Skip to main content

Dilløn Cøøk

Loyola Marymount University, Theological Studies, Graduate Student

Oklahoma State University, Philosophy, Graduate Student

Followers

62

Following

23

Public Views

Aspiring Philosopher: Philosophy of Race/Social Justice, Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology, Eastern Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Social & Political Philosophy, Feminist Philosophy

Aspiring Theologian: Mysticism, Inter-religious & Comparative Theology, Systematic Theology, Historical Theology, Liberation Theology, Black Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology, Theological Ethics, Inter-religious Dialogue & Ecumenism, Christology, Religions of India
Address: Los Angeles, California

less

EATWOT Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians

EATWOT, Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians

Gilbert Bouhairie

Xavier University of Louisiana

Università degli Studi di Torino

Brandon Gallaher

University of Exeter

Kenyatta Universty

Oliver O'Donovan

Anthony Roberts, PhD

Southeastern University

Chester Delagneau

InterestsView All (17)

Uploads

Drafts by Dilløn Cøøk

Cone’s Ecumenical Black Liberation Theology (BLT) Teamed with Marxist Thought as Moral Theology/Socio-Political Ethics: A Comparative Moral-Theological/Ethical Dialogue; Will Others Follow Suit?

The purpose of the project is to establish James Cone’s Black Christianity: his Black Liberation ... more The purpose of the project is to establish James Cone’s Black Christianity: his Black Liberation Theology (BLT), but particularly Ecumenical BLT which *includes* Marxist Analysis as a tool for halting the Capitalist society, and replacing it with Democratic Socialism for the purposes of laying the foundation for further Comparative Theological Dialogue. This is an ongoing project, thus for any religions that were not mentioned (Islam is a prime example), my time and length constraints could not allow me to include any others, though they are included by implication insofar as they fit the Conian criteria. Part of the reason I was constrained, is that this was originally an assignment. However I’m working on publishing this piece. The goal is to create ecumenical, interreligious, and “secular” solidarity on an immensely pressing ethical and moral-theological issue, and that is Globalization, and Global Capitalism which have horrendous effects on people and the planet. And if we continue on our destructive path, minimally, we may just wipe out most of the population of biological life, and maximally, we may destroy ourselves completely—causing Earth to potentially regenerate itself if that contingency could have the long time-span required to do such a task.

Mysticism in the Parapsychological as it Pertains to Psychosis/Schizophrenia

The following is a draft that I did for my Theology: Comparative Mysticism Seminar. The primary m... more The following is a draft that I did for my Theology: Comparative Mysticism Seminar. The primary motivation I had for writing this piece was because someone I love very dearly has many of the mystical abilities that I describe in this theological piece of scholarship. I wish for the person that I wrote this about to be left confidential, however, I wanted to write about this person and the abilities that they have on a theoretical level. In my mind, I started from the actual experiences that I’ve witnessed historically and brought them up to a theoretical level to see what primarily Carl Jung the Psychologist (and in my view, a mystic), and other contemporary scholars of mysticism have to say on the issue, but I bring this in dialogue with religion. Much more scholarly work could be written on this topic, is written on this topic, and therefore, I do not claim to have the last word. However, this is an important introductory draft that I will maybe one day transform into a piece of scholarship.

Public New Readable C.V.

Unearthing Evidence for St. Augustine’s Racial Blackness and Paralleling Augustine’s Christian Mystical Religion to (TAR) Traditional African Religion’s Mysticism

Dr. King’s Philosophy of Integrationism: Resisting Authority & Legal Moralistic Implications Via Gandhian/Christian Nonviolence

This is a paper that I did for my final project in an Independent Study with Dr. Reitan on Dr. Ki... more This is a paper that I did for my final project in an Independent Study with Dr. Reitan on Dr. King, Nonviolence and Resistance in my Philosophy MA program. Essentially what I tried to do with this paper (back in approximately 2019), was lay out Dr. King’s Philosophy as preparatory work for what would be my final project on Dr. King and Malcolm X at the end of my MA program. One thing that haunted me while I wrote this piece was white “Christians” and secular white conservatives talk about how Black people (when pulled over or confronted by the police, “should just obey the law” or “should just comply!” And then of course the outcries of the white majority only amplified when Black people and allies of all sorts protested and/or rioted at each phase of injustice, (granted the protests outweighed the riots on a statistical scale according to several studies) and they once again outcried for “law and order” and for Black people and allies in the fight for Black and Brown justice to be “peaceful” or “peacemakers”. And I couldn’t help but think about how they were repeating the white folk of the Civil Rights era, in 1. the same exact fashion in King’s era, not only would they say some of the exact same phrases stated during Dr. King’s era, but 2. they would also worship the Law the same way as if the Law was their convenient moral compass to follow. Legal Moralism on the most basic level is the idea that what a particular group values (a group like white Fundamentalist Christians for example) to be moral ought to be also enshrined in law— but this causes obvious philosophical problems for a society that entails a diverse group of inhabitants that may look different, have a different culture, or religious practice, etc. and so forth than the particular group in question. So for this paper, I wanted to focus on Dr. King and his Integrationism Philosophy, how he resisted authority and Legal Moralism, and resisted the sociological implications of Legal Moralism (i.e. including white Theology as well), with his integrationist philosophy which included Christian/Gandhian Nonviolence. The paper is not a complete account of Dr. King, but a somewhat thorough account that also addresses points of Dr. King’s philosophy that are contrary to the norm, showing his evolution.

Comparative Mysticism: An Analytical Reading Reflection on Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism/Mystical Experience “Artificially” Induced by Hallucinogenics/Psychedelics

For the purposes of this paper, I take an analytical investigation into Evelyn Underhill’s Mystic... more For the purposes of this paper, I take an analytical investigation into Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism, particularly as it relates to mystical experience/mysticism artificially induced by hallucinogenic states. Evelyn Underhill is what I call a Catholic mystic and scholar, so this topic is on the fringes of Underhill’s focal point. Nevertheless, with that said, I am able to pinpoint select passages in Underhill’s “Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness” to make a case that Underhill’s Mysticism also includes Hallucinogenic, Psychedelic, or other “artificially” conscious-altering substances in order to access the higher planes.

How the Systematic Study of Ethics Have Shaped My Own Ethical Awareness or Ethical Stance: Existential Reflections and an Analysis on Book I of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics

This paper may seem a bit all over the place. It’s because it is. However, this is partly due to ... more This paper may seem a bit all over the place. It’s because it is. However, this is partly due to the nature of the question asked: “How has your study shaped the awareness of your own ethical stance? Perhaps, more simply: what kind of an ethicist are you? Which of the historical versions of ethical thinking strikes you as most plausible, and thus, closer to your way of thinking? Are there versions of ethical justification with which you can more obviously identify yourself?” And in relaying a response to this question, we were called to, “Rememmeber the initial definition of ethics as the intellectual journey from moral insights/intuitions to moral arguments. One can say that the different ethical theories are ways of framing that journey, i.e., they are paths toward an ultimate justification of the morality of actions and agents.” Dr. Dell’Oro intended also for us to rely on the material studied, “both in its historical and systematic components in a free and creative fashion.” And that, “Ultimately, what should emerge is some evidence of your own philosophical commitments, at this stage of your reflection.” (Dell’Oro, Foundations of Philosophical Ethics ‘Final Essay’ Rubric). So, with that said, this paper is somewhat of a self-reflection at the end of the semester and Ethics Seminar, but also a reflection that requires the work and pulling from content used in the class (i.e. Aristotle). It must be stated, that I am no expert in the classics, such as Aristotle, however, this philosopher was chosen more for practical reasons, and growth. So, I do not claim to have expertise on Aristotle or to have the last word on the matters that I have discussed.

