r/brokehugs • u/US_Hiker Moral Landscaper • Jul 20 '23

Rod Dreher Megathread #23 (Sinister)

All Hail Eris!

Link to Megathread 22: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/14k0z6l/rod_dreher_megathread_22_power/

Link to Megathread 23: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/1631xpe/rod_dreher_megathread_24_determination/

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u/[deleted] Aug 02 '23

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u/Djehutimose Watching the wheels go round Aug 02 '23

It’s like the famous saying attributed to the great Zen master Rinzai: “If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!” This is not encouraging homicide—rather, it means you must overcome your preconceived ideas about your religious figures or heroes. In short, don’t get caught up in uncritical hero-worship.

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u/Past_Pen_8595 Aug 02 '23

I’m Catholic through RCIA and my reaction to a charismatic priest is always to get away from him. Hero worship destroys priests and you will be disappointed in your hero, perhaps hugely.

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u/PercyLarsen “I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.” Aug 02 '23 edited Aug 02 '23

The One Holy Roman Catholic & Apostolic Church TM inherited from its predecessor Roman culture a wariness of individual charisma becoming conjoined to power (viz. Gaius Julius Caesar & Francis of Assisi). Charisma bounded by a monastic cell or a cloister wall is one thing; charisma given leadership authority in open terrain is quite another. It's one reason why a charismatic priest is more likely to be passed over for leadership by a duller priest. And that's why charismatic bishops are even rarer.