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Information to Users INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted.Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with with permission permission of the of copyright the copyright owner. owner.Further reproductionFurther reproduction prohibited without prohibited permission. without permission. THE MORALITY OF MEDITATION: HOW MEDITATION GUIDES ONE TO FOLLOW THE LIFE EXAMPLE OF JESUS by Grace Pavaar Parish submitted to the Faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts In Philosophy Chair: C t l W i M I S 7 *£0 0 **- Date 2002 The American University Washington, D.C. 20016 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 1411398 UMI__ ® UMI Microform 1411398 Copyright 2003 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE MORALITY OF MEDITATION: HOW MEDITATION GUIDES ONE TO FOLLOW THE LIFE EXAMPLE OF JESUS BY Grace Pevear Parish ABSTRACT Meditation is a form of ethics that was abolished from the Western Church several hundred years after the death of Christ. Meditation leads one to live as Jesus did. Today there is a resurgence of meditation in the Church, but one Christian denomination, the Reconstructionists, see a return to Biblical Law as the way to an ethical society. The procedures for this thesis included research of history and philosophers using books, Internet sources, and interviews. Results show that meditation is a more ethical approach than Reconstructionism. Meditation leads one to live in the compassionate way that Jesus did and is therefore a form of ethics that should be embraced. Reconstructionism and its quest for ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. the return to biblical law goes against that which Jesus taught. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT........................................... i Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................... Goals and background of the study Meditation as a form of ethical behavior Reconstructionist perspective: Return to Biblical law 2. A RECONSTRUCTIONIST VIEW OF ETHICS AS COMPARED TO CENTERING PRAYER ........................... Reconstructionism Rousas Rushdoony and Chalcedon A comparison of the methods of Centering Prayer and Reconstruction 3. CENTERING PRAYER, LECTIO DIVINA AND CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER............................. 1 A discussion of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating's Contributions to Centering Prayer Christian Meditation goes high-tech IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 4. AN HISTORICAL LOOK AT ETHICS AND MEDITATION ...................................... 31 Jesus and his life example of compassion and love The Desert Fathers and how they used meditation to live in the way of Jesus The fight for Contemplative Prayer between Gregory Palamas and Baarlam 5. MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH LECTIO DIVINA . 47 My experience with Lectio Divina Personal experiences of others 6. CONCLUSIONS 54 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 62 v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Ethics can be defined as how one deals with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. Throughout history, philosophers have debated ethics, which are both universal and personal. This is to say, there are certain principles that are shared among most people. Some examples of these would be respect for life, property, and acting in a manner that is considered right or good. There are hundreds of Christian religions that recognize Christ as their savior and accept his teachings as the foundation for their beliefs. I believe that Jesus is the embodiment of compassion and ethical behavior in Christianity and that his teachings are the foundation. His ideals and principles were so basic and simple that they are as applicable to one's life today as they were two thousand years ago. Basic Christian ethical principles are consistent in aspects such as compassion, giving to others and love. All of these ideals were important in the teachings of Jesus, all principles that he lived by. I 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. believe that living in the way that Jesus did should be the foundation for Christian ethics (Bonhoeffer 1959, 44-45). My views are consistent with those of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a well-known Christian ethicist, in that he believes that today, much of what is conventionally understood as being a good Christian simply means following the rules provided by one's church. Bonhoeffer argues that this is not enough for one to be truly ethical as a Christian. In his book Ethics, Bonhoeffer discusses in great detail the idea of compassion vs. good and evil. "The knowledge of good and evil seems to be the aim of all ethical reflection. The first task of Christian ethics is to invalidate this knowledge" (Bonhoeffer 1965, 17). He wants his audience to understand that many Christians seem to have lost sight of their ethics. Their focus has been shifted from the love of God and giving of oneself to the Lord, as Jesus did, to deciding what is good and what is evil, or creating rules to live by, and acting accordingly. It is important for one to know and learn about good and evil behavior. The distinction that Bonhoeffer makes is that one cannot depend upon this alone as an ethical lifestyle. An ethical life is developed over time as one decides for oneself what ideals and principles she chooses Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. to live by. There is depth to this type of ethical living, as opposed to simply following the rules handed down by the church. I want to emphasize that there is more to one's ethics than simply following the laws of the church. Certainly these rules are intended to guide one down the right path, but there are other factors involved as well. Following rules is the easy path that people all too often depend on to lead them to the moral high road. A good analogy to this is a "law-abiding citizen." Just simply following the laws of one's country or state does not necessarily make one moral. One can live his whole life without breaking a law and still be as uncompassionate and immoral as someone in jail for murder. There is more to life and ethics than being "law-abiding" or "church-going." It is this attitude that Bonhoeffer has issue with and suggests a need to change. Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer, all types of Christian meditation, (Keating et al 1999, 29) are not something commonly associated with ethics or morality. These meditative practices have been a part of the Church for nearly two thousand years. At one time this type of prayer was an important part of personal 3 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. worship. Although the practice has always been active in the Eastern Orthodox Church, it was abated in the Western Church until the 1960s. This thesis will discuss how Christian ethics should be primarily concerned with following the life example and teachings of Jesus. Centering Prayer can help one return to the path of Jesus, and should be considered and utilized as a way to develop and enhance one's ethical base. Meditation, or Centering Prayer, can help keep one focused on important values and beliefs. It can be a daily reminder to appreciate and love God and all that one has. It is a form of prayer that allows one to simply sit with God and accept his grace and love. It enhances one's ability to be open minded to other ideas and not focused on how right one's own ideas may be. This ecumenism relieves one of judgment of others. This is important to ethical Christian behavior. As one begins to stop judging others and becomes more open and understanding to other perspectives, one will experience the true love and compassion that Jesus taught. Through this type of prayer one learns to accept Jesus' teachings and act accordingly in an ethical manner. 4 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Since Jesus' death, some sort of meditation has existed in Christianity. This thesis will discuss the history of the contemplative tradition in the Church, including its near demise. Meditation was initially used in the Church by the Dessert Fathers and Mothers, contemplative monks, to mimic the life example of Christ.
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