Gary's response
First I want to say that I am blown away by the thoughtfulness and eloquence evidenced in the contributions to the debate. Emily and I feel truly blessed to be associated with such a wonderful group.
While I agree with much of what has been said about the importance of maintaining ties to the Christian community as individuals, my concern is that by emphasizing the Order’s connection to Christianity as opposed to wisdom traditions as a broader group we may unwittingly exclude members whose contributions and perspectives can enrich us all. One of the characteristics of Ken Wilber’s classification of what constitutes a “higher” stage of psycho-spiritual development is that it both transcends and includes the stages that precede it. I suspect most of us sense that there is a Unity behind the diversity we experience, and the broader the scope of the dialogue with all traditions, the greater the likelihood of perceiving that Unity. I often recall Lynn’s metaphor of religions being like an axle with multiple wheels: the core experience (axle) for all the wheels (religions) is the same, but as the experience is transmitted out the spokes to the rim, the immediacy and clarity is diluted and lost. The resulting religions perceive themselves to be different, unique and exclusive even though the Source is the same. I feel the Order should be open to anyone seeking the Source.
My preference would be to emphasize the wisdom tradition aspect so as to be inclusive yet encourage individual OOOW members to remain active in the tradition that serves them and that they can serve. To Lynn’s list of three possible roles for OOOW members I would add a fourth, one that most of all already play; that of change agent. Most of us have the opportunity to interject what we are discovering about Yeshua in our local congregations or other groups in a way that will encourage others to re-examine their understanding. We can interact as Christians (or Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc.) locally but draw strength, understanding and inspiration from association within OOOW as we deepen our respective searches for experiencing the Source.
Perhaps there is some danger in seeking a broad perspective rather than drilling deep in our own tradition(s), but because we are different in background, personality, and ways of perception, and because many of us feel put off by much of institutional Christianity, exploration of other wisdom traditions in tandem with growing understanding of what Yeshua actually taught may strengthen our appreciation of Christianity. Or we may, like Scott Peck, feel another faith serves us better during a part of our lives but then return to our roots toward the end of our lives. Life is, after all, a journey and a process, not a destination.
Namaste!
While I agree with much of what has been said about the importance of maintaining ties to the Christian community as individuals, my concern is that by emphasizing the Order’s connection to Christianity as opposed to wisdom traditions as a broader group we may unwittingly exclude members whose contributions and perspectives can enrich us all. One of the characteristics of Ken Wilber’s classification of what constitutes a “higher” stage of psycho-spiritual development is that it both transcends and includes the stages that precede it. I suspect most of us sense that there is a Unity behind the diversity we experience, and the broader the scope of the dialogue with all traditions, the greater the likelihood of perceiving that Unity. I often recall Lynn’s metaphor of religions being like an axle with multiple wheels: the core experience (axle) for all the wheels (religions) is the same, but as the experience is transmitted out the spokes to the rim, the immediacy and clarity is diluted and lost. The resulting religions perceive themselves to be different, unique and exclusive even though the Source is the same. I feel the Order should be open to anyone seeking the Source.
My preference would be to emphasize the wisdom tradition aspect so as to be inclusive yet encourage individual OOOW members to remain active in the tradition that serves them and that they can serve. To Lynn’s list of three possible roles for OOOW members I would add a fourth, one that most of all already play; that of change agent. Most of us have the opportunity to interject what we are discovering about Yeshua in our local congregations or other groups in a way that will encourage others to re-examine their understanding. We can interact as Christians (or Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc.) locally but draw strength, understanding and inspiration from association within OOOW as we deepen our respective searches for experiencing the Source.
Perhaps there is some danger in seeking a broad perspective rather than drilling deep in our own tradition(s), but because we are different in background, personality, and ways of perception, and because many of us feel put off by much of institutional Christianity, exploration of other wisdom traditions in tandem with growing understanding of what Yeshua actually taught may strengthen our appreciation of Christianity. Or we may, like Scott Peck, feel another faith serves us better during a part of our lives but then return to our roots toward the end of our lives. Life is, after all, a journey and a process, not a destination.
Namaste!
posted by Gary O'Connor at 11:45 AM
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