I like to write. It’s one of the reasons for this blog, so that I can get that need to write released from my system. Right this very minute I am writing a Management Discussion and Analysis, also know as an MD&A, for the yearly audit at my job. This, I do not like to write. I am going to creatively add my own comments throughout the MD&A to see if anyone really reads it and to add entertainment value to my day. It’s dangerous when I get bored and have to create my own entertainment. This is also when I decide that I deserve a “lunch beer”. Next, I’m going to write the meeting minutes from last night’s school board meeting. This too is not an enjoyable writing task. This job of business manager/clerk at a public school is not really who I am. Which brings me to this month’s book selection “The Untethered Soul”. Without ruining the book for you I am going to let you know that the last chapter is all about God. In my religious snobbery, I would have to admit that if the last chapter had been the first chapter I probably would not have continued reading this book and not selected it as the November book for the Wild Women Book Club. But, since I had read the entire book, completely engaged in the content, I found the God chapter to be very enlightening and it has given me a new perspective. If you’ve read my other blog post you will remember my desire to understand my good friend the Mormon Bishop. I am now thinking that I shouldn’t try to understand him; I should get him to understand me. I’m going to give him this book and tell him that he should read the last chapter first so that he will then want to read it and will appreciate the rest of the book. Otherwise, he will start the first chapter and think that his good friend, the beer drinking, liberal, agnostic, vegan, snowboarding, yogi is trying to convert his non-drinking, republican, Mormon, cowboy, meat eating, reality tv watching ass into thinking more like her. It’s all about the presentation. So if you’re more like my good friend the Mormon Bishop you might want to read the last chapter first.
Read on.
Wild About Books 
That all sounded very confrontational and I did not mean it to be. You just presented some ideas I hadn’t heard. So actually, just respectfully, asking your opinion. Thanks
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I didn’t think you wrote anything confrontational at all Gennie and I hope my reply isn’t too confusing. I’m on expert on fitness matters, not religious ideology, so take all this from the “for-what-it’s-worth” dept.
I think this is something of a definition game — what is a Gnostic and what is an Agnostic? In Greek, the word “gnosis” means “knowledge”. A “gnostic” person is therefore someone who practices Gnosticism which involves knowledge; specifically, mystical or spiritual knowledge about God, human destiny, etc.. To a gnostic, especially the ancient gnostics, such knowledge is considered secret and only for those worthy of understanding it. This would be in direct opposition to an [A]gnostic who believes God cannot be known, or that there is even anything *to* know. An [a]gnostic believes God’s existence cannot be proven or disproved.
Religious zealots (say… a Bishop in the Morman church, the Catholic pope, an Imam, a Rabbi, or simply lay persons of those and other religions) have no knowledge of God’s existence; rather their beliefs are based on faith because they have no proof that God exists [and I’m referring to scientific proof, not feel-good proof]. They read and believe without question the texts of their religious beliefs. They really don’t question what they’ve been taught, they don’t seek out what would be considered “heretical” ideas, and they certainly don’t believe there is any *secret* knowledge about God; therefore, in my opinion, someone like the bishop in the Morman church is really an agnostic.
Make sense?
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Totally makes sense and I agree. However, I still don’t understand why the Morman bishop is agnostic. Do you think all Morman bishops are agnostic or Lisa’s friend?
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Wendy, I find you comments confusing. I consider myself agnostic. I do not know if there is a god. I will not say to anyone that there is no god. I love to read books by atheists and by religious scholars. I am in a constant search for more knowledge regarding these issues. So, I ask, according to your comments what category would you consider me?
I have not started reading November’s book. I just got “All the Light..” a few days ago, but half way through it.
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Thanks Lisa for the lunch beer. I hope you become bored at your job more often!
It’s odd that you used the word, “agnostic” to describe yourself because I just finished reading “The Gnostic Gospels” by Elaine Pagels where I learned where Gnosticism originated, how it related to other religions, and why it’s not what millions of people accept today as the so-called, “one true religion” while Judao-Christianity is. Anyway, the word, Gnostic means, “of or relating to knowledge, especially esoteric mystical knowledge” and if you were to read “The Gnostic Gospels”, you’d see a very close relationship to the book we are currently reading.
Also, as an “agnostic” you’re actually saying you have no knowledge [of especially esoteric mystical ideas] and I think you do have that knowledge so, in my opinion, you’re not really agnostic; however, your Morman bishop friend IS. This is definitely true when you consider the definition of Agnostic according to the Urban dictionary. “Rebelling against and breaking free of the conformity set forth to us by religious dogma.” Yes, your good friend the Morman Bishiop is far more Agnostic than you are.
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I meant to write, “…the definition of GNOSTIC according to the Urban dictionary.”
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Thank ‘GOD’ I am more like you💃I am taking my sister for her radiation treatment down here amongst the palm trees and sun in Phoenix, maybe we will have. ‘Beer lunch.’ Thanks for making my day ‘lighter’
Sent from my iPhone
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