Faith Seeking Understanding
Faith Seeking Understanding.
That phrase encompasses a lot. According to Sunstone’s history, it includes the spiritual, intellectual, social, artistic, historical, contemporary, and pro-active passions that many of us have:
“Under the motto, “Faith Seeking Understanding,” we examine and express the rich spiritual, intellectual, social and artistic qualities of Mormon history and contemporary life. We encourage humanitarian service, honest inquiry, and responsible interchange of ideas that is respectful of all people and what they hold sacred.”
–The History of Sunstone (http://www.sunstoneonline.com/sunstone/sun-history.asp)
From an intellectual perspective, my faith is seeking understanding of why spiritual experiences are not constant, rationally repeatable, and comparable from one person to another. My faith is seeking understanding of which parts of spirituality are inherently natural to human beings and which parts are learned. My faith is seeking understanding of the meaning of historical religious texts.
From a spiritual perspective, my faith is seeking understanding about the nature of God. My faith is seeking understanding about if and why I and my experiences are individually important in the vastness of life. My faith is seeking understanding of the type of love it takes to sacrifice one’s life for another.
From a contemporary perspective, my faith is seeking understanding about how our diverse human race can come together in unity, setting our spiritual and intellectual differences aside and working together to build each other up, taking care of our environment, and living in peace.
My faith has found understanding in the importance of humility. It has found understanding in the gray nature of history and history’s place in my daily doings and in my religiosity. My faith has recently come to understand that I will not understand much of this world and my life before I die.
What about you? What is your faith seeking to understand? What understanding has your faith found?
January 28th, 2007 at 11:22 am
I wonder if it is odd to reply that my faith is seeking to understand faith. Meaning, seeking to understand those things that I can hope for and strive for in the absence of proof or fact. Perhaps I should say that my faith is seeking to make peace with uncertainty?
What my faith has found is love. That love overcomes fear and is more powerful than any other expression. Yes, that sounds rather trite and hippie-ish. But it works for me.
January 29th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Well said, Elise. Your questions are also my questions.
“…my faith is seeking understanding of why spiritual experiences are not constant, rationally repeatable, and comparable from one person to another. My faith is seeking understanding of which parts of spirituality are inherently natural to human beings and which parts are learned.”
The above is probably the question for which I have the greatest need for understanding. I’d like to see more written on this subject, more research. I’d also like to see a way the LDS Church (and all religions) can honor/accept/validate spiritual experiences, without strictly defining them, without drawing lines in the sand dictating which interpretations and conclusions are acceptable and which are not. Does such an open/universal approach necessarily lead to chaos?
January 29th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
Jana - I don’t think that sounds odd at all. One of the few specific impressions I remember from John’s last book club - “The End of Faith” - was the realization of how much of our life is actually lived in the unknown, that is to say, in the absence of proof or fact. I like your “found” undertanding of love.
Matt - I think it will be incredibly interesting to see what we can learn when science develops an objective way to measure what is going on chemically, on a cellular level, that is, inside of us when we have spiritual expereinces.
Unfortunately, it seems like organized religions must have strict definitions out of necessity. It’s the commonly considered paradox: people need religion in order obtain strict definitions of the subbjective spiritual emotions they feel. Unless they don’t feel the need for strict definitions, and then if that is the case, do they need religion at all? Religion gives interpretations and conclusions, and without restricting these specifically, its power is non-existant. Such an open/universal approach might not lead to chaos (I tend to think it would not) but it may lead to a lack of need for religion* altogether.
Maybe part of the beauty of non-repeatable, inconsistant, un-comparable experiences are those exact characteristics. I suppose they are truly ours’ and no one elses’ when they can’t be repeated, subjectively described, or compared to another’s. Maybe they are meant to be individual, maybe that is the point? I get frustrated because I thrive on relationships and connections with others, and I think most of us are trying to escape lonliness in one way or another, but maybe we’re not supposed to - maybe our spiritual experiences are meant to be a bit isolated and owned only by us? I don’t know, just rambling…..
*I have to side-note here that I love gatherings of spiritual people, seeking truth and goodness. I hope that these types of gatherings never disappear, even if the strict organization does.
February 6th, 2007 at 1:27 am
Hey, i just wanted to know who said, ” Faith, seeking understanding”. Well, because it’s my extra credit and i am desperate!!!
February 6th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Here is the quote from St. Anselm that is often condensed in the shorthand statement: “Theology is faith seeking understanding.”
St. Anselm (1033-1109)
Cur Deus Homo (Why God Became Man)
November 21st, 2007 at 4:01 am
Am I able to respond to this?
I’ve got a lot to say about it.
Also, how does one submit a “Guest Post” for consideration?
November 21st, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Nicholas — send your proposed submission to info@sunstoneblog.com.