Love does not require a sacrifice on the cross because Love simply forgives

 I think somebody will appreciate the invitation to think out of the box (tradition). Let's consider these questions.

Why would 'you' need grace from a God that is love? WHEN would LOVE have ever stopped loving? Are you sure that you have a clear understanding of what grace is all about? Love would simply forgive! NOT require a son on a cross!

These questions raise a pertinent point about grace because "grace" has often been used in a legalistic way in the christian circles. To some preachers, grace is like having a transaction with God, such as "God gives us his grace only when we give God our faith" or "God needs to punish Jesus to fulfill the law in order to give us his grace and forgiveness". That is not grace; that is legalism disguised as grace because the law is always conditional whereas grace is always unconditional.

Teachings that represent God/Jesus as a vindictive and vengeful divinity are actually anti-Christ because revenge and retribution are against his loving, gracious and non-violent nature. Jesus himself taught people not to return an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth, but to love their enemies. It is amazing to think how much the mainstream christian teachings that propagate a picture of a judgmental and vengeful Jesus have the gospel upside down that is contrary to his true nature.

The cross simply demonstrates Jesus' love, compassion and forgiveness. He had said "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do". If he had wanted revenge, he would have said something that was condemning.

Since God is love, and love keeps no records of wrong, then it does not make any sense for God to punish or require a sacrifice to atone for people’s wrongs. The “atonement for sin” theology therefore is man’s theology. I think Jesus came to help people repent (change their mindset) about God – that the idea of “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” is not compatible with God’s love (which keeps no records of wrong), and that God’s heart is to love one’s enemies. He also came to show us that we are already innocent and perfect/complete, for the kingdom of God (innocence/righteousness, peace and joy) is within each of us.

This also answers the question “If God doesn’t require sacrifice for “sins”, then why did Jesus die on the cross?” because Jesus’ suffering and death was to demonstrate what Jesus himself taught in the sermon on the mount – he did not return an eye for an eye when he was beaten, and instead he blessed those who cursed him, and prayed for those who persecuted him. The cross is a demonstration of the love of God which keeps no records of wrong, and not to atone for so-called sins (which man-made religions have mistakenly taught).

I believe there are people who will appreciate the invitation to think out of the box and question religious traditions, so as to find their own freedom from any kind of bondage of fear and condemnation imposed by organised religions, and experience peace within themselves and with others.

Related posts

Once you start seeing The Love of God, Hell Won’t Make Sense ~Dr. Michel W. Jones
Progressive thoughts on why Jesus died on the cross and whether God’s justice is retributive or restorative

"The next evolutionary step for humankind"

"The next evolutionary step for humankind is to move from human to kind." ~ Sun

Yes, we all could always do with more kindness. Like what the quote says, the next evolutionary step for humankind is to move from human to kind, so it is a witty observation on the wordplay since history has shown humankind is not always kind. I suppose it is an important evolutionary stage for humans to rediscover their own humanity and get in touch with human emotions after leaving organised religions and other brainwashing institutions, and this will naturally lead to the next stage about rediscovering kindness as our innate nature.

Perhaps when people see our connectedness as humans regardless of perceived differences in belief systems, cultures, traditions, backgrounds, nationality etc, they will naturally develop kindness and empathy towards self and others. May it be so more and more.

"This is my simple religion.

There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy.

Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness."
~ Dalai Lama

Love and freedom

"If you spend a good amount of time around religious folk you soon begin to pick up on the fact that most of their focus and energy is upon being good. In order to achieve this goal they have built their individual and collective way of relating upon form. A set of rules and regulations that when kept do produce a temporary feeling of being good. This of coarse also comes with a side dish of fear and the realization that if you fail to keep up the rules you are no longer good. Leaving the evil religious empire we walk out into the realm of the secular world. Here we find the focus is not on being good, especially (your version of what that means), but instead on feeling good. Pleasure seems to be the highest rung on the ladder. For someone fleeing the strict rules of religion this can feel like the ultimate freedom. And though there is an allowance to participate in many things once forbidden you get the sense that you have traded on small jail cell for a much larger one. As I have observed these things in my own own life and in those around me I have found that in both you can have powerful experiences that touch things deep inside and as these are awakened they demand more from those systems than they are able to give. For me the freedom that I desire has not been found in form i.e.,the strict adherence to rules of men or in feeling i.e., the pursuit of what fulfills my senses, but in faith. Faith here is simply the belief that there is something apart from myself and those systems that can and has met my deepest longings. That which both the world and religion have awakened but failed to satisfy.The freedom it produces is not a freedom from religion or from this world but from myself. A freedom from a self centered life. A freedom from those deep longings that are motivating every human being as they strive to be good and to feel good.It seems for me that when I find this foundation beneath my feet the world and religion loose their hold over me and I can see clearly to move about and make rational decisions rather than feeling like a junkie looking for his next fix."

- Rodney Stepp

Yes, living a fulfilling and satisfying life would entail avoiding both extremes of religion/asceticism (trying to be good by following rules and rituals) and secular hedonism (trying to feel good by seeking sensual pleasures continually to find fulfilment). As the post noted, religion makes people temporarily happy when they think they obey the rules and miserable when they think they fail to be good. While secular hedonism may seem better, it doesn't satisfy one's deepest longings permanently. 

The middle path therefore is practising non-attachment to self and living a life knowing we are already loved and seeking the highest good of all. The pleasure that comes with seeking highest good is a complementary by-product. The act of loving and seeing others helped and blessed and uplifted is a pleasure and reward in and of itself.

