Glory

So today in session we talked about John Donne. Dirty, dirty Donne. He was quite the desperate boy and the witty lover. He had all sorts of reasons to tell his ladies that they should sleep with him. 1. Sex is no big thang. Let's just do it. (The Flea) 2. Sex is like heaven. Let's do it. (To His Mistress Going to Bed) and 3. We are already united spiritually, so why not do it? (The Ecstasy)

There is particular danger with number 3 because Donne seems to align himself with the gnostic fallacy that the soul is better than the body; that the soul is more spiritual than the body. Plato also aligns himself with this fallacy. Augustine and Dante do not, however, oh thank heaven. The body is a good good good good good spiritual thing. It is not "the bad flesh." The body allows for expression. Christ also came in a body, and our bodies are eternal. The Bible does not back up our ideas that salvation is merely of the soul. Jesus always healed or fed before the gospel.
This makes me think lots of things. First of all, if Donne knew his body was a spiritual being, he probably would not have become spiritually united with so many girlies. Second of all, I just wrote 2 8 page papers on this. Yeah,I guess I'm thinking about the right things. Third, where does the line between spiritual and physical lie? Can you be spiritually involved with someone and not physically involved with them?

On that note, we also talked about boy/girl relationships. Can an unmarried couple who maintains physical and emotional boundaries go too far spiritually? I say yes! Spiritual, emotional, and physical intimacy are all connected and if one gets too far ahead, say, too much one-on-one prayer time, then the others try to catch up. This is why it is completely fine to not want to have a couple's study or weekly prayer times. Seek God individually. Grow individually.

This discussion also makes me think of why I eat Trader Joe's food and why I love to cook and why I drink lots of water. Take care of your body, take care of your soul. They sort of take care of each other.

In conclusion, Donne was a heretic, my life makes more sense now, don't pray with your boyfriend, and shop at Trader Joe's.

P.S. part two: art and the physical realm is next!