Foundations of Phil. Ethics Reflection Paper copy

For the purposes of this assignment and exercise, I explicate an intimate account in response to ... more For the purposes of this assignment and exercise, I explicate an intimate account in response to the question: "What does it mean for you to be moral? How would you describe the meaning of the experience of morality, that is the struggle to be good, to make the right choices, together within the recognition, at times of your own incapacity to do so?" And in the following assignment, I render an explication of my views on morality at the beginning of the Foundations of Philosophical Ethics Seminar. Hypothetically, the account that I give here may be different than the accounts I give throughout the semester on my midterm and final. So here is a thought out response prior to further investigation in ethical theory.

Midterm for Found. of Philosophical Ethics: Q1: Commenting Freely on the Statement, “Ethics is the Logic of Morality, the Journey from Moral Intuitions to Ethical Arguments” & Q2: A Summary of Plato’s Book IV of Republic & an Explication of Virtue, Good, and Justice

For the first question here, I was instructed to 1. "Comment freely on the statement, "ethics is ... more For the first question here, I was instructed to 1. "Comment freely on the statement, "ethics is the logic of morality, the journey from moral intuitions to ethical arguments"? How would you understand the difference between morality and ethics in this statement? Do you agree with it?"

And for the second question, I answer the following: 2. “Provide a brief summary of book IV of the Republic, and ask yourself: What does it mean that virtue, i.e. the good, is defined in terms of harmony, and why is this relevant? In trying to define what it means to act morally, that is justly, Plato establishes an analogy between the state and the individual. In the state, goodness is realized when everyone occupies the place assigned to him/her by nature. So for the individual, the natural order *is* the moral order. Furthermore, because ‘the order of things’ can be known, and acting morally is acting according to that order, it follows that *knowledge* is the *condition for morality.* This is what we might call, the Platonic intellectualism. Can you provide textual evidence of this?”

For the first question is more intuitive where a person can draw on their own knowledge and experience to some extent, (not merely that—there is an objective aspect to the first question/comment) whereas the second question is a bit more scholarly, and requires an extent of knowledge on Plato which I do not have a solid background in. I do not claim expertise, and there very well could be errors in this work—however, this was my best at its time without having a significant history steeped in Plato’s work. Enjoy.

Foundations of Philosophical Ethics Final

Just storing this on here. It’s just the answers I wrote to a test without the questions.

The Bible & the Blues (Final): The Historical Blues, Blues-Rock, "He is Legend": Investigating Grief, Suffering, Sorrow, Despair, and Ideally Hope Amidst Absurdity in the Blues (Blues-Rock) and the Bible

For the purpose of this paper, my (main) focus will be over the Bible and the Blues, particularly... more For the purpose of this paper, my (main) focus will be over the Bible and the Blues, particularly dissecting the grief, sorrow, despair, and ideally hope found in suffering amidst absurdity: this will include the process of lamenting in the wake of traumatic events and/or tragedy as found in the Blues and as also found in the Bible but specifically as expressed by the Blues-Rock band He is Legend (HIL). How I will begin, is by briefly introducing the historical Blues, as it shifts to Blues-Rock. While I will be using historical blues to make relevant parallels, the main artist I will be looking at is a rock/metalcore artist (HIL)–however, despite being a rock/metalcore genre, they have heavy Blues influence, and to that effect, I would even say Blues-rock albums (which is why I introduced them as I did). In order to address and investigate the human expressions (mentioned above) found in existential absurdity as depicted in the Bible and the Blues, we will venture into a historical analysis of the Blues, and then later dig into He is Legend (HIL) content, specifically with one song as the main focus, "Beethozart."

An Analytical Exegesis and Critique of Justo González' Christology Offered in “The Word Made Flesh” from Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective

This is a published paper, so I cannot upload it here, but I have provided the link. Click on "fi... more

Cone’s Black Liberation Theology Teamed with Marxism as a Means of Liberation from Oppressive Economic Forces (Capitalism)

The following is actually an end of the semester project that I did for my Liberation Theologies ... more The following is actually an end of the semester project that I did for my Liberation Theologies Seminar where I worked with my professor (a student of James Cone) and wanted to construct a Black Liberation Theology teamed with Marxism. The problem is, I am a white male, and I cannot "create" a Black Liberation Theology. Liberation Theology tends to start at experience, and I could never existentially communicate Black experience as a white male; nor would I want to attempt to do so. However, as a white male abolitionist and ally to the Black Liberation struggle, and as a philosopher/theologian-in-the-making, I can move the conversation forward, if I am careful. And luckily for our purposes: 1.) Black Liberation Theologian James Cone had already started the work for Black Liberation Theology to be teamed with the Marxist tradition before he passed. 2.) There isn't a large Black Marxist historical tradition, but there is *enough* to build consciousness in that direction. Originally, I set out in the beginning of this project to sort of "create" or construct (if you will) a dialogue with some of these historical Black Marxist thinkers, where they were sort of engaging back and forth with each other's ideas/theories, etc. within the Black liberation tradition. However, because of the confined limits on this project (mainly page length and time), what I ended up deciding to do with this paper, was use James Cone as the backbone for this work and utilize him as the core focus, opposed to an extensive dialogue back and forth between Black Marxist historical thinkers. In my Liberation Theologies Seminar, we were reading the (1986) "A Black Theology of Liberation" and as I was reading it, I thought, "Cone isn't overtly making efforts in the *gist* of this theological argument to make the resistance methods "Marxist" so to speak, but so much of his Black Theology *is* Marxist by nature, or phenomenologically Marxist, or Marxist by its fundamental critique and resistance dynamic of class/race struggle." (There are a couple exceptions where he does talk about Marxist ideology to make certain points, but my thinking is that they weren't present in the original 1970 release of this book, and even still in the 1986 version, it's not explicitly mentioned, "I James Cone am using Marxist thought teamed with my Black Theology" and this never happened in an overt way, in any shape or form, but the hints of Marxist thought *was there* and less explicit.) But this is not surprising because Cone's "Black Theology & Black Power" was written in 1969 before Cone had even discovered Marxist thought as tool for liberation. But again, even in that book (which he has left untouched because of his embarrassment concerning his sexist language as a reminder to never forget it), it phenomenologically exemplifies Marxism in a similar way; a fundamental dynamic that looks like Marxist class/race struggle. Nevertheless, in this paper, I spend a lot of time qualifying the grounding of Cone's Black Liberation Theology as the "sources and norms" for doing Christian Theology (something that was heavily stressed in the seminar) and I show how the crux of this argument in this book applies to oppressive economic systems/Capitalism in America), and I also show how Marxist thought was implicit, to less explicit, to more explicit, (but not completely overt) in his basic argument structure found in "A Black Theology of Liberation (ABTOL)." Then, I try and introduce Cone's more explicit Black Liberation Theology teamed with Marxism as it comes from other sources [beyond (ABTOL) utilizing other books and scholarly material). And where Cone's argument permits (by structure or within the bounds of his own reasoning), I incorporate other Christian and non-Christian Black Marxist thinkers into the conversation or argument structure where Cone's argument permits by principle. I incorporate for example, alongside James Cone: Angela Davis, Cornel West, Malcolm X, and few others. However, they are there to buttress Cone, not significantly change the dialogue--which I would love to do but will have to relegate to another time for our purposes here. Thus, I exhibit how Cone's Black Liberation Theology can be teamed with Marxism as a means for liberation from oppressive economic forces (i.e. Capitalism) and this is my main purpose for this project. One may speculate how I can "construct" a Black Liberation Theology with non-Christian thinkers, and to this, I will not explain here, although it has been addressed below.

