God cannot be institutionalised

The problem with the Christian religion is that it tends to institutionalise, literalise and concretise what is meant to be a metaphor. The whole bible can be seen as an allegory, being a collection of myths. The Christ principle revolves around Jesus Christ as a metaphor. 

The moment people literalise Jesus Christ, they idolise him and become attached to their idol. They get emotional and sentimental about their idol. This may appear harmless at first, but this religious mindset may create divisions among people because as long as religion makes Jesus an exclusive historical figure, there will always be an "us versus them" mentality - "Jesus followers" and "non Jesus followers".

But in reality, there is no us or them. Christ as a metaphor unites us all as one. Christ can be seen as a representative of humankind. We are the Christ, and we are the begotten Son of God. As Christ is, so are we in this world. 

Trying to institutionalise God only results in turning religion into a mental institution. People can go crazy when they think god is mad at them or they think they must fight and kill in the name of god. 

There are other metaphors similar to Christ principle, such as Tao, Buddha, Krishna, and Great Spirit. Each is a finger pointing to the moon. Each can be the way to lead us to the universal truth of our oneness with God or higher self, and oneness with one another.

Nuggets of encouragement (October 2010 archive)

"Much more we who receive abundance of grace (free divine favour) and the gift of righteousness (our true identity as Love and Innocence) will reign in life through Jesus Christ."

"The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not be in want. He wants us lie down in green pastures. He leads beside still, quiet waters. He restores our soul. He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Surely goodness and love shall chase us all the days of our life. And we will dwell in the house of the Lord (in our higher consciousness) forever."

"The way God corrects people is to give them revelations of Jesus (being their true identity), not condemning them but lifting them up."

"We are transformed when Jesus (the law) is read and we see His glory (grace and mercy reflected in us) unveiled in the Scriptures."

"You can pray for anything (to your highest Self), and if you can believe that you've received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:24 God has made us victorious."

"When we know and receive the riches of Christ (the truth of who we are), we will experience and manifest the fullness of God as a corporate body of Christ (the whole Universe)."

"Broaden your horizons. Set your sights higher."

"People who are not under law (performance-based system) live long because they are not sin-conscious (or lack-conscious). Stay under grace."

"The blessing of the Lord makes us rich and He adds no sorrow or painful toil to it."

"The glory of Jesus (the personification of Love, whom we all are) is to overlook a transgression (and seeing only our own perfection and beauty)."

"Arise, shine, for our light has come." :) (We are the Light!)

"I love my Master, my wife and my children. I will not go out free. I shall serve my Master (our true Self - our divine Oneness) forever."

"Life is precious. Use time and money to love people."

"Use our words to create a bright future."

"Truth spoken with grace makes people feel warm and accepted (because truth is always about unconditional love who believes the best of us)."

"Thank You Abba You have gone ahead of us to prepare each day, and it is a blessed day." :)

Thank You Lord Jesus (our true Self) You daily load us with benefits."

"When we are physically and mentally rested, the promptings of the Spirit become sharper."

"He (our old Adamic identity) was chastised for our peace. He (our true identity) established us in the new covenant of peace. When we believe this, we shall be led forth with peace." (Isaiah 53-55)

"People may not remember what we say, but they will remember how we make them feel welcomed and loved. Kind actions out of the overflow of Love speak volumes." (Luke 7 and John 12)

"Some things are universal, for example, meditation, sowing and reaping. But lasting peace and grace and agape love and rest for the conscience and completeness is found only in Jesus (Christ), our true identity."

Our heavenly Father gives us power to get wealth, that HE may establish His covenant of grace."

If spirituality be your food of love, pray on

Indian nasi briyani, anyone? :)

Many of us who used to be in the grace-universalist-preterist-progressive Christianity circles have embarked on our own spiritual journey that goes beyond the confines of mainstream Christianity. For example, a Facebook friend who used to consider herself an evangelical Christian fundamentalist has embraced a kind of Hindu mysticism, though according to her, her current belief system is not affiliated to any particular branch of Christianity or ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness).

It is good to see people embarking on different spiritual journeys to discover God for ourselves in our own ways. I've come to see the various religions or belief systems as merely a stepping stone - a finger pointing to the moon - and then, we are off on our own in search for the truth within our heart.

I think a revelation of grace and an understanding of our oneness of God is essential so that in the process of exploring other belief systems, we continue to guard our heart against anything that might be legalistic or propagate a sense of separation from God. Life is a more colourful and exciting adventure when we revel in our freedom to discover our true Self in various paths - after all, we know God/Unconditional Love transcends boundaries, and no one belief system has a monopoly on God/Love.

Love is perhaps so vast and multifaceted, that it takes a multitude of belief systems and philosophies to express its infinite varieties of colours and music. Our search and experience in life and spirituality will be personal and meaningful, and our communion with others will be interesting as we learn from one another's insights and experiences. It's like eating from a huge buffet, and yet having our own customised diet best suited for our needs at the same time.

I borrowed the above analogy of food and spirituality/religion from Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Living Buddha, Living Christ" where he wrote "To me, religious life is life. I do not see any reason to spend one's whole life tasting just one kind of fruit. We human beings can be nourished by the best values of many traditions."

Rest in the consciousness of his closeness - FDT

Rest in the consciousness of his closeness! Separation is an illusion! Oneness was God's idea all along! He desires to express himself thru your touch, your voice, your presence; he is so happy to dwell in you! There is no place in the universe he would rather be!" - Francois Du Toit