I believe that in intense conflict, far from becoming sharper, differences melt away.
Rene GirardRead
Salvation lies in imitating Christ, in other words, in imitating the 'withdrawal relationship' that links him with his Father... To listen to the Father's silence is to abandon oneself to his withdrawal, to conform to it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of following Christ's example and embracing a deeper relationship with God through silence and introspection.
Rene Girard's quote suggests that true salvation is found in emulating Christ, particularly in the way He maintained a relationship with God the Father. This involves listening to the silence of God, which calls for a deep personal surrender and conformity to God's will. It highlights the significance of retreating from the distractions of life to connect more profoundly with the divine.
Themes
SalvationChristImitationSilenceWithdrawal
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon discussing faith and spirituality.
More from Rene Girard
All quotes →We don't even know what our desire is. We ask other people to tell us our desires. We would like our desires to come from our deepest selves, our personal depths - but if it did, it would not be desire. Desire is always for something we feel we lack.
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The protective system of scapegoats is finally destroyed by the Crucifixion narratives as they reveal Jesus' innocence and, little by little, that of all analogous victims.
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Instead of blaming victimization on the victims, the Gospels blame it on the victimizers. What the myths systematically hide, the Bible reveals.
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What I call a mimetic crisis is a situation of conflict so intense that on both sides people act the same way and talk the same way even though, or because, they are more and more hostile to each other.
Rene GirardRead
It doesn't take much insight to realize that wars have been getting worse every time - worse from the point of view of the civilian, more and more destructive, more and more total.
Rene GirardRead
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