In the previous post I started writing about the connection between spiritual life and physical life. I hope to expand on that today. I wonder when the spirit enters a physical body if it (the spirit) is asleep and its function is to awaken at some time during that physical existence. Following that I wonder if our human existence provides various catalysts for the great awakening. That catalyst could be spiritual or physical struggle. I also wonder if anyone can truly point to a specific time or event for their spiritual awakening. It could be that we really don’t know but there are many epiphanies along the way and one of those epiphanies may actually be the awakening itself.
My question this morning – What made Jesus so successful? I’m NOT talking popularity/celebrity which is how we have come to define success since the dawn of the 20th century. I mean successful in terms of how he was able to accomplish the “miracles” that he did. Was it because he was the son of God? I don’t think that’s it; because we are all sons and daughters of God. Every single one of us, you, me, the greatest saint to the vilest criminal had our spiritual origins in God. Even the ultimate Adversary (Satan, Lucifer, the Devil, Big D – whatever you name him) had his origins in God. God Created him. We are all spiritual beings that come from God. So if all our origins are in God what made Jesus different?
I think it was because he came to spiritual maturation much sooner and he was able to give people the revelation that they were spiritual beings, providing the catalyst so they could have their own spiritual awakening. The people who were the recipients of these miracle’s were bound/limited by either bodily deformity and suffering or spiritual deformity and suffering. And with this spiritual awakening the things that bound and limited them in this physical existence ceased to do so – ceased to bind and limit them. I do have a special reason for saying this.
Most people calls these miracles because there is no “natural” or scientific explanation – like why a persons blood would change from one type to another, or why a new limb would be generated. I would argue that most people today don’t believe in true miracles. Miracles have become events like weeping statues, mold on a slice of bread in the shape of Jesus, etc. Or people call things miracles that are not miracles, as a way of describing things they consider unlikely but are totally within the realm of purely human endeavor – i.e. “It was a miracle that I got that job.” or “It was a miracle that the doctor was able to determine my disease”. But these are NOT miracles. Because people have deconstructed and diminished their understanding of miracle, they do not believe in true miracles and, therefore, do not receive miracles like Jesus performed. I have news for you. Those miracles are still available to YOU and me today. I’ve been fortunate to have received a few miracles of healing where no doctor was involved. I’ve also been fortunate to receive other miracles in the material realm for which there is NO logical scientific explanation.
Now, back to Jesus. Jesus had two responses for people depending on if they suffered spiritually or physically.
SPIRITUAL HEALING –
If there was a spiritual problem (demons, evil spirits, etc) Jesus would “cast out” the demon or evil spirit. What is the nature of demons or evil spirits. Based on what I wrote yesterday, about the cycle of being and the carnival of life, I think that what happens is that these “demons” or “evil spirits” are spiritual beings that are trying to take a short cut to spiritual maturity by hijacking another spirits physical existence. These demons or evil spirits are trying to get around the majority of bodily experience by dumping themselves into a physical body that is already well on the way to spiritual awakening or has already experienced a spiritual awakening and thereby skipping over the majority of human experience to spiritual maturity. When this happens the original or “birth” spirit is beaten down and in battle for the body with the new entity. By “casting out” the evil spirits Jesus made it possible for the original “birth” spirit to defeat its adversary and get self-control over its original human experience.
PHYSICAL HEALING –
When someone is suffering physically whether blindness, pain or crippled this may be due to either the fragility and sensitivity of the human body or a result of harm intentional and accidental, from others. I always found it interesting how often Jesus would tell people, “Your faith has healed you.” He didn’t take credit for himself or God but gave the victory and the credit to those who were healed. Is it possible that he didn’t heal but made it possible for people to heal themselves through their faith/belief? How is this possible? I wonder if these people who suffered from physical ailments had their spiritual awakening and it could even be that these ailments helped bring about this awakening. When they realized and saw themselves as spirit beings in a physical body they could then understand this was just a temporary situation and part of the journey to spiritual maturity. With this revelation the physical pain, illness, deformity ceased to have any power over them. They were able to “move the mountain” or even better the mountain within dissolved entirely.
Again you can receive miracles your self. When one views life where the human experience is merely a filter or step to spiritual maturity there is no such thing as a “bad” thing. IN fact there is a common teaching in the true Christianity that says we can take joy/be content/celebrate in our sufferings, trial and tribulations. (James 1:2-4, 2 Corinthians 12:10) Why? Because this is all part of our spiritual growth. It’s about awakening to the spiritual connection. The mystery. The divine connection to the Source. The Source from which we come and to where we will return.
Enjoy this classic gospel song written by Andre Crouch.
So good morning my friends.
I woke up this morning thinking about the connection between being and nothingness as part of the life cycle (although those words to describe just came to me as I’m typing here). Most people are afraid of nothingness but let’s call it spiritual existence for the time being. I think we come from God and return to God. Our very being is rooted in God or whatever name you give God. I use God here because it is the one name for the ultimate being that most people I know use.
I had an image rattling around my brain which I created this morning.
I’m thinking about spiritual existence as a primary existence and that it needs the physical experience for it’s development which is why we are born physically. This could also explain why God came to earth as a man [Jesus] – aside from the evangelical understanding of the word “salvation”. I was also thinking how we begin aging the moment we are physically born. Aging is not something that happens when we turn 40. And the reason for this aging is that the physical experience from a spiritual perspective was never meant to be permanent or finite experience but just a transition being part of a spiritual beings maturity. I wonder if this misunderstanding of the “place” of our physical existence is responsible for why people make the judgements they do and take respective actions. For example. If we view our physical existence as separate from spiritual – the physical experience is all there is; therefore aging is a bad thing fraught with disease, weakness and terrors. In that case the only response would be to try and avoid aging by whatever means possible (medication,surgeries, fashion, youthful thinking, etc). I’m reminded of an advertisement for a “beauty” product where the main character says, “I don’t intend to grow old gracefully, I’m going to fight it every step of the way.” That just seems absurd, ridiculous and ultimately harmful.
For spirits that wish to mature, they must undergo the physical experience – it is not a choice. I also think Freewill develops before a physical birth happens and therefore not all spirits experience a physical birth and never mature. The physical experience is like going through a gate at a carnival. And we choose how we experience the carnival of life. Either it is a joyride and fun house or it is a house of horrors and freak show. Unfortunately, I think the latter has become the common viewpoint. The other thing I’ve begun to think about is that the human experience is the catalyst for how the spirit/soul will mature and live it’s remaining existence. In other words, If you choose to see yourself as a victim and allow your thinking to see all of lives experiences from a negative point of view that is how you will spend eternity. Now I’m not just saying everybody be happy. Let’s face it – SHIT HAPPENS!!!!! And sometimes it happens more to some than others. There’s no rhyme or logic it just IS/DOES. As a result there are times when we will be pissed off, angry, curse, hurt, suffer or inflict these on others as a reaction. But it’s this lifetime when we have the opportunity change our viewpoint and change our thinking and ultimately our actions before we leave this carnival and go back to a solely spiritual reality. We need to understand that about ourselves and also others when they lash out at us.
We are first created spirit, become physical beings and then return to spirit. After we are physically born we develop, mature and age in human terms. And it is during this process that we can have a spiritual awakening where we understand our human existence as part of a greater experience. I wonder if this is the primary role of parenting; to assist/train the child for a spiritual awakening.
All religions (including Christianity) are started by two kinds of people. First, those who had an awakening experience and secondly, those who seek control of the human experience. The problem is that these religious people stop maturing and become spiritually stillborn. They create a dualistic system of belief that forces people to choose the founders experience instead of letting them be free to have their own experience. Because a dualistic system of belief says either/or when it creates a set of rules, guidelines, regulations and then says, “This is what you need to believe, and this is the type of experience you need to have.” “This is what your spiritual experience should look like.”
Are there people who have never been awakened? I think there are. The sleepers are those who become so preoccupied by the material, physical, human experience and have chosen to shutout all other experience. Many of these people are very religious and some even participate in religion. They are religious in their devotion to partisan human experience instead of pursing and engaging in nonpartisan life experience (human AND spiritual).
