Elijah Audio Lectures

Mystical Prayer: Comparative Overview

Group

The session is devoted to different definitions of mystical prayer, as relevant to different religious traditions. Harvey Egan focuses on the relationship between living faith and its meaning. He considers mysticism and mystical prayer to be inherent parts of a concrete religion. Christian mystical prayer's defining characteristic is its transforming experience of the immediate presence of God. The Buddhist scholar Evgeny Tortchinov agrees with the definition of a ... More>>

General Discussion of Mysticism and Personal God

Group Discussion

This session is a discussion among the different lecturers on several issues that had emerged over the course of several lectures. The first question discussed concerns the difference between a mysticism of will and mysticism based on love. The latter is most often associated with Christianity, while the former is often related to Judaism. Animism and Hinduism emphasized a combination of the two approaches, while Islamic Sufism puts more of a premium on the love of the Sufi for his Beloved. This... More>>

The Mystic Part 1

Father Benedict, Sheikh Abdelsalam Mennasrah and Rabbi David Seidenberg

This two part series discusses the relationship between mysticism and religious leadership. The three monotheistic faiths are each represented by their respective leaders. Is mysticism a good quality for religious leadership and what are the tensions between the mystical dimension and other dimensions of authority in religion? Father Benedict relates how in Christianity, G-d reveals himself, but does it veiled. Christ's hidden truth or reality is experienced through mystical practices. This ex... More>>

The Mystic Part 2

Father Benedict, Sheikh Abdelsalam Mennasrah and Rabbi David Seidenberg

Continuation of "The Mystic Part 1"

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Religion's Imperative to Present the Other Faithfully, Part 1

Group

December 7, 2009 Parliament of World Religions, Melbourne The specific focus of this session was: What is the Religious Imperative to represent the other faithfully. The discussion identified a crucial stage that precedes the theological accounting for the other. Any attempt to accomodate the other within one’s religious worldview is based on some kind of description of the other. But how is the other described? How accurate is the informaton we use about the other? And is there a religious ... More>>

Religion's Imperative to Present the Other Faithfully, Part 2

Group

December 8, 2009 Parliament of World Religions, Melbourne The specific focus of this session was: What is the Religious Imperative to represent the other faithfully. The discussion identified a crucial stage that precedes the theological accounting for the other. Any attempt to accomodate the other within one’s religious worldview is based on some kind of description of the other. But how is the other described? How accurate is the informaton we use about the other? And is there a religious ... More>>