Unfinished Project over the question of "Is it necessary for a Christian believer to be a part of a Church?" Graduate Assignment

Regarding the Theology question, in a book called "Black Theology and Black Power" by James Hal C... more Regarding the Theology question, in a book called "Black Theology and Black Power" by James Hal Cone, essentially, the thesis of the book is that 'Christianity is Black Power.' Nevertheless, one point I'd like to make is that, after Cone makes the above sentiment in the beginning of the text, he follows with, Since theology is human speech and not God speaking, I recognize today, as I did then, that all attempts to speak about ultimate reality are limited by the social history of the speaker. Thus, I would not use exactly the same language today to speak about God that I used twenty years ago.1 Along this same line of thinking, the socio-rhetorical placement/(epistemic situatedness) is important, but also the process, James Cone talks about his own sort of theological understanding and meaning in his life in a everchanging flux. He shares some Malcolm X language that really shook him from his 'dogmatic slumber': Brothers and sisters, the white man has brainwashed us black people to fasten our gaze upon a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus! Oh, yes!... Now just think of this. This blond-haired, blue-eyed white man has taught you and me to worship a white Jesus, and to shout and sing and pray to this God that's his God, the white man's God. The white man has taught us to shout and sing and pray until we die, to wait until death, for some dreamy heaven-in-the-hereafter , when we're dead, while this white man has his milk and honey in the streets paved with golden dollars here on this earth!2 James Cone originally recounts, "I tried initially to ignore Malcolm's cogent cultural critique of the Christianity as it was taught and practiced in black and white churches. I did not want him to disturb the theological certainties that I had learned in graduate school." Cone says, but eventually, as reality did its work on him, "I could no longer ignore Malcolm's devastating criticisms of Christianity […]." 3 This is, I think a serious reflection in myself, of how I view theology. One can only committedly follow purported "truth" (or participate in a "true church tradition") so many times, and have one's life shattered, and those implicative attachments ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. James H. Cone, "Preface to the 1989 Edition" in Black Theology & Black Power (New York: Orbis books, 2018), xxvi. 2. James Cone quoting Malcolm X. Ibid.

Mysticism: Meister Eckhart's Metaphysics of Flow; Toward His Inward Mysticism & Contemplative Practice

The following is an introductory paper to Eckhart's 'Metaphysics of Flow' that leads into a start... more The following is an introductory paper to Eckhart's 'Metaphysics of Flow' that leads into a starting point for his inward practice. I begin in a manner that I describe as an upside-down 'pyramid' approach to briefly introduce us to a general (mysticism at large) to the more specific (Eckhart's mysticism) leading toward his Christian contemplative practice. Considering the introductory nature of this project, (as Eckhart's difficult to comprehend at times, and more often than not requires a lot of unpacking--more unpacking than I was alloted for this capacity of this assignment), there will be no general argument, whereas this paper is more of an analytical and exploratory endeavor, attempting to understand Eckhart’s metaphysical theory, as it leads into his inward spiritual praxis. As noted, Eckhart's inward practice will be left at a starting point, where we will just scratch the surface, opposed to, go into depth. A whole book could be written on his inward practice alone, thus, again, this is a nice basic introduction to Eckhart for those unfamiliar with his Christian theology.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Thoughts on Baptism": A historical analysis of a Compromised Christian Church to Nazi, Germany & Bonhoeffer's Prophetic transformation of the Christian Church into the World

The following is an analysis of an excerpt titled “Thoughts on the Baptism of D.W.R.” derived of ... more The following is an analysis of an excerpt titled “Thoughts on the Baptism of D.W.R.” derived of German Theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s "Letters and Papers from Prison." Unfortunately, no argument will be rendered, rather it will be a historical-theological analysis trying to make sense of a particular excerpt from a particular historical era written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Concerning Bonhoeffer, his life was cut short due to the Fascist rule of Nazi Germany as the young theologian was fully involved in a resistance party plot attempting in the assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer, was imprisoned and lynched by the Nazi-Germanic-State in 1945. “Thoughts on the Baptism of D.W.R.” is largely in the form of a letter to Bonhoeffer's great-nephew celebrating his baptism as he renders counsel, while Bonhoeffer simultaneously sheds his insight on his own theological situatedness during the year of 1944 amidst the plight of a World War against totalitarian government where Bonhoeffer exposes some of his novel theological developments in his prison writings. The following focuses on the aforementioned.