Jesus is quoted in Matthew 12:31-32 where he talked about being a divided being. The Pharisees (a Jewish sect) had just accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub (or the Devil/Satan – for modern readers). Jesus said that nothing can survive (i.e. “stand”) that kind of division and is ultimately defeated. He also said that people who make such a dualistic distinction are actually either choosing humanity over the spirit, denying the spirit, or choosing the spirit and denying humanity. And he referred to that division as blasphemy against the spirit – the one sin that is unforgivable. So here we have the strongest case for our human AND spiritual existence being connected.
So in conclusion, here are some questions to ponder:
– Where do I stand?
– What do I believe?
– Do I view life as a house-of-horrors or joyride?
– Do I focus on horrors and in my ineptitude inflict horrors on others? (the news media has mastered this)
– Do I nurture and raise my children to become spiritually awakened to see the connection – between “real” life and spiritual life?
– How do my beliefs affect my life?
– Am I denying the Spirit in some way, either through unbelief or in my daily practice?
– What am I doing to mature spiritually for when I leave this carnival of life?
So I was reading my Bible – sheesh when will it end….. hahaha.
Matthew 26:31 “Then Jesus is saying to them, ‘All of you shall be snared in me in this night, for it is written,….” (Concordant literal translation from the Greek)
This is what Jesus told his closest followers. Of course Peter denies it and claims to be an exception and we all know how that turned out. With a literal reading there is only one type of understanding to this verse. But what if we look at it differently? The Greek use of the word “snare” here means to trip and fall. So why would Jesus tell his closest followers that they would ALL trip and fall because of him? Another way of putting it could be that they would all be disillusioned after what happens to his physical existence. And yes, he did say ALL which suggests that all who want growth to move forward must become disillusioned at some point.
Beyond a literal understanding of what happens:
What is he talking about? I wonder if he’s talking about spiritual growth because if we look at what happens after they all are snared/trip and fall we learn in the book of Acts about the metaphysical manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that being disillusioned (tripping and falling) is a necessary part of spiritual growth? …to move beyond our “normal” relationship with the an understanding of God based on our physical existence into a mystical relationship with God that connects the physical with the spiritual?
Disillusionment as part of spiritual growth? And if that’s the case, could it be that those who refuse to allow themselves, or deny, disillusionment are the ones who wish to “stay asleep” in their own comfortable stagnate understanding? Could it be that, like Peter, they try to deny disillusionment but, unlike Peter, when it happens they instead prefer to maintain the illusion and call that illusion faith?
It is interesting that Jesus approaches disillusionment as a fact-of-life and does not deride, curse, punish those who are disillusioned. And could it be that is because he knows that it is a necessary step to greater understanding and relationship with God?
Disillusionment may be the very thing that wakes us up! Blessed be the disillusioned. There is no worry about gnosticism heresy because this disillusionment connects the physical/material with the spiritual. The true gnostic heresy would deny one or the other in the same way that some people insist on a literal reading of the Bible.
So disillusionment is necessary for individual growth in that same way that falling is necessary for walking and moving forward; as Laurie Anderson describes.
With that understanding this song takes on new meaning.
So for all of you who may be disillusioned with the Christian religion and have been accused of “backsliding”, being atheist, agnostic or otherwise. Good news – you are blessed!!!! You are blessed because you have moved beyond the mere religion of men. 🙂
“The search for truth takes you where the evidence leads you, even if, at first, you don’t want to go there.”
~ Bart D. Ehrman, Forged: Writing in the Name of God
“Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community even though their personal intentions may be ever so honest, earnest, and sacrificial.”
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together and Prayerbook of the Bible
“Never shy away from opportunity and wholehearted living. Never be fearful of putting yourself out there. The courageous may encounter many disappointments, experience profound disillusionment, gather many wounds; but cherish your scars for they are the proud emblems of a truly phenomenal life. The fearful, cautious, cynical and self-repressed do not live at all. And that is simply no way to be in this world.”
― Anthon St. Maarten
So where do all these ideas from this blog come from? They come from my unique relationship to the Creator that is best described in this song.
I just heard this new song called LEARN IT ALL AGAIN TOMORROW by Ben and his mother Ellen Harper. It is from a new folk music album they recorded together titled Childhood Home.
This song reminds me about how many times I’ve had to re-learn the lessons in life – how often I’ve had to “learn it all again tomorrow”. Lessons in decency, kindness, compassion & understanding. The lessons may be spiritual, mental, behavioral or physical. The physical lessons are the ones we easily remember and are able to advance from – for example, walking. Once you learn how to walk you don’t need to relearn (unless some medical reason or accident forces you to). Muscle memory allows you to continue walking without thinking about it. You can then “mature” and learn something new or move to the next level by learning jogging and running. Even spiritual lessons tend to be more knowledge based and once that knowledge is gained it is not necessary to relearn the same thing. But behavioral/mental lessons are a whole different ballgame because they deal with behaviors and being in a way that requires flexibility. Each situation is different and each individual is different so flexibility is the key and this is why we often have to relearn the same lessons in different situations.
The bad and the beautiful:
So many people think of themselves as deeply flawed for having to relearn life’s lessons. Or as many Christians would say, “It’s because we are born sinners”. But I would like to point out that no one is a “born sinner” our weaknesses of character, and bad behaviors are learned/nurtured from our culture and surroundings. And many people go on acting as they’ve always acted – badly – without any recognition or thought of “Why do I…?” or “Should I…?”
Once a lesson is learned you will be “doing” what you’re supposed to be doing. You will have an awareness, or what Buddhists call Mindfulness, about yourself and others and be able to respond appropriately – if not initially; then, as a corrective measure – Whether it is compassion, understanding, peace-making, tolerance, etc – you will be doing it and others will learn from your example. They will see the change in you.
***************
Here’s the good news. We should not think badly of ourselves for having to relearn life’s lessons as new situations arise. You and I are not bad, flawed or weak for having to relearn things like compassion, decency, respect, etc. When you were formed/created/born – just like the story of creation in the Bible – God said, “It is good.” You were born innocent and good. That innocence and goodness still resides within you and me. We should be grateful for the opportunities we have to relearn those lessons we need in order to be more adaptable. I am. It isn’t easy because whenever we interact with someone new their responses will be different so we will have a new opportunity to relearn a positive way interact with (and react to) them.
You may have heard the phrase “When life hands you lemons – make lemonade.” I was fortunate to experience this firsthand today. The phrase was first coined by Christian Anarchist Elbert Hubbard in 1915 as part of an obituary he wrote for a friend. The exact phrase was, “…He picked up the lemons that Fate had sent him and started a lemonade-stand.”
So how was I able to do this today? I’ll give you the recipe.
3 Raw lemons = a kitchen sink that started leaking, no experience or knowhow in plumbing, no money to pay a plumber, a landlord that would have to pay a plumber and wouldn’t have it scheduled for a couple of days.
Squeeze the lemons = the stress and pressure of the situation that has interrupted the daily routine and special plans.
Add sugar to taste = found YouTube videos that talked about where leaks occur in sink how to repair different leaks. With a positive mindset determined what I needed and went to the hardware store. I took the part that needed replaced to the hardware store and the employee knew exactly what it was and helped me find it. I have a double sink but only one started to leak. The part that needed replaced was badly corroded on both sides – so I decided to fix both of them.
Stir = Replaced the necessary parts and run water to make sure leaks were stopped.
Pour over ice in a tall glass and enjoy = after repairs were done and all leaks were stopped and future leaks prevented I had a real sense of satisfaction & accomplishment; and I learned how to do something I had never done before. An added bonus was the monetary savings: My cost $5.21 + less than a gallon of gas to get to the hardware store. A plumber would have charged me between $120.00 and $200.00 for doing the same work. The experience – PRICELESS.
🙂
And here is some smooooooth music to enjoy your lemonade by. Enjoy this song, GREEN LEMONADE by Herb Alpert from his 2013 album Steppin’ Out.
Reassurance. We usually get it from people with a similar point of view. People of like-minds. But….
If you want total reassurance that you are correct in your point of view, have a conversation with someone whose is completely opposed to your point of view. I have a friend who has completely opposite viewpoints on, well, just about everything. So how can we be friends you ask? We both enjoy the dialogue. And even though we don’t agree with each other we do respect each others views. Instead of the sycophantic reassurance of like-minded people our reassurance comes from the way we challenge each other which forces us to think about and think through why we believe what we believe. Iron does sharpen iron.
