I
offer a list that contrasts the two traditions of Fall/Redemption Religion and
Creation Spirituality to consider as a new paradigm for a post-modern era.
Matthew Fox (Asterisk * indicates a definition
is found at the bottom of pages)
|
Fall/Redemption |
Creation
Spirituality |
|
Begins
with sin |
Begins
with God’s Creative energy (Dabhar/Logos) |
|
Emphasizes
original sin |
Emphasizes
original blessing |
|
Faith
is approval/agreement (Assent) |
Faith
is trust |
|
Patriarchal |
Feminist
and Gender balanced |
|
Ascetic
(stoic, icy, cold,
harsh, strict, stern, grim/detached/unfeeling/unforgiving) |
Aesthetic
(pleasant, positive,
or artful appearance of person/thing) |
|
Mortification
of body (Subduing
ones bodily desires) |
Discipline
toward birthing |
|
Control
of passions |
Ecstasy,
Eros, celebration of Passion |
|
Virtue
lies in the will (Augustinians) |
Virtue
lies in the passions (Aquinas) |
|
Passion
is a curse |
Passion
is a blessing |
|
God
as Father |
God
as Mother, God as Child, as well as Father |
|
Suffering
is wages for sin |
Suffering
is birth pains of universe—all beings suffer |
|
Death
is wages for sin |
Death
is a natural, a prelude to recycling and rebirth |
|
Introspective
in its psychology |
Cosmic
(connecting psyche to cosmos) in its psychology |
|
Emphasizes
introvert meditation |
Emphasizes
art as meditation (extrovert meditation) |
|
Science
is unimportant |
Science,
by teaching us about Nature, teaches us about the Creator |
|
Dualistic
(either/or) |
Dialectical
(both/and) |
|
Spirit
is in opposition to matter |
Spirit
and matter form a “wonderful communion” (Aquinas) |
|
“Spirit
is whatever is not matter” (Augustine) |
Spirit is ‘elan” in things (Aquinas)
(energy, style,
enthusiasm) |
|
Suspicious
of body and violent body/soul imagery: “Soul makes war with the body”
(Augustine) |
Welcoming
of body and gentle in its body/soul imagery: “soul loves the body” (Eckhart) |
|
“Humility
is to despise yourself” (Tanquerry) |
Humility
is to befriend one’s earthiness (humus). “Holy people draw to themselves all
that is earthy.” (Hildegard) |
|
Be
in control |
Letting
go—ecstasy, breakthrough |
|
Pessimistic |
Hopeful |
|
Climbing
Jacob’s Ladder (ascending to heaven) |
Dancing
Sara’s Circle (heaven as here and now – heart to heart) |
|
Elitist |
For
the many, democratic |
|
Earthly/human/Jesus
Christ |
Cosmic
Christ |
|
Emphasis
on Jesus as Son of God but not prophet etc. |
Emphasis
on Jesus as prophet, artist, story-teller, wisdom figure and Son of God who
calls others to their divinity |
|
Personal
salvation |
Salvation,
healing and divinizing of people, the earth and the cosmos (theosis: process
aiming for likeness or union with God) |
|
Build
up church |
Build
up Kingdom/Queendom |
|
Kingdom
= church |
Kingdom
= cosmos, creation |
|
Human
as sinner |
Human
as royal person who can choose to create or destroy |
|
Time
is toward the past (lost perfection) or future (heaven): unrealized eschatology |
Time
is now and making the future (heaven) begin to happen now: realized
eschatology (concerned with final destiny of mankind) |
|
Eternal
life is after death |
Eternal
life is now |
|
Contemplation
is goal of spirituality |
Compassion,
justice, and celebration are goals of spirituality |
|
A
spirituality of the powerful |
A
spirituality of the powerless, anawim (those without a
voice) |
|
Emphasizes
the cross |
Considers the cross as significant
for the Via Negativa, but also emphasizes the Creation, Resurrection and
coming of the Spirit in co-creation (Via Negativa: describing
by saying what it is not) |
|
Tends
toward christolotry* and Docetism*, an under developed theology of the
Creator and Holy Spirit |
Trinitarian
in full sense of celebrating a Creator God, a prophetic Son of God, and the
Holy Spirit of divine transformation |
|
Emphasizes
obedience |
Emphasizes
creativity |
|
Tends
to abstractions |
Sensual |
|
Righteousness |
Justice |
|
Duty |
Beauty |
|
Guilt,
shame and redemption |
Thanks
and praise |
|
Purity
from world |
Hospitality
to all beings |
|
Apolitical,
i.e. supportive of status quo |
Prophetic,
i.e. critical of status quo and its ideologies |
|
Humanity
is sinful |
Humanity
is divine yet capable of demonic and sinful choices |
|
Faith
is in intellect |
Faith
is in imagination |
|
Suspicious
of the artist |
Welcomes
the artist as all are called to be co-creators with God |
|
Theistic
(belief in existence of God or Gods) |
Panentheistic
(universe as manifestation of God, but transcendent) |
|
My
religion is the only way to God |
Deep
Ecumenism (promoting unity among spiritual paths)) |
Christolotry: The branch of theology relating to the person,
nature, and role of Christ
Docetism: The doctrine that Christ’s body was not human or
real, but of celestial substance, and therefore his sufferings were not human
or real.