What to make of Augustine's Pan(en)theistic Panpsychistic Metaphysics of God

Of your eternal life I was certain, although I had only seen it like a confused reflection in the... more Of your eternal life I was certain, although I had only seen it like a confused reflection in the mirror * , and I had now been rid of all my doubts about an incorruptible substance from which all other substance takes its being." 2 (Note: italicized emphasis added; Augustine's footnote* references 1 Cor. 13:12). 3 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. Rubenstein, "Theology & Sexuality," The Lure of Pan(en)theism: Difference and Desire in "Divine Enticement"114. [Note: my thinking on this is that desire, and divinity appear to go together in the context of creation in which God is the cause (or a tethered connection to the former), a creation in which God transcends, and in which God is immanent, according to traditional Christian theology. Of course, things would be different for pantheism. However it is curious to endeavor to comprehend the difference between the immanence of pantheistic God vs. the immanence of a traditional Christian God. For example, Augustine seems to allude to this sort Divine thereness, recognized commonly (also shown in Christian Natural Law theory), where as seen in Book II:4 to exemplify this in text, Augustine states: "It is certain, O Lord, that theft is punished by your law, the law that is written in men's hearts and cannot be erased however sinful they are" (Augustine, Confessions, 47 italicized emphasis added). However, what kind of thereness is this? In any case this sheds light to the divine enticement/desire that may be present in a Pan(en)theistic creation but exemplifies relevance throughout Augustine's work]. 2. Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustine Confessions, 157 3. Following is the Interlinear Greek/English translation. The source translates on a line-by-line basis without capitalization/punctuation to prevent interpretive skewing, thus, due to limited space, I will insert commas where a line ends in our source: "in fact we look presently through (a) mirror into (a) riddle, but then face to face, right now I know a part, but then I know in part, but then I shall understand just as also I was understood" Louw, Interlinear Greek/English New Testament, 1 Cor. 13:12 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ When we consider the Augustine text/Scripture, his assertion about Christian God seems to purport an interesting metaphysical conclusion. It is as if, the Divinity of God/Eternal Life is recognized in the self-and this occurs after this encounter with the Divine/Eternal within the self, 4 and after this encounter, any pre-existing doubts about the Divine for Augustine had fled, and instead were replaced with a reassurance about the divine/eternal/incorruptible substance from which everything, matter, (or substance) manifests/becomes, or as Augustine states, 'takes its being'. Now, when we reflect on this Augustinian metaphysical assertion of God here, this appears to be far from the traditional, far from the, often recognized Christian God that resides in an otherworldly realm, 5 or inheres from a distance in the cosmos, 'looking down from Heaven.' This sounds a lot more like a type of Pan-Deity, 6 there will be more on this to come. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. It could be argued that, regarding the context of Augustine's aforementioned Scripture, 'presently through (a) mirror into (a) riddle, but then face to face, right now I know a part, but then I know in part, but then I shall understand just as also I was understood', that depending on which part of the Scripture Augustine is accentuating that Divinity is indeed not merely recognized through "the self" per se, but within the self in an inclusive and extensive sense, meaning, within each other, as context seems to allude to this contingency in the particular verse (if he meant for it all to be included in interpretation) that he referenced-however his italicized text 'a confused reflection in the mirror' was all that was written. 5. While in fairly recent times, there has been much pushback against the God of the otherworldly realm, it has infected Christianity for ages historically, causing terrible consequences on a socio-political scale for minorities inhabiting oppressive spaces, and perhaps has been formed even as a byproduct of such spaces, as González states on many occasions, in the book that will follow on the next point and others. González, the Hispanic Liberation Theologian, often speaks of the damage of this conception of God. While it is not the case that I know of an instance where González discusses the upcoming, however, I am strictly metaphysically concluding, the otherworldly-realm-God is created due to over-emphasis on God's transcendence. Transcendence according to González is: "A term derived from the Latin, and meaning to go over, or to climb beyond. It is used in theology to affirm that, while God is present in the world (Immanence*), God is not part of the world, nor is the world divine (Pantheism*). God exists apart from and beyond creation." González, Essential Theological Terms, 173 (However, González is traditionally grounded in the Protestant Christian tradition, and would therefore likely be at odds with any Pan(en)theistic interpretation, certainly pantheism). 6. What is meant by "Pan-Deity" is any of the following and will be divided up into 3 lettered-sections: A. Panentheism: "A term derived from Greek words meaning 'God in everything,' and coined by philosopher K.C. F. Krause (1781-1832) to differentiate his position from *pantheism. While according to the latter the universe is God, according to panentheism, while all things share in the divine nature, the divine is not limited to them. Thus, God is immanent to the universe, which itself is divine; but God is also transcendent, existing beyond the totality of the universe. The term has also been employed to describe the positions of *process philosophers Alfred N. Whitehead (1861-1947) and Charles Hartshorne (1897-2000). The latter employed the relationship between a person and the person's body as an example of the relationship between God and the universe: just as the body is part of the person, but is not the whole person, so does the universe relate to God." B. Pantheism: "The claim that the universe in its totality is God. It differs from *panentheism in that the latter does not believe that the universe exhausts the being of God, who does transcend the universe. There have been pantheistic tendencies in a number of Christian theologians and mystics. The *Neoplatonic doctrine of the whole of reality as a series of emanations of the One has led a number of theologians of Neoplatonic inclinations, such as John Scotus Erigena (ca.810-ca. 877), to espouse pantheism. Many mystics such as Meister Eckhart (ca.1260-? 1327), have been accused of pantheism while they in fact tended more toward panentheism. In modern philosophy, the classical pantheistic system is that of Baruch Spinoza (1632-77), who claimed that all reality is a single substance, and that thought and matter are only attributes of the divine substance-a substance that may have many other attributes that we are incapable of perceiving." [Note: it could be the case that some of what we read in Augustine is his Neoplatonic tendencies manifesting from Manichaeism]. C. Panpsychism: "The notion that all things in the universe have a certain degree of consciousness. Elements of such views were common in the ancient world, where many held that the planets and other heavenly bodies had souls, and where some natural phenomena-for instance, a rock falling-were sometimes explained in terms of the consciousness of the things involved-in this case, the rock. Such views have also appeared repeatedly in the history of Western thought, and Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) explicitly rejected and refuted them. They were resurrected in the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth some saw similar tendencies in Teilhard de Chardin's (1881-1955) claim that all things move toward a higher degree of consciousness." González, Essential Theological Terms, 126-127 6D. (Note): I truly appreciate Gonzalez (which is why he's included) however, I feel that his definition is a bit limiting. As Panpsychism has its own nuances to work out, it generally works fairly well with evolutionary theory and is found in certain branches of Hinduism; therefore, another definition will be included from Mark Pretorius, Department of Dogmatics and Christian

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Integrationism" & Malcolm X's "Black Nationalism"; Their Methodological Approaches To Resisting Authority: Comparing & Contrasting Extracted Passages Via Martin's "I Have A Dream" & Malcolm's "Message To The Grass Roots" With Cone's Commentary & Applicable 1963 Writings

The following is an explication of my research on Martin L. King Jr. and Malcolm X. A comparing a... more The following is an explication of my research on Martin L. King Jr. and Malcolm X. A comparing and contrasting of respective resistance philosophies (that can be extracted via passages from Martin’s “I Have A Dream” and Malcolm’s “Message To The Grass Roots”) has been rendered. It could have been the case that any *other* two speeches were chosen. Although, the two chosen addresses particularly resonated because of a particular quote from James H. Cone. According to Theologian/Scholar James H. Cone, and his description of the two speeches, they depict Malcolm as the reactor (and *a common reactor* from Cone's analysis) to the teachings of Martin. And when one considers Martin's 'IHAD' ("I Have A Dream") and Malcolm's 'Message' ("A Message To The Grass Roots"), this is a seemingly clear-cut example of Malcolm's reaction to Martin according to Cone--as Martin was often in the spotlight while Malcolm was on the usual sidelines. Although, due to the length of the "aggregate" of Malcolm X's 'Message'—we will call it—only the first half of the written version, (derived from "Malcolm X Speaks"), has been included. What has been included of Malcolm's 'Message' (and of Martin's 'IHAD' for that matter) has been prioritized in piecemeal fashion. While all of Martin's 'IHAD' is listed in the Appendix, Malcolm's 'Message' has predominantly only included the first half of his 'Message' (the essay version) due to the fact that Malcolm opens up an additional 'can of worms' (so to speak) in the latter half of his 'Message''. Now, regarding the latter half of his 'Message' and it's omission, in order to historically and philosophically engage with Malcolm's words/writings, it would take me beyond the length limit and purposes of this paper if it were included. This paper firstly explores the roots of "Integrationism" and "Black Nationalism" as it specifically relates to Martin and Malcolm and how they resisted authority. Secondly, the latter half of the paper (the last portion that one will read) renders an analysis on Martin and Malcolm's resistance philosophies, as far as a historical depiction pertains, and as far as a philosophical explication of strengths and weaknesses pertain. There are specific types of authority that *could've* been more specifically articulated and further honed based on each's resistance philosophy and methodological approach, but this is something that is in the works for my next project. When we take a look at Martin and his resistance philosophy in comparison to Malcolm and his resistance philosophy, Martin is rendered (generally speaking) by the populace as the religious 'Saint', and Malcolm is rendered by the populace as the 'Messiah of Hate'. In this paper, (as previously noted) I will accentuate some pros and cons of each's resistance philosophy and argue that Martin (as implicitly stated by Cone in another manner) was epistemically situated in an embodiment of White Consciousness that separated a necessary tethering to his oppressed people, and that was detrimental to his effective end. This *isn't* to say that I argue Martin's endeavors were null, No! In actuality, I argue quite the contrary. This also *isn't* to say that Malcolm was flawless either, although, I essentially argue (by capitalizing on Cone's research) that Malcolm had something to significantly contribute in civil rights resistance. Thus, I argue (like Cone), and conclude that both activist's resistance philosophies render relevant methodological approaches and effective resistance philosophies (together) in a more comprehensive manner to resisting an oppressive collective/oppressive authority. Prior to engaging with the paper, *it would be recommended* be for the reader to scroll to the end and begin reading the Appendix, reading all the way through before reading my analysis.

