Seek and save the lost, the excluded and the forsaken

"Christianity at its very most fundamental is not a project of building an official Establishment that would properly represent itself, but to seek out those excluded and thus forsaken, by those Establishment that already are". 

Drew Sumrall. 

Yes, come to think of it, when Jesus said the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost, he actually was referring to seeking out those who are oppressed and marginalised by the societal system. Indeed, the lost sheep and the lost coin would represent those who are excluded and forsaken by the establishment, which Drew mentioned. 

Hence, in the parable of the lost sheep, we see the good shepherd leaving behind the 99 sheep which could be a picture of the empire that is based on rivalry, status and self-righteousness, to seek out the lost sheep which could be a picture of the ones who have been excluded by the empire, and the shepherd would rejoice in rescuing and restoring the lost sheep to its proper place in his kingdom of love and grace and acceptance.

Simplicity, patience, compassion

Simplicity, patience, compassion.
These three are your greatest treasures.
Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being.
Patient with both friends and enemies,
you accord with the way things are.
Compassionate toward yourself,
you reconcile all beings in the world.”
― Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

I think this profound quote sums up the greatest treasures within us very well. It reminds me of the kingdom of God that is within us Jesus spoke about, which is similar to the inner treasures of simplicity, patience and compassion Lao Tzu mentioned, that each of us has. 

Maybe when Jesus said to become like little children in order to enter this kingdom that is within us, he could be referring to simplicity in actions and thoughts which connects us to the source of our being, contrasting with the ways of religious institutions which tend to complicate life with their rules, rituals and doctrines. 

As for patience and compassion, I realise both come from remembering our true identity as Love because Love is patient and kind/compassionate according to 1 Corinthians 13, so when we start by being compassionate with ourselves, our kindness and patience naturally flows to others. As Lao Tzu says, we accord with the way things are and reconcile all beings in the world, as we reconnect with our true self and know we are Love - be still and know you are God, as the psalmist also would say.

Courage, integrity and authenticity in sharing our struggles

I think the common unifying force that connects people is our human frailty and struggle because everyone goes through their personal struggle, and we may relate to one another better when we see others going through similar struggle as we do when they share about theirs. While some institutional church pastors may have shared some of their struggles with the congregation, it is usually in the form of testimony that describes how they met with some crisis and then they found faith in God whom they claimed to have turned things around for them, or how they struggled with some habits or addictions and then they claimed "God delivered them". While it might sound encouraging to some, in retrospect, this doesn't really give encouragement to those who still have doubts about God or are going through spiritual crisis or are coming to terms with their own sexuality, especially for those who are gays. In fact, such testimonies might even give the hearers the impression that there is something wrong with themselves that needs to be "fixed".

I suppose in institutional churches, pastors are generally tied to their pay checks, church committee and peer acceptance by other church pastors in the Christian circles, unfortunately, so they may be constrained to how much struggle they can afford to share with the congregation. If a pastor were to share with the congregation he is currently struggling with his doubts about God, or is questioning the church doctrines such as the literal hell doctrine, or is considering the fact that he might be gay, he risks being expelled from the institution and rejected by his peers in the Christian circles.

But if a pastor decides to be true to himself and be intellectually honest with his own doubts about certain doctrines as well as his own struggles in personal life, he would be willing to count the cost and bear the stigma of being ostracised by the religious fraternity and follow Jesus and find true freedom and peace. This act of courage, integrity and authenticity would also be an inspiration to those who are going through similar struggles themselves.

"If I cannot find the Love of Christ in the worst 'hell', then Jesus is not Lord and I must look for another ...."

Someone wrote:

"If I cannot find the Love of Christ in the worst 'hell', then Jesus is not Lord and I must look for another ....

This is not a 'hell' debate, nor is it about universalism, it is a statement about Jesus being Lord, and if we cannot see Him in our worst of the worst situations that we will ever face, ever, then we are left hopeless, or even worse, we place our hope on someone or something else, and that is possibly why a huge percentage of human beings look to some other leader or guru in our various real or imagined plights ....
And the blind lead the blind ....

If Jesus is Lord, then He is Lord of All, whether of things above or beneath, and of any and every other still unknown dimension ...."

