Hello, fellow idolaters!
This morning, my cousin Darren directed my attention to this lovely little program from the CBC (Canadian version of NPR) entitled "Idolatry for Beginners." I listened, at first, in order to bolster my smug opinion of how endlessly idolatrous everybody else is, but it ultimately forced me to pause and consider my own idolatries.
While I highly recommend you have a listen yourself, I'm referencing it more to intro a quote on the program from Jewish philosopher/theologian Martin Buber:
"Faith does not mean professing what we hold true in a ready-made formula, it means holding ourselves open to the unconditional mystery which we encounter in every sphere of our life, and which cannot be comprised in any formula. It means that, from the very roots of our being, we should always be prepared to live with this mystery, as one being lives with another. Real faith means the ability to endure life in the face of this mystery."
While I highly recommend you have a listen yourself, I'm referencing it more to intro a quote on the program from Jewish philosopher/theologian Martin Buber:
"Faith does not mean professing what we hold true in a ready-made formula, it means holding ourselves open to the unconditional mystery which we encounter in every sphere of our life, and which cannot be comprised in any formula. It means that, from the very roots of our being, we should always be prepared to live with this mystery, as one being lives with another. Real faith means the ability to endure life in the face of this mystery."
That Martin Buber quote was the one that made me stop and rewind the podcast so I could hear it again. I find the idea fascinating that idolatry is trying to make something what it is not, that God/reality is mystery, and overcoming idolatry involves coming to terms with that.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Also, Buber is a really funny name.
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