Protestantism

» paper_turtle - Relevant quotes from Christian sources

Here are some quotes from Christian sources (some of them Catholic) which--as I read them--say much the same thing as what the article, and my comments, have said.
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This is a bit long, but each the quotes (and comments) are relatively brief.
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If God were small enough to be understood, He would not be big enough to be worshiped.
--Evelyn Underhill
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Every time we try to define God (or the mind of God), we make him small.
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Do not be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness or bitterness. The longer you hide it, the stronger it will become and the harder your heart will grow. Stay tenderhearted.
--John Bevere
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Our bitterness and refusal to forgive causes suffering. So does hardness of heart. They are the very opposite of goodness, and the opposite of God's love and mercy.
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God is looking for imperfect men and women who have learned to walk in moment-by-moment dependence on the Holy Spirit. Christians who have come to terms with their inadequacies, fears, and failures. Believers who have become discontent with 'surviving' and have taken the time to investigate everything God has to offer in this life.
--Charles Stanley
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Our inadequacies, fears, and failures are the source of our suffering, and very often are attachments--habits of thinking and being which inhibit our ability to see things clearly. When we seek to heal those wounded parts of ourselves we discover life in all its fullness.
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In this crazy world, there's an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they're never separated. Where there is pain, there is healing. Where there is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the kingdom.
--Henri J. M. Nouwen
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What we perceive as bad causes us to suffer, but if we can learn to trust in God's goodness, and look at whaever comes as an opportunity to grow in spirit, are liberated from suffering, we discover joy.
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Instead of condemning others, strive to reach inner peace. Keep silent, refrain from judgment. This will raise you above the deadly arrows of slander, insult and outrage and will shield your glowing hearts against all evil.
--St. Seraphim of Sarov
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When we focus on how others are wrong we become attached to their actions. We get an emotional pay-back in the form of affirmation for our ego. We make ourselves feel good by making another look bad. But when we point the finger at another three fingers ar always pointing back at us. When we tend our own garden, our perception is no longer focused on the weeds in our neighbor's garden. We see both gardens contain beauty.
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To renew your mind is to involve yourself in the process of allowing God to bring to the surface the lies you have mistakenly accepted and replace them with truth. To the degree that you do this, your behavior will be transformed.
--Charles Stanley
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The Buddhist seeks to see things clearly, without judgment, without negativity. The Buddhist believes illusion is at the root of suffering. In several places in the Gospel, Jesus also addresses the need for clarity of sight, and the hazards of illusions.
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Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.
--Etty Hillesum
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Both Jesus and Buddha taught that we first need to look within, and be sure we are at peace (in right relationship). When we respond with love and peace, out of our inner stores of love and peace, we cultivate peace in others. Every thing matters, each word, each deed, each thought.
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God said: "When you are self-absorbed, you rob your neighbors of true love and affection. Self-absorption is the foundation and very essence of all evil. Every crime, hatred, cruelty and ugliness comes from the root of self-absorbed love. It poisons the whole world."
--Catherine of Siena, Dialogue
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Self-absorption stems from feelings of inadeqacy. It leads to defensiveness, judgmentalism, jealousy. The self-absorbed person is never satisfied, never at peace. At the heart of Buddhism and Christianity is the relinquishment of the egoic self.
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peace and love,
Paper Turtle

-- posted by paper_turtle