Adam Blatner

I recently heard a talk by Ilia Delio, a Catholic theologian and professor who stretches what catholicity means. She recently wrote a book about Teilhard de Chardin and quotes some little known papers that have come available. It turns out that Teilhard went beyond denominational religion, which meant that he went beyond the necessary hierarchy of authority in the Roman Catholic tradition. Teilhard, as it turns out, actually posed a post-modern spirituality. This is exciting stuff! In this sense of an evolving God, a Becoming Everything universe, and an evolution towards higher consciousness, whatever that means, this is very radical stuff. Many non-denominational thinkers from Ken Wilber to Jean Houston have traveled this path. A recent biography of Huston Smith also speaks to multiple religions and techniques to relate to higher values.

I have dared to confabulate mythologies, knowing I’m just making stuff up, but sincere in my wanting to aim for something good-hearted. I’m heartened to encounter people like Prof Delio who are evidently passionate about the possibility of consciousness to reach, to stretch, and to apply insights thus gained in the service of the whole.

Whether interpreting Teilhard or making stuff up, we are all reaching thus. I am guilty only for lacking sufficient submissive reverence to accept what officially designated betters say. I don’t buy that they are indeed my betters and I don’t submit. I’ve come a fair distance from atheism with the proviso that sincere spirituality compels me, but no one so far, including myself, has a lock on anything close to the truth. I do use a criterion for that which is not too far, though: Nice. I just can’t get with any approach that isn’t nice.

Maybe not pampering, I’ll draw short of that. There’s a certain stirring up that evokes thought and conflict and stretching. May the spirit of the living God forever continue to comfort and disturb you. That seems wise.

Back to confabulation. Scientists say the known universe has, like, 200 billion galaxies, and the known cosmos is, like, 25 billion miles in diameter, and the known universe is only, like, 13.7 billion years old. So given that, what gives? God said, "that’s only in 3D space and 1 dimension time." To say that I said "what?!?!" would be an understatement.