Yes, there is no other Lord except Christ who is in us the hope of glory. Where Christ is, we are, so whether in the best of times (heavenly experience) or in the worst of times (hellish experience), the love of Christ is always with us. This reminds me of psalm 139, which I believe symbolically describes the love of Christ that is ever present, regardless of one's geographic location or state of consciousness.

"Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou artthere: if I make my bed in hell (Sheol), behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;"
(Psalm 139:7-9)

Psalm 46 also says Christ is our very present help in times of need, and we can be still and know I Am, so the love of Christ is a present reality. When we practise being in the here and the now, focusing on the in-breaths and out-breaths, we become aware of the love of Christ that is in our breaths. The breath of life is the breath of love, and every moment is the reality of the love of Christ.

"But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;"
(Romans 10:8)

Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, just as nothing can separate us from our breath. We and our breath (ruach, prana, qi) are one. Even when we pass on eventually one day, our breath merges with the breath/wind/spirit of the universe - as Jesus said, "Father into your hands I commit my spirit (breath)". Jesus did not cease to exist but become one with the universe in cosmic consciousness. Jesus continues to live with us, among us and as us in spirit and in truth.

Like what the post says, there is no other hope outside of ourselves. Hope is found within us, and we are the Christ whom we seek. Love is where our true home is, and no one can take away our true home, and love is always present with us wherever we go, whether in the best of times or in the worst of times - the love of Christ sees us through every season of our life, never leaving us nor forsaking us because love is one with us.

"Breathing in, I know I'm breathing in.
Breathing out, I know I'm breathing out.
Breathing in, I enjoy my in-breath.
Breathing out, I enjoy my out-breath."

Breathing is enjoyable. Whether we're sitting, standing, or lying down, breathing becomes a pleasure because in the breathing there is peace."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh (From "Together We Are One")

No time for religious fundamentalism

One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain in most of christian history, and still believe that Jesus is one’s “personal Lord and Savior”... The world has no time for such silliness... The suffering on earth is too great.
~Richard Rohr

Richard Rohr's observation of many people who profess to believe Jesus as their lord and saviour and yet demean their fellow human beings is unfortunately spot-on for the most part. It is as if they think saying the magic word "Jesus" is the passport to go to "heaven" and yet they can continue to discriminate others for whatever reasons such as when others do not agree with their dogma. This reminds me of a recent blog by Dylan Morrison in which he shared some observations about self-professed Christians or "religious junkies" (RJ).

"1) The RJ believes that they are on a mission for God.

This mission is more or less defined as getting others saved or to put it more eloquently, to bring others into a relationship with Jesus Christ. The RJ believes that God will hold them accountable for their efforts on this mission of mercy. At the end of the space-time road, the Divine Judge will have a look at the facts and figures of their evangelistic efforts. Many RJs who get into full-time ministry are doubly zealous in this conversion push, especially as it may overlap with running a successful church i.e one with many bums on seats."

(From "Religious Junkies - The Sequel" by Dylan Morrison)

Like what Richard Rohr says, the world has no time for such silliness, for the suffering on earth is too great. What people need is kindness and acceptance, not religious affiliation or fundamentalism.

The gospel introduces us to ourselves again, so that we may know evenas we've always been known! 1 Cor 13:12

"Neither Jesus nor Paul told people to “get born again”! You couldn’t even get yourself born the first time, how are you going to get it right a second time?

Jesus did say to Nicodemus unless you’re born from above (meaning unless you realize that you originate from above) you would have no interest or appetite for heavenly things! John 3:13

God is not man’s idea; mankind is God’s idea. Man began in God, not in his mother’s womb. God says to Jeremiah, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb” Jer 1:5 Mankind is by design the god-kind.

(You'll enjoy "Thoughts on the new birth" in my book Divine Embrace! Kindle or print)"

- Francois du Toit

Yes, it occurred to me that the phrase "born again" was used only in the context of addressing the Jews to give up their natural identity as Jews and embrace their true identity as sons and daughters of God, together with other members of the human race, regardless of ethnicity, nationality or religion.

As I learnt recently, Jesus could be telling Nicodemus to give up his natural identity as a Jew and adopt a new identity as a child of God in the family of humankind. (Jesus had said in another place that the kingdom of God is within us.) If Nicodemus sees himself only as a Jew, he will see himself separate from other people who are seen as non-Jews. But if he sees himself as a child of God in the family of humankind, he will see himself as one with other fellow human beings and there is no separation between him and other people.

