it would be tragic to leave the spiritual kingdom we have inherited to go worry about something which cannot aid us in the hour of death. This is what our Lord meant when He told us not to turn back and not be found useless for the Kingdom of Heaven. God knows that we are very susceptible to turning back to the world at the start of our spiritual life. He also knows that some of our relationships can tempt us to give up on our spiritual quest. When the eager man said to our Lord, "Let me go away to bury my father," He replied, "Let the dead bury the dead" (Mt 8:22) because the world is dead compared to the spirit. There are also spiritual entities which attempt to convince us to return to our worldly ways. They make us envy those who have worldly and spiritual successes. They make us regret that we seemed deprived of these virtues.. Their goal is to make us give up in false humility or to cause us despair during our journey. Vanity can lead us to mock the secular life or secretly despise those who do not pursue spiritual paths.
>>1237073
However, when we are afflicted with worldly desires, we should remember the courage of the saints who have gone before us. We should investigate why these blessed people chose to endure slander and violence. Why they accepted fasting and kept vigils. Why some choose to withdraw from the world entirely and enter into monastic life. Surely these great people were driven by something to not only endure, but to joyously accept hardship. Meditating on the zeal of those who have embraced the spiritual life can inspire us to follow their example. If God answered the prayers of the saints, He will certainly answer our prayers as well.
There are three renunciations we can take which will aid us greatly in our spiritual journey. We can turn away from the world's expectations, from the appraisals of men, by remembering that only God judges us. Having turned our back to the world, we can then let go of our own expectations for ourselves because we are often our own worst critics. Having success with the first two, the third step is to rebuke the vanity that comes with obedience. As we make spiritual progress and begin reaping some fruits from our labor, it becomes very tempting to view ourselves as superior to those who have not received the same grace. Just as the devil himself was first among the angels, we must remember that "pride goes before destruction" (Proverbs 16:18).
>>1237076
We should pray to attain a state of holy exile; an irrevocable renunciation of everything in one's familiar surroundings that hinders one from attaining virtue. Holy exile is a disciplined heart, unheralded wisdom, an unpublicized understanding, a hidden life, masked ideals. It is private meditation, prayers for humility, a wish for simplicity, the longing for what is divine. It is overflowing love, a rebuke against vanity, a deep silence.
The Lord says that every prophet is without honor in his own country (Jn 4:44). We then must remember that our act of renunciation is not for empty honor. Holy exile is a spiritual separation from everything, in order that one may hold on totally to God. It requires great sacrifice. A holy exile is a fugitive, running from all that tries to distract him from God. Do not wait for souls that are still enamored with the world when you are pressing on your spiritual journey. Even our loved ones may not understand the spiritual task we are undertaking but we must wish them well and not let their doubts distract us from our eternal glory. Many set themselves on rescuing the indifferent and become lost themselves. The flame within them is dimmed by their environment. So, if you have the fire, run, since you never know if it might be doused, leaving you stranded in darkness. Not all of us are summoned to rescue others. "My brothers, each one of us will give an account of himself to God," (Rom 14:12) Paul reminds us. Again, he declares: "You teach someone else, but not yourself" (Romans 2:21). Paul is admonishing us for being so preoccupied with teaching others that we forget that God is the teacher and that we are all His students.
Once we are operating from a place of holy exile it becomes possible to liberate ourselves from attachments. Once you have left the world, there is no need to reach out for it; the Lord provides for you now.
The Way of the Pilgrim probably the best work to start with on Christian meditation. It's a brief novel written by an anonymous monk.
The Philokalia is the esteemed classic on the topic, and includes advice from many great saints.
The Ladder of Divine Ascent is the work for people with a power level of over 9000.
>>1237078
We must beware the ways and guiles of demons. They come with the suggestion that we should not really abandon the world. They tell us of the riches that await us if we pursue worldly passions. We must not give in to their lies, in fact we must use the power of prayer to oppose them.
Some of us manage for a time to live away from worldly desires. We practice a little piety, compunction, and self-control, but then we are harassed by empty thoughts telling us to turn back. They might tell us that we are a lesson for others, that we are such a shining example of righteousness that we must parade ourselves about for the sake of others. Especially crafty demons will tell us that we would be great rescuers of souls and teachers to the world if only we bring our mind back down to earthly things. These lying thoughts tell us these things that they might scatter abroad the spiritual treasures we are accumulating for ourselves in private. Let us remember Lot's blessed example and flee the dying world without looking back. A soul that has tasted freedom but turns back to the world will be like salt that loses its flavor and becomes a useless ingredient. Run from Egypt, run and do not turn back. The part of you that yearns for worldly pleasure will never reach paradise, allow God to free you from it.
It is better to offend your parents rather than God. He, after all, created and saved us, while they, despite their best intentions, have occasionally sinned against us (as we have against them).
A true holy exile sits quietly amongst worldly men as one who speaks a different language.
