Tuesday, 17th October, 2006

Experience of the human and transcendent

I just read the follow up reading CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE AND THEOLOGY. Then I had to look up Ontology, I am learning a lot of new words here, I need to create a list.
This is good stuff. We learn by receiving what we perceive to be the truth, if taught by man I know by my experience in the reason session, it is possible to frame something to be perceived as “The Truth”.

My faith has grown over many years, the “Truth” that I am beginning to see comes from the culmination of small parts from a bigger live picture, that is growing slowly and developing as I look more deeply into it. It may never be complete but with the grace of God, as I grow it nourishes my life.

We discussed experience, and I raised we could only experience an event by having an understanding of the event and it's impact, and can we describe an event as an experience until we have reflected on it?

But if we don't notice it, does it become a definable experience?
Events that detract from what's expected frequently become remembered experiences; mundane things that happen as they should are more often not even noticed, but perhaps are lives are shapped more by what we don't notice.

Addition - 24th November
When I do my Chaplains Assistant rounds at the hospital, I regularly speak to people with dementia. But one thing that strikes me is the memory they have for experiences of Church. One woman in her late eighties, who I expected not to get much sense from, articulately, described a memory as a child. While standing high above, she watched over the Salvation Army band as they passed by Old Portsmouth barracks towards the garrison church. She was dressed in her Sunday best, ready to go into church.
It was an event of great impact that has stayed with her.