Similarly, Peter wrote to the Jews about "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever", which I believe is about renewing their mind to see themselves not as Jews by natural descent but as children of God by spiritual descent. In the same way, we are all made in the incorruptible image of God and we all began in God, as mentioned in the post.

I like what 1 Cor 13 said about that which is perfect has come.

"But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." 1 Corinthians 13:10

Yes, the perfect has come in the person of Jesus, and we no longer see ourselves through a glass darkly but we see ourselves face to face with our Beloved in the mirror of our divine beauty. Indeed, the gospel introduces us to our true divine self, and we shall know even as we are known by Divine Love.

Annie Daugherty: What we resist persists

"i understand the egoic allure of (self-)'righteous indignation', that surge of endorphins in imagining oneself the sole defender of truth and justice. yet, in the end, what we resist persists, and Jesus offered some pretty good advice regarding the 'pharisees': "Leave them alone..." - Annie Daugherty

I think that is good advice from Jesus who had much experience in dealing with the Pharisees of his day. There were times he engaged them on a discourse about God and the kingdom of God, and there were times he disengaged from them and departed from them when they resisted his message and wanted to stone him. Similarly, when his disciples shared the gospel, they also learnt to shake the dust off their feet and moved on to another town if they were not welcome in a town.

I think today's Pharisees can be likened to those who do not see Jesus manifested in the flesh (in everyone on earth) and look forward to a physical return of Jesus in future, not realising the kingdom of God is in the here and now and is within us. This egoic allure of imagining oneself to be the sole defender of truth and justice is in everyone, including the Pharisees. For example, many a times, some modern pharisees/evangelists would claim to speak for "God" and pronounce judgment on some groups or some societies for not living up to certain expectations. That could also be a manifestation of the egoic expression of the dualistic self.

When it comes to promoting social justice and setting people free from oppression, we can follow our heart and intuition, as Jesus did. Sometimes it involves speaking up for the marginalised, just as Jesus defended the woman he healed on the sabbath day who was bowed down by religious oppression. Sometimes it involves speaking in parables which invite people, including Pharisees, to think for themselves what the kingdom of God means, as Jesus said, "he who has ears, let him hear." When people's hearts are open and ready or willing to learn more about the gospel, they will come to Jesus and listen more of his teachings, as it was in the case of Nicodemus the Pharisee.

Thoughts on "A reading of John 14:6 - Brian McLaren"

Here is an interesting article by Brian McLaren called "A reading of John 14:6".

http://www.brianmclaren.net/emc/archives/McLaren%20-%20John%2014.6.pdf

Brian McLaren's take on John 14:6 generally sits well with me. If only more people in the Christian circles take the time to examine that verse in the whole literary and social context like he did, then they will understand better what Jesus could have meant by those words "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me".

I like how McLaren explored the chapter just before John 14 that put in place the context of Jesus' conversation with his disciples about his imminent suffering and death, that led to his statement in John 14:6. I agree Jesus was referring to his destination in terms of suffering and death in the immediate future which he must bear alone, and the disciples could not follow, until some time in future when they would follow his footsteps (willingly).

My take on the "Father's house" is similar to McLaren's in the sense it may refer to a physical manifestation of the kingdom of God on earth. This is revealed by Jesus' words later in the chapter when he said:

"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."
(John 14:20)

I believe that is when they received the revelation via the Holy Spirit that they are one with Jesus/God in consciousness and God is in them and with them. They will realise that they are sitting with Christ in the heavenly places (that is, in higher consciousness).

I think McLaren has asked an important question on "Jesus is the way to what?" because different people will answer differently, depending on what they are looking for in life. For example, if people are looking for the four noble truths, then Jesus is not the way but Buddha. In the case of the disciples, they are looking for the way to the Father whom Jesus often spoke about. In his reply, I could almost sense a bit of exasperation when Jesus told Philip that he would have known by then that the Father was in him, and by seeing him, they would have already seen the father. After all, in John 10, Jesus also said he and the father are one.

"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."
(John 14:9-10)

So, the Father is not someone up there in the sky who can only be seen somewhere in future but is already present in the here and now, in the person of Jesus standing right before them. The disciples had thought the Father was separate from Jesus, but Jesus made it clear that he and the Father are one. In fact, they had already seen the Father without realising it; Jesus had to confirm it by telling them that they knew and had seen the Father because they knew and had seen him.