>>1237084
If we want to live spiritual lives that does not mean we have to give up our familiar relationships, we simply must be aware to avoid any harm which may come from them. Here, as in everything, Christ is our teacher. It often looked as if He were trying to rebuke his earthly parents. Some people said to Him, "Your mother and your brothers are looking for you," and Christ gave them a detached response that was nonetheless free from any harsh feelings: "My mother and my brothers are those who do the will of my Father in heaven," (Mt 12:50). So let your father be the one who is able and willing to labor with you in bearing the burden of your sins, and your mother the remorse to wash away your iniquity. Let your brother be your companion and rival in the race that leads to heaven, and may the constant thought of death be your spouse. Let your children be the joy in your heart. May your body be your servant, and your friends the holy angels who will always help you if you are true to them; "This is the generation of those who seek the Lord" (Ps 23:6).
Your love for God will eclipse the love of your family. Your love for them is not diminished but simply reoriented to its source. Only the deceiver tries to convince us that we must place our family's expectations above those of God: "No one can serve two masters" (Mt 6:24). "I did not come to bring peace on earth," says the Lord, knowing how parents would rise up against their children who chose to serve Him. "It was for war and the sword" (Mt. 10:34), to separate the lovers of God from the lovers of the world, the spiritually-minded from the materially-minded, the humble from the proud, the sheep from the goats.
>>1237088
Contradiction and dissent are pleasing to God when they arise from love of Him; do not let parents or friends distract you from your spiritual birthright. When we are surrounded by doubts and images of those we care about imploring us to give up our spiritual quest, let us think of death so as not to forget the holy reward that awaits us. The deceiver can even use friends and our own families to detain us from the noble contest and draw us back into the world. We had better withdraw from such temptations lest we turn into pillars of salt.
God gave us the greatest example of renunciation through Abraham's faith when he heard the command: "Leave your country and your family and the house of your father" (Gen 12:1). Obediently, he went to a foreign country where the language was different. We should be inspired by Abraham's faith and trust that God will provide for us when we leave our familiar way of living.
When we find that God blesses us and we become successful like Joseph amid Pharaoh's courts, we must arm ourselves with a shield of humility. When demons or men lavish praise on us for our successes as if they are some great achievement, let us remember God's infinitely superior achievements which He allows us to enjoy. Let us remember the hands that fastened Orion's belt and set the seasons in motion. Let us remember how He came down from Heaven for our benefit and exiled Himself to earth because He loves us. Let us then offer up our achievements to the ultimate achiever and rejoice that such a Being cares for us.
>>1237092
To establish a good character within ourselves, to build a fitting temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell, is a difficult and toilsome task. Made all the more so by the fact that no matter how far we progress in the spiritual life, we will never be immune to temptation. Lucifer himself was the brightest Angel before he fell and we must remember not to follow his example. When a man has renounced the world and still returns to its affairs or draws near to it, he will either fall into its snares or will defile his heart with thoughts of it. He will imagine other routes he might have taken and begin to doubt the straight and narrow path laid before him.
Ova Wega
De Sa Ta OM
Lucifer, Asmodeus, Satan, LvTHN, Lilith, Belial, Aphrodite, Eris:
Seven Headed Blackened Dragon of the Void
Lord of Black Shadows
ABYSS
For whom there are no NAMES
For what there are no IDEAS
For the Black Shadow surpasses ALL
For the Black Flame is NONE
In the course of Time
The cultivation of WILL manifests itself into dissolving purification
Ascension into the Black Realms of Unknown - The Mysteries of the Dark Gods, they speak, they beckon, they motion, they guide- I leap into the Hellish Fire!
Abysmal Awakening, immutable Dawn, the Sinister Arrow of Lucifer reaches the Pinnacle! Epitomization! Nexicratic Alchemical Arcane Transformation!
Hail the Blackened Scales of the Void Dragon!
I summon the Seven Heads, the Seven Gateways; I channel the Nine Realms, the Nine Universes!
Into ABYSS we- I- attain Godhood, within Shadows lays Divinity.
Hail Satan
My Will BE
May the Dark Gods hear my desires and answer with prudence!
Destroy my enemies with hail and brimstone; open fully the gates of Abadon and let the river flow without restraint! Cast thy hands, thy gaze, thy demons upon those who would destroy liberation!
Let none other but me gain domination over this interest; let none connive or succeed in foiling want!
Ave Satanas!
Open the gates!
Burn with ferocity!
Answer, my will be done!
>>1237112
Wow, so edgy...
>>1237047
Got one for you, OP.
>>1237174
>no arguments that aren't meme tier
>even atheist philosophers consider trash
>>1237190
Just like the bible.
>>1237050
It's shit.