Cone’s Ecumenical Black Liberation Theology (BLT) Teamed with Marxist Thought as Moral Theology/Socio-Political Ethics: A Comparative Moral-Theological/Ethical Dialogue; Will Others Follow Suit?

The purpose of the project is to establish James Cone’s Black Christianity: his Black Liberation ... more The purpose of the project is to establish James Cone’s Black Christianity: his Black Liberation Theology (BLT), but particularly Ecumenical BLT which *includes* Marxist Analysis as a tool for halting the Capitalist society, and replacing it with Democratic Socialism for the purposes of laying the foundation for further Comparative Theological Dialogue. This is an ongoing project, thus for any religions that were not mentioned (Islam is a prime example), my time and length constraints could not allow me to include any others, though they are included by implication insofar as they fit the Conian criteria. Part of the reason I was constrained, is that this was originally an assignment. However I’m working on publishing this piece. The goal is to create ecumenical, interreligious, and “secular” solidarity on an immensely pressing ethical and moral-theological issue, and that is Globalization, and Global Capitalism which have horrendous effects on people and the planet. And if we continue on our destructive path, minimally, we may just wipe out most of the population of biological life, and maximally, we may destroy ourselves completely—causing Earth to potentially regenerate itself if that contingency could have the long time-span required to do such a task.

Mysticism in the Parapsychological as it Pertains to Psychosis/Schizophrenia

The following is a draft that I did for my Theology: Comparative Mysticism Seminar. The primary m... more The following is a draft that I did for my Theology: Comparative Mysticism Seminar. The primary motivation I had for writing this piece was because someone I love very dearly has many of the mystical abilities that I describe in this theological piece of scholarship. I wish for the person that I wrote this about to be left confidential, however, I wanted to write about this person and the abilities that they have on a theoretical level. In my mind, I started from the actual experiences that I’ve witnessed historically and brought them up to a theoretical level to see what primarily Carl Jung the Psychologist (and in my view, a mystic), and other contemporary scholars of mysticism have to say on the issue, but I bring this in dialogue with religion. Much more scholarly work could be written on this topic, is written on this topic, and therefore, I do not claim to have the last word. However, this is an important introductory draft that I will maybe one day transform into a piece of scholarship.

Public New Readable C.V.

Unearthing Evidence for St. Augustine’s Racial Blackness and Paralleling Augustine’s Christian Mystical Religion to (TAR) Traditional African Religion’s Mysticism

Dr. King’s Philosophy of Integrationism: Resisting Authority & Legal Moralistic Implications Via Gandhian/Christian Nonviolence

This is a paper that I did for my final project in an Independent Study with Dr. Reitan on Dr. Ki... more This is a paper that I did for my final project in an Independent Study with Dr. Reitan on Dr. King, Nonviolence and Resistance in my Philosophy MA program. Essentially what I tried to do with this paper (back in approximately 2019), was lay out Dr. King’s Philosophy as preparatory work for what would be my final project on Dr. King and Malcolm X at the end of my MA program. One thing that haunted me while I wrote this piece was white “Christians” and secular white conservatives talk about how Black people (when pulled over or confronted by the police, “should just obey the law” or “should just comply!” And then of course the outcries of the white majority only amplified when Black people and allies of all sorts protested and/or rioted at each phase of injustice, (granted the protests outweighed the riots on a statistical scale according to several studies) and they once again outcried for “law and order” and for Black people and allies in the fight for Black and Brown justice to be “peaceful” or “peacemakers”. And I couldn’t help but think about how they were repeating the white folk of the Civil Rights era, in 1. the same exact fashion in King’s era, not only would they say some of the exact same phrases stated during Dr. King’s era, but 2. they would also worship the Law the same way as if the Law was their convenient moral compass to follow. Legal Moralism on the most basic level is the idea that what a particular group values (a group like white Fundamentalist Christians for example) to be moral ought to be also enshrined in law— but this causes obvious philosophical problems for a society that entails a diverse group of inhabitants that may look different, have a different culture, or religious practice, etc. and so forth than the particular group in question. So for this paper, I wanted to focus on Dr. King and his Integrationism Philosophy, how he resisted authority and Legal Moralism, and resisted the sociological implications of Legal Moralism (i.e. including white Theology as well), with his integrationist philosophy which included Christian/Gandhian Nonviolence. The paper is not a complete account of Dr. King, but a somewhat thorough account that also addresses points of Dr. King’s philosophy that are contrary to the norm, showing his evolution.

Comparative Mysticism: An Analytical Reading Reflection on Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism/Mystical Experience “Artificially” Induced by Hallucinogenics/Psychedelics

For the purposes of this paper, I take an analytical investigation into Evelyn Underhill’s Mystic... more For the purposes of this paper, I take an analytical investigation into Evelyn Underhill’s Mysticism, particularly as it relates to mystical experience/mysticism artificially induced by hallucinogenic states. Evelyn Underhill is what I call a Catholic mystic and scholar, so this topic is on the fringes of Underhill’s focal point. Nevertheless, with that said, I am able to pinpoint select passages in Underhill’s “Mysticism: A Study in the Nature and Development of Spiritual Consciousness” to make a case that Underhill’s Mysticism also includes Hallucinogenic, Psychedelic, or other “artificially” conscious-altering substances in order to access the higher planes.

How the Systematic Study of Ethics Have Shaped My Own Ethical Awareness or Ethical Stance: Existential Reflections and an Analysis on Book I of Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics

This paper may seem a bit all over the place. It’s because it is. However, this is partly due to ... more This paper may seem a bit all over the place. It’s because it is. However, this is partly due to the nature of the question asked: “How has your study shaped the awareness of your own ethical stance? Perhaps, more simply: what kind of an ethicist are you? Which of the historical versions of ethical thinking strikes you as most plausible, and thus, closer to your way of thinking? Are there versions of ethical justification with which you can more obviously identify yourself?” And in relaying a response to this question, we were called to, “Rememmeber the initial definition of ethics as the intellectual journey from moral insights/intuitions to moral arguments. One can say that the different ethical theories are ways of framing that journey, i.e., they are paths toward an ultimate justification of the morality of actions and agents.” Dr. Dell’Oro intended also for us to rely on the material studied, “both in its historical and systematic components in a free and creative fashion.” And that, “Ultimately, what should emerge is some evidence of your own philosophical commitments, at this stage of your reflection.” (Dell’Oro, Foundations of Philosophical Ethics ‘Final Essay’ Rubric). So, with that said, this paper is somewhat of a self-reflection at the end of the semester and Ethics Seminar, but also a reflection that requires the work and pulling from content used in the class (i.e. Aristotle). It must be stated, that I am no expert in the classics, such as Aristotle, however, this philosopher was chosen more for practical reasons, and growth. So, I do not claim to have expertise on Aristotle or to have the last word on the matters that I have discussed.

