Postures of Trust
Postures of Trust
This chapter explores several articulations of faith as the consciousness of humility or dependence, on the one hand, and belonging to a world of meaning, on the other hand. These two forms of experience together identify some defining sense of trust in the sacred. Thus, the chapter begins with a discussion of humility, as treated by several Christian mystics and ritually enacted by Muslims in the five pillars of faith. Next, it considers nineteenth-century Christian theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher's treatment of religious experience and Christian God-consciousness. Finally, the chapter deals with the experience of reconciliation, whether as promise or as realized, and considers in detail a South Indian Hindu puja, the Satyanarayana vrata, as a ritual and mythic enactment of belonging to a larger world.
Keywords: humility, dependence, Christian mystics, five pillars of faith, Friedrich Schleiermacher, religious experience, Christian God, reconciliation, Satyanarayana vrata
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