Like the old proverb –
“Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” ~ Proverbs 27:17
And if you like 70’s era Chicago and Toto then you’ll like this band. Enjoy the song Iron Sharpens Iron by GLAD.
Peace of mind. 3 words just loaded with meaning when joined together as an idea. They suggests not only mental but also spiritual and physical states of existence. It is, [sadly] too often, something longed for but seldom experienced. So how does one experience peace of mind? I think it is a gift that we need only receive to experience. Can you receive it? Can I? Do we need help receiving it? One of the beautiful things about peace of mind is that it doesn’t remove us from life’s difficulties but gives us a way to deal with difficulties that is both positive and beneficial not only for ourselves but others. So for those who want to escape life’s difficulties – I’m sorry peace of mind will not provide escape. But it will allow you to perceive life struggles as if they were moving in slow motion giving you time to respond effectively. Peace of mind is natural state of existence that, in this day and age, is constantly under attack from exterior forces – often created by ourselves. We tend to blame others and don’t take responsibility for how we have had a part in creating this noise that disrupts our natural state of being.
So, how do I achieve peace of mind? Here are some easy steps. Once the practice is established it doesn’t take long to receive this gift.
1. Stop – just stop what you are doing.
2. Find a quiet place that you enjoy being in. [I have several places I can go – even at work – if I need just a couple of minutes to reconnect to this gift.]
3. Sit. [close your eyes if needed] Focus on your breathing for a couple of minutes. Then…
4. Take responsibility and admit to yourself that you have also had a share in disrupting peace of mind – either for yourself or others.
5. Think about and see the things around your daily life that disrupt your peace of mind. It might be technology or other people – even family.
6. Letting go: Forgive yourself for how you have disrupted your own peace of mind and the peace of mind of others.Then forgive others for how they have disrupted your peace of mind.
7. Receive your peace of mind [you may have to verbalize it at first saying, “Thank you, I receive this peace of mind”]. Imagine how to carry it with you through out your day at work, with family, strangers and friends.
Some people may need help receiving peace of mind. Look for ways to help them receive and achieve peace of mind. Give them peace of mind. This will also help your own peace of mind. Give the gift of peace of mind. I give it to you. Right now. Can you receive it, and accepting it, be grateful?
Music often plays a role in my experience of peace of mind. The video is for one of my favorite Japanese artists Missa Johnuchi. Enjoy this song. I apologize, in advance, that I don’t have a translation for the Japanese lyrics. But again it’s the music itself that I find to be the very expression of peace of mind – like it’s title. [If any reader does have a translation of lyrics please post in your comment. Thanks.]
PEACE OF MIND by UNESCO Artist for Peace, musician/composer/conductor Missa Johnuchi
What if the good things you have have nothing to do with you?
What if there are a finite number of possibilities for good things to happen?
What if someone else suffers because of the good things you have?
I find these questions interesting. And they certainly fly-in-the-face of popular social thought that is reward driven. People don’t like to think about limitations. We live in a time when people want to think that there are limitless possibilities for good things to happen. But what if these popular ideas are incorrect?
What started me thinking about this was in my morning Bible reading. I read from (one of my least favorite books):
And when the Lord your God has thrust them from your path, say not your yourselves, “The Lord has enabled us to possess this land because of our virtues”; it is rather because of the wickedness of those nations that the Lord is dispossessing them before you. It is not because of your virtues and your rectitude that you will be able to possess their country; but it is because of their wickedness that the Lord your God is dispossessing those nations before you…. ~ Deuteronomy 9:4,5 (Jewish Publication Society Translation)
So let’s look at this in a broader context. Let’s look beyond the Judeo-centric idea of a “promised land” here. What if this applies to all of us and the good things we have? Now I hear people talk about how proud they are that they’ve worked so hard at this or that and have acquired this or that because of their efforts, their virtues and their goodness. These people are so “works” oriented that they forget that the good things they experience once belonged to someone else. We should be grateful for the good things we experience, however we define “good” and realize it has nothing to do with us. Many churches have fallen into this self praise approach and the whole “prosperity gospel” approach that has taken hold is about as unbalanced as it can get. Sure many Christians give lip-service to God but in their hearts it’s propaganda to show how much their god favors them for their virtues and goodness.
Now it is, admittedly, a little difficult to wrap ones head around the idea that if someone suffers loss it is because of their error but my gain has nothing to do with me. And that’s just one of many beautiful paradoxes in the Bible. Why does my goodness and virtue have nothing to do with the good things I experience? Well I see it like this – virtue and goodness is the norm it is what is natural (so much for the “born into sin” preachers). After all, when the world was created, when humanity was created, God did not create it already in a state of sin. When you were born, you were not born into “sin” or born to be a sinner. When you were born, God said the same thing “He” said when the world was created, “It is good.” You were born into good therefore goodness is what is natural. It takes effort to do wrong. And that’s why wrong-doing has the negative consequences of loss.
So this is why we should NOT look on our own virtue or goodness as something reward worthy. If we are virtuous or good we in our natural state of existence, as God intended.
The other part of this is to understand the displacement of good things. I’ve often said that we all bring our own suffering on ourselves. We are ultimately responsible for the loss we experience and the suffering we undergo. This is another thing that our culture will not want to hear. Why? Because no one wants to be responsible. People don’t want to feel responsible therefore people don’t take responsibility for their actions. They blame others. Ironically these are the same people that will tell you they are “entitled” to have good things. They are “owed” good things. They’re owed because”they’re good people at heart” or “they’re not bad people”. And the verses, quoted above, are the very antithesis of entitlement.
When bad things happen to us a result of our misguided, and/or wrong actions and thinking, others will benefit and have the good things that we previously enjoyed. Others don’t enjoy the good things because of what THEY did.
Now here’s the real clincher. God has so many good things he wants people to experience that even some people may benefit in spite of their wrong doing/thinking. Like the old saying in Matthew 5:45, God causes the sun to shine and the rain to fall on the just and unjust. Sun and rain are symbols of blessing, enlightenment and spirituality. So if we have and experience good things it has nothing to do with any merit we may think we possess. And if we lose something it is most likely because of what WE did or didn’t do.
The video today is for a great girl band called Savages with their song “SHUT UP” from their debut album SILENCE YOURSELF. This group “gets it” Amazing lyrics and the spoken word introduction of the cover poetry is simply amazing!!! There is almost a Taoist feel to this.
Introduction
The world used to be silent
Now it has too many voices
And the noise
Is a constant distraction
They multiply, intensify
They will divert your attention
To What’s convenient
And forget to tell you
About yourself
We live in an age of many stimulations
If you are focused you are harder to reach
If you are distracted
You are available
You are distracted
You are available
You want flattery
Always looking to where it’s at
You want to take part in everything
And everything to be a part of you
Your head is spinning fast
At the end of your spine
Until you have no face at all
And yet
If the world would shut up
Even for a while
Perhaps
We would start hearing
A distant rhythm
Of an angry young tune –
And recompose ourselves
Perhaps
Having deconstructed everything
We should be thinking
Putting everything back together
Silence yourself
SHUT UP
TOO MANY TO CONVINCE
TOO MANY TO HIRE
AND NOTHING YOU EVER OWN
THE WORLD’S A DEAD SORRY HOLE
AND I’M COLD, AND I’M COLD
AND IM COLD, AND I’M STUBBORN
I’M SICK TO KEEP IT OPEN WIDE
AND SPEAKING WORDS TO THE BLIND
SPEAKING WORDS, TO THE BLIND
SPEAKING WORDS, TO THE BLIND
AND THE SOUL OF THE PURE
AND THE EYES OF THE LOVER
AND THE ONE WHO TRULY SAW YOUR SOUL
AND THE ONE WHO TRULY SAW YOUR SOUL
I’M THE ONE, WHO TRULY SAW YOUR SOUL
I’M THE ONE, WHO TRULY SAW YOUR SOUL
AND IF YOU TELL ME TO SHUT UP
AND IF YOU TELL ME TO SHUT IT
DID YOU TELL ME TO SHUT UP
OH IF YOU TELL ME TO SHUT IT
I’LL SHUT IT NOW
YOUNG, JUST BORN
FRAGILE AND TREMBLING SOUL
YOU HOLD IT TO THE LIGHT
THAT POURS DOWN THE MOON AT NIGHT
YOU KEPT ON HOLDING IT
YOU KEPT ON HOLDING IT
IT WAS A DANGEROUS THING TO DO
BUT YOU DID IT WHEN NO ONE KNEW
WHEN THE EYES WERE CLOSED
AND THE PEOPLE ASLEEP
NOT AN ANIMAL
NOT A HUMAN
NOT A SOUL
NOT A SOUL
AND IF YOU TELL ME TO SHUT UP
AND IF YOU TELL ME TO SHUT IT
DID YOU TELL ME TO SHUT UP
OH IF YOU TELL ME TO SHUT IT
I SHUT IT NOW
I AM A BREAKER OF OCEAN
LEADEN LIKE A BULLET TO THE SUN
I AM A BREAKER OF OCEAN
LEADEN LIKE A BULLET TO THE SUN, TO THE SUN, TO THE SUN…
[fyi – this is a repost from my previous blog from 11/2012]
CONFORMIST PARALLAX
Another abstract creation derived 3 manipulated images taken during a walk along the towpath through an industrial area in Akron, Ohio. With Sunday normally being associated with conformist religion. It seems the perfect day to promote nonconformism. 😉 Be yourself.