 

 

"Doomsday was never God's idea"

"Doomsday was never God's idea; it is a doctrine invented by religion to distract from the powerful message of the cross
Religion cannot bear the thought of an innocent world
That would make them lose both their power and their income"
- Francois Du Toit

I agree with his observation that religion is about power and money, so it is perhaps no wonder they invented the idea of doomsday to control people with fear and make money as well from the sales of their books, CDs, DVDs, etc about doomsday theories.

Yes, God's idea is never about doomsday, but about the unveiling of Christ in us the hope of glory - it is not about the destruction of the physical world but about the transition from the old world system of law and control to the new world system of grace and freedom. The message of the cross is indeed about dying to the old way of thinking and living in condemnation and conformity, and resurrecting to a new and higher way of thinking and living in peace and authenticity. The cross brings to end the illusion of separation and unites humanity as one family of God/Divine Unconditional Love.

God is love, and there is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear. For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

"It is OUR false hope that overwhelms us not these people who've behaved the same way their entire lives..."

Someone wrote:

"You let go by accepting... Insanity is rooted in not accepting... Once you learn acceptance life becomes more a mechanical process and less of a drama... Life can only be overwhelming as long as we carry poisonous false hope within us... It is OUR false hope that overwhelms us not these people who've behaved the same way their entire lives... Replace false hope with acceptance and you'll be free... By accepting (accepting full responsibility for) the reality we create, we ensure this false reality will never be recreated... Focus on what makes you susceptible to these expectations shaped by false hopes... All of life really happens inside of you. Resist the temptation to look outside... looking outside gives others power over you and drama is born..."

Yes, I have come to learn that everyone in the world is on a different journey and lives in their own reality they create. So how they treat me or respond towards me is a reflection of how they perceive themselves and others, which is something I have no control over. Like what the above  post says, I can learn to accept the full responsibility for the reality I create so that I will not be easily disappointed or disillusioned by my false hope or expectation of "people who have behaved the same way their entire lives". 

It reminds me of the example Ralph Smart gave in his video “How to Boost Your Confidence—You Are Worthy…Time to Fly!” - he also learnt to let go of expectations and accepted the fact that not everyone will resonate with his videos. There will be some people who respond positively and there will be others who respond negatively to his videos. So he shared that our perception of ourselves is what really matters because it is what shapes and governs our reality. 

I was reflecting that how people treat me is influenced or determined partly by how I treat or carry myself - if I practise self-love and acceptance and carry myself with dignity, perhaps there is a higher chance people will treat me the same way because according to the law of attraction, I will be attracting more of the good vibes I cultivate towards myself. 

Another part of the equation is that how others treat me is also partly determined by how they treat themselves. For example, if people are kind and friendly to me, it is because they are kind and friendly to themselves first. Similarly, if people like us and show respect to us, it is because they first like and respect themselves, and they like that part of themselves they see in us. I learnt this mainly from Carlton Pearson's teachings, and I find this observation to be mostly true. 

So having this awareness helps me to manage my own perception of the world, and reminds me to focus on living my own life and creating my own world instead of dwelling too much on what people may be thinking about me or how they treat me, which is not really within my control. It is an ongoing process as I need to remember this as often as I can and practise mindfulness so that I can continue to live in inner peace and harmony. 

Seeing our divinity with unveiled eyes

Someone said:  

"The word "evil" means "to veil"... All destructive behavior is born of our failure to see our divinity and to accept our divinity... I'm not a Christian and neither was Jesus, but the whole point behind forgiveness of sins is to remove this veil... this obstacle keeping us from loving our self... Most Christians completely miss the whole point of the Gospel entirely... they go on hating who they are and creating destruction as a result... The word Gospel means good news and yet most Christians have found a way to turn it into bad news."

It is interesting to see the word evil meaning "to veil", which hinders a person from seeing one's own divinity. It may explain why Jesus described the Jewish generation as evil because they failed to see their own divine nature. Jesus may have tried to unveil their eyes by telling them that their true identity is the light of the world. Perhaps the law had blinded their eyes to see the truth of who they are because they had thought they had to do something in order to become righteous. 

I am thinking that in Luke 11 when Jesus described whether their eye is single or evil, he could be referring to whether their inner eye/vision is veiled to see their own divinity. 

34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also isfull of darkness.

35 Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. 

36 If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.

(Luke 11:34-36)

To me, darkness simply means ignorance of one's own divinity. Jesus came to bring light to dispel people's ignorance of their divine identity, hence darkness is overcome by light. Sin in the Jewish context also refers to ignorance or amnesia of one's true identity and forgiveness of sin means unveiling of one's true identity, as pointed out by the post. Back then, the Jews and Pharisees failed to see their own divinity and hated themselves and became destructive, to the point they tried to kill Jesus too. Similarly, as noted in the post, many people in Christian circles fail to see the gospel or good news of their own divinity and so they hate themselves and others, seeing themselves as sinful and unworthy. Even though they may be taught to see Jesus as their covering with the robe of righteousness, and know they are crowned with glory, the underlying message they get from institutional church is that there is nothing good in them and only Jesus is their righteousness. But that is the old covenant mindset because the Jews put themselves under the law. The law is the one that condemns, not Jesus/God. God has all the while seen everyone as innocent and perfect/complete because he/she/it made us in divine image and declared us very good. The gospel of inclusion therefore unveils our mind to see the truth of who we are and see our original glory in the face of Christ our true identity. We will have single eye that sees our body as being full of light, knowing we are the light of the world.

Ever-increasing joy

"Make the unknown Christ known within yourself by seeing Him born a second time as the ever-new, ever-increasing joy of your daily deep meditation."

