Theology

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Ddseddse

Ddseddse

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I'm reading "The Black Rose" which has a lot of archaic language in it and used the term "nip-cheese". So I tried to google the definition.

First of all, you need a black belt in search engine manipulation to filter out all the hits on "cheese nips" which clog up the results, but eventually I found out that it is an archaic term for "miser".

But more interestingly the page I finally found had a Thought of the Day in the footer that precisely encapsulates my thoughts on theology, to whit:

"Wandering in a vast forest at night, I have only a faint light to guide me. A stranger appears and says to me: 'My friend, you should blow out your candle in order to find your way more clearly.' The stranger is a theologian." -Denis Diderot, philosopher (5 Oct 1713-1784)

Ha! That's theology in a nutshell!
 
Ddseddse said:
I'm reading "The Black Rose" which has a lot of archaic language in it and used the term "nip-cheese". So I tried to google the definition.

First of all, you need a black belt in search engine manipulation to filter out all the hits on "cheese nips" which clog up the results, but eventually I found out that it is an archaic term for "miser".

But more interestingly the page I finally found had a Thought of the Day in the footer that precisely encapsulates my thoughts on theology, to whit:

"Wandering in a vast forest at night, I have only a faint light to guide me. A stranger appears and says to me: 'My friend, you should blow out your candle in order to find your way more clearly.' The stranger is a theologian." -Denis Diderot, philosopher (5 Oct 1713-1784)

Ha! That's theology in a nutshell!
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But maybe you see better by starlight after your eyes adjust?

OTOH, maybe

Blair Witch Horror GIF by Shudder
 
Part of the question here is: When walking at night and confronted with a street with one side lit and the other in darkness. Which one do you choose?
 
To attempt to put a more coherent thought together...

I believe the human experience exists in the intersection of two orthogonal worlds, the numinous (religious) world, and the observable (logical, scientific) world.

Any attempt to apply logic and/or scientific study to the numinous world is not only a fools errand, but one that is 100% lock, stock, and barrel guaranteed to produce nonsense. Nonsense that is 100% going to be in the self serving interest of the theologian who is creating it. This is because there is no "truth" or "logic" possible vis a vi the numinous (specifically in the way that the study of theology wants to approach "truth"), and because the output needs some structure, the theologian simply substitutes whatever they need/want to be in there in there.

The outcome is disastrous. You end up with a worldview that places you in a bubble that simultaneously isolates you from both the (illogical, unobservable) truths of the numinous and the (orthogonal, scientific) truths of the observable world.

Theology makes us losers on both counts.

ETA: Never, ever, ever, outsource your morality to some idiot who is too dense to realize the logical scientific study of the numinous is a fool's errand.
 
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Tokusan was studying Zen under Ryutan. One night he came to Ryutan and asked many questions. The teacher said: "The night is getting old. Why don't you retire?"

So Tokusan bowed and opened the screen to go out, observing: "It is very dark outside." Ryutan offered Tokusan a lighted candle to find his way.
Just as Tokusan received it, Ryutan blew it out. At that moment the mind of Tokusan was opened.
 
TarSpiel said:
Tokusan was studying Zen under Ryutan. One night he came to Ryutan and asked many questions. The teacher said: "The night is getting old. Why don't you retire?"

So Tokusan bowed and opened the screen to go out, observing: "It is very dark outside." Ryutan offered Tokusan a lighted candle to find his way.
Just as Tokusan received it, Ryutan blew it out. At that moment the mind of Tokusan was opened.
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So we are in agreement here then.

Zen koans are the antithesis of theology. Their very purpose it to throw a spanner in the gears of logical thought in a way designed to let the numinous in.

That is the precise opposite of theology which attempts to use logic and reason to vivisect the numinous, killing it in the process.
 
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Ddseddse said:
So we are in agreement here then.

Zen koans are the antithesis of theology. Their very purpose it to throw a spanner in the gears of logical thought in a way designed to let the numinous in.

That is the precise opposite of theology which attempts to use logic and reason to vivisect the numinous, killing it in the process.
Click to expand...

Yea, that's basically my understanding too.

I used to be interested in theology and philosophy, until I encountered a zen koan. Now I could pretty much just chuck it all into a river.
 
Ddseddse said:
First of all, you need a black belt in search engine manipulation to filter out all the hits on "cheese nips" which clog up the results, but eventually I found out that it is an archaic term for "miser".
Click to expand...
If you have that black belt, can you look up something for me? In the Velvet Underground song "Heroin" there's a reference to "all the Jim-Jim's in this town." I've never found a source explaining what that meant. I even had a colleague who grew up a few miles from where Lou Reed grew up, and he had never heard it.

I've long suspected that it's a racist slang for Chinese people, but I guess that I just don't know.
 
superrific said:
If you have that black belt, can you look up something for me? In the Velvet Underground song "Heroin" there's a reference to "all the Jim-Jim's in this town." I've never found a source explaining what that meant. I even had a colleague who grew up a few miles from where Lou Reed grew up, and he had never heard it.

I've long suspected that it's a racist slang for Chinese people, but I guess that I just don't know.
Click to expand...

AI says it's slang for the jitters, and references heroin withdrawal
 
superrific said:
If you have that black belt, can you look up something for me? In the Velvet Underground song "Heroin" there's a reference to "all the Jim-Jim's in this town." I've never found a source explaining what that meant. I even had a colleague who grew up a few miles from where Lou Reed grew up, and he had never heard it.

I've long suspected that it's a racist slang for Chinese people, but I guess that I just don't know.
Click to expand...
Genius.com says:
And the line, “About all the Jim-Jims in this town” slips under the radar of lyrical texture. Simply, he means to say that his town is full of phonies and fakes who are just out for themselves. Jim-Jims is actually a very interesting word because it has multiple meanings. Normally, it’s a general term for people who have issues socially, financially and mentally. Alternatively, Jim-Jims may also refer to the slang term for medication. Stuff like Ritalin and Adderall. A link that comes full circle when it comes not only to the song title – but the themes that the song expresses.

 
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