Of course the key to all ideas is finding balance. It is possible to bend without losing ones identity. Balance and flexibility. Being able to absorb the questions, criticisms and observations of others without offense or fear will make us strong.
“The green reed which bends in the wind
is stronger than the mighty oak
which breaks in a storm.” – Confucius
“The little reed, bending to the force of the wind, soon stood upright again when the storm had passed over.” – Aesop
Feyd-Rautha: [whispers] You see… your death… my blade will finish you.
Paul Atreides: [thinks] I will bend like a reed in the wind.
– From the movie DUNE
“It would be easier to roll up the entire sky into a small cloth than it would be to obtain true happiness without knowing the Self.” – The Upanishads
I went to a psychiatrist once. I was doing something that had become a pattern in my life, and I thought, Well, I should go talk to a psychiatrist. When I got in to the room, I asked him, “Do you think that this process could, in any way, damage my creativity?” And he said, “Well, David, I have to be honest: it could.” And I shook his hand and left. – David Lynch from his book, CATCHING THE BIG FISH
“Sometimes restrictions get the mind going. If you’ve got tons and tons of money, you may relax and figure you can throw money at any problem that comes along…. But when you have limitations, sometimes you come up with very creative, inexpensive ideas.” – David Lynch from his book, CATCHING THE BIG FISH
Cabaret Voltaire – DIFFUSION from the original 1985 recording “GASOLINE IN YOUR EYE and also the collection CONFORM TO DEFORM’82/’90. ARCHIVE;
Is it possible that we have over-read and over-interpreted the Bible?
Has over-reading lead to mis-interpretation and misunderstanding?
Have we missed the whole point?
[fyi – this article originally posted on my prev blog 3/10/13]
To many titles came to mind when I created the image:
“TWIN SONS OF DIFFERENT MOTHERS”
“BESIDE MYSELF”
“GEMINI CRIES”
….. etc.
What would you title this?
Music today is by post-rock band HAMMOCK. Enjoy their song and this inspired video (best in full screen), BREATHTURN
I’ve always been drawn to the old testament prophets in the Bible they were the creative masters of their time. One such prophet was Ezekiel and the following passage has always inspired me when I’m feeling close to death (physically, creatively, spiritually etc.) It is unusual in that is starts from a place of death/decay/destruction and comes to life. It seems to fit this image and the inspirational music. And this text about moving from death back to life is better than any Frankenstein story. Enjoy.
“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he set me in the middle of a valley; it was full o bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of Man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you and you will come to live.'” So I spoke to the bones and as I was speaking there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together bone to bone. I looked and the tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them. Then, I said, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these bones, that they may live.” And breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet.
…Son of Man, people say, “Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone.” Tell the people this, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live.” ~ Ezekiel 37:1-14
The bottom line: no matter how dead we may feel. It doesn’t matter how dead we perceive others to be, there is ALWAYS hope. There is a Universal force (whatever name you give it – God, Allah, Yahweh, Buddha nature, Jesus etc) that can and will give us what we need to carry on. You can be the light. I believe in your victory!
Today I’m writing about the institutional church’s emphasis on missions, evangelism and promotion/marketing the salvation of the soul. For too long I have heard that if we only believe in Jesus then we will be saved. But this is untrue a fallacy and deceit. Okay some readers may start quaking and shaking because I’m challenging one of the basic tenants of the what has been preached as “the faith”.
The problem arises when, in our challenged attention span, we fail to understand the scripture/teachings in the larger context and what it means for our lives. For example, Jesus said, (in the ever popular verse)
“For thus God loves the world, so that he gives his only-begotten son that everyone who is believing in him should not perish but have life eonian.” – John 3:16(Concordant Literal New Testament – CLNT)
Out of context this verse clearly suggests that belief alone will save. But wait! What is the larger context where this appears? To understand the context we must read the entire section where this verse appears – John 3:1-21 in addition to the larger context of Jesus overall teachings throughout the gospels. Jesus is having a conversation with one of the Pharisees named Nicodemus who was a chieftain. Briefly, Jesus talks about how the times have changed and are changing. Previous perceptions of heaven are re-evaluated. Throughout his ministry Jesus talks about Heaven being here and now. In this section of scripture he points out that the Pharisees were making distinctions between celestial and terrestrial existence/being. Jesus says in verse 13 that the only one who has gone to heaven (as the pharisees teach) is the one who has come from heaven. In short, Jesus brings heaven back down to earth. The “one” he speaks of is the only-begotten son of mankind. And the belief in what the only-begotten son of mankind has done (bringing heaven down to earth) is what saves mankind. He then goes on to say that our actions here on earth reflect what we believe. So it’s not the belief that saves us. IT IS our actions here and now that reflect what we believe that matters.
So it’s not so esoteric as a “soul” that is so often preached in churches. It has nothing to do with heaven as a separate place to escape from this existence or find as a reward for believing. Belief alone will not save; it is how our actions are determined by our belief. As is written in James 2:19-20
“…the demons are ALSO believing and shuddering. Now are you wanting to know, o empty man, that faith apart from works is dead?” (CLNT)
Many translations turn that question into a statement. But it is in fact a question and the writer goes on to say that actions are not separate from belief. Actions illustrate and are inseparably linked to belief. No wonder so many so-called Christians, church workers and religious people are accused of hypocrisy and bigotry; saying one thing while doing another. It’s our actions here and now in this existence that show what we truly believe. Our actions at work with our co-workers, customers, suppliers, investors shows what we truly believe. Our actions at home with family and neighbors shows what we truly believe. Our actions in our “play” or social activities show what we truly believe. Going to church or saying we are Christian doesn’t mean squat! Anyone can, and does, do that. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21 that not everyone who says “Lord, Lord” will enter heaven. He continues by saying that the people who experience heaven are those who do Gods will. In other words, not most who go to church or say their Christian will never experience heaven as Jesus taught. Only those whose actions are in line with what Christ taught will experience heaven on earth as he taught.
(fyi- this is a re-post from my previous blog in August, 2012.)
Scene from THE CROW “Victims, aren’t we all….”
I’ve been thinking about the things that put me “around the bend” regarding the institutions of the church. First of all I don’t believe the Church was ever meant to be an institution. It was just a label given to groups of people who got together from time to time.
The scene above from the excellent film, THE CROW, is a modern parable. A parable on the consequences of viewing ourselves, our churches, our religion, our culture as victims. When we view ourselves as victims we will only know violence, hatred and revenge. I’ve often told people, I am not and never will be a victim. That does not mean that others won’t try to make me a victim or victimize me in some way. But I choose to never see myself as a victim. That’s doesn’t mean my life is any easier. In fact, because of my choices, my life is at times more difficult than what it may need to be (I’ve been told more than once to just “play the game”).
This does not seem to be the case for the Church/institutional Christianity. It seems that the “church” everywhere is embracing victimization. For further proof one only needs to look at the elaborate security systems churches have in an effort to protect their investment. And that may be part of the problem. The investment for the church has become something other than the people who make up the church. Fund raising is used to prop up the institution. The Church has entered the realm of monument building. And it will do everything it can to defend and prop up it’s monuments. In short Churches have become “Like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27) Everywhere we turn the so-called Church is on the attack. Defending it’s turf, complaining about its circumstances, and seeking anti-christian (legal/political) means of resolving it’s conflicts has become habitual behavior. In this age when the media is filled with stories of hate-crimes against different religions it is easy fall into the trap of victimization.