Paramahansa Yogananda

It is interesting to see the expression "seeing Him born a second time" as it reminds me of Jesus' words about being born again. Maybe to be born again symbolically mean to awaken to the Christ hidden in us. The first coming of Christ was to the people at that time to see him in the flesh, and perhaps the second coming of Christ is to everyone to see him at any point of time in the spirit, which can be described as making "the unknown Christ known within yourself by seeing Him born a second time as the ever-new, ever-increasing joy of your daily deep meditation." This reminds me of Jesus' words to his disciples in John 16. 

22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.

Yes the more we behold Christ in us, the more we are being transformed into the same image as in a mirror from glory to glory in ever increasing joy, even by the Holy Spirit. 

Love covers over a multitude of sins

1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

I googled the above verse to understand it better and I realise the context of the verse is about showing love and understanding and seeking peace and harmony in a social setting where people use their gifts to serve one another.

1 Peter 4:8-10

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

⁸ and, before all things, to one another having the earnest love, because the love shall cover a multitude of sins;

⁹ hospitable to one another, without murmuring;

¹⁰ each, according as he received a gift, to one another ministering it, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God;

In group fellowships, there may be instances where we notice one another's shortcomings, so usually people prefer to overlook them and focus on offering goodwill and hospitality. It is like loving our neighbour as ourselves - just as we would not like to dwell on our own shortcomings because we love ourselves, we would usually also show the same love to others in normal daily circumstances when they fall short of the mark (as long as they are not intentionally hurting others) since we are all imperfect human beings. 

Proverbs 10:12

Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

¹² Hatred awaketh contentions, And over all transgressions love covereth.

The gospel as a mirror (Andre Rabe @ Kainos Ministries )

Video information

Published on 29 Apr 2012

You are valuable, you are loved, and someone knows you even better than you know yourself. There is an image and likeness imprinted upon your being that is the basis of your value ... a value beyond your wildest dreams.

Coins used to have the face of the person who guaranteed their value, minted onto them. Any note or coin has a guarantor, a person or institution that guarantees its value. Even if a coin gets lost, the coin never loses it's value.

The one who invented and designed you, stamped you with His own image and likeness.

He knows you better than you know yourself ... He knew you even before you were born. You might not know Him, but He has always known you. You might not be aware of Him, but He has always had you on His mind.

You might think 'why' ... why would anyone have such an obsession with me. Well, the creator of this universe sees a value and a beauty in you beyond anything in this natural world. He even sees a possibility of romance!

I like what Andre Rabe said in his message so far, especially the part that we cannot be lost unless we belong, and as we have seen in the 3 parables, the sheep remains the sheep, the coin remains the coin, and the son remains the son. Our true value and identity has not changed, and neither has God/Creator/Divine Love changed his mind about us, regardless of whether we know him or do things that impress/disappoint him. So the idea of separation (as propagated by organised religions) is a lie, and so the truth of the gospel of inclusion sets people free from the illusion of separation and enables them to enjoy peace and wholeness in their lives.

Further thoughts

I have finished listening to Andre Rabe's message video. Overall, it is a good message about God's love that affirms our intrinisc value, which is based on the image and likeness of God in whom we are created/made. This value is unchanging and incorruptible, as he said. I agree that God loves us not in spite of us, but because of who we are - we are valuable, precious and lovable, and God's love rejoices with the truth - that there is something so lovable about us.

Yes, God created us in his innocence and likeness, and God knew us before we were formed; he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1). Jesus is the revelation of what God thinks about us, and Jesus is God's mind made up about us - he is the Alpha and the Omega - he is God's original thought and final conclusion about us (our lives). (This is similar to Francois du Toit's main message of the gospel too.)

I agree that the gospel is not a "product" to be purchased by the "currency" based on the amount of grief, faith, remorse, etc shown by the "customer". As he put it, we are not selling a product. Rather, the gospel is a mirror, and what we declare in the gospel is true, whether we believe or not - that God has declared us innocent and righteous, and has included in his love and acceptance. Yes, knowing this truth doesn't make people grovel in the dust anymore or continue to live in a pigsty like the prodigal son did, parabolically speaking. Looking into the mirror of our true identity can transform our experience of how we live our lives - knowing who we are can cause us to want to not continue in our illusion of separation (since we are already one with our highest self), just as it causes the prodigal son to forsake the pigsty that has never been his origin. (To me, it simply means a place of ignorance of God's love.)

I like his sharing of Psalm 22 - God has done it, and the ends of the earth shall REMEMBER - yes, we cannot remember unless we once knew the truth of who we are and later forgot who we are.

As he pointed out, some people say "God is love but he is also just" as if God is in conflict with himself, and yet there is nothing God does not do for us in justice that is different from his love, so justice and love are one because God does not have a multiple personality disorder. I also noted that Jesus prayed to the father that we may be one - before the world began, we were all already in a relationship of love (John 17) Yes, God is not a grumpy judge in an antiquated legal court. Rather, in his fullness and completion, his love overflows to reach out and embrace us.

I also agree that loving God is shown in loving people - loving our brothers who are made in the image of God too (1 John), so for our doctrine to be worth something, we will demonstrate love to others in our own lives.

Last but not least, Andre also shared that Jesus is fully God and fully man - representing both God and humanity, and that the law came not to fix the problem but to reveal the problem - the law demands perfect obedience and declares man exceedingly sinful (in terms of measuring up to absolute standards). My take is that the law was only for those under the old covenant, who placed themselves under the law of Moses - so it is only applicable in their culture and tradition. The law is not applicable to us, so we are not "sinners" to start with. 