Foundations of Phil. Ethics Reflection Paper copy

For the purposes of this assignment and exercise, I explicate an intimate account in response to ... more For the purposes of this assignment and exercise, I explicate an intimate account in response to the question: "What does it mean for you to be moral? How would you describe the meaning of the experience of morality, that is the struggle to be good, to make the right choices, together within the recognition, at times of your own incapacity to do so?" And in the following assignment, I render an explication of my views on morality at the beginning of the Foundations of Philosophical Ethics Seminar. Hypothetically, the account that I give here may be different than the accounts I give throughout the semester on my midterm and final. So here is a thought out response prior to further investigation in ethical theory.

Midterm for Found. of Philosophical Ethics: Q1: Commenting Freely on the Statement, “Ethics is the Logic of Morality, the Journey from Moral Intuitions to Ethical Arguments” & Q2: A Summary of Plato’s Book IV of Republic & an Explication of Virtue, Good, and Justice

For the first question here, I was instructed to 1. "Comment freely on the statement, "ethics is ... more For the first question here, I was instructed to 1. "Comment freely on the statement, "ethics is the logic of morality, the journey from moral intuitions to ethical arguments"? How would you understand the difference between morality and ethics in this statement? Do you agree with it?"

And for the second question, I answer the following: 2. “Provide a brief summary of book IV of the Republic, and ask yourself: What does it mean that virtue, i.e. the good, is defined in terms of harmony, and why is this relevant? In trying to define what it means to act morally, that is justly, Plato establishes an analogy between the state and the individual. In the state, goodness is realized when everyone occupies the place assigned to him/her by nature. So for the individual, the natural order *is* the moral order. Furthermore, because ‘the order of things’ can be known, and acting morally is acting according to that order, it follows that *knowledge* is the *condition for morality.* This is what we might call, the Platonic intellectualism. Can you provide textual evidence of this?”

For the first question is more intuitive where a person can draw on their own knowledge and experience to some extent, (not merely that—there is an objective aspect to the first question/comment) whereas the second question is a bit more scholarly, and requires an extent of knowledge on Plato which I do not have a solid background in. I do not claim expertise, and there very well could be errors in this work—however, this was my best at its time without having a significant history steeped in Plato’s work. Enjoy.

Foundations of Philosophical Ethics Final

Just storing this on here. It’s just the answers I wrote to a test without the questions.

The Bible & the Blues (Final): The Historical Blues, Blues-Rock, "He is Legend": Investigating Grief, Suffering, Sorrow, Despair, and Ideally Hope Amidst Absurdity in the Blues (Blues-Rock) and the Bible

For the purpose of this paper, my (main) focus will be over the Bible and the Blues, particularly... more For the purpose of this paper, my (main) focus will be over the Bible and the Blues, particularly dissecting the grief, sorrow, despair, and ideally hope found in suffering amidst absurdity: this will include the process of lamenting in the wake of traumatic events and/or tragedy as found in the Blues and as also found in the Bible but specifically as expressed by the Blues-Rock band He is Legend (HIL). How I will begin, is by briefly introducing the historical Blues, as it shifts to Blues-Rock. While I will be using historical blues to make relevant parallels, the main artist I will be looking at is a rock/metalcore artist (HIL)–however, despite being a rock/metalcore genre, they have heavy Blues influence, and to that effect, I would even say Blues-rock albums (which is why I introduced them as I did). In order to address and investigate the human expressions (mentioned above) found in existential absurdity as depicted in the Bible and the Blues, we will venture into a historical analysis of the Blues, and then later dig into He is Legend (HIL) content, specifically with one song as the main focus, "Beethozart."

An Analytical Exegesis and Critique of Justo González' Christology Offered in “The Word Made Flesh” from Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective

This is a published paper, so I cannot upload it here, but I have provided the link. Click on "fi... more

Cone’s Black Liberation Theology Teamed with Marxism as a Means of Liberation from Oppressive Economic Forces (Capitalism)

The following is actually an end of the semester project that I did for my Liberation Theologies ... more The following is actually an end of the semester project that I did for my Liberation Theologies Seminar where I worked with my professor (a student of James Cone) and wanted to construct a Black Liberation Theology teamed with Marxism. The problem is, I am a white male, and I cannot "create" a Black Liberation Theology. Liberation Theology tends to start at experience, and I could never existentially communicate Black experience as a white male; nor would I want to attempt to do so. However, as a white male abolitionist and ally to the Black Liberation struggle, and as a philosopher/theologian-in-the-making, I can move the conversation forward, if I am careful. And luckily for our purposes: 1.) Black Liberation Theologian James Cone had already started the work for Black Liberation Theology to be teamed with the Marxist tradition before he passed. 2.) There isn't a large Black Marxist historical tradition, but there is *enough* to build consciousness in that direction. Originally, I set out in the beginning of this project to sort of "create" or construct (if you will) a dialogue with some of these historical Black Marxist thinkers, where they were sort of engaging back and forth with each other's ideas/theories, etc. within the Black liberation tradition. However, because of the confined limits on this project (mainly page length and time), what I ended up deciding to do with this paper, was use James Cone as the backbone for this work and utilize him as the core focus, opposed to an extensive dialogue back and forth between Black Marxist historical thinkers. In my Liberation Theologies Seminar, we were reading the (1986) "A Black Theology of Liberation" and as I was reading it, I thought, "Cone isn't overtly making efforts in the *gist* of this theological argument to make the resistance methods "Marxist" so to speak, but so much of his Black Theology *is* Marxist by nature, or phenomenologically Marxist, or Marxist by its fundamental critique and resistance dynamic of class/race struggle." (There are a couple exceptions where he does talk about Marxist ideology to make certain points, but my thinking is that they weren't present in the original 1970 release of this book, and even still in the 1986 version, it's not explicitly mentioned, "I James Cone am using Marxist thought teamed with my Black Theology" and this never happened in an overt way, in any shape or form, but the hints of Marxist thought *was there* and less explicit.) But this is not surprising because Cone's "Black Theology & Black Power" was written in 1969 before Cone had even discovered Marxist thought as tool for liberation. But again, even in that book (which he has left untouched because of his embarrassment concerning his sexist language as a reminder to never forget it), it phenomenologically exemplifies Marxism in a similar way; a fundamental dynamic that looks like Marxist class/race struggle. Nevertheless, in this paper, I spend a lot of time qualifying the grounding of Cone's Black Liberation Theology as the "sources and norms" for doing Christian Theology (something that was heavily stressed in the seminar) and I show how the crux of this argument in this book applies to oppressive economic systems/Capitalism in America), and I also show how Marxist thought was implicit, to less explicit, to more explicit, (but not completely overt) in his basic argument structure found in "A Black Theology of Liberation (ABTOL)." Then, I try and introduce Cone's more explicit Black Liberation Theology teamed with Marxism as it comes from other sources [beyond (ABTOL) utilizing other books and scholarly material). And where Cone's argument permits (by structure or within the bounds of his own reasoning), I incorporate other Christian and non-Christian Black Marxist thinkers into the conversation or argument structure where Cone's argument permits by principle. I incorporate for example, alongside James Cone: Angela Davis, Cornel West, Malcolm X, and few others. However, they are there to buttress Cone, not significantly change the dialogue--which I would love to do but will have to relegate to another time for our purposes here. Thus, I exhibit how Cone's Black Liberation Theology can be teamed with Marxism as a means for liberation from oppressive economic forces (i.e. Capitalism) and this is my main purpose for this project. One may speculate how I can "construct" a Black Liberation Theology with non-Christian thinkers, and to this, I will not explain here, although it has been addressed below.