Why is victimization a trap? As soon as someone sees themselves as a victim they have already decided to react by complaining about their situation, lashing out, placing blame, even attacking the perceived cause/source of victimization. It’s done in the name of defending themselves. This is a very unhealthy and unproductive mindset. Sadly this is especially true in America since 9/11. Gun sales have risen sharply since that time. Sadly many of these buyers claim to be Christian. I know of people who try their best to use different bible passages to justify taking up arms (always out of context for self-justification). I know of one Christian who recently bought a gun in the name of defending his family. He sees himself as a minister of the gospel. But I ask what precedent does this set for your children? What example does that give to others? How does this even coincide with Jesus’ teaching – which you claim to follow? In fear, we already see ourselves as victims. When we are afraid we make unhealthy choices not only for ourselves but also for those around us who we may claim to be protecting. We become slaves to that fear of victimization. The result is we victimize ourselves. Sadly this has permeated the so-called church. We have applied this mindset to our beliefs – in spite of the actual teachings of the Source of the faith.
When we claim that we, our church and/or our religion are victims we are in bondage. We are trapped by our thinking. We have stopped promoting a gospel of love and freedom. We create and defend a gospel of bondage. We have created our own chains. Is it any wonder that Christianity has such a bad name today? Is it any wonder that church institutional membership is declining? Who wants to be in bondage? Not me! Jesus came to set people free from the very things that the church is doing.
Where I grew up and where I live there’s a lot of talk about being a “slave to Christ”, “in bondage to Christ”. Now the church has taken some archaic language in the bible and twisted it to support its gospel of bondage. As is surrendering one’s rights to the church has something to do with being Christian. It doesn’t. First of all slavery should never be promoted. If a person chooses to enslave themselves that is their choice. When the Bible is talking about being a “slave to Christ” it is not talking literally but metaphorically. It is about aligning oneself to the teachings of Christ and making every effort to live them in daily life and not give up trying even though one fails. That’s different from giving in to institution demand and mindset to defend the faith – as if faith was something to defend. This has given rise to an increase in Christian Apologetics. Genuine faith cannot be defended – it can only be lived.
Now, I want to be clear – I’ve NEVER heard a church or Christian say, “We are victims”. But a person doesn’t need to say it in words. As I’ve suggested all along – it’s in our attitudes/mindsets and our actions. Look at the Christians (whether Orthodox, Evangelical, Protestant, Catholic, etc) who seek to punish those they perceive are criminals (criminals being; those that object to, criticize, ridicule, distort and slander a person’s faith or religion in word and/or action) And this they apply to the arts, politics, science, education, lifestyles and other religions/belief systems. What has happened is that the Church has come to see itself as separate from humanity and not a part of it. This separation has had dire consequences. It is “Us vs. Them”. The church does not promote unity, healing, love among humanity but is a source of division. It not only puts one on the defensive but it becomes justification to attack and is used as a reason to go out and proselytize others in an effort to “bring them into the fold.” Instead of Christianity’s institutional leaders directing the path taught by Christ, this thinking is supported and encouraged. It is even applied to the institutions themselves – thus the evolution of the Gospel of Bondage.
This is inappropriate and was NEVER supported by Jesus. And that’s part of the problem. Jesus is being taught as the Messiah, that Savior of Humanity that did a lot of cool things and told some cool stories. But by-and-large the Church has stopped investigating his teachings. People use other scriptures out of context to justify their actions, thoughts and lives without testing them against what Christ taught. But if it doesn’t align with what Christ taught it is anti-christian.
So how should we then live? If we are Christians we need to re-investigate Jesus actual teachings and seek every effort to apply them to our lives. Teachings like forgiveness, love, compassion, mercy, caring for ALL people (not just those of our own faith or those who agree with us). When we can do this for people who are against us we no longer see them as separate from but actually a part of the big picture – a part of God’s creation – a part of the human family. We need to understand what he taught about the kingdom of heaven and what it means for us today.
We each have our function and purpose on this earth. We are part of one existence. Part of the God-consciousness itself. Each of us may be a different part of the body (i.e. someone may be a hand, foot, eye etc) but we can’t survive without each other. In fact we need each other. But If we reject others for their beliefs, actions, etc we are actually rejecting a part of the body that we are a part of. When this happens we are slowly killing ourselves by self decapitation. Have you ever seen a decapitation that was a good thing? Decapitation is ALWAYS violent and ugly.
A personal story:
I work in the Customer Service industry. No, not retail, not something that glamorous. I actually work the phones for a utility company. That means that I have the opportunity to be verbally attacked and even threatened – and it does happen from time to time. When I started this job (nearly 5 years ago) I literally had no idea what this would be like. Naturally at first I was on the defensive and it seemed that almost every call was a personal attack. And it’s hard not to feel that way when you are being verbally attacked or having your life or family threatened. Add to that we have a changing work-place environment based on the changing economy that adds challenges to the relationships I have with co-workers and supervisors. This all adds up to one stressful day. I tend to be more emotional anyway so dealing with these things are very difficult at times because it is my nature to react emotionally first and intellectually second. I am getting better at taking a moment (a breath, a pause, a heartbeat) to step back from the situation. But my growth and change has not been easy. I don’t think it’s supposed to be easy. But I view it as necessary. I keep a phrase by my computer that I look at quite often to remind me. It is simply, “Like water off a ducks back, let it roll over me.” The next step was to, as I’ve been talking about, viewing these people I deal with not just as “callers” or “co-worker’s” or “management” but as part of the human body – my body. It is a real game changer to think in this way. I can say that the outcome of my calls has been significantly different from when I started with this company. I still have a long way to go but I at least feel that I am on the right path. But again, it all comes down to the fact that at some point I decided NOT to be a victim or victimize others by being defensive.
We need to diminish our conflicts and differences not escalate them. It’s a choice. The choices we make now not only affect our actions but the actions of others both now and in the future. If we choose to perceive ourselves, our churches, our religion as victims we are making a very dangerous choice with dire consequences, both short-term and long-term. So don’t ever call me a victim. I am not and never will be a victim no matter what happens to me in this life. And it feels so good to say that. 🙂
Scene from DANGEROUS MINDS – “Choice”
Music today by Canadian musician Bruce Cockburn – GOSPEL OF BONDAGE
From the album ‘Big Circumstance’ (1989).
GOSPEL OF BONDAGE by BRUCE COCKBURN
Tabloids, bellowing raw delight
Hail the return of the Teutonic Knights
Inbred for purity and spoiling for a fight,
Another little puppet of the New Right
See-through dollars and mystery plagues
Varied detritus of Aquarian Age
Shutters on storefronts and shutters in the mind –
We kill ourselves to keep ourselves safe from crime.
That’s the gospel of bondage…
We’re so afraid of disorder we make it into a god
We can only placate with state security laws
Whose church consists of secret courts and wiretaps and shocks
Whose priests hold smoking guns, and whose sign is the double cross
But God must be on the side of the side that’s right
And not the right that justifies itself in terms of might –
Least of all a bunch of neo-nazis running hooded through the night
Which may be why He’s so conspicuously out of sight
Of the gospel of bondage…
You read the Bible in your special ways
You’re fond of quoting certain things it says –
Mouth full of righteousness and wrath from above
But when do we hear about forgiveness and love?
Sometimes you can hear the Spirit whispering to you,
But if God stays silent, what else can you do
Except listen to the silence? if you ever did you’d surely see
That God won’t be reduced to an ideology
Such as the gospel of bondage…
Dumpster Diving #78 Nearly Ten The Geometry of Time
10 Things that Christianity got WRONG:
10.) Thinking Heaven is about escaping life instead of living life.
9.) Emphasizing the divinity of Jesus and diminish his humanity.
8.) Choosing Duality instead of seeing Jesus as the ultimate non-duality.
7.) Missions; let’s face it, it’s proselytizing a sales pitch to try and get others to be part of the group.
6.) Reading the Bible literally – ’nuff said.
5.) Having a personal Jesus – teaching that Jesus came to change their world instead of helping THEM to change the world.