"If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him."
(John 14:7)

Later in his conversation with his disciples, Jesus went one step further and told them not only he and the Father are not separate from each other, the disciples are also not separate from him or the Father, because they are all one. The Holy Spirit would open the eyes of their heart to see their oneness in their consciousness.

"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."
(John 14:20)

In retrospect, I am glad Jesus' disciples were not afraid to ask questions; even though they might look silly to many of today's readers of the bible, their bold and honest questions to Jesus actually gave him the opportunity to clarify many things about himself, about the Father, about them, and so on. In a way, their questions and Jesus' answers serve as an essential FAQ that readers would appreciate. In a sense, the disciples might represent us who would also have thought of similar questions to ask Jesus. Yet in another sense, Jesus might represent us answering our own questions because Christ the living wisdom is living in us and as us, and having the mind of Christ, we too can find the answers we seek within ourselves through silent contemplation, listening to the still, small voice of Love. And when we read or listen and learn from others, we can go by what resonates with us that we have already intuitively known in our heart to be true for us.

Related posts
John 14 What did Jesus mean when He said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life?
What if Jesus has come back many times since the Roman Empire?

Re: The meaner the 'god', the meaner YOU will be inside

Someone wrote:

"People generally live as both the 'god' they acknowledge in their minds and the servant of that 'god'...
The meaner the 'god', the meaner they will be inside, yet accompanying this mindset is the need to serve this 'god', and with it a fear induced compulsion to be as nice as possible to 'him', giving 'him' credit for everything, and therewith being nice to other people in case you tick 'him' off, even though you really couldn't give a damn .....
What a horrible conglomeration of confusion lurks in humanity!

When asked how to communicate with God, Jesus speaks to some lads of the Jewish religion and to some others who were in the audience, all steeped in various mythological folklore ....

And he begins with 'Our father ...'
'Our Father ??'

What a blow to the mindsets of mythology, bringing the beginning of understanding to his listeners that would sweep out any concept of a domineering 'god who demanded to be 'served' or else !

Later Jesus says 'if you have seen me, you have seen the Father' and in the same conversation, he says 'I don't call you servants, but friends'

John, who penned the words of that conversation, had this to say about the one true God that Jesus introduced to us as 'Father and Friend.....'

"God is Love"

'Love is my father, Love is my friend !'

To have the understanding that Love is our beginning, our friend and our end, brings a profound settling in our hearts and minds, because we instinctively know this to be what is good and real and true, and it is in this environment that our 'beings' cultivate their best, where loving and respecting others becomes a natural outflow from the heart, and the warmth of true affection and harmony with others is our daily experience ....

To genuinely love Love and to love all our brothers and sisters naturally ......
Isn't this what real life is all about ?"

The above quote sums up how people (especially in christian circles) become as mean as the god they subscribe to in their mind and how Jesus came to unveil the heart of God that is love. Many people in the Old Testament times, as well as many followers of Christianity today, had a mental image of a demanding, domineering god and they lived with a servant mentality to serve this god of their mind. As a result, they become mean and miserable - mean to others who do not believe the same way as they do, and miserable when they think they fail to live up the expectations of their god (a la mafia boss).

Jesus himself bore the brunt of their meanness and misery when he interacted with the Pharisees and the Jews who subscribed to the idea of a judgmental god, and he was called all kinds of names by them for challenging their discriminatory views and calling out their unfair treatment of others as well as their hypocrisy.

Yes, Jesus came to reveal the nature of God that differs from their fragmented view - that God is the father and he is the manifestation of the father, who is also their friend. He is the friend who loves at all times. I agree that when people know and experience the love of God through having a heart revelation of Jesus being their friend and of God being their father, they will end up naturally loving and accepting themselves and others.

One heartfelt hug

It is said that "one heartfelt hug is more convincing that God is Love than a thousand Bible scriptures."

Yes, a heartfelt hug conveys warmth and love and gives a human touch, whereas bible verses tend to lack a human touch even though they may be uplifting.

