Do you really ask—O child of earth? Is that really repugnant wonder in your voice—or recognition?
I love that line! It is dead on. And I have heard too many people say this is why they can’t read or pray the Psalms. I think we fear to own the violence and earthiness of the Psalms because we know it is our own hatred. Thanks for lifting that up!
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Derek the Ænglican
Thanks, LP. Now that it’s up the post seems a bit darker than I remember… In any case, one of the reasons I love the Psalms so much is because of their intense honesty about the human condition–especialy the religious human condition. They’re the perfect antidote to what Anastasia calls the ‘Happy God’ mentality…
I thought your piece was right on. The psalms are a place where I find something when joyful, when sorrowful, when angry, when fearful.
The psalms are honest before God in a way that so much, happy, clappy, snappy Christian religion is not–the put on a happy face and forget out the rest bit that doesn’t want to deal with the Cross or suffering or those places where “we know God not”.
Its a very nice essay. There are some psalms we don’t want to appeal; curses that you wonder how they got into the psalter.
Have you read Bede’s Abbreviated Psalter?
Yes–I find the verses he selects normally make for great antiphons for the psalm as a whole…
Do you really ask—O child of earth? Is that really repugnant wonder in your voice—or recognition?
I love that line! It is dead on. And I have heard too many people say this is why they can’t read or pray the Psalms. I think we fear to own the violence and earthiness of the Psalms because we know it is our own hatred. Thanks for lifting that up!
Thanks, LP. Now that it’s up the post seems a bit darker than I remember… In any case, one of the reasons I love the Psalms so much is because of their intense honesty about the human condition–especialy the religious human condition. They’re the perfect antidote to what Anastasia calls the ‘Happy God’ mentality…
I thought your piece was right on. The psalms are a place where I find something when joyful, when sorrowful, when angry, when fearful.
The psalms are honest before God in a way that so much, happy, clappy, snappy Christian religion is not–the put on a happy face and forget out the rest bit that doesn’t want to deal with the Cross or suffering or those places where “we know God not”.
Another beautiful piece, Derek.