4.) 7-day church. It only promotes separation from the world not participation in the world.
3.) The “right” to bear arms against anyone we disagree with – to defend ourselves.
2.) 10 commandments/rules and regulations/rituals – [even though Jesus said that he was the end of the law]
1.) Exclusivity, being part of the “chosen”, us vs. them – [even though Jesus Christ was inclusive]
10 things Jesus NEVER saw coming:
10.) That he would have a religion named after him.
9.) A government which allowed him to be murdered would turn him into a state sponsored religion.
8.) People would actually pray to his mother.
7.) Temples/Churches would be built in his name that had nothing to do with what he taught. [And most of the people who attend those “temples” and read this still won’t “get it”.]
6.) That some worthless King(James) of England would make a political move and commission his own Bible that would be written with the intent to justify/legitimize his own English Church and that this would become the standard for “modern” Christianity even though it is inconsistent and full of errors in translation.
5.) That people would use him as an excuse to disengage from the world – except when they want donations.
4.) That his name [Jesus] would become a marketable commodity where trillions of dollars would change hands – even in church.
3.) The industrial revolution.
2.) The technological revolution.
1.) The internet and the information revolution.
10 things Jesus actually taught:
10.) That he would be the source of much misunderstanding and division turning, even, families against each other causing much suffering.
9.) Pray in a closet – not in public.
8.) Politics gets it wrong.
7.) Religion gets it wrong.
6.) You can have peace regardless how horrible your life circumstances may be.
5.) You’re a narcissist? – so what! love God and love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.
4.) It’s your faith, what you believe, that heals you. Healing comes from within.
3.) Love your enemies – because when you do, you no longer see them as your enemy.
2.) The kingdom of Heaven is within you – here and now.
1.) Churches are like tombs filled with the bones of the dead.
Bonus – The thing Jesus’ life revealed – He is the Saint of Impossible Causes (like me).
And now for a little irreverent humor.
Holy Trinity – Larry, Curly & Moe
Three Stooges – Father, Son & Holy Ghost
It is important to laugh at one’s own religion. It is healthy. One sign of a healthy person is when they can laugh at themselves. Wouldn’t it also make sense that the sign of a spiritually healthy person is someone who can laugh at their religion? Again I write from the Christian perspective because that is my religious background. I’ve found humor in the Bible, things that made me chuckle like a great Joke is when Jesus tells his disciples that Peter was the rock he would build his church on. I’m sure the disciples had a big guffaw over that because Peter was so wishy-washy. He repeatedly said one thing and did another – for example, Peter says to Jesus, “I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth” then he denies he even knows the guy – 3 times.
So with today being dedicated to humor here are some great videos that I enjoy that look at Christianity very humorously. I hope it brings a smile your face and heart. Peace.
(fyi – this is a re-post from my previous blog in 2012)
UN SAFE
What does it mean to be unsafe?
I think it means to be open, unlocked, unconditional and taking risks. Certainly easier said than done. In our culture these things are typically lauded but not encouraged. A strange paradox. I think that in terms of faith, especially the Christianity I live, the paradox is even more profound because the institutions encourage conformity yet the Savior it proclaims was the ultimate individualist, open, and risky person around.
In our culture we have let fear define safety. We close up our borders, we increase security by increasing surveillance and decreasing privacy, we cast the dark light of suspicion on anything we do not understand or are not familiar with. We use religion as a weapon. And I am ashamed to say that many; who claim to believe in Jesus Christ are just as guilty as those who don’t.
Let’s look again at just a couple of examples of what Jesus taught; “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:43-48) “Do not resist an evil person” (Matthew 5:38-42) “Do not act for the purpose of being seen or recognized by others” (Matthew 6:1-4) “When you pray, go into your room, close the door…” (Matthew 6:5-15)
I could go on. I just want to encourage everyone to live a life of faith that is unsafe. Don’t be afraid to be open, to take a stand against “accepted” public opinion. Take the risk of fighting others by trying to understand them and accept them that they may see, in you a different way to live. Love “keeps no record of wrongs.”(I Corinthians 13:5) “The only thing that counts is faith, expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6) “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and work… so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” (I Thessalonians 4:11-12)
Well that’s all I have to say right now.
I declare myself “unsafe”; An urban explorer of the human soul.
Enjoy this video by Mike Stand and THE ALARM – UNSAFE BUILDING
We are creeping up on the Easter holiday season, many Christians will be planning their celebrations of death and resurrection. They will be recounting the last days of Jesus Christ on his way to the cross etc. There will be many annoying bath-robe pageants, easter sunrise services and the like. The bigger churches will have glitz and glamour, and high-tech installations. Oh my, I think I just made myself sick.
I want to re-visit one of Jesus last messages. The message not only highlights why he was murdered by politics and religion but talks about something that I’ve heard often repeated since my youth; he talks about what so many Christians have interpolated as the “end times” – as in, “it’s the end of the world, pack your backs for the rapture – we’re goin’ to heaven.”
Text will be from Luke 21 in the Concordant Literal New Testament translation. The context is a number of days before the Last Supper and Jesus’ arrest. Jesus is with his disciples at the temple. He notices people caught up in the temple service and they are making a big show of how much they are able to give. Even a poor widow who gives all that she owns. His disciples are caught up in the hoopla and talk about how beautiful and grand the temple is. In other words we are seeing a cultic temple-centric (not God centered) experience complete with hype. Religious practice has become a show (kinda like Christian churches in our own time).
Jesus does NOT get caught up in the hoopla. He steps back from the fray and declares,
“These which you are beholding – there will be coming days in which not a stone will be left here on a stone, which will not be demolished.” [v.6]
Is it any wonder he was murdered? He was talking about the end of the temple religion – a religion that had become the very core of Jewish identity. Today this would be called anti-Semitism. And if someone said the same of Christian churches there would be riots in the streets. How did Christianity get “end times” out of that incident? It makes NO sense. But the next section may give us a clue. Jesus’ disciples start by asking,
“Teacher, when, then, will these things be, and what is the sign whenever these things may be about to be occurring?” [v.7]
So even Jesus disciples can’t believe the words that came out of his mouth. Jesus then talks about what to expect. He describes how nations will war with each other and smaller political entities/governments will war with, and within, each other (think of the war between Republicans and Democrats in the US). In other words great division. he also mentions great quakes, famines and pestilences,… fearful sights and great events in the heavens (i.e. space, the solar system etc). Jesus continues to talk about not only the desolation of the temple but also the desolation of Jerusalem. Again if this kind of talk happened here in America it would be considered traitorous punishable by death penalty – so as I said earlier – is it any wonder that people hated Jesus and begged for his crucifixion? Jesus goes on, in detail, to talk about various signs that the desolation is near and at the time of this desolation he says,
“And then they shall be seeing the son of mankind coming in a cloud with power and much glory. Now at the beginning of these occurrences, unbend and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is drawing near.” [v.27]
Pretty fanciful and this is where Christians have interpolated this notion of rapture and end times because they read this as a literal event not a metaphor for living now. He is describing those who are able to rise above the fray. Again this has nothing to do with the end of life as we know it. Just the end of the temple and desolation of Jerusalem. Continuing, Jesus then tells one of his famous parables – this time the parable of the fig tree. And this is another thing that disturbs me because most of the parables are mis-understood and taken out of the context in which they happen. He illuminates and interprets the parable for his disciples by saying,
“Thus you also, whenever you may be perceiving these things occurring, know that near is the kingdom of God.” [v.31]
This is wonderfully consistent because through-out the period in his life when he was teaching Jesus refers to the kingdom of God/Heaven as near and even here now and “within you”. So in the midst of all this crap that’s happening in the world the kingdom of God and Heaven is near, so near that it’s here now within us. Now most Christians will not want to hear this because they want some great escape from the crap in this world. But it doesn’t happen that way. Of course the next question could be “Why are we stuck here, why can’t we escape?” I think it’s because we’re supposed to make a difference to help others work through the crap in their lives to make this heaven for everyone.
