In the beginning God created.....and it was all GOOD. So good, God couldn't help admiring his own work. Like an artist looking back over a painting- Nice Work if I don't say so myself. Times a thousand is what he thinks when looking upon you- Man, created after his own image. Wow- brilliant. Looks a bit like me.
So one wonders why this appreciation is lost sometimes on the emphasis to focus exclusively on heaven to the oversight of things earthly. One often hears, and I did even this morning, shallow
understandings of the brilliance and beauty of creation, by some priests who say things like, the eucharist is to help us detach from all earthly things to focus on heaven....
Well, detachment is a spiritual art but so is appreciation, and demonstrated appreciation for creation- so is taking care of creation, the earth and everything in it that is God's-that is called Stewardship. This 'so heavenly minded you are no earthly good' maxim is reflected in a nihilism, as though the people and things God created are not worth celebrating and cherishing.
Because it is all better in heaven--in a utopian sort of vision. The ends-justified means based theology easy flows from such a nihilism. And it can be used to justify cruelty if in the service of all that is deemed in service of heaven.
Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within you- here. Another sage philosopher said 'heaven is a state of consciousness' (John Paul II) and yet others have surmised as if they know "heaven is more intensely the love you live on earth and you take it with you." --sort of a 401k matching fund concept of heaven. You bring a little and God magnifies it.
The church has had a strain of nihilism in its teachings that is not biblically accurate. It has also perverted the evangelical mission by demeaning creation. You know where I am going with this so I don't need to.
God is Love. Dieu est Amour.
Si tu vie en moins d'amour tu vie en moins de Dieu.
Nietzche is Dead, Love God.
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