The role of the Chorus in modern spiritual warfare

Orthodox is defined as conventional or established.

1st line of chapter nine

"...orthodoxy is not only (as is often urged) the only safe guardian of morality or order, but is also the only logical guardian of liberty, innovation and advance. ..."

"...we cannot help it much by insisting on the Immanent God and the Inner Light: for these are at best reasons for contentment; we can help it much by insisting on the transcendent God and the flying and escaping gleam; for that means divine discontent. ..."

"...if we wish to exalt the outcast and the crucified, we shall rather wish to think that a veritable God was crucified, rather than a mere sage or hero. Above all, if we wish to protect the poor we shall be in favour of fixed rules and clear dogmas. The rules of a club are occasionally in favour of the poor member. The drift of a club is always in favour of the rich one."

In Greek theater the chorus represented the knowledge and wisdom of  hindsight and mass consensus...we see Chesterton making a similar argument for the power of democratic resolution of tradition--otherwise how did it become tradition?   Perhaps it was from between the continuations we learn that Chesterton is speaking of his own personal philosophy of the role of Orthodoxy.

From my own perspective, I note that God has set tradition and so far as I know is the only one to successfully challenge orthodoxy to grow into a ever expanding edification of the least among us by means of challenging the establishment.  

Conundrum? Anyone?

Apologetically Chesterton

Recent quotes:

"If I say, "Mediæval documents attest certain miracles as much as they attest certain battles," they answer, "But mediævals were superstitious"; if I want to know in what they were superstitious, the only ultimate answer is that they believed in the miracles. If I say "a peasant saw a ghost," I am told, "But peasants are so credulous." If I ask, "Why credulous?" the only answer is—that they see ghosts. Iceland is impossible because only stupid sailors have seen it; and the sailors are only stupid because they say they have seen Iceland...

...it is exactly where biology leaves off that all religion begins...



A false ghost disproves the reality of ghosts exactly as much as a forged banknote disproves the existence of the Bank of England—if anything, it proves its existence."

G K Chesterton circa 1908



http://www.gutenberg.org/1/6/7/6/16769/

What good is there?

What good is there in saying 'I will be wrong'?  Is this not an understatement?  Aren't understatements rather more sarcastic than edifying?  Now, that is not to say that sometimes one's attention must not be gotten in some unexpected way.  But if I am coaching you and one of the most ubiquitous statements you hear me make is that 'YOU are GOING to screw up', what are you going to remember I told you?  Will this build confidence in the thing you need to further the accomplishment of whatever goal we have set?  (Have we(why) even set a goal, if in the doing we are going to be wrong?)  In other words it would seem to me, at least, that negative construction does nothing for the furtherance of common good much less the individual except under very personal and private conditions(perhaps even only by divine appointment).

So to return again to the begining, I say, 'What good is there?'  There is good in the image I am of God.  There is good in the image You are of God.  There is good in the image We are of God.  If, then there is this good, let us work to accept, develop and share that good into the image, construct and potential that God would have His creation to be.

My ole Uncle Buster, a self taught and Royal Course at St Andrews tested golf pro always said, "Never tell someone what is the wrong thing to do, always tell them what is the right thing to do  Otherwise the image they deal with in the accomplishment of the good is muttled by the image of the wrong, and the good is at best inconsistant and sporadic".

So we need, as one of God's voices, to be attracting, encouraging, and positively accommodating.  Build somone up today.  If God sees the need to destroy our construction, we can live with that, can't we?  I bet He will rebuild even better than before.

If we insist on declaring the destructive ability of God, then we should remember the destruction of the personality of Jonah, when by his own words, Ninevah was saved and Jonah dissappointed.   Would you be a Jonah?