Phillip Goff

I think there is a lot of truth in what you're saying and I'm totally with you, but I wonder how much of that is a more modern... corruption in a way. I mean, so what I've been researching recently is the mystical traditions in all the Abrahamic faiths that have been there right back to the start. I mean, in the Eastern church, for example, there's much less emphasis on sin, right?

I think there is a lot of truth in what you're saying and I'm totally with you, but I wonder how much of that is a more modern... corruption in a way. I mean, so what I've been researching recently is the mystical traditions in all the Abrahamic faiths that have been there right back to the start. I mean, in the Eastern church, for example, there's much less emphasis on sin, right?

God is not interested in finding someone to punish for our sins, right? God's interested in becoming one with humanity, becoming one with the entire physical universe. It's all focused on this oneness and unity. When I first came across this, it's not something I heard absolutely nothing about in my Catholic upbringing, but it is, I think, something that

God is not interested in finding someone to punish for our sins, right? God's interested in becoming one with humanity, becoming one with the entire physical universe. It's all focused on this oneness and unity. When I first came across this, it's not something I heard absolutely nothing about in my Catholic upbringing, but it is, I think, something that

God is not interested in finding someone to punish for our sins, right? God's interested in becoming one with humanity, becoming one with the entire physical universe. It's all focused on this oneness and unity. When I first came across this, it's not something I heard absolutely nothing about in my Catholic upbringing, but it is, I think, something that

deeply resonates with me in a way that Advaita Vedanta deeply resonates with me with that focus on oneness. I think a lot of people think, especially in the US, that here's what Christianity is, right? We're all sinners. We deserve to go to hell. But fortunately, Jesus is going to take the rap for us. Jesus is going to be punished so we can go to heaven. That view was invented 500 years ago.

deeply resonates with me in a way that Advaita Vedanta deeply resonates with me with that focus on oneness. I think a lot of people think, especially in the US, that here's what Christianity is, right? We're all sinners. We deserve to go to hell. But fortunately, Jesus is going to take the rap for us. Jesus is going to be punished so we can go to heaven. That view was invented 500 years ago.

deeply resonates with me in a way that Advaita Vedanta deeply resonates with me with that focus on oneness. I think a lot of people think, especially in the US, that here's what Christianity is, right? We're all sinners. We deserve to go to hell. But fortunately, Jesus is going to take the rap for us. Jesus is going to be punished so we can go to heaven. That view was invented 500 years ago.

by the protestant reformers right it it does not go back to the origins of christianity um and i think people think that and i did for so long that is what christianity is but you know you just look further back into history someone who i've been researching recently a very influential fifth century mystical Christian. His name's a bit of a tongue twister. Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite.

by the protestant reformers right it it does not go back to the origins of christianity um and i think people think that and i did for so long that is what christianity is but you know you just look further back into history someone who i've been researching recently a very influential fifth century mystical Christian. His name's a bit of a tongue twister. Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite.

by the protestant reformers right it it does not go back to the origins of christianity um and i think people think that and i did for so long that is what christianity is but you know you just look further back into history someone who i've been researching recently a very influential fifth century mystical Christian. His name's a bit of a tongue twister. Pseudo Dionysius the Areopagite.

He had this... fundamental story of the god who is beyond human understanding he had this spiritual practice which he called the affirmations and the denials right and it started off with affirming certain characteristics of god right so we say god is good god is powerful god is all-knowing

He had this... fundamental story of the god who is beyond human understanding he had this spiritual practice which he called the affirmations and the denials right and it started off with affirming certain characteristics of god right so we say god is good god is powerful god is all-knowing

He had this... fundamental story of the god who is beyond human understanding he had this spiritual practice which he called the affirmations and the denials right and it started off with affirming certain characteristics of god right so we say god is good god is powerful god is all-knowing

But then Dionysius thought that that's misleading because God is radically different to anything in the world we observe. God isn't good in the way a human being can be good or powerful in the way a king is powerful. So then in the next stage of the spiritual practice, we deny these characteristics. We say God is not good. God is not powerful. God is not all-knowing.

But then Dionysius thought that that's misleading because God is radically different to anything in the world we observe. God isn't good in the way a human being can be good or powerful in the way a king is powerful. So then in the next stage of the spiritual practice, we deny these characteristics. We say God is not good. God is not powerful. God is not all-knowing.

But then Dionysius thought that that's misleading because God is radically different to anything in the world we observe. God isn't good in the way a human being can be good or powerful in the way a king is powerful. So then in the next stage of the spiritual practice, we deny these characteristics. We say God is not good. God is not powerful. God is not all-knowing.

And Dionysius thought this gets us closer to understanding. But he's still worried that even when we're denying, we're led into a false sense that we're still getting some understanding. So in the third and final stage of this spiritual practice, we deny the denials. And he had this wonderful idea that language needs to stop subvert itself.

And Dionysius thought this gets us closer to understanding. But he's still worried that even when we're denying, we're led into a false sense that we're still getting some understanding. So in the third and final stage of this spiritual practice, we deny the denials. And he had this wonderful idea that language needs to stop subvert itself.

And Dionysius thought this gets us closer to understanding. But he's still worried that even when we're denying, we're led into a false sense that we're still getting some understanding. So in the third and final stage of this spiritual practice, we deny the denials. And he had this wonderful idea that language needs to stop subvert itself.