Evolution of our human consciousness

"Is it even POSSIBLE that our inherited interpretations of the teachings of Jesus are vastly incomplete or even wrong???  Is it even POSSIBLE that there are more accurate interpretations than what we have been taught???" ~ Kenneth Dahl

I have skimmed through the post by Kenneth Dahl about following the truth even if it leads us away from our religion. I would say that would be the best thing that ever happens, if the truth leads us away from religion because religion tends to be fear-based and separatist, as noted also by Carlton Pearson and Michael Beckwith in the video below. The truth is within each of us, and evolution is an ongoing process when we collectively and individually grow and know over and over again our true essence and our divine oneness with God (highest consciousness) and with one another and the universe. Science itself is evolving and proving more and more about our interconnectedness and the expansive nature of the universe. While people in the past used to think heaven is somewhere up in the sky, we today know there are millions of stars and galaxies beyond our earth, which goes to show the terminologies used in the bible are only symbolic or metaphorical and not meant to be literal. The truth always sets us free from fear, shame and guilt imposed by religions, traditions and superstitions, and brings peace, unity and harmony, individually and collectively.

Some of my Facebook friends managed to reconcile the crazy parts of the bible somehow and is at peace with the christian faith, while others are finding our ways to reconcile the seeming contradictory parts of the bible. The bible itself had been put together by a group of people in the early centuries, leaving out some books and including only selected ones, for their own agenda, perhaps to start their own religion and/or control the masses. Inevitably, there will be differences in opinions and interpretations - indeed, one man's orthodoxy is another man's heresy. The fact remains that everyone picks and chooses from the bible what they want to believe and decide whether it is literal or metaphorical. I suppose it's up to each of us to think through for ourselves how we can interpret the bible, as in how much it is meant to be allegorical, or literal, or historical, and so on.

In one of my blogs "Much ado about theology", I shared the following thought:

"I would say spirituality itself is organic and living, and people’s understandings of God are meant to be subjective and evolving over time. It is perhaps better not to label any set of beliefs because to do so would only inevitably confine people’s understanding of God within a particular “-ism” or “-ianity”. Even for those religions with long history of traditions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sufism, native American spirituality and so on, I feel that being open to interfaith dialogues among the adherents is a progressive step towards freedom to think for oneself and go beyond traditions and theology, which can only promote peace and harmony among all peoples."

At this point of my journey, I would see our spiritual growth and journey in terms of evolution (of our consciousness).

Do Myths Have Their Place In Modern Society?

I think myths and story telling have their place in conveying deep truths about the universe, our existence and so on. These literary devices have been employed by various societies and cultures since ancient times. I see myths as a finger pointing to the moon, proverbially speaking, especially when they carry certain universal truths, such as hope, courage, unconditional love and friendship.

I also have come to see the bible as a collection of myths. It is perhaps no secret now that modern Christianity has mainly taken these myths as literal events, and propagates the idea of a literal hell, literal devil and literal second coming of a literal Christ. Whether it is out of ignorance, or misplaced faith, or unquestioning attitude, or intellectual dishonesty, or misguided good intentions, or simply religious agenda to control people or build an empire (or a combination of two or more of these factors, given the multidimensional aspects of humanity), one thing we can be sure of is that such literalisation and institutionalisation of myths has resulted in many followers living in unspoken fear and superstition, being afraid of a mythical deity who is schizophrenic. A sense of uncertainty often resides beneath their veneer of certainty - on one hand, the adherents appear to be certain about going to a certain heaven in the afterlife, yet on the other hand, they are uncertain about how their god would treat other people who don't hold a similar set of beliefs as them, and they simply attempt some vague explanations such as the so-called "age of accountability", which varies depending on one's opinions.

One man's orthodoxy is another man's heresy, as the saying goes, and similarly, I would venture to say that one man's mythology is another man's idiocy. If people are willing to see myths as nothing more than myths, I think the world would be a more peaceful and united place where people learn from universal truths and see one another as equal, as brothers and sisters of the same family of the Universe.

Much ado about theology

The first thing that goes when you begin to think is your theology. ~Oswald Chambers

Theology, as I understand it, refers to an established set of man’s views and opinions about God. In the religious circles, theology tends to be passed down the generations like hand-me-down clothes.

In other words, I understand theology as a set of beliefs about God that is often passed down from person to person, usually in religious circles. Many a times, we all started off learning about God through listening to or reading about someone’s theology. Hence when we choose to think for ourselves instead of merely accepting someone’s theology entirely, we begin to form our own views about God ourselves. In this sense, the first thing to go when we start to think is our theology (handed down from someone or some institution), as Oswald Chambers noted.

Often, we see that organised religion is not too fond of people thinking for themselves because the religious authorities prefer to hold on to doctrines and traditions. As I have learnt, one man’s orthodoxy is another man’s heresy. Some organised religions tend to demonise those that differ from their theology and label them as heretics. Yet this only reflects on their closed-mindedness and unwillingness to rethink about God since they prefer to put God in a box. In this respect, being called a heretic can be seen as a compliment – to be a heretic means you can and you choose to think for yourself instead of allowing yourself to be confined to a particular theology or religion.

I would say spirituality itself is organic and living, and people’s understandings of God are meant to be subjective and evolving over time. It is perhaps better not to label any set of beliefs because to do so would only inevitably confine people’s understanding of God within a particular -ism or -ianity. Even for those religions with long history of traditions, such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sufism, native American spirituality and so on, I feel that being open to interfaith dialogues among the adherents is a progressive step towards freedom to think for oneself and go beyond traditions and theology, which can only promote peace and harmony among all peoples.

Some other notable quotes on theology:

“If we are afraid to question our theology, then perhaps our theology is questionable.” – Terri White

“Better a heart full of love than a heart full of theology. For one’s theology might be wrong, but love is always right.” – Mick Mooney

Related posts:
Religious obligations
Correctly dividing the Word