Maybe that is also why Jesus (the Word) was manifested in the flesh because it is not enough for people to know mentally that God is love but also to know, see and feel the love of God in a tangible way, who can relate to them as human beings. Jesus demonstrates the love of God visibly and tangibly through his words and actions by lifting up people and embracing them with love and acceptance. In the parable of the prodigal son, the father (God/Divine Love/Highest Self) embraced the son who returned home, which means much more than words.

A heartfelt hug is also life-giving, and I am reminded of the real life example of a rescuing hug that one baby gave to her baby sister who then recovered from a life-threatening condition.

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 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.

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

The Divine is beyond any label or myth or name

After coming to see the bible as a collection of myths and legends, I feel a sense of aversion whenever I come across blogs or comments that still hold on to the idea of Jesus as a historical figure, and talking about sin and hell. In my mind, I was basically cursing and swearing at such religious ideologies.

I actually think it is very normal to react like that. To me, this belief system is unfortunately not only based on ancient mythology, but also creates divisions among people, discriminating against those people who do not profess to follow "Jesus", and propagating the illusion of separation.

That's the reason I have decided to read the book "Who was Jesus - fingerprints of the Christ" by D.M. Murdock. It was written by the same author whose books were used as a basic resource to produce the movie "Zeitgeist", which sought to debunk the whole Jesus hoax. My curiosity has been stirred to want to find out more about how the whole Jesus myth came about, and what motivated the early century writers to come up with such a compelling myth. My conclusion for now is that it was meant to serve the purpose of rebelling against the Roman authority back then. It would no longer serve that purpose in our day and age.

People are awakening, and leaving the institutional church for good. Hence, evangelical preachers are getting nervous. Even progressive christians appear to be making last ditch attempts to "save" the idea of a historical Jesus, and tries to make him the ruler of everything through their latest books and blogs. But the truth be known, the Source or Divine, as I understand it, is beyond any label or myth or name. As long as people are attached to a person or deity or ideology or label, they are still bound in some ways to pledge allegiance to a particular group or dogma or denomination. This mindset goes against the grain of universal love and unity and brotherhood.

What does it mean to be "spiritual but not religious"?

I have listened to Rob Bell's video on "Rediscovering Wonder" again, and somewhere in the middle of the video, he mentioned about people calling themselves spiritual but not religious. To him, spirituality is about having a childlike wonder, and being free to question, discover and explore (the mysteries of life) with a sense of awe and wonder, and being open to different ways of looking at things, whereas religion is about being dogmatic and fundamentalist. This view sits well with me.

On another note, it is perhaps no surprise that many people in the christian circles, such as evangelical preachers in general, choose to equate spirituality with Jesus because Jesus has been a central figure in christianity for so long (about 2,000 years or so) that people in mainstream christianity have all along assumed (including myself in the past) that he was a historical character - after all, the idea of Jesus coming to save, love, heal and comfort us and to set us free from religion is a comforting and compelling thought itself. It may explain why the recent video "Why I hate religion but love Jesus" is so popular among those in the christian circles.

To me, after coming to see the bible as a collection of myths and legends, I now see spirituality in a broader perspective - for example, native Amercian spirituality to me is considered spirituality, which revolves around the concept of our oneness with the Great Spirit and with Mother Earth and all living things. Music is spirituality too. I think anything that enables us to keep in touch with our soul can be considered spirituality.

In my recent blog "To be spiritual is to be amazed", I concluded:

"For me, I would say any belief that does not cause harm to oneself or others and instead produces the fruit of love, peace and unity is of the truth because the truth always sets us free."

 I have also read the article "Spiritual, But Not Religious", and I can relate especially to this observation.

"Forsaking formal religious organizations, these people have instead embraced an individualized spirituality that includes picking and choosing from a wide range of alternative religious philosophies. They typically view spirituality as a journey intimately linked with the pursuit of personal growth or development."

I agree spirituality is meant to be individualised, since everyone has a subjective view or opinion about God/Divine, which is influenced by a person's upbringing, culture, experiences and so on. Each person's experiences in life are unique, and it has been suggested by some inspirational sources that we all have our own unique spiritual DNA, so to speak.

I also believe we are already spiritual beings on a human journey, so there is no need for people to become more spiritual (in the sense of becoming more holy or moral or perfect, which itself is a form of legalism). The fact that we are moved by music, art, beauty and love is testimony that each of us is spiritual, and yet at the same time, we also need to connect with our humanity, in terms of our emotions.