A proper list for >>1237047 would be:
>Story of a Soul by St.Therese
>Ladder of Divine Ascent
>Imitation of Christ by Kempis
>Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross
>Interior Castle by St. Teresa
>True Devotion to Mary by Louis-Marie de Montfort
>An Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales
>New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton
>The Cloud of Unknowing by Unknown
>The Philokalia
>>1237047
Communion with God/Jesus Christ can be done at any given time. Could be in a moment of appreciation and gratitude for the little that you do have, it just hits you out of no where, how much of a good place you are truly in with Him and the love He has for you. The love you feel and the gratitude you feel for receiving that love afterwards, and then there's time you may feel inclined to seek wisdom which can be awesome as well. Truly feels good to be with Him man.
You'll also feel what its like when He's not around which will just further cause you to seek the Father/Creator and His Son.
Also, like if you're in a bad place, sadness or some form of despondency...makes no sense to urge you to seek Him since he's already there waiting for you to address Him. Let Him work and feel the change.
>>1237047
STOP FUCKING READING MOTHERFUCKING JOHN JULIUS NORWICH HE IS NOT A FUCKING HISTORIAN AND HE HAS NO HISTORICAL EDUCATION BACKGROUND WHATSOEVER HE IS JUST A RICH FUCK WHO LIKES TO WRITE DO NOT TAKE HIS ACCOUNT SERIOUSLY REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
God sent himself down in human form just do die and some how that forgives people for things that he already knew you were going to do in the first place? How does that make any sense?
>>1237190
God delusion is not a book to convince hardcore christians to atheism. It is spesifically designed for moderates-those who only pay lip service etc. Dawkins says this exactly in his introduction
So it is absurd for you to accuse the book for lacking arguments for you.
>>1237271
Tell me more. I love takedowns of bad "historians" and there's not enough of them.
>>1237295
Its not a case of "bad historian" its that he is not a historian himself, go check his wikipedia. The guy has no credentials of history but writes about it.
and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What gets me trigger is to have a memehistorian's work being taken seriously. I'm a Byzantinist, and had more than one faggot who asked "What do you think of Norwich ?". They almost always get surprised when I say I don't think about him at all since he is not a historian.
Again nothing wrong with reading it, I have no problem of people reading his work for fun, reading it out of curiosity etc but many people think he is a historian, when in reality he is not.
>>1237289
>How dare you criticize this shitty propaganda being shilled as a death blow to religious belief for having zero points of merit
>He admits it in his book after all!
>>1237315
Of course you can criticize it, or rather crtisize those who take that book as if its contains some major arguments But you did accused dawkins for not having any arguments against hardcore christians, but that was not his. intentions. That was my point, and it was not a shitty propaganda as it converted a lot of "undecided" folk to atheism. It might be shitty for you but it was not designed for you
There are plenty of other works who specifically target hardcore christians, you should focus your attention there. Or you can attack atheist (who probably never read the book thus think its desiged for hardcore christians) in an anime image board to score goodchristianboypoints.
>>1237312
Oh, yeah, I'm familiar with that problem as well.
I'm just glad (ok, part of me is a little disappointed) he's not your field's Daniel Goldhagen.
>>1237287
Wish I could answer off the bat, but I'd suggest studying that question until you get your answer. Don't stop until you do.
>tfw cotton mouth and super thirsty
>image verification is "select all the juices"
>mfw
>>1237322
Don't bother. Euphoric christfags are the Christian version of europhic atheistfags, they only know greentexts and ebin maymays.
In trying to be different, they became exactly the same as the very thing they hate. I guess God does have a sense of humor after all
>>1237322
Moron Dawkins doesn't have arguments of any variety that succeed on any level
That's the criticism. He might as well be saying 2+2=5
>>1237385
>of any variety that succeed on any level
Then why is he brought up frequently?
>>1237047
/lit/fag here, I'm considering starting the Holy Bible after I am done my current book. Which edition is recommended?
>>1237570
For literary significance the KJV bar none.
In terms of being an accurate translation and canon, well that's up for debate.
>>1237599
Cool, I'll start with King James and at a later point in my life go with a more accurate version. Thank you anon.
>>1237570
Douay-Rheims
Protestant memes aren't bibles
>>1237047
if you read the gospels, particularly the sermon on the mount as a example, what is practicaly implyed is a constant state of active self-observation(among other stuff like maintaining love for others, being in a state of 'peace' and so on) in the sense that it is repeated over and over not merely to not commit acts of sin, but rather to avoid even thinking the thing in the first place, to primarily keep ones mind clean and focused, which is only practicaly possible as a result of constant internal practice
that is the real ''christian meditation/contemplation'', but mystics and orders later developed actual practices, and a example of it that survived in mass use to this day is simply 'counting the rosary', round after round after round, also 'deep prayer', basicaly praying and focusing on the sublime object in ones mind for hours and hours a day, various forms of fasting, discipline, group prayer/singing/chanting etc...
in other words its all operatively the same as non-christian practices, since basic neurology is fundamentaly the same across cultures, only the nomenclature is realy different, the rest is just cultural idiosincracy
>>1237718
>A translation
>of a translation