Unfinished Project over the question of "Is it necessary for a Christian believer to be a part of a Church?" Graduate Assignment

Regarding the Theology question, in a book called "Black Theology and Black Power" by James Hal C... more Regarding the Theology question, in a book called "Black Theology and Black Power" by James Hal Cone, essentially, the thesis of the book is that 'Christianity is Black Power.' Nevertheless, one point I'd like to make is that, after Cone makes the above sentiment in the beginning of the text, he follows with, Since theology is human speech and not God speaking, I recognize today, as I did then, that all attempts to speak about ultimate reality are limited by the social history of the speaker. Thus, I would not use exactly the same language today to speak about God that I used twenty years ago.1 Along this same line of thinking, the socio-rhetorical placement/(epistemic situatedness) is important, but also the process, James Cone talks about his own sort of theological understanding and meaning in his life in a everchanging flux. He shares some Malcolm X language that really shook him from his 'dogmatic slumber': Brothers and sisters, the white man has brainwashed us black people to fasten our gaze upon a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus! Oh, yes!... Now just think of this. This blond-haired, blue-eyed white man has taught you and me to worship a white Jesus, and to shout and sing and pray to this God that's his God, the white man's God. The white man has taught us to shout and sing and pray until we die, to wait until death, for some dreamy heaven-in-the-hereafter , when we're dead, while this white man has his milk and honey in the streets paved with golden dollars here on this earth!2 James Cone originally recounts, "I tried initially to ignore Malcolm's cogent cultural critique of the Christianity as it was taught and practiced in black and white churches. I did not want him to disturb the theological certainties that I had learned in graduate school." Cone says, but eventually, as reality did its work on him, "I could no longer ignore Malcolm's devastating criticisms of Christianity […]." 3 This is, I think a serious reflection in myself, of how I view theology. One can only committedly follow purported "truth" (or participate in a "true church tradition") so many times, and have one's life shattered, and those implicative attachments ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. James H. Cone, "Preface to the 1989 Edition" in Black Theology & Black Power (New York: Orbis books, 2018), xxvi. 2. James Cone quoting Malcolm X. Ibid.

Mysticism: Meister Eckhart's Metaphysics of Flow; Toward His Inward Mysticism & Contemplative Practice

The following is an introductory paper to Eckhart's 'Metaphysics of Flow' that leads into a start... more The following is an introductory paper to Eckhart's 'Metaphysics of Flow' that leads into a starting point for his inward practice. I begin in a manner that I describe as an upside-down 'pyramid' approach to briefly introduce us to a general (mysticism at large) to the more specific (Eckhart's mysticism) leading toward his Christian contemplative practice. Considering the introductory nature of this project, (as Eckhart's difficult to comprehend at times, and more often than not requires a lot of unpacking--more unpacking than I was alloted for this capacity of this assignment), there will be no general argument, whereas this paper is more of an analytical and exploratory endeavor, attempting to understand Eckhart’s metaphysical theory, as it leads into his inward spiritual praxis. As noted, Eckhart's inward practice will be left at a starting point, where we will just scratch the surface, opposed to, go into depth. A whole book could be written on his inward practice alone, thus, again, this is a nice basic introduction to Eckhart for those unfamiliar with his Christian theology.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer's "Thoughts on Baptism": A historical analysis of a Compromised Christian Church to Nazi, Germany & Bonhoeffer's Prophetic transformation of the Christian Church into the World

The following is an analysis of an excerpt titled “Thoughts on the Baptism of D.W.R.” derived of ... more The following is an analysis of an excerpt titled “Thoughts on the Baptism of D.W.R.” derived of German Theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s "Letters and Papers from Prison." Unfortunately, no argument will be rendered, rather it will be a historical-theological analysis trying to make sense of a particular excerpt from a particular historical era written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Concerning Bonhoeffer, his life was cut short due to the Fascist rule of Nazi Germany as the young theologian was fully involved in a resistance party plot attempting in the assassinate Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer, was imprisoned and lynched by the Nazi-Germanic-State in 1945. “Thoughts on the Baptism of D.W.R.” is largely in the form of a letter to Bonhoeffer's great-nephew celebrating his baptism as he renders counsel, while Bonhoeffer simultaneously sheds his insight on his own theological situatedness during the year of 1944 amidst the plight of a World War against totalitarian government where Bonhoeffer exposes some of his novel theological developments in his prison writings. The following focuses on the aforementioned.