So, innocence is our original state, and in a sense, we did not know until the gospel came to reveal the truth. As for 2 Corinthians 5 that says God has reconciled the world to himself through Christ, I agree that is the gospel to the people living in the first century, and I would add that the world was referring to the known world back then (in the Roman empire), based on a preterist perspective. For us in our modern context, I see it as being reconciled to our true self who is never separate from us. We live in a time that is beyond the Jewish religion, beyond covenants, and beyond sacrifices. While some symbolisms in the Bible may not apply directly to us (such as the temple, covenants, etc), we can still learn and benefit from the gospel described in the bible.

All in all, I agree with the overall message that God the father (Divine Love, highest self, universal consciousness, Great Spirit) enjoys who we are, and is proud of us, and there is nothing wrong with us,  and the truth of God's love sets us free to be ourselves and trust and accept ourselves for who we are.

A still small voice of love

Someone said: "Since God is love and if you want to change circumstances in your life, then be listening to still, small voices. And be a still small voice of love in someone else's life."

Yes, the still small voice within us is the voice of Divine Love/God who always builds us up and guides us from within by teaching us all things and bringing to our remembrance all things concerning our true identity/Self. When we are attuned to the living and loving voice of our spirit that reminds us we are beloved children of God, made in Love's image, we will do all things based on the truth of who we are, as an expression of Love and Light. 

As mentioned in the quote, I think by reminding someone else of their true identity and their oneness with Divine Love, we can be the still small voice in their life that resonates with them and affirms what they intuitively know in their heart.

Related post 

The Still, Small Voice of Love: Meditation by Henri Nouwen

 

Overcoming doubt and self-rejection and focusing on our belovedness and innocence

"For every person there are two voices in their head. One that brings life and encouragement and another that leads to doubt and death. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. We've been conditioned to believe all the negative things we hear, think and say. But we need not suffer another day. So start by knowing which thoughts to heed and which to throw away. Be impeccable with your thoughts and words today and you will be able to handle anything that comes your way."
- Jacob Israel

This is so true as there are times I also felt vulnerable to the conflicting voices in my mind as described in his post. While I may already know the truth of my true identity as a beloved child of God/Divine Love, there are still times I forget or lose sight of the truth.

Like what he described, we have all been conditioned to believe the negative things we hear, think and say, whether from the mass media or advertisements, or fundamentalist religions, or society or family members or relatives etc in the past. Past experiences and memories of rejection may resurface or may be triggered by some events or some challenges, so it is always good to remember that we do not need to buy into these lies about ourselves, and instead keep resting in the knowledge that we are beloved children of God and we are favoured and precious. And the more we focus on our belovedness and innocence, the more likely we will attract the same vibrations of favour and blessings towards us from the universe too, I believe.

The truest prayer ~ Albert E Day

The truest prayer begins when we pass beyond word into deep silence, when lips are hushed;
when racing thoughts are stilled; when emotions are placid
as the dawning over the waveless ocean.
~Albert E Day

This quote reminds me that God/Divine Love dwells in the silence of our heart and in the quiet sanctuary of Nature. A contemplative quietude is perhaps the best way to start a brand new morn. The phrase "dawning over the waveless ocean", I learnt just now, is captured in a hymn called "Still, Still With Thee".

"Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,
When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;
Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,
Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.

Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,
The solemn hush of nature newly born;
Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,
In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

As in the dawning o’er the waveless ocean
The image of the morning star doth rest,
So in the stillness Thou beholdest only
Thine image in the waters of my breast."

I also learnt that Albert E Day is the author of a book called "The Captivating Presence." In a way, he reminds me of Brother Lawrence (author of "The Practice of the Presence of God"), who also practised the presence of God in his daily life.

God is love, and his love is a God-sized-love

"God is love, and his love is a God-sized-love. We can't compare his love to our love. His love is cosmic sized. His love is big, no bigger, no it's BIGGER. It's bigger than we can even comprehend. It's bigger than our own definition of love. It's a completely divine love.

It's a love with no faults and no limitations. It's a love that never fails. It's a perfect love. It's beyond our own definition of love. We only see a glimpse of it. A tiny piece of its whole, but what we see blows our minds.

What we see inspires us to love likewise. What we see is just a fraction of the whole, and the whole of God's love is BIG. BIGGER. Keep going.... its bigness never ends. It's like the universe: Unending, ever expanding, and undefinable".

"Although I can't possible fully understand how great a privilege it truly is, I'm blessed beyond measure to know that God is holding me within his cosmic-sized love." Mick Mooney

"And our God has more than enough love and Grace for ALL who are hurt and confused about WHO they are in this life".

It is good to meditate on the love of God that is unending and limitless. Yes, like the universe that is infinite and yet ever expanding, so is the expansive yet inclusive love of God. NASA describes the universe as infinite in extent.

http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_shape.html

"If the density of the universe exactly equals the critical density, then the geometry of the universe is flat like a sheet of paper, and infinite in extent."

Someone commented in this website that "Incidentally, if the universe is infinite now it has always been infinite, even at the Big Bang. This is why you'll often hear it said that the Big Bang wasn't a point, it was something that happened everywhere."

I think this may align with the panentheistic view of "All is in God", as we are all included in God, including the universe with all the stars and planets and living beings such as ourselves. It is reassuring then to know we are included and safely held within God's cosmic-sized love, as Mick Mooney put it in his quote. 

Yes, our God has more than enough love and Grace for ALL who are hurt and confused about WHO they are in this life. Whenever we are being rejected or sidelined by the society that try to make us conform to their norms and expectations to become something we are not, we can take refuge in the knowledge that God always loves us and accepts us for who we really are - beloved sons and daughters of God. 

