Christian Liberals & Progressive People of Faith

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts) Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:41 PM Jan 2019

The role of silence in faith

From the article:

Sitting in a Quaker meeting recently, it occurred to me that if Muhammad (peace be upon him) were alive today he would feel very comfortable worshipping with these Christian friends. He was, after all, a man who had a daily practice of meditating in silence, and this is exactly what occurs in a Quaker meeting....

The kind of meditation practiced by Muhammad, by the Sufis, and by the Quakers assumes that there is something within the human heart that connects us to our Divine Source. It is therefore worth sitting in receptive silence before the heart and possibly allowing it expression once a connection has ripened. Doing so allowed Muhammad to receive and communicate revelation. Revelation may be reserved for the prophets, but a heart relationship to the Divine is surely a birthright of all human beings.

14 replies

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The role of silence in faith (Original Post) guillaumeb Jan 2019 OP

That's what I would like Evangelicals to do, STFU. n/t rzemanfl Jan 2019 #1

And meditate? guillaumeb Jan 2019 #2

As long as they shut up I don't care if they spend their time thinking rzemanfl Jan 2019 #3

Naked? guillaumeb Jan 2019 #5

Interesting.The Catholic order that requires silence says a human must be silent to hear God bobbieinok Jan 2019 #4

I had a cousin who was a member of the Claretians. guillaumeb Jan 2019 #6

Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk, at a monastery in Gethsemani, KY. No Vested Interest Jan 2019 #7

The formal name of the Trappists Fortinbras Armstrong Jan 2019 #8

Thanks. I remember my shock that there was a monastery in KY!! bobbieinok Jan 2019 #9

That was a beautiful article. I found myself nodding and saying "Yes! Exactly!" violetpastille Jan 2019 #10

I am happy that you liked it. guillaumeb Jan 2019 #11

The "gift" of silence and loneliness Christopher-81 Feb 2019 #12

Welcome to DU, and this conversation. guillaumeb Feb 2019 #13

This message was self-deleted by its author jednick Feb 2019 #14

rzemanfl

(30,288 posts)

1. That's what I would like Evangelicals to do, STFU. n/t

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:43 PM

Jan 2019

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)

2. And meditate?

Reply to rzemanfl (Reply #1)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:45 PM

Jan 2019

Difficult to really do, as I know. It is truly difficult to turn off the background noise in the mind and listen.

rzemanfl

(30,288 posts)

3. As long as they shut up I don't care if they spend their time thinking

Reply to guillaumeb (Reply #2)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:48 PM

Jan 2019

about the naked people they will see when they get raptured.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)

5. Naked?

Reply to rzemanfl (Reply #3)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:49 PM

Jan 2019

What will Mike Pence do? Could he pull down his white hood and cover his eyes?

bobbieinok

(12,858 posts)

4. Interesting.The Catholic order that requires silence says a human must be silent to hear God

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:48 PM

Jan 2019

Have forgotten the order. I think it may have been the one Thomas Merton was a member of.

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)

6. I had a cousin who was a member of the Claretians.

Reply to bobbieinok (Reply #4)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 05:50 PM

Jan 2019

Silence was generally observed except for special occasions.

No Vested Interest

(5,196 posts)

7. Thomas Merton was a Trappist monk, at a monastery in Gethsemani, KY.

Reply to bobbieinok (Reply #4)

Tue Jan 8, 2019, 06:14 PM

Jan 2019

The formal name of the order may be Cistercians.

Some orders of nuns may also use silence in their contemplation, including the Carmelites and some Dominicans.

Fortinbras Armstrong

(4,473 posts)

8. The formal name of the Trappists

Reply to No Vested Interest (Reply #7)

Wed Jan 9, 2019, 05:46 AM

Jan 2019

Is Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. The name "Trappist" comes from a French monastery called "La Trappe" where the order was founded in the 1660s. Similarly, the name "Cistercians" comes from the Latin name of the French city of Citeaux, where that order split off from the Benedictines in 1098.

bobbieinok

(12,858 posts)

9. Thanks. I remember my shock that there was a monastery in KY!!

Reply to No Vested Interest (Reply #7)

Wed Jan 9, 2019, 11:10 AM

Jan 2019

I still wonder about the cause of his death. IIFC he was vocal opponent of Vietnam War.

violetpastille

(1,483 posts)

10. That was a beautiful article. I found myself nodding and saying "Yes! Exactly!"

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Wed Jan 9, 2019, 02:06 PM

Jan 2019

"THIS is what our world needs now!"

Non-judgement. Acceptance. Attentiveness to beauty. The consciousness of how to give others the inner and outer space to find themselves.

An open-hearted Muslim has far more in common with an open-hearted Christian than with a Muslim whose heart is closed or whose approach to faith is rigid and dogmatic. And whether or not we believe Jesus was divine (and other doctrinal beliefs) are of less significance than whether or not we can live in the spirit of his teaching (in essence the same as Muhammad’s). Rumi understood this: despite being a devout Muslim, he never asked his Christian followers (or followers of other faiths) to convert to Islam.

"A heart relationship to the Divine is the birthright of all human beings."

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)

11. I am happy that you liked it.

Reply to violetpastille (Reply #10)

Wed Jan 9, 2019, 02:09 PM

Jan 2019

And it also needs a recognition of the existence of the Divine. My view, shared by others, is that we all have a spark of the Creator. It is up to us to cultivate that spark.

I like to meditate in my garden.

Christopher-81

(4 posts)

12. The "gift" of silence and loneliness

Reply to guillaumeb (Original post)

Sat Feb 9, 2019, 11:33 AM

Feb 2019

Henri Nouwen, in his 1972 book The Wounded Healer, focuses on both silence and loneliness as gifts insofar as they help us "look beyond the boundaries of our existence." It's only in the last couple of months that I have begun to discover Nouwen's work, and it's a pity that it took me this long! (But better late than never, I suppose...) At any rate, I wrote a book review, which is really more of a reflection, on The Wounded Healer, here:

http://christopheradam.ca/2019/02/09/book-review-the-wounded-healer-by-henri-nouwen/

guillaumeb

(42,649 posts)

13. Welcome to DU, and this conversation.

Reply to Christopher-81 (Reply #12)

Sat Feb 9, 2019, 04:55 PM

Feb 2019

My view is that external silence is an indication that one is working internally.

The Friends sit in silence unless a member feels the need to speak.

Response to guillaumeb (Original post)

jednick This message was self-deleted by its author.

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