What to make of Augustine's Pan(en)theistic Panpsychistic Metaphysics of God

Of your eternal life I was certain, although I had only seen it like a confused reflection in the... more Of your eternal life I was certain, although I had only seen it like a confused reflection in the mirror * , and I had now been rid of all my doubts about an incorruptible substance from which all other substance takes its being." 2 (Note: italicized emphasis added; Augustine's footnote* references 1 Cor. 13:12). 3 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1. Rubenstein, "Theology & Sexuality," The Lure of Pan(en)theism: Difference and Desire in "Divine Enticement"114. [Note: my thinking on this is that desire, and divinity appear to go together in the context of creation in which God is the cause (or a tethered connection to the former), a creation in which God transcends, and in which God is immanent, according to traditional Christian theology. Of course, things would be different for pantheism. However it is curious to endeavor to comprehend the difference between the immanence of pantheistic God vs. the immanence of a traditional Christian God. For example, Augustine seems to allude to this sort Divine thereness, recognized commonly (also shown in Christian Natural Law theory), where as seen in Book II:4 to exemplify this in text, Augustine states: "It is certain, O Lord, that theft is punished by your law, the law that is written in men's hearts and cannot be erased however sinful they are" (Augustine, Confessions, 47 italicized emphasis added). However, what kind of thereness is this? In any case this sheds light to the divine enticement/desire that may be present in a Pan(en)theistic creation but exemplifies relevance throughout Augustine's work]. 2. Augustine of Hippo, Saint Augustine Confessions, 157 3. Following is the Interlinear Greek/English translation. The source translates on a line-by-line basis without capitalization/punctuation to prevent interpretive skewing, thus, due to limited space, I will insert commas where a line ends in our source: "in fact we look presently through (a) mirror into (a) riddle, but then face to face, right now I know a part, but then I know in part, but then I shall understand just as also I was understood" Louw, Interlinear Greek/English New Testament, 1 Cor. 13:12 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ When we consider the Augustine text/Scripture, his assertion about Christian God seems to purport an interesting metaphysical conclusion. It is as if, the Divinity of God/Eternal Life is recognized in the self-and this occurs after this encounter with the Divine/Eternal within the self, 4 and after this encounter, any pre-existing doubts about the Divine for Augustine had fled, and instead were replaced with a reassurance about the divine/eternal/incorruptible substance from which everything, matter, (or substance) manifests/becomes, or as Augustine states, 'takes its being'. Now, when we reflect on this Augustinian metaphysical assertion of God here, this appears to be far from the traditional, far from the, often recognized Christian God that resides in an otherworldly realm, 5 or inheres from a distance in the cosmos, 'looking down from Heaven.' This sounds a lot more like a type of Pan-Deity, 6 there will be more on this to come. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. It could be argued that, regarding the context of Augustine's aforementioned Scripture, 'presently through (a) mirror into (a) riddle, but then face to face, right now I know a part, but then I know in part, but then I shall understand just as also I was understood', that depending on which part of the Scripture Augustine is accentuating that Divinity is indeed not merely recognized through "the self" per se, but within the self in an inclusive and extensive sense, meaning, within each other, as context seems to allude to this contingency in the particular verse (if he meant for it all to be included in interpretation) that he referenced-however his italicized text 'a confused reflection in the mirror' was all that was written. 5. While in fairly recent times, there has been much pushback against the God of the otherworldly realm, it has infected Christianity for ages historically, causing terrible consequences on a socio-political scale for minorities inhabiting oppressive spaces, and perhaps has been formed even as a byproduct of such spaces, as González states on many occasions, in the book that will follow on the next point and others. González, the Hispanic Liberation Theologian, often speaks of the damage of this conception of God. While it is not the case that I know of an instance where González discusses the upcoming, however, I am strictly metaphysically concluding, the otherworldly-realm-God is created due to over-emphasis on God's transcendence. Transcendence according to González is: "A term derived from the Latin, and meaning to go over, or to climb beyond. It is used in theology to affirm that, while God is present in the world (Immanence*), God is not part of the world, nor is the world divine (Pantheism*). God exists apart from and beyond creation." González, Essential Theological Terms, 173 (However, González is traditionally grounded in the Protestant Christian tradition, and would therefore likely be at odds with any Pan(en)theistic interpretation, certainly pantheism). 6. What is meant by "Pan-Deity" is any of the following and will be divided up into 3 lettered-sections: A. Panentheism: "A term derived from Greek words meaning 'God in everything,' and coined by philosopher K.C. F. Krause (1781-1832) to differentiate his position from *pantheism. While according to the latter the universe is God, according to panentheism, while all things share in the divine nature, the divine is not limited to them. Thus, God is immanent to the universe, which itself is divine; but God is also transcendent, existing beyond the totality of the universe. The term has also been employed to describe the positions of *process philosophers Alfred N. Whitehead (1861-1947) and Charles Hartshorne (1897-2000). The latter employed the relationship between a person and the person's body as an example of the relationship between God and the universe: just as the body is part of the person, but is not the whole person, so does the universe relate to God." B. Pantheism: "The claim that the universe in its totality is God. It differs from *panentheism in that the latter does not believe that the universe exhausts the being of God, who does transcend the universe. There have been pantheistic tendencies in a number of Christian theologians and mystics. The *Neoplatonic doctrine of the whole of reality as a series of emanations of the One has led a number of theologians of Neoplatonic inclinations, such as John Scotus Erigena (ca.810-ca. 877), to espouse pantheism. Many mystics such as Meister Eckhart (ca.1260-? 1327), have been accused of pantheism while they in fact tended more toward panentheism. In modern philosophy, the classical pantheistic system is that of Baruch Spinoza (1632-77), who claimed that all reality is a single substance, and that thought and matter are only attributes of the divine substance-a substance that may have many other attributes that we are incapable of perceiving." [Note: it could be the case that some of what we read in Augustine is his Neoplatonic tendencies manifesting from Manichaeism]. C. Panpsychism: "The notion that all things in the universe have a certain degree of consciousness. Elements of such views were common in the ancient world, where many held that the planets and other heavenly bodies had souls, and where some natural phenomena-for instance, a rock falling-were sometimes explained in terms of the consciousness of the things involved-in this case, the rock. Such views have also appeared repeatedly in the history of Western thought, and Thomas Aquinas (1225-74) explicitly rejected and refuted them. They were resurrected in the nineteenth century, and in the twentieth some saw similar tendencies in Teilhard de Chardin's (1881-1955) claim that all things move toward a higher degree of consciousness." González, Essential Theological Terms, 126-127 6D. (Note): I truly appreciate Gonzalez (which is why he's included) however, I feel that his definition is a bit limiting. As Panpsychism has its own nuances to work out, it generally works fairly well with evolutionary theory and is found in certain branches of Hinduism; therefore, another definition will be included from Mark Pretorius, Department of Dogmatics and Christian

Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Integrationism" & Malcolm X's "Black Nationalism"; Their Methodological Approaches To Resisting Authority: Comparing & Contrasting Extracted Passages Via Martin's "I Have A Dream" & Malcolm's "Message To The Grass Roots" With Cone's Commentary & Applicable 1963 Writings

The following is an explication of my research on Martin L. King Jr. and Malcolm X. A comparing a... more The following is an explication of my research on Martin L. King Jr. and Malcolm X. A comparing and contrasting of respective resistance philosophies (that can be extracted via passages from Martin’s “I Have A Dream” and Malcolm’s “Message To The Grass Roots”) has been rendered. It could have been the case that any *other* two speeches were chosen. Although, the two chosen addresses particularly resonated because of a particular quote from James H. Cone. According to Theologian/Scholar James H. Cone, and his description of the two speeches, they depict Malcolm as the reactor (and *a common reactor* from Cone's analysis) to the teachings of Martin. And when one considers Martin's 'IHAD' ("I Have A Dream") and Malcolm's 'Message' ("A Message To The Grass Roots"), this is a seemingly clear-cut example of Malcolm's reaction to Martin according to Cone--as Martin was often in the spotlight while Malcolm was on the usual sidelines. Although, due to the length of the "aggregate" of Malcolm X's 'Message'—we will call it—only the first half of the written version, (derived from "Malcolm X Speaks"), has been included. What has been included of Malcolm's 'Message' (and of Martin's 'IHAD' for that matter) has been prioritized in piecemeal fashion. While all of Martin's 'IHAD' is listed in the Appendix, Malcolm's 'Message' has predominantly only included the first half of his 'Message' (the essay version) due to the fact that Malcolm opens up an additional 'can of worms' (so to speak) in the latter half of his 'Message''. Now, regarding the latter half of his 'Message' and it's omission, in order to historically and philosophically engage with Malcolm's words/writings, it would take me beyond the length limit and purposes of this paper if it were included. This paper firstly explores the roots of "Integrationism" and "Black Nationalism" as it specifically relates to Martin and Malcolm and how they resisted authority. Secondly, the latter half of the paper (the last portion that one will read) renders an analysis on Martin and Malcolm's resistance philosophies, as far as a historical depiction pertains, and as far as a philosophical explication of strengths and weaknesses pertain. There are specific types of authority that *could've* been more specifically articulated and further honed based on each's resistance philosophy and methodological approach, but this is something that is in the works for my next project. When we take a look at Martin and his resistance philosophy in comparison to Malcolm and his resistance philosophy, Martin is rendered (generally speaking) by the populace as the religious 'Saint', and Malcolm is rendered by the populace as the 'Messiah of Hate'. In this paper, (as previously noted) I will accentuate some pros and cons of each's resistance philosophy and argue that Martin (as implicitly stated by Cone in another manner) was epistemically situated in an embodiment of White Consciousness that separated a necessary tethering to his oppressed people, and that was detrimental to his effective end. This *isn't* to say that I argue Martin's endeavors were null, No! In actuality, I argue quite the contrary. This also *isn't* to say that Malcolm was flawless either, although, I essentially argue (by capitalizing on Cone's research) that Malcolm had something to significantly contribute in civil rights resistance. Thus, I argue (like Cone), and conclude that both activist's resistance philosophies render relevant methodological approaches and effective resistance philosophies (together) in a more comprehensive manner to resisting an oppressive collective/oppressive authority. Prior to engaging with the paper, *it would be recommended* be for the reader to scroll to the end and begin reading the Appendix, reading all the way through before reading my analysis.