tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940453618852577476.post8668888887860460599..comments2024-03-06T08:01:09.580-08:00Comments on The One True Faith: Litany Against FearFaithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13945662015612932618noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2940453618852577476.post-9703448039655383692018-04-10T11:47:14.402-07:002018-04-10T11:47:14.402-07:00Christian here that has also read Dune.
First of ...Christian here that has also read Dune.<br /><br />First of all,<br /><br />"I surmise she used the famous litany from Bene Gesserit, who wrote the Dune series of novels in the 1960's."<br /><br />There are just a lot of issues with this sentence which erode credibility. I'd highly recommend reading Dune. Anybody. It's fantastic, cerebral, page-turning stuff, which is why it's one of the progenitors of modern sci-fi without being like stereotypical modern sci-fi. It's top notch. Frank Herbert was writing the books until his death in the 1980s.<br /><br />Frank Herbert. The author of Dune. The Bene Gesserit is the fictional order of sisters in the book series, and the Litany Against Fear comes from their teachings. I'd rephrase this as:<br /><br />"I surmise she used the famous litany from the Bene Gesserit, the important order of women in Frank Herbert's Dune series."<br /><br /><br />And I think it's a very powerful passage and not all that hard to remember if you intend to remember it.<br /><br />It's also almost certainly derived from Eastern teachings like zen which have been adapted over the years into what we could call "mindfulness" today. Mindfulness is pretty much "be present in the moment and observe what's happening without resistance or judgment." The Litany is saying the same thing: I will allow myself to be immersed in fear instead of fighting it or denying it, and I will stay with it until it passes and then I will observe that it has passed and that I'm still here.<br /><br />It's not inconsistent with Christianity; I think putting it on a sheet with some inspiring Bible verses about fear would be a great little thing to keep in one's pocket. Marsha Linehan, who created Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, which is heavily based on mindfulness is Catholic. A perfect complement to the Litany would be the Serenity Prayer. You might mix everything into a prayer that looks something like this.<br /><br />Lord, IN THIS MOMENT, give me your strength to face my fear and the serenity to know that it WILL pass, and I WILL endure, and it can have no power over me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com