I suppose the general idea I have at this point of my journey is that spirituality has to do with experiencing a sense of inner bliss that is unchanging, whereas humanity has to do with our emotions and thoughts (such as those of fears, worries, anger, disappointment, hurts as well as happiness, peace, elation, excitement, passion) that are fluctuating and everchanging - I would say both are equally necessary and normal and natural parts of our human existence. We all need to embrace both the spiritual and human sides of ourselves.

Is "original sin" a christian theology?

Actually, I think the sin theology was derived from the Jews, and the early Christians probably borrowed (and adapted or modified) the idea of original sin from Judaism. I have come to see the bible as a collection of myths borrowed from various ancient cultures, and somewhere along the way thousands of years ago, the sin concept was probably borrowed by the Jews from some of the ancient traditions that revolve around sin, atonement and sacrifices.

Until the day Jesus arrived in the scene, the Jews were still hung up about sin and sacrificial system. The Pharisees especially looked down on others as sinners. Although I have come to see Jesus as a mythological character, I do see his purpose in helping people to see themselves not as sinners but beloved children of God. He told them the kingdom of God is within them. If they were sinners, then this statement makes no sense. The fact that the kingdom of God is in us means we are all beloved and innocent children of God. While Jesus have used the term sinner in his parables, I believe he was only using their lingo to speak their language. But essentially Jesus wanted everyone to know that we and the Father are one, and we are already blameless and without spot, wrinkle or any such thing. 

The bible is a collection of myths after all

When I was reading the book of Romans, I was pondering over the possibility that the story of Pharoah in the old testament was not a true story and only an allegory.

That thought led me to question whether Moses existed in real life, because since most, if not all, of the Bible is a collection of allegories and myths, then Moses could well be an allegorical character to symbolise an archetype of the law mindset (based on illusion of ego and separation). So, I decided to google "Did Moses exist?", and I came across several interesting websites.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Did_Moses_exist#ixzz22x2PE1GU
"There is no physical evidence of the existence of Moses (eg mention of him on pttery shards, as is common for other significant figures). Textual analysis shows that the books of the pentateuch, attributed to Moses, were not written by a single author. Some scholars believe that these books were a much later confection of stories centred around a figure with no historical basis."

This discussion forum shares similar views on the mythical nature and non-historicity of Moses.

http://freethoughtnation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=4182&start=0
"Although many scholars of the past century to today are clear on the mythical nature of the Exodus tale and the probable (to them) non-historicity of the Moses character, there are a number of historical or quasi-historical individuals and events that have gathered attention as the possible "real Moses" and "real Exodus"."

The person called Acharya who wrote the above has an interesting blog that has some links on how the christian religion came about. http://freethoughtworld.wordpress.com/


The following websites also have something to say about how the myth of Jesus came about.

http://freethoughtnation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=26401

"The question “Did the Biblical Jesus really live?” has been debated by scholars for centuries. While literalist Christian scholars prefer to seek evidence that supports their belief in a historical Jesus, impartial historians, including some Christian ones, have shown that there is in fact no evidence to support a historical Jesus."

http://mama.indstate.edu/users/nizrael/jesusrefutation.html

"The theme of a divine or semi-divine child who is feared by an evil king is very common in pagan mythology. ... Examples of myths which follow this plot are the birth stories of Romulus and Remus, Perseus, Krishna, Zeus, and Oedipus. Although Torah literalists will not like to admit it, the story of Moses's birth also resembles these myths (some of which claim that the mother put the child in a basket and placed him in a river).
..
"However, the story of the twelve apostles lost its original allegorical interpretation and the Christians began to think that the "twelve apostles" were twelve real people who followed Jesus. The Christians attempted to find names for these twelve apostles."

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20120222023136AAvYsuW

"The biblical Jesus was a composit, fictional character created by the writers from the stories of several real historical persons being put together to create the composit biblical Jesus. The legendary King Arthur and Robin Hood characters were created the same way. The first century Jewish historians Josephus and Philo of Alexandria traveled throughout Palestine in the first century and wrote about many false messiahs and miracle workers including John the Baptist and James the Just, but NEVER wrote about the biblical Jesus. "

Last but not least, I discovered that even the apostle Paul may not have existed in real life, according to some views, such as the one below.

http://freethoughtnation.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=15&p=1571
"here's what I think.

Paul is not a real person at all.