What happens next in the scripture is that Jesus gives us a map, a guideline of behavior and mindset, for surviving this life and it is loosely linked with the golden rule. Jesus tells us to beware for ourselves that we don’t get sucked into all that’s going on around us,
“Now take heed to yourselves, lest at some time your hearts should be burdened with crapulence and drunkenness and the worries of life’s affairs,….” [vs.34]
We need to protect our own mindset because if we don’t we can get bogged down by “crapulence” (literally skull-wrestle or mental distress), drunkenness if we give in and stressed by life’s affairs. He goes on to say that getting bogged down by this stuff is a trap. A hidden trap that will snap shut and victimize us. He does not want us to be trapped or victimized so he is warning us to beware of our own thinking and behavior. This is incredibly difficult to do in our technological environment where we are continuously blasted by news of all that is going on around us – it is easy to get caught up in events and not remain separate and guarded so that we can be of benefit to others. But this is exactly what he is talking about. In verse 36 Jesus comes to the end of this particular teaching and says,
“Now be vigilant, on every occasion beseeching that you may be prevailing to escape all these things which are about to occur, and to stand in front of the son of mankind.” [v.36]
Again he reiterates to beware at all times. And why? Not so that we can escape from this life but that we can escape from the harm of getting sucked into the vortex of all that is happening around thus rendering us ineffective. Is it the end times? Sure, because all the signs are there. Will there be a great escape for Christians? Nah, don’t think so. If Christians truly believed they were chosen then they would want to stick around to be a part of the healing and restoration fulfilling the teaching of Christ. I plan on sticking around. I’d rather be dancing in the mosh pit or some jazzy dive than in some grand disco in the sky.
So after reading Exodus 34 I’ve been rethinking this whole notion of God as punisher of those who do evil – which is a common Christian outlook. Exodus 34:3-7 recounts Moses acquisition of the second set of the “ten commandments”, and lists some of Gods attributes. I want to focus on just one of these – punishment/retribution. Like many things in the Bible there are two sides to this and neither is what it seems on the surface.
Verses 6 & 7 read,
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed: “The Lord! the Lord! a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.” [JPS translation]
First the good news. The good attributes such as “slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness…” covers a thousand generations. It goes on and on. So-called punishment is only for up to 4 generations.
First I want to question the word “punishment” – which is a common translation. And I’ve always questioned this notion of God punishing children for their parents misdeeds. But if we read it literally that is what it seems to talk about. Let’s think about this. Punishment is something unpleasant imposed by authority on someone or some group for wrong action. In other words punishment is a consequence of wrong action. So let’s get away from the notion of punishment as a whip, hanging, or imprisonment. Lets think about consequence.
Now let’s think about what this consequence is in these verses. We learn that God does not bring the consequences himself. The consequences of wrong actions by parents and society are passed on to their children and even their children’s children [i.e. future generations]…. Now I know you’re probably tempted to say, “but wait” and revisit my previous comment about God punishing children for parents mistakes – BUT STOP!
We are talking about consequences. Cause and effect. Let’s think of the bigger picture here. I’ve always loved the Native American quote from the Iroquois Nation. To paraphrase their Great Law,
“In every deliberation, we must consider the impact on the seventh generation… even if it requires having skin as thick as the bark of a pine.”
We have become a very temporal minded society, living for the moment and not thinking ahead to the consequences of our actions for our children and future generations. Another consequence of our temporal society is that we’ve become more reactive than proactive. Me must find a way to think about this. Parents must consider how they teach & discipline, their children. Parents must consider how children learn from their beliefs and behaviors (emotional and physical action). As a society we must consider how our actions in environmental issues, urban planning, government etc will impact future generations. Because our wrong or right actions now WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES on our children and children’s children for at least the next 3 or 4 generations (according to the Bible). God doesn’t punish our children for our mistakes – we do. If you don’t want your children to suffer from your wrong actions – carefully consider your actions to begin with; in every situation.
Does this mean we don’t or won’t make mistakes? No, we will still make mistakes but if we are mindful and aware, considering our actions we will be able to correct the mistake much sooner. There will still be strong debate over what constitutes right actions in a larger public arena.
I was reading Exodus chapter 33 this morning. And something really stood out for me. A major contradiction between verses 11 and 20-23.
Verse 11 states,
“The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one man speaks to another. And he would then return to the camp….”
Then in verse 20-23,
… He (God) said, “you cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and Live.” And the Lord said, “See there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock and, as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”
Talk about a major contradiction. First we read that Moses regularly speaks FACE TO FACE with God, just like you and I would talk to each other, then we read that God says that no man may see him and live. This is exactly the kind of contradiction that Atheists throw out to prove that God does not exist. I read an interesting side note in the Jewish Publication Society’s translation of this text which stated that the two verses came from different sources. Basically the Talmud was hobbled together from multiple sources which explains the contradictions. But are these contradictions a reason to stop believing?
I got to thinking, Is it that God does not exist because of these different and conflicting versions of events; or is it possible that God exists in both sides of the contradiction? Maybe God is IN the contradiction. I think that in our “modern” age people have forgotten about the beauty of paradox, mystery and contradiction. But if God is the God of ALL then he is also the God of paradox, mystery AND contradiction. I’m very interested in mysticism and exploring other religions. It seems to me that even though the religions of men try to exclude others that God is actually present in ALL religions in one form or another revealing “Himself” to humanity in different ways according to each ones ability to understand and comprehend.
Could it be that God is bigger than the contradiction? Could it be that God is both sides of the contradiction – the unifying force of a contradictions two sides? An ultimate non-duality. Maybe another way to put it is to say that when we view these contradictions in our religions, politics and events of our lives we should not think they disprove the existence of God but that God is in each position and point-of-view.
So what do we do with this? I’m not sure we DO anything with it. I don’t think we should try to remove the contradiction from our “sacred” texts. Contradiction is a part of life. A part of human experience. Why shouldn’t it be a part of our spiritual experience? Let it be. Understand that it’s okay to try to do good but shit will still happen. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail. That’s life! Contradiction is okay.
Here’s a great song that talks about contradiction.
THE PART YOU THREW AWAY
I want to start by saying, I love Atheists. Even though I’m a Christian I love how Atheism continues to ask the hard questions. My personal experience with Atheism is that in America it seems to be primarily a backlash against Institutional Christianity and how Christianity is preached and practiced. I would add that I think there is good reason to agree with some of the arguments Atheists make. A favorite story I recently came across was this one by magician Penn Jillette who talks about why he is an Atheist – and it generally expresses what I’ve heard from all who are Atheists.
So why this introduction on Atheism? Well I think he makes a very important point when he says,
“What we get told about the Bible is a lot of picking and choosing…. When someone’s trying to interpret something for you they always have an agenda.”
And I think that this is important and offers a clue why institutional Christianity has gotten so out-of-whack. When I started reading the Bible for myself and stopped depending on what others told me about what I believe and why – I found so much more. I found stories, concerns and issues that, in my 50+ years of existence have never been taught. Now reading the “source material” has not led me to Atheism like Penn Jillette but it has made me see what has happened to my spiritual tradition over the last 1700 years.
Now about the text I really wanted to talk about. And yes I have an agenda but it’s not to reinforce institutional tradition and understanding; I want to offer up some questioning, discussion and exploration. My text today is from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians. First chapter. In this letter he comes out swinging. In verse 7 he writes,
“Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ.”
He then goes on to say later in verse 9,
“If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”
Now I could focus on Paul’s strong combative language but that would miss the point of what Paul is saying. I could also say that we need to support our religious institutions – but again, that would be missing the whole point of what Paul is saying. It’s not about defending ones position or traditions. I want to focus on what Paul refers to as “the gospel of Christ” – notice, he says gospel OF christ which suggests the content and subject of Christ teachings and revelations. He does NOT say the Gospel ABOUT Christ.
I’ve written before and would like to refresh here that sometimes the archaic language is problematic for contemporary readers. The word “gospel” literally means “good news” straight-forward and simple. And Paul says that the message we should cling to is the same good news that Jesus taught. As I’ve said before, in another post, the good news that Jesus taught was that the kingdom of heaven is within you (near and here now), you are forgiven, and you are loved without exception. But ever since Christianity was adopted by Rome (312 AD, under Constantine) as the state religion the message has been the good news ABOUT Jesus Christ, the person. It’s a subtle prepositional change from “of” to “about” but it is significant. Even a popular Bible dictionary defines the word “Gospel” saying it’s about
“all that God has done, is doing, and will do in his risen Son, Jesus Christ.”
