According to Mary Oliver, genuine prayer is possible only if we pay attention to the world around us.
2 thoughts on “Paying Attention”
So, does one need a certain understanding or concept of God in order to experience God in nature or in the present? It would seem, yes. If I think of God as somewhere up or out there, how am I going to experience God on earth, in the present, in the here and now as Mary Oliver writes about?
Excellent question, Reid. I would say no. The problem would be getting past preexisting concepts that prevent you from realizing your are experiencing God. So, it’s a genuine openness to experience that’s needed, often in combination with a setting aside of old ideas. I don’t think God needs to be explained or understood beforehand. Where would those ideas come from? Experiencing or knowing God is always a grace event and I don’t think having ideas about God before hand is at all necessary.
2 thoughts on “Paying Attention”
So, does one need a certain understanding or concept of God in order to experience God in nature or in the present? It would seem, yes. If I think of God as somewhere up or out there, how am I going to experience God on earth, in the present, in the here and now as Mary Oliver writes about?
Excellent question, Reid. I would say no. The problem would be getting past preexisting concepts that prevent you from realizing your are experiencing God. So, it’s a genuine openness to experience that’s needed, often in combination with a setting aside of old ideas. I don’t think God needs to be explained or understood beforehand. Where would those ideas come from? Experiencing or knowing God is always a grace event and I don’t think having ideas about God before hand is at all necessary.