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What is Mortification of the Flesh?
Mortification of the flesh means putting the flesh to death. It has been and is still practiced in all cultures in some way across the world, though the exact intention and result is often different. There is a lot of speculation in today’s world about what motivates it. Meditation is an act of mortification, yet…
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Addiction vs. Practice
Mortification of the flesh to what purpose, dis-identification? Yes, indeed. When people still undertook it with the proper intent, but it has no merit if it’s merely a self destructive act. Are there not other ways less destructive to dis-identify? Yes, and “destructiveness” is a key concept. It is not the key concept of self…
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Practices of Mortification of the Flesh
To speak more on mortification of the flesh practices, they often show that there is more to us than our desires. Practices served as rites of passage, much like tribal ritual scarification. It still is practiced in the Opus Dei. They are flagellates, if I recall. Opus dei, work of God in Latin. Some say…
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Experience over Practice
Are you advocating for self-mortification? No. I am advocating experience. No one practice. When you are impassioned, and begin cleaning house despite physical fatigue, you restructure your whole living space. You ache miserably after pushing yourself so hard, but from somewhere not explained by your body, something moved you. Experience of this I see as…
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Natural Rhythm
An example of a modern mortification of the flesh is caffeine. It tends to make us feel very alert, but also uncomfy. However, it is so taken for granted that it is little questioned in general, and we schedule our time and lives around an unnatural rhythm. It has a positive affect for some and…
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Feeling Safe
It is safe to say that both mortification of the flesh and the stock market crash are manifestations of something. We learn by testing. We learn by trial, and in the past there have been trials of all kinds. Now we are putting our trade on trial. People want to feel safe and will create risk…
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Religion as Addiction
Is religion a new addiction of self image? Often times it is, from my observation. This is why modern organized religion is so troubled. In one case, I was taking my son to a daycare, very religious people and thought they could be trusted. They were in the atonement cycle. It turns out the male…
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Virtue and Vice
Yes, I have changed. I have reached a personal crisis, and it is here that I have had every idea or belief reduced to a bottom line. My instinct is fear. Now I have transcended that fear and thus transcended my old self, but I didn’t get it from being a good boy and believing…
Category: Mortification
Mortification of the flesh means putting the flesh to death. Mortification of the flesh in a ritualized setting can help people get over these bad addictions that hurt them. The practices often show that there is more to us than our desires and served as rights of passage. Am I advocating self-mortification? No. I am advocating experience. No one practice.
“For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” Saint Paul (Rom 8:13).