Young's Literal Translation (YLT) 1 Peter 5:10

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who did call you to His age-during glory in Christ Jesus, having suffered a little, Himself make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle [you];

• 
  

Yes the God of all grace will perfect us with his/her love that casts out fear, and establish and strengthen and settle us in the knowledge of our true divine identity. It is good for our heart to be established by grace.

Peace that passes all understanding

"The highest expression of Universal Mind otherwise known as God is Peace. (Peace in this context is the same as Love.) We are not referring to the ego's version of Peace which is nothing more than the opposite of conflict, but the Peace that surpasseth understanding." James F Twyman

Yes, peace as the highest expression of Universal Mind is much more than an absence of conflict or chaos as it goes deeper than the world's (or ego's, according to the quote) notion of peace. I think the peace that passes all understanding is available to every person regardless of their belief system or religion. For example, peace may be attained through meditation for followers of Buddhism, or through prayer for followers of Christianity and Catholicism, or through yoga for yoga practitioners, and so on. And yes, peace is equivalent to love because both stem from the same source of Universal Mind.

"Observing silence, and breathing deeply and gently is the easiest way to open the heart. You can also open it through sacred dancing and movements which incorporate the breath and encourage gratitude and presence in the moment. The method you use to fall into the heart is just a tool. Do not make it important. What is important is that you find a way to access the deeper aspect of your being which is at peace."
(From "The Silence of the Heart: Reflections of the Christ Mind" by Paul Ferrini)

"Living In More Gracious Space" podcast

This is a good podcast on living in more gracious space (click here to listen). I like the mystical approach that both Wayne Jacobsen and Kent Burgess has regarding relationship with God, in terms of slowing down and being present and in touch with God (or our inner/highest self). I agree with the interpretation that Kent shared about the parable of the prodigal son who came back to the fatheer after venturing to distant lands - a symbol of how we too have left the present moment and got distracted by the performance mindset of the world (religion/politics/society). It is perhaps ironic too that Buddhism and new age seems to help people connect with God (or highest self) better than mainstream Christianity.

Like what Wayne shared, religion with all its rules and regulations and competition with one another tends to make people relationally challenged. On the whole, it is a great message about returning to the present moment and being in touch with our true self.

As also shared by Wayne, the performance mindset of the world/religion/modern societies tends to cause people to want to resist and change things on the outside, but it is much better to be in the flow/present moment of life. I also like the examples given in the podcast that Jesus would take time away from the hustle and bustle of life and find secluded places to pray/contemplate - indeed, Nature is perhaps the best "church" or "sanctuary" where we find rest for our soul and peace for our heart and mind.

We Are Never Alone—The Universe Always Sends Someone—The Empowered Human: 360 Senses

Video message
"Do Not Suffer in Silence—Open Your Heart to The World!" - Ralph Smart

I thought it is an encouraging message reassuring us that even as we embark on our spiritual journey that differs from the crowd, from the world system, we are not alone because the Universe always sends someone in our life at each stage of our journey. 

Love and the meaning of life

"If one believes that the world is meaningful, yet does not love, they cannot help but experience the world as meaningless. Yet if one believes that the world is meaningless yet loves, that person cannot help but experience their world as meaningful."
Peter Rollins

I can see the point in Peter Rollins's quote about love being the main factor in determining whether a person experiences their world as meaningful, and not the belief system the person professes. It is easy for anyone, especially in the religious circles, to dictate for oneself and others a certain set of beliefs to make life meaningful, but without love, these beliefs and actions are meaningless. For example, a preacher may tell the congregation to "give their lives to god" and "get involved in ministries" to live a "meaningful" life but these activities are only superficial acts mainly for show and not from the heart if people are just following orders and rituals.

In comparison, outside of organised religions, when people live freely and do not follow a prescribed set of rules, rituals and programs, though they may seem to live "meaningless" lives in the eyes of the religious, they are actually experiencing a meaningful life when they love themselves and others without any condition. They are living from the heart.

Love and the meaning of life go hand and hand, and transcend all religious, social and political boundaries, because they cannot be bound by dogma. Indeed, as noted in your question in YA, people who love usually do not need to preach about the meaning of life or follow any particular religion - they simply focus on living their own truth and expressing their own authentic self.

We are all brothers and sisters in the same family of Love

until you understand love...........your fellow man will be a stranger...........only known by the knowledge of...........good and evil........religions son in whom the serpent is well pleased.......blessings
- Dean Dosher

Yes, the understanding of Love enables people to transcend the illusion of the knowledge of good and evil, as noted by Dean Dosher. According to the gospel (as I understand it), when we know the love of Christ that has become our identity, we will no longer know people according to the flesh (based on good and evil, which is also the law mindset), but we know people based on the truth of our true identity as new creations - the old Adamic identity is done away, and the new paradigm of how we see ourselves and others in Christ, our true origin, has come.

So, we see that the gospel of grace and peace transforms people's mindset to see one another as fellow brothers and sisters of the same family of Love, and no longer relate to one another based on our performance. In Christ, there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, christian nor hindu nor buddhist nor atheist, gay nor straight, Chinese nor Indian nor Japanese nor African nor American, for all are one in Christ (who is an archetype of our true identity), and God is all and is in all.

