On the Orthodox side, monastics strive toward dispassion, some of which involves detachment, but also seems to include an impartiality to worldly squabbles and the like. However, in regarding creation as good, there should always remain a type of wonder there.
"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven..." A few weeks ago, a young woman who is a recent convert to Orthodoxy invited me to share my comments about an article she wrote discussing how something... it might have been anger... is always a sin. My comment to that was that we have to be extremely careful about anger, but there certainly are times when one almost needs that anger to spur one into action, especially in righting wrongs. That, I think, tends to be a more masculine thing.
As for masculinity in Christianity, with the two videos recently of people attacking or attempting to attack church leaders during service, it is remarkable how both were lucky to have men in the congregation who, despite the danger, ran up to disable the threat.
I was hoping you would comment, Katja, since you know Orthodoxy far better than I. What do you think of Aaron's "emptying yourself" idea being Buddhist by nature? Do Orthodox view their meditation that way? For that matter, do non-monks meditate in Orthodoxy? (I do, and I use a prayer rope to do it, but I'm a weird Protestant.)
I'm not an expert on monasticism, to be sure, but I think the idea of "emptying one's self" in order to prepare to seek the things of God is hardly exclusive to Buddhists. I think that even in the Gospel, this is strongly implied when Jesus talks about a man who has had unclean spirits depart from him (emptying) and rather than filling one's self with God, left it empty, and then had more unclean spirits come in.
There is some Orthodox meditation practiced by non-monastics, primarily the Jesus prayer. It's a tricky thing, though. I think we generally talk about working on our prayer life rather than meditation per se because of the connotations that the word meditation sometimes carries. To those who are going so deep that it becomes actual meditation, I think the advice is not to attempt that without the guidance of a spiritual father because some of that can be fairly dangerous if attempted by someone who isn't ready for it.
I am glad you addressed this. The proper role of masculinity in current Christianity remains an issue. I don't know if it Buddhism or feminism or something else that has corrupted the church. It just may be the general weakness of society that has crept into the church.
Christ is our example. He was not always nice. Instead he called out the corrupt elements in Jewish society. He was bold, not timid. He acted with anger, as needed.
On the Orthodox side, monastics strive toward dispassion, some of which involves detachment, but also seems to include an impartiality to worldly squabbles and the like. However, in regarding creation as good, there should always remain a type of wonder there.
"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven..." A few weeks ago, a young woman who is a recent convert to Orthodoxy invited me to share my comments about an article she wrote discussing how something... it might have been anger... is always a sin. My comment to that was that we have to be extremely careful about anger, but there certainly are times when one almost needs that anger to spur one into action, especially in righting wrongs. That, I think, tends to be a more masculine thing.
As for masculinity in Christianity, with the two videos recently of people attacking or attempting to attack church leaders during service, it is remarkable how both were lucky to have men in the congregation who, despite the danger, ran up to disable the threat.
I was hoping you would comment, Katja, since you know Orthodoxy far better than I. What do you think of Aaron's "emptying yourself" idea being Buddhist by nature? Do Orthodox view their meditation that way? For that matter, do non-monks meditate in Orthodoxy? (I do, and I use a prayer rope to do it, but I'm a weird Protestant.)
I'm not an expert on monasticism, to be sure, but I think the idea of "emptying one's self" in order to prepare to seek the things of God is hardly exclusive to Buddhists. I think that even in the Gospel, this is strongly implied when Jesus talks about a man who has had unclean spirits depart from him (emptying) and rather than filling one's self with God, left it empty, and then had more unclean spirits come in.
There is some Orthodox meditation practiced by non-monastics, primarily the Jesus prayer. It's a tricky thing, though. I think we generally talk about working on our prayer life rather than meditation per se because of the connotations that the word meditation sometimes carries. To those who are going so deep that it becomes actual meditation, I think the advice is not to attempt that without the guidance of a spiritual father because some of that can be fairly dangerous if attempted by someone who isn't ready for it.
I am glad you addressed this. The proper role of masculinity in current Christianity remains an issue. I don't know if it Buddhism or feminism or something else that has corrupted the church. It just may be the general weakness of society that has crept into the church.
Christ is our example. He was not always nice. Instead he called out the corrupt elements in Jewish society. He was bold, not timid. He acted with anger, as needed.