KenVincent
Moderator
Registered: 12/19/07
Posts: 103
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The Big Questions 1. Is understanding yourself something the Bible encourages? 2. Self-knowledge is valuable for maturing emotionally and psychologically, but is it a worthwhile quest for our spiritual lives? Why or why not? 3. How does self-knowledge aid us in our human relationships? 4. Is a deep level of self-understanding likely to make us more or less judgmental about others? Explain your answer. 5. Might the outcome of praying for self-knowledge be something you didn't want to know? Explain your answer.
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Ken Vincent
Online Forum Moderator
St. Luke Lutheran Church
Albuquerque, NM |
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marklmiller
Registered: 04/05/08
Posts: 13
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1. Is understanding yourself something the Bible encourages? Of course, but knowing GOD's plan for your life is more important than too much narcissistic "self assessment" that is not focused on becoming better Christians. 2. Self-knowledge is valuable for maturing emotionally and psychologically, but is it a worthwhile quest for our spiritual lives? Why or why not? Yes. But again, be mindful of WHY you are seeking self-knowledge. In today's world of nifty gadgets, all sorts of "self-metrics" are possible, but be careful to separate "metrics for fun" from prayerful striving for self-improvement that is God-motivated. 3. How does self-knowledge aid us in our human relationships? Yes. By knowing our strengths and weaknesses, it helps us work in harmony with other's strengths and weaknesses. 4. Is a deep level of self-understanding likely to make us more or less judgmental about others? Explain your answer. I'd hope not. The better I know myself, the more I realize I fall far short of what God would have for me. While I may feel critical of others at times, I remind myself that THEIR failings are no greater than MY failings in GOD's eyes. 5. Might the outcome of praying for self-knowledge be something you didn't want to know? Explain your answer. Sometimes...like the adage goes..."be careful what you pray for"! |
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WillHoffman
Registered: 01/04/08
Posts: 98
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1. Self-understanding is important as it applies to discernment and to our relationship with our loved ones, neighbors, and the world. I think self-understanding is a life-long process and the Bible should not just be a list of do's and don'ts, seeking a panacea or cure-all, or even a placebo effect.
2. A spiritual life entails emotional and psychological maturing but self-knowledge is not an end unto itself. Remember the Faustian bargain: in exchange for giving up one's soul, one will possess total knowledge, which is equated with immortality.
As Richard Rohr says: "Information is not transformation." For example, all the empirical data about one person with autism -- and there are as many types of autism as there are individuals with some degree of clinical autism --cannot explain how that person's unique brain is completely wired at any instant.
3. Self-knowledge can teach us to be cautious and helpful in our relationships with others, but it cannot assure that once we know ourselves that we will know others.
I believe that we cannot love or trust others without first loving and trusting ourselves. We must also exercise grace and mercy with others.
4. I think being judgmental is dualistic thinking, as Richard Rohr says. Being judgmental means having to decide either-or, win-lose, yes-no. Religious thinkers and psychologists have long known about the concept of "both-and," so that we don't get stuck on one end or the other. Look at an eneagram -- it is a circle or a compass that embraces many distinctions and connections.
5. The spiritual and cultural psychologist C. G. Jung in "The Undiscovered Self," describes the dilemma of humanity in the mid-20th century, following a half-century of utter war and inhumanity. He describes the plight of the individual in modern society with religion as the counterbalance to mass-mindedness. He examines the position of Western Civilization on the question of religion. He advocates the individual's understanding of the deepest self in the context of religious awareness, as well as the philosophical and psychological approach to life. He urges the individual to "fulfill the demands of rigorous self-examination, and self-knowledge." Self-examination in the context of the Christian heritage embedded in Western Civilization goes hand-in-hand with self-knowledge about the world, ourselves, and our place in the world.
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??: I'm still stuck on the Frontage Road of the Information Super Highway and I think I'm headed in the wrong direction -- can't seem to find the on-ramp. |
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