2 Cor 5:17 Now whoever you thought you were before, in Christ you are a brand new person! The old ways of seeing yourself and everyone else are over. Look! The resurrection of Jesus has made everything new! (Just imagine this! Whoever a person was as a Jew, Greek, slave or freeman, Boer, Zulu, Xhosa, British, Indian, Moslem or American, Chinese, Japanese or Congolese; is now dead and gone! They all died when Jesus died! Remember we are not talking the law language here! The 'If' in, "If any man is in Christ" is not a condition, it is the almighty conclusion of the revelation of the gospel! Man is in Christ by God's doing. 1 Cor 1:30, Eph 1:4. (Mirror Translation by Francois du Toit)

 

To My Entire
Soul Family
Thank you
For Being Here
At this Amazing time
On This Beautiful Planet
With Me
I am so Glad I found you
Thank you for Touching My Heart
And Reminding Me Who
I Am
And For Making this World a Better Place…
Namaste
I Am Eternally Grateful
We Are All One
Together We Fly
Information
You Are
Perfect, Strong and Beautiful…
Just The Way You Are
For I See The GOD In You
Bless is The Day
I LOVE YOU ME US
I SEE YOU
☜❤☞
Music & Words By
Alaenura

A metaphysical interpretation of incarnation

Someone wrote:

"maybe the incarnation is in fact, a moment of realization, for every human, in that when the word (ideas; constructs; mediation) becomes flesh (materialization) we realize that prior to this what we have been experiencing was not reality at all..."

Yes, I too would see the incarnation as symbolic of a moment of realisation for every human being that the word (idea or construct about who we are and where we come from) is made flesh (manifestation). Perhaps before the word was made flesh, before the incarnation, symbolically speaking, people were living in darkness, in the sense of living under the illusion of separation. The shadow self/vengeful god/ego that caused people to live in fear, guilt and strifes with one another is brought to light and this darkness of ignorance could not overcome the light of the truth of our innate oneness, wholeness and beauty that is made manifest through the incarnation (or realisation of our true identity). 

Moving beyond the society's definition of success

“The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.” ― David Orr, Ecological Literacy

Yes, our planet doesn't need more successful people because the society's definition of "success" is anti-Earth and anti-humanity, since people's competition for more wealth, possession, recognition, social status, etc only serves to create division and discrimination among humankind as well as over-exploit natural resources and cause environmental degradation and species extinction.

It is more important and sane to seek to make the world habitable and humane through championing equal rights and promoting freedom and peace as well as working towards environment conservation. Like what David Orr said, these qualities have little to do with the society's definition of "success".

“I think the greatest people in (our) society carve niches that represent the unique expression of their combination of talent.” Neil deGrasse Tyson

Embracing our divinity and humanity

"Salvation thus resides in transforming how we position ourselves in relation to this state. We can outline these various positions in this way,

We are broken and don’t acknowledge it (through repression, disavowal etc.)

We are broken and do realize it

We are broken and affirm it

This doesn’t mean that we simply accept difficult things in our lives and resign ourselves to them. Rather it means freeing ourselves from the idea that something will bring some final inner harmony and learning to work for small, incremental changes. In concrete terms this means that, if we are ill, we don’t wait for a sudden change, but take concrete medical action and attempt to face the illness. Or that we don’t hide away from the world in some compound (whether that is a real compound or our bedroom), imagining that it will be remade in a perfect way, but work up the courage to try and change how we live now.

The idea that there is some way of bringing wholeness and harmony into our lives is actually an ideology which acts against making real change here and now, thus rendering us more susceptible to those who promise that they have the diet, drug or divinity that would make everything perfect again."
~ From "Happiness is Not a Three-Step Dance" by Peter Rollins

My understanding of the above message is that we can embrace not only our divinity but also our humanity including all our brokenness and sorrows and pains. It is about accepting reality and being responsible for creating our own reality and working through our own struggles instead of waiting for some god in the sky to make everything alright. In doing so, we are working out our own salvation as we are our own saviours (or physicians).

The biggest embrace of love

"The biggest embrace of love you'll ever make is to embrace yourself completely. Then you'll realize you've just embraced the whole universe, and everything and everybody in it." —Adyashanti (((Hugs)))

Yes, to embrace ourselves is to embrace the whole universe because the universe is in us and we are the universe. All love is self-love, as you have shared before.

Whitney Houston's song "The greatest love of all" came to mind:

"I found the greatest love of all 

Inside of me 

The greatest love of all 

Is easy to achieve 

Learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love of all"

I also like a similar message in this article: 

"And when we nurture ourselves, the ripples really do pulsate outwards.

Love yourself, exactly as you are, right now…

This is the most divine gift you can give yourself.

It is also the most powerful gift you can give to the world.

By loving YOU, you send out a message of unconditional love to all sentient beings."

“Silence is the language of God, all else is poor translation.” Rumi

In truth everything and everyone
Is a shadow of the Beloved
And our seeking is His seeking
And our words are His words...
We search for Him here and there
While looking right at Him.
Sitting by His side, we ask:
'O Beloved, where is the Beloved?'

You suppose you are the trouble
But you are the cure
You suppose that you are the lock on the door
But you are the key that opens it
It’s too bad that you want to be someone else
You don’t see your own face, your own beauty
Yet, no face is more beautiful than yours.

Wake up lovers, it is time to start the journey!
We have seen enough of this world, it is time to see another.
These two gardens may be beautiful but
let us pass beyond them and go to the Gardener.

“Silence is the language of God,
all else is poor translation.”

Rumi

Yes silence is the language of God, for we experience God our true self in silent contemplation.

Why people need a religion based on probabilities and science

"I'm beginning to believe, consider even, that the vast majority of people actually need a religion because they are incapable of being responsible for themselves and to themselves, nor are they capable, either by nature or nurture, to have independent thought. They need religion to control or to justify being controlled. If this is true, then they need a better religion, one based on probabilities rather than impossibilities, science instead of snake oil." ~Timm Chambliss

Yes, Christianity is dying right now before our eyes, and I believe those who hold on to mainstream Christianity or evangelical Christianity are doing so only because they are used to being controlled by the church leadership, as noted by Tim Chambliss. Even so, they would be better off choosing a better religion that is built on probabilities (or possibilities) and science, instead of dogma and superstitions.