Certainly Paul draws from Apollonius of Tyana and the works of Josephus. He appears to be a conglomerate of wise characters, that the early church wanted to assimilate under one to give credibility to their movement. Its easier to twist a history to make it fall inline, than it is to outright declare war on it. Especially when Apollonius was well respected amongst his contempories.
...
It also occured to me that there is also the possibility that Paul is meant to be the forerunner character of Jesus - but 'gnostically', he represents the struggle of a man, who has received enlightenment, but not yet reached the 'Christ' status the gnostic interpretation aims for. Clearly this would mean him entirely spiritual and not real, as in the gnostic interpretation of Jesus."

I am still chewing on these findings and I will take some time to digest the information myself.

1 John 1:9 was written to the Jews, not Us

I understand the context of the verse 1 John 1:9 in terms of John writing to the Jewish audience, so he was only speaking their lingo, since they held on to this sin theology.

For us, there is nothing to confess, because we are not "sinners". I think this sin-consciousness comes from the religious mindset, that mistakenly thinks one has failed to obey a so-called god, and that subscribes to the illusion of separation.

Hence, I don't agree with the popular notion that people are born "sinners" or use the explanation that the world is messed up because of some sin Adam committed. My take is that the world is messed up because people have forgotten who they really are - that we all are already perfect, complete, blameless, innocent and beloved.

I have come to see the bible as a Jewish old covenant book, and while I may learn some truths from it, but many of the things in the bible, such as the sin theology, do not apply to me because I don't belong to the Jewish religious system, which has already been done away in AD70.

Someone may ask, "Then why did John write that 'If you say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us?'"

My answer is: Precisely because John was writing to his Jewish brethren who were under their law system, they were counted as "sinful" simply because their own man-made laws condemned them. We learn that "By the law is the knowledge of sin", so that is how the Jews became sin-conscious. This man-made law system was put to an end by AD70, marked by the destruction of the Jerusalem temple.

We are not under the Jewish law system. When there is no law, there is no transgression of law either. That means there is no such thing as sin.

In short:

No law = No knowledge of sin

No law = No imputation of sin

No law = No transgression of law

No law = No knowledge of sin

No law = No consciousness of sin

What is our conclusion then? When we change our mind (repent) from the law mindset to the grace mindset, we realise that sin is only an illusion - the illusion of separation. Sin doesn't exist in reality.

Jesus' parable of the lost son exemplifies this truth. The younger son returned home, and before he could finish "confessing his sins", his father embraced him and welcomed him home warmly and unconditionally.

What does this tell us? Is God waiting for his children to confess their sins? No. The father did not even bother to listen to the son's rehearsed confession. As far as the father is concerned, the son is always perfect and innocent in his eyes.

Similarly, as far as God is concerned (whom I believe is our highest self), we are perfect and innocent. May we all continue to see ourselves the way our highest consciousness sees us - beloved, complete, innocent and blameless.

"A good Father doesn't think of His children as evil, and His love won't even keep a record of our wrongs. So, He sends us the Comforter to bring us a real sense of security--the very thing that our theology stole from us."- Dr Michael Jones

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Truth is an outsider - Mick Mooney

"Truth, I have discovered, is an outsider.

If you want it, you’ll never be allowed to remain in the circles of main stream acceptance; like Jesus, truth isn’t accepted in religious circles.

I tried to make it work, to find a middle ground, we all do.

But there came a point when I simply stopped understanding the religious mind.

It is a strange thing, because that was my mind for so long, but I can’t sympathise with it any longer; I want no part of it.

And I am not alone.

I’ve become part of a band of rebels who have found each other along the path of honesty.

We’re not considered rebels because we are looking for a fight; we are rebels because we openly reject the cry of religion, demanding we return to captivity."

- excerpt from Losing The Christian Economy: Confessions Of An Ex-SuperPastor

Yes, the moment we decide to be intellectually honest and seek the truth that sets us free, we will not find ourselves remaining in the circles of mainstream acceptance. We have become rebels, so to speak, who have found company with those who are also seeking freedom from the religious mindset. For me, I no longer find any resonance with the church mindset of "saved" versus "unsaved", for example, so being away from the institutional church system and feeding on my own through inspirational pages on facebook (as well as nuggets shared by my beloved) has helped keep my spirit buoyant.