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)

Mark Twain said, "It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince then that they've been fooled."

"Mark Twain said, "It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince then that they've been fooled."

But he didn't say it was impossible. That's why I started this page. It is my aim to loosen Christianity's grip around your mind. Why? Because Christianity claims to provide rock solid answers to the questions of mankind when in reality it's as if the whole belief system were held together with Scotch tape. Once you start to probe the logic behind Christendom you'll quickly discover that it makes no sense whatsoever. And what is touted as a God of love is actually a devil.

And once you're freed from Christianity's shackles, it matters not to me where you go from there. Weather you go into another theistic belief system or atheistic mind frame... I simply cannot stand silently and watch people be indoctrinated with the idea that there's only one grain of sand when in reality there's an entire beach of sand!"

- Mike Myers 

I agree with Mark Twain's quote as it usually takes someone from outside the system to realise (more easily) that they have been fooled by the system compared to those who are still in the system. So for those of us who are now outside the system of institutional church, the least we can do is to help others rethink about christianity (as we have been rethinking ourselves), such as through sharing our experiences and findings in our blogs and so on.

How religion separates people based on ideology and belief system

Someone wrote in Yahoo Answers:

"If you are not sure and convicted for what you stand for, you will and can fall for anything. I cannot see, anyone, man or woman, having encountered and experienced the Love of the Lord Jesus, can attest to the salvation that they received and have had a genuine touch from God, easily go into a marriage with someone who is against Christ's diety, His Person and Work" 

The above quote is an example of how the Christian religion is separatist, elitist and sectarian in nature as it divides people based on their ideologies and belief systems. Those who adhere to the Christian religion are often divided over doctrines and may feel pressurised into pledging allegiance to whichever sect or denomination is preaching doctrines that align with their personal beliefs (and bias and prejudices). It is almost as if they fail to see that such indoctrination has made them self-righteous Pharisees who use their religion to judge and condemn other people for living and making decisions that offend their sanctimonious religious sensibilities. It could also be that they are living in their own prison of fear as they are afraid of "displeasing" the idolised god of their imagination, and they are projecting that fear onto other people. 

On a similar note, here's sharing a short story "A Father, A Son, A Cigarette, And Jesus" by Mick Mooney, which does a good job to illustrate how some people in the Christian religion typically use guilt and shame to control and manipulate others to try to make them conform to their socio-religious norms.

How does a person overcome one's hatred towards "Christians"?

Someone asked in Yahoo Answers this question:

"How do I overcome my hatred towards Christians?
Two years ago I met God. He turned my life around. He helped me grow, He helped me mend seemingly un-mendable relationships. Last summer I was supposed to be a counselor/TA at a Christian summer camp. The application told me to write down what I was passionate about. I said that I am passionate about marriage equality, helping teenage drug addicts, being a part of stopping sexual trafficking, and treating animals with the same respect I treat humans with. I was basically "kindly asked to leave" because I supported marriage equality and thought that the lives of animals are worth just as much as humans. It has been several months and I still cannot overcome this anger and hatred that boils up inside of me when I see anything Christian. Right now at school I am learning about Christianity and just reading about it disgusts me beyond belief. I don't want to hate Christians but I don't know how to overcome this anger within me. Please help."

 Below is an excerpt of my answer.

"I am sorry to know about the unkind treatment you received from the Christian organisation for stating your beliefs that differ from theirs. I have had my fair share of being treated unkindly by some church members for believing differently from their mainstream church doctrines/teachings. I am no longer attending any church services today.

I have come to learn that it is okay to feel angry at them. Acknowledging our anger and hatred towards them for mistreating us (instead of suppressing our emotions) is actually a step towards finding healing and ensuring our emotions do not control us in the long run.

I would say our anger is directed not so much at Christians as it is towards what they represent. Some are more open-minded and gracious than others, and it so happened we have encountered the more close-minded ones. I can understand that having been hurt by them, anything that is associated with Christianity would leave a bad taste in your mouth, and you would naturally want to stay away from it as far as you can.

At a deeper level, I personally would want to see everyone as human beings, whether they call themselves Christians or otherwise, as I have come to see that Christianity is only a belief system like all other belief systems. One man's orthodoxy is another man's heresy, as the saying goes. Our beliefs about God are ultimately personal and subjective. I think this view helps me to see them from a bigger perspective and realise that the way the adherents in a particular religion treats others is mostly a result of incessant indoctrination by their system, and they were only projecting the bias and prejudices they have been taught onto us who were unfortunate enough to be in their presence at that time.

In the meantime, in order to overcome your hatred towards them, I think writing your thoughts in a journal or blog helps. Even as I am sharing my thoughts in my answer, I am helping myself to articulate my thoughts regarding Christianity at this point of my journey in life. Talking with trusted friends helps too, as we all need support and safe outlets to ventilate our thoughts and emotions."

Is our true identity defined by our belief system?

 My take on the issue of “christianity versus atheism” especially in the West is that the kind of christianity propagated by the instititional church systems tends to be the legalistic kind that heaps guilt and fear upon people. It is no wonder many people are shunning the christian religion and embracing atheism, thinking that atheism is the epitome of life, or the panacea to all the problems that are perceived to have been caused by the fundamentalist christian beliefs. Yet atheism in the West tends to take another extreme form, in that it is seen as a platform to actively oppose christianity. So this becomes an “us” versus “them” mentality for both the fundamentalist christian camps and the atheist camps.

I do think there can be a balance, which can be achieved by not subscribing to any form of label or outward identity to ourselves or others based on what we believe. After all, “atheism” and “christianity” are only different schools of thought, just like hinduism, taoism, buddhism and so on.

To be attached to a label can cause us to be tossed to and fro because our belief systems change every now and then – we are all constantly evolving over time as and when new revelations or circumstances pop up, and we keep revising our belief systems. So I think it is probably best to see ourselves and others as human beings, regardless of belief system.

When I look at a newborn baby for example, I don’t find myself trying to find out whether the baby is an atheist or a christian or a buddhist. We all want to hug and care for the baby simply because a baby is a baby who needs love and care. A baby doesn’t know whether he/she is an atheist or christian too, because a baby only knows how to just be a baby. Similarly, when we grow up, even though we may develop some schools of thought along the way, we remain a “baby”, so to speak – or more accurately, we remain a “human being”. I think this identity as a human being is something that does not change over time, even as our thinking changes and evolves.

This is something that the poem “Awake” touches on too. It helps people awaken and remember who we really are – we are not defined by our beliefs (or lack of beliefs) – we are simply who we are by birth and by our original design.