I also wonder how long the existing preachers can continue to keep up their facade and pull the wool over people's eyes with their fear-based and separatist doctrines, in order to keep the religious business going. Whatever it is, more and more people around the world are indeed starting to question and reject status quo and compliance to norms in the church world and in society at large. We can only keep on sharing edifying materials that are helpful to ourselves and others concerning our innate oneness in the meantime, and witness the freedom being experienced by more and more people around us.

Also, the universe has its own way of getting the message across to people in their awakening process, so in the meantime, it is wise to keep a distance for the time being from those who are unpredictable and have yet to come to terms with their own shadows, so to speak, for our own safety. Each of us has to deal with our own shadows and is not responsible for others' shadows. Though we may still share thought-provoking and liberating materials with others from time to time, through our blogs, emails, etc, it is up to them to decide whether and how they allow themselves to be inspired and awakened. The old system of classism is dying, and people need to either evolve and grow along with the new system of equality or eventually die (with the old system), or at the least become irrelevant in the new era of higher consciousness and unity.

A deep unmovable sense of peace

“No matter how much drama others are into, you can see them as the creative expression of the same one Source from which all has sprung. When you are in that holy space and you begin to look at things with new eyes, there will come a peace that the world does not know, but a peace that you know very deeply within your soul, a peace that you yearn for, a peace that says, ‘I am okay no matter what happens in my life, no matter what drama, no matter what seeming loss or abandonment, no matter what seeming wrong choices have come, I am okay. I am divine. I am loved. I am love walking on two feet, and I will be that sun —s-u-n— the Light of the world.’ "

Oakbridge University ~ Jeshua Online ~ Message of the Day~

Yes, when we are resting in the Source, we are experiencing a deep unmovable sense of peace, knowing we are loved and we are divine.

Overcoming illusions

"The world is run by people who depend on people depending on an illusion that they are willing to fight for. As long as the people are fighting for an illusion, they don't have the energy to see beyond it."-Karrie O.

I suppose the rulers here may refer to those seeking power and control in politics and religion. Yes they usually depend on people who buy into the illusion they painted, such as the illusion of separation (to control people with fear of a vengeful deity or to manipulate people to fight against imaginary enemies in other countries) and the illusion of democracy (which has been mainly controlled through propaganda, making it hard to people to make informed decisions in voting). Hence, it takes each individual to be our own saviour and rely on our intuition and resources to find out the truth that sets us free.

Related link: 

prayer from the cell: no separation

  

"Be still and know that I am God"

Freedom is the space for existence. Stillness is space for movement. Silence is space for sound. Darkness is space for light. Coldness is space for warmth. God is the freedom, the stillness, the space, the darkness, the silence, the coldness. God is the container, He is the unmanifested for without which the manifested could not exist. The space always was and always will be. We occupy this space whether we know it or not. We live inside God's body and if we stop and become present we will discover that inside every moment something is pointing to His existence. "Be still and know that I am God".

- Joshua Guild

This contemplative post reminds me of a quote I came across earlier in one of Facebook inspirational pages:

"The breath is the manna of the universe. Be still with the manna of your breath and know your soul."
Spiritual Awakenings

I have learnt that God is in the breath and is the breath because God is spirit and our breath is spirit. God is also grace (divine, perfect and unconditional love that is our true identity) and grace is the manna, and so every moment we breathe in grace, our manna. Like what the quote says, when we are still and breathe in awareness, we will know our soul.

Similarly, I like what the above post says about us stopping and becoming present and discovering that in every moment something points to God's existence. Come to think of it, this is true because God is all in all and there is nothing where God isn't and there is nowhere where God is absent. God is in our breath and in between the breaths we take. God is there when we inhale and when we exhale. God is present when we believe and when we doubt.

Like what Joshua Guild says, God is present in sound and in silence, in darkness and in light, in coldness and in warmth, in freedom and in existence. I think this aptly describes the mystery and mysticism of God that goes beyond traditional doctrines of religions that tend to portray a one-sided picture of God. Indeed, God is both the unmanifested and the manifested, as without darkness there would be no light. I think it is comforting to know God lives in those spaces of our life in which we used to think he was not present. Being still, then, causes us to know and acknowledge that God is ever present, every moment, in us, around us, with us and as us, and is always for us regardless of our state of knowing or awareness. Such is the love and faithfulness of God, our highest consciousness.

God is all in all

"I will have nothing to do with a God who cares only occasionally. I need a God who is with us always, everywhere, in the deepest depths as well as the highest heights. It is when things go wrong, when good things do not happen, when our prayers seem to have been lost, that God is most present. We do not need the sheltering wings when things go smoothly. We are closest to God in the darkness, stumbling along blindly"

~Madeleine L'Engle

Yes, it is a divine paradox in that God is most present in our darkest moments of doubt and despair. I think much of the popular religious teachings tend to portray god to be present only when people have faith and is absent when people lacks faith or positive thinking, which sound fluffy and shallow. Yet God is all in all, and many a times deep calleth unto deep during our times of sorrow and anguish. A deeper peace lies within that is beyond superficial happiness and material pleasure, and also beyond doubts. God is love and love is found in everything and transcends polarities and duality. God is indeed with us always.

