Francis Berger
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Heaven as Creativity

6/19/2022

6 Comments

 
Yesterday I described heaven as fulfillment, but the essence of that fulfillment stems from creativity, and when I imagine heaven, I envision it as being free to create with God. 

In mortal life, I believe we experience freedom with God only through moments of creativity -- those moments in life when we are able to tap into something immeasurably deep within us and bring forth an upsurge of being that transcends the entropy, evil, and necessity inherent in the world process.

The fulfillment of tasks is a certain kind of "need to do"; creativity is another class of "need to do" altogether.

Creativity is the appearance of something that is new and original to our unique selves -- that deepest, innermost aspect of ourselves.

It is the free movement of this deep inner self attuning itself with Creation and introducing into Creation something Creation alone could not have introduced.

Once the creative movement is introduced, God takes notice and consents to freely work and co-operate with the creative impulse being introduced into Creation. In that moment, we are "free with" God. The impulse is added to Creation, becomes a part of Creation, expands and deepens Creation.

When I think of heaven, I envision it as this sort of eternal co-creation, working creatively with God and with other beings who have also chosen to freely align themselves with God in love. 
6 Comments
bruce charlton
6/19/2022 09:15:09

This is the kind of stuff we need to be thinking about!

I personally have found this 'economy of Heaven' easier to understand if I imagine that the basis is a family all of whom love each other eternally.

In the profoundest sense, I regard resurrection as having made it possible for individual Men to make a permanent commitment to live by love - which also requires consent to be stripped of all in our mortal selves that is sin.

Thus, heaven is me at my most loving and without the unloving traits; living with others who are likewise.

Then, against this background, all our creativity will intrinsically be in harmony with God's creation. Creative 'output' does not need to be adjusted, nor censored; creative thoughts will emerge already in harmony, because arising only from loving motivations.

And this is freedom, because it is the purest expression of our-selves.

But, the whole thing relies on sharing the assumption that sin is not real freedom - and this is what the evil affiliated do not believe. They believe that unloving thoughts, speech, acts are a vital aspect of their freedom (or happiness), and will not surrender them - insist on retaining them.

And therefore must dwell among those of like mind - i.e. in some kind of Hell - but that is their choice.

Heaven is only Heaven because all the inhabitants live by love and have consented to give-up sin - eternally; and this of itself brings eternal life, because sin is death (sin is 'entropy', or chaos, if you like) .

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Francis Berger
6/19/2022 22:39:15

@ Bruce - I agree wholeheartedly. You've inspired my next post -- Heaven is Free From Sin

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Lady Mermaid link
6/19/2022 20:56:07

The need to become co-creators w/ God is the reason why man's consciousness around sacred objects/images began to change around the 16th century. Bruce Charlton has an excellent post about the common media depiction of demonic possession/exorcism being done to a person w/o consent and requiring a particular mechanism to free a person.

https://charltonteaching.blogspot.com/2022/06/angels-demons-exorcism-and-mass-media.html

The pagan religion shown on TV series such as The Last Kingdom tends to view spirituality in a similar sense. There is a destiny that the gods have determined and everything is a result of fate. The main character Uhtred believes that all of his choices were ultimately a result of fate. Curses can be placed on someone w/o consent and require a particular ritual to break regardless of one's internal motivations.

However, Christian spirituality is much deeper as it requires man's cooperation. God wants us to actively participate in His creation rather than being a passive vessel for fate. Sacred objects/relics can be instruments of divine power if man aligns his will w/ God, but they do not possess power in of themselves.

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Francis Berger
6/19/2022 22:52:18

@ Lady Mermaid - Bruce has excellent posts about nearly everything, but I found his piece today particularly engaging.

It's interesting that you mention the Last Kingdom series and Uhtred with his "Destiny is all" moniker. The protagonist of another pagan religion show set in the same era arrives at a different conclusion when it comes to his Norse religious beliefs about fate. Worth watching if you are unfamiliar with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPhq6TFyV50

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Lady Mermaid link
6/20/2022 02:01:18

I had started Season 1 of Vikings, but I never got a chance to finish it. I will need to do so when I finish The Last Kingdom. Thank you for the link.

This is why I don't believe a pagan revival is truly possible on a large scale despite the hopes of some of the alt right. For one thing, paganism, like all religion, was an attempt to make sense of spiritual things, not simply used as a format to build worldly societies in the ways that neopagans believe. Civilization is a byproduct of spirituality, not the goal.

Furthermore, the change of consciousness brought about through the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost shows a deeper more meaningful way to relate to God. Odin may be able to offer hedonistic feasting for a while, but even he will burn in flames according to Norse mythology. Only Christ gives victory over death to allow us to become sons of God or co creators. That is what is missing when people debate over what religion to adopt in order to save society. The focus on the debate misses the point of religion.

Francis Berger
6/20/2022 22:11:09

@ Lady Mermaid - I couldn't agree more. I think most alt-right types who advocate for a return to paganism do so for the most vulgar of reasons

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