Guillermo Vasquez
Ms. Bauman
Essay 1 – Midterm
1 March 2016
Topic: Compare and contrast The Cloud of Unknowing and The Epistle on Sufism in relationship to how it relates to God, specifically between love, knowledge, and humility.
The Cloud of Unknowing and The Epistle on Sufism, are both considered mysticisms because they both agree on the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience. In other words, a religious practice based on the belief that knowledge of spiritual truth can be gained by praying or thinking deeply. Mysticism is specifically aimed towards human transformation, with various traditions, depending on the religion. In the modern era, mysticism has …show more content…
Like the article mentioned, “Rabi'a al Adawiya, an 8th Century Sufi saint who believed that God’s love is at the core of the universe and that we need to feel that love in all we do.” Love is what unites both The Cloud of Unknowing and The Epistle on Sufism.
Representing Christianity, The Cloud of Unknowing was written anonymously in the 14th century. This particular Christian work was considered, by many people, to be an essential spiritual guide during the late Middle Ages. The book itself promotes the idea that an individual cannot seek God through knowledge or intellect, but that certain individual must seek God with true love and no …show more content…
God must be our priority; it must be all we think about. We must love him, no matter what. God can be loved, but God cannot be known. Love is a feeling and it cannot be explained: it is human nature! The moment you try to somehow understand why you love God that is the moment your love towards God turns into knowledge. We can believe in God, but we cannot see him. God can never be discovered or interpreted, only revealed because he cannot scientifically proven. To reach perfection in the afterlife, you must meet God.
The cloud of unknowing is that veiled space between god and yourself. Although you can never know God, the fact that you believe and have faith in God, shows how much of a devoted Christian you are and that you truly love God. The Cloud of Forgetting is the cloud you must put between you and the objects created by God, which must be closed in order to get closer to God. The more you put in the cloud of forgetting, the closer you are to shrinking the cloud of unknowing. Having other thoughts and priorities in your mind, pushes you further away from
Ms. Bauman
Essay 1 – Midterm
1 March 2016
Topic: Compare and contrast The Cloud of Unknowing and The Epistle on Sufism in relationship to how it relates to God, specifically between love, knowledge, and humility.
The Cloud of Unknowing and The Epistle on Sufism, are both considered mysticisms because they both agree on the belief that direct knowledge of God, spiritual truth, or ultimate reality can be attained through subjective experience. In other words, a religious practice based on the belief that knowledge of spiritual truth can be gained by praying or thinking deeply. Mysticism is specifically aimed towards human transformation, with various traditions, depending on the religion. In the modern era, mysticism has …show more content…
Like the article mentioned, “Rabi'a al Adawiya, an 8th Century Sufi saint who believed that God’s love is at the core of the universe and that we need to feel that love in all we do.” Love is what unites both The Cloud of Unknowing and The Epistle on Sufism.
Representing Christianity, The Cloud of Unknowing was written anonymously in the 14th century. This particular Christian work was considered, by many people, to be an essential spiritual guide during the late Middle Ages. The book itself promotes the idea that an individual cannot seek God through knowledge or intellect, but that certain individual must seek God with true love and no …show more content…
God must be our priority; it must be all we think about. We must love him, no matter what. God can be loved, but God cannot be known. Love is a feeling and it cannot be explained: it is human nature! The moment you try to somehow understand why you love God that is the moment your love towards God turns into knowledge. We can believe in God, but we cannot see him. God can never be discovered or interpreted, only revealed because he cannot scientifically proven. To reach perfection in the afterlife, you must meet God.
The cloud of unknowing is that veiled space between god and yourself. Although you can never know God, the fact that you believe and have faith in God, shows how much of a devoted Christian you are and that you truly love God. The Cloud of Forgetting is the cloud you must put between you and the objects created by God, which must be closed in order to get closer to God. The more you put in the cloud of forgetting, the closer you are to shrinking the cloud of unknowing. Having other thoughts and priorities in your mind, pushes you further away from