The Evangelical Universalist Forum

The Naked Now

Studies Books
#1

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For Christians seeking a way of thinking outside of strict dualities, this guide explores methods for letting go of division and living in the present. Drawn from the Gospels, Jesus, Paul, and the great Christian contemplatives, this examination reveals how many of the hidden truths of Christianity have been misunderstood or lost and how to read them with the eyes of the mystics rather than interpreting them through rational thought. Filled with sayings, stories, quotations, and appeals to the heart, specific methods for identifying dualistic thinking are presented with simple practices for stripping away ego and the fear of dwelling in the present.

Richard Rohr, O.F.M. (born in 1943 in Kansas) is a Franciscan friar ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970. He is an internationally known inspirational speaker and has published numerous recorded talks and books, most recently Yes, And…: Daily Meditations, Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self, Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life, and The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See.

#2

It takes a long time for some of us (Me, and I’m still working on it) to get past the one or three sticking points in our thinking or emotions that tend to wrap all of reality around them. Called ‘neuroses’ in pop psychology - things that are so emotionally charged that anything that comes close to them is sucked into them. Like black holes.
I went through an intense phase of meditation of various sorts - it worried my wife and family because it was not churchy - trying to find a little peace. Why? For me it was: no one in the church or family had ever heard of acceptance. A sin, or the results of sin, were to be confessed and, if one was sincere, one would be forgiven, period. No actual help with one’s character - no change - no real counseling - just confess, done.
Well forgiveness - priceless. But acknowledging that the problem is not a sin that is tacked onto us like an afterthought, but it is US, period - that’s the only way to really understand it.
I’ve not found deliverance, as it was taught in the churches I attended, or in the books I read. But the psychological pressures were so great that I had to do something. And that brings me to the world of this book.
It sounds sophomoric - but the willow tree and the oak tree was the first concept that started my mind flowing rather than fixating. Then, learning to truly quiet the mind through the breath in sitting meditation; that helped. Learning to control the mind. A sense of peace, but the price paid for that peace is nothingness - once you start ‘letting go’ of attachments, well pretty soon you are facing issues of right and wrong and violence and if you are - as I was - attached to strong feeling about right and wrong, it is a HUGE step to let go of those attachment. But that is what is asked and I would not pay that price. Unreason lies in that direction. It is 180 degrees from the Christian mindset. This is NOT what Christ meant when He asked us to give up our life. Not at all.

Long story short - I finally had to look real hard at what the word “God” meant. Various Christian writers helped me with this, and I suppose LOTR was the biggest influence on my way to George MacD.
If our idea of God is wrong, no real steps toward wholeness can be made. Until Love is understood, no relaxing into Love can be accomplished, not by positive thinking or meditation. Unless the center, the ground, of everything is light, love, justice - we cannot find rest.
He who judges us is our Father.
Some books that helped:
“Abused Boys” by Mic Hunter
“Legacy of the Heart: by Wayne Muller
'Diary of an Old Soul” - George MacD
“Neuroses and Human Growth” Karen Horney.

A quote about Nelson Mandela - he came from a culture unlike the Western “I think, therefore I am” but rather “I belong, therefore I am” - it’s true. I am not a great ‘belonger’ but in fact, that is the path I need to be on.
Bless you brother. I know the struggle.

#3

Yes, the mind is necessary, but it can’t do everything

Yes the mind is receptive, but reason is not our only antenna. We also need our bodies and our hearts and emotions

Yes, the mind can achieve great things, but through overcontrol, it can also limit what we can know

Yes, the mind can think great thoughts, and also bad and limiting ones

Yes the mind can discern logic and fairness but seldom put these into practice

Yes, the mind and reason are necessary, but they must learn to distinguish between what lies beyond its reach: the prerational and the transrational

Yes, the mind can connect us with others, but it can also keep us apart

Yes, the mind is very useful, but when it does not recognize its limits and own finite viewpoint, it becomes useless

Yes, the mind is needed, but we also need other ways of knowing or we will not know well, fully, and freely

From The Naked Now - Richard Rohr

#4

Christian mysticism as described by Rohr is not about renouncing your rational mind. You must make use of reason at times. Contemplative thinking lasts long enough for mystery to be tasted. This in turn leads you into a deeper search. Immature religious thinking is usually prerational, and has not yet passed through the rings of fire or purification to the transrational. The first stage is necessary and good but that’s not all there is. It’s also good to grow spiritually.

#5

What Rohr is saying is that the laws of either/or logic are good in some areas like math, areas of science, and day to day life but there are limitations to it when applied to Ultimate Reality (God). The reason why is because God is a mysterious paradox. Paradoxes are both/and not either/or. The nondual paradox and mystery for Christians is a living Person (Christ). He is very God and very human. In Him all cosmic opposites are reconciled. It’s about becoming open to the opposites we find in Christ. It is here that we can begin to hold the opposites together in our self.

#6

I understand what you are saying.

#7

What are some of those opposites we find in Christ? Ladies and gentleman, John Piper:

The list could go on. But this enough to illustrate that beauty and excellency in Christ is complex.

#8

Great!