Resonance - living with different frequencies

I have no doubt most grace preachers and teachers are helping people to believe in positive outcomes to overcome their problems. After all, my personal principle is that whatever benefits oneself and others is wonderful, and it doesn't matter what label we give to our religion or ideology, whether it is called progressive Christianity or new age or socialism or anarchism, etc. However, the main grouse I have with mainstream Christianity or grace teachings in evangelical circles is that they engage in double talk - on one hand, they encourage people to see God as bigger than their problems, yet on the other hand, they limit God by excluding "unbelievers" from being part of God's family unless they are seen to confess or believe the "right" things about Jesus Christ.

The false dichotomy of "us versus them" is perhaps one of the most divisive mindsets in the world. I myself also need to remember not to allow the differences in beliefs or mindsets come between me and others. I suppose friendship with others who subscribe to mainstream Christianity is still possible, even though it may not be at a deep level since there may be little or no resonance with their mindsets about certain topics or issues.

This is not to say I got everything figured out and they don't. Rather, this is to acknowledge that my journey has taken a different turn from theirs at some point in time. I feel that it is up to each person to decide for oneself whether one prefers to explore the mysteries of life by oneself or to follow the crowd and accept the established ideas handed down from the previous generations. Of course, we all can choose to learn from one another and draw our own conclusions. We need one another at the end of the day, since we are interconnected in the web of life in the universe, even though we may not always see eye to eye on some matters.

 'Trust the wisdom of your soul. It knows the way."~ Laurel at Illuminating Souls.

It's time to wake up and grow up

HEY CHRISTIANITY, WAKE THE HELL UP!

- Let's just be real. First of all, Jesus and Christianity have NOTHING in common. Christianity is nothing more than the Pharisees under a new title. Their so called Sabbath is a fashion show, and the main event is always the offering plate. They seem to think the Word of God is a book, and honor that which is dead, more than that which is alive (their own brothers & sisters). They say, you are a sinner, and you must accept Jesus, or else God who is LOVE will throw you into an eternal oven.

Come on' people, stop being brainwashed and WAKE UP! The bible is not a literal book. WE are the Word of God wearing garments of flesh. Jesus is everyman's story, a microcosm of ALL humanity, (he is you and me). Yes, WE are the living Christ, and the Kingdom of (love, joy, and peace) here and NOW! Please, stop waiting for that which is already here. The Pharisees could not see Christ then (in the form of Jesus), and the Pharisees (Christians) can not see Christ NOW (in the form of EVERYMAN). Humanity is Jesus the Christ if you have not yet caught on.

So please, grow the hell up and find out who you truly are. Stop being a bunch of fucking zombies walking around quoting scriptures and gossiping about each other. Stop believing everything you read, everything that people tell you, and learn to go within and find out for YOURSELF.

Have a beautiful day, PEACE!!!

- Matthew M

It is refreshing and encouraging to read the above post as he tells it like it is, that Christianity has missed the truth just as the Pharisees did. Jesus the Christ is indeed humanity himself. Back then, when Jesus told the Jews (after saying "today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing") that the non-Jews have received healing and grace instead of them, the Jews were mad at him and wanted to throw him off a cliff. Today, many of those who call themselves Christians are no different - they get mad when they are told that the kingdom of heaven is in and for everyone, not just "Christians". Like the Pharisees, they thought only they had exclusive favour with god (or rather their version of god).

As Matthew M pointed out, today's Pharisees (Christians) cannot see Christ now (in the form of every man). It is sad because the gospel is the good news for everyone, not just for "Christians" only. Christ came to show he is all and in all. It is indeed time for those who call themselves Christians to stop quoting scriptures to condemn or discriminate their fellow human beings, or gossip about who has "backslidden". Talking about that, I like Mike Myers' definition of a backslider -"a term used to describe someone who has enough sense to leave a cult"

Related link:

Blasphemy or good news?

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader 

10 Signs of a Cult

How Cults Work

Blasphemy or good news?

Modern-day Nazareth, Israel in 2008

 ¹⁶ So He came to Nazareth, [^[e]that Nazareth] where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day. And He stood up to read.

¹⁷ And there was handed to Him [the roll of] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸ The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity],

¹⁹ To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day ^[f]when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound].

²⁰ Then He rolled up the book and gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing [attentively] at Him.

²¹ And He began to speak to them: Today this Scripture has been fulfilled ^[g]while you are present and hearing.

²² And all spoke well of Him and marveled at the words of grace that came forth from His mouth; and they said, Is not this Joseph’s ^[h]Son?

²³ So He said to them, You will doubtless quote to Me this proverb: Physician, heal Yourself! What we have learned by hearsay that You did in Capernaum, do here also in Your [own] town.

²⁴ Then He said, Solemnly I say to you, no prophet is acceptable and welcome in his [own] town (country).

²⁵ But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were closed up for three years and six months, so that there came a great famine over all the land;

²⁶ And yet Elijah was not sent to a single one of them, but only to Zarephath in the country of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.

²⁷ And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and yet not one of them was cleansed [by being healed]—but only Naaman the Syrian.

²⁸ When they heard these things, all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage.

²⁹ And rising up, they pushed and drove Him out of the town, and [laying hold of Him] they led Him to the [projecting] upper part of the hill on which their town was built, that they might hurl Him headlong down [over the cliff].

³⁰ But passing through their midst, He went on His way.

 Luke 4:11-30 (Amplified Bible)

Imagine Jesus standing up today in a church building after reading the scriptures and said "Today these things are fulfilled in your hearing. The atheists, buddhists, muslims, jews... all of them have inherited the kingdom of heaven." Will the church-going christians get mad and try to push Jesus off the cliff for saying such blasphemy? Or will they rejoice with the good news?

Related link:

It's time to wake up and grow up