Never once does this dictionary define the “good news” as Jesus defined it. Never once!. The message was changed from what Christ actually taught, and how he lived out his teachings, to WHO he was. This is where the problem starts. It’s like Jesus was the envelope for the message and the message (or letter) in the envelope was the good news for humanity – ALL of humanity. But when the focus changed from the good news that Jesus taught to the man himself it was akin to saving the envelope and discarding the message that was in the envelope. Or maybe a better analogy in these technological times is – It’s like being thrilled that you got an email and moved it to a special folder but never opened the email or read it. And Paul also addresses the issue of letting others tell you what the bible means. It’s like letting someone read the letter you got in the mail, picking out and telling you the parts they think are important and/or acceptable then discarding the rest. Meanwhile you have no real clue as to what the entire letter said. And when one person, priest, pastor etc does this for a whole group of people – this is how the message becomes institutionalized. This individual is gone. One person is now telling other what the experience looks like and the individual has no say if they want to continue to be a part of that group. I think this is what Paul was talking about when he said that the Galatians had allowed someone to tell them what the good news was about and they lived according to that message as opposed to based on their own individual experience.
The institutionalized church has treated the word of God like SPAM long enough. The only way to get around that is for each person to read the source material for themselves (as Penn Jillette would encourage). Understand the context in which it was written and then make your decision. Understand the flow of history and how the ideas have changed. One thing that Apostle Paul points out in this letter specifically is that he discovered this stuff on his own. After his conversion he did not associate with the other Apostles or become indoctrinated by them. He specifically says,
“I did not consult any man.” (vs.16)
In his own life Paul was so overcome by the good news that Jesus taught that he went immediately into Arabia and only later returned. In fact it was 3 years before he went back to Jerusalem to meet Peter. (vs.17-18) So Paul had 3 years of just getting acquainted with Jesus teaching on his own. No seminary, no school. Just life and living. In fact if anyone could have disputed the whole thing it would’ve been Paul because he came out of the institutionalized Jewish tradition. When he met Peter, Paul only stayed with him 15 days and then he left again and didn’t return for another 14 years to meet the other Apostles. There is not a single institution that would allow this today. The faith of Paul was incredibly personal and he had a connection to God that allowed him to develop on his own to practice and reveal the good news in a way that was unique to his life experience. Today you would be sent to classes (“sunday school” for the lay person) or seminary (for those who want to make money doing this) for further indoctrination. I know I’m questioning authority here but I believe it is necessary. We MUST question authority that is both political and religious. This attitude toward individualism is echoed in the book of the Bible known as I John, where the author says,
“…you do not need anyone to teach you. But his anointing teaches you about all things, and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in him.”
Now “anointing” is another archaic word. It simply means to pour or rub oil or ointment on a person or thing and that’s how it was used in the Old Testament. But its meaning changed in the New Testament to signify a divine appointment as a result of a relationship between the physical and metaphysical (or man and God). Through this one-on-one relationship a person learns directly from the Bible through their own individual reading and is responsible for applying principles to their life. The choice is always ours. This anointing, this relationship, is free and available to everyone regardless of their beliefs. This openness in the Christian belief system is rarely (if ever) taught these days as institutions try to keep their people “on point” or “on message” always trying “bring it back home” when they feel it starts to get too individualistic.
So, I’ll put this in plain English – Don’t let anyone tell you what the bible should mean for you. Read the Bible for yourself. Ask questions of the source material. The answers are there. They may not be revealed all at once. And because it uses some archaic language it may take some time to understand it. Don’t get sidetracked by the envelope or package the message came in but read the message for your self. Peace.
Sources:
THE HOLY BIBLE (New International Version), published by Zondervan Publishing.
THE HOLY BIBLE (King James Version – Thompson’s Chain-Reference ), published by B.B. Kirkbride Publishing
THE REVELL BIBLE DICTIONARY
Penn Jillette interview courtesy of Youtube
CHRISTENDOM: A Short History Of Christianity And It’s Impact On Western Civilization, by Roland H Bainton
What happens when we let other pick and choose what we read and comprehend? I think the overall tune is forgotten like dropped notes teh melody eventually fades. Tom Waits say’s in his tragic song, “You’ll soon forget the tune that you play, ’cause that is the part you throw away.”
Tom Waits – THE PART YOU THROW AWAY
INTRODUCTION
I’ve been thinking about Christianity and how it seems to be serving two masters. I will suggest that modern Christianity in its institutionalized form actually follows John the Baptist in practice while claiming to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many people are not going to see the problem with that. But I hope to show that the difference between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ is significant and that by blending the practices and teachings of both John and Jesus we are actually of a divided mind and trying to serve two masters at once. Just like Jesus’ arrival on the existential scene brought an end, or completion, to the Old Testament he also brought an end to what John the Baptist taught and practiced. I’ve struggled and labored to find the right words for this post since 7/20. I am not attacking Christianity, because it is the spiritual tradition I identify with most. But I have more questions about it than previously. In fact, The older I get the more I question why I believe what I believe. I’m not even sure this article is complete as I think of new aspects to this subject. This is only a blog post, not a book (even though I think I could write a book on this). I wanted to post it anyway to possibly stimulate discussion and see what other ideas are out there. So if you’re not interested in this subject you can just skip over the rest of this article. For fundamentalists, conservatives, and evangelicals who read this – you may be offended by some of what I say. It is not my intention to offend but I only wish to stimulate thought and self-examination.
A WORD ABOUT BAPTISM
This post is not about baptism but because it is the practice most associated with John the Baptist I will make a brief statement about it. I think too much emphasis is placed on baptism today. How many people have been baptized more than once? Is it necessary to be baptized at all? Too many churches use baptism as an act of membership. It is part of the team uniform for being a member. Therefore like many others, I have been baptized more than once because at different times in my life I’ve been a member of different churches in different Christian denominations. Now this is utterly ridiculous. Is not the Jesus of one denomination the same as Jesus of another? Why so much emphasis on baptism? Should it continue?
I will suggest that the practice of baptism as it is now used needs to stop. If someone wants to be baptized they should have the freedom to approach someone and request it. But it should not be part of some institutional agenda to help measure who is part of the team. Baptism should not be a requirement – suggested, spoken or unspoken. It should only be discussed in the context of a historical practice. Placing such importance on baptism is the way of John the Baptist not Jesus Christ.
PREPARING THE WAY OR LIVING THE WAY
In Christendom it seems that there are those who see themselves as preparers and those who are practitioner’s. The preparers are those who evangelize in the hope of getting everyone on their side before Jesus Christ returns. they are actively involved in missions around the world. They want to be on the winning team. And they set up institutions to ensure their success. While the practitioner’s really don’t give a damn about being on the team – they are more concerned with living what Christ actually taught; seeing and living the kingdom here and now; loving one’s enemies, giving freely to those who ask without placing conditions on the giving, looking after those who are defined by their culture as disadvantaged, treating people as equals, and seeing ALL people as being created in the image of God regardless of their race, politics, sexual orientation, country of origin, and religion. Looking after the planet with the same environmental concern that one has for a garden, etc. I get so fed up and irritated with all the sports metaphors and this concept of “team” that preachers, teachers and churches constantly rely on. They have missed the point. Being a part of the kingdom of heaven is not some team sport!
A TALE OF TWO KINGDOMS?
Now I wonder why anyone would want to be a preparer. It seems that I grew up for most of my life being taught and thinking about the second coming of Christ. I wonder if because we know the end of the story we are at a disadvantage. Isn’t the second coming more of an epilogue; a final period at the end of the story? I guess I’m wondering, what is there to prepare for? Whose job is it to prepare? Is the kingdom to come more important than the kingdom of heaven that is already here? But most importantly should we even bother? Why do we think it is our responsibility to go out and evangelize others in preparation for the second coming?
Is the second coming of Christ more important than the first? John the Baptist preached a new kingdom to come with a benevolent ruler that would baptize with fire. What is this “second coming” all about? I can’t help but think that it will be less of a deal than what people have taught for centuries. Revelation 21:1 says that it is merely a replacement of the old heaven and earth with new ones. Another way to read that is that it will be a replacement of the old ideas of heaven and earth with new ones that will significantly impact how life is lived on this planet. Two significant characteristics that separate the old from the new is that the new will be incorruptible and also there will be no temple (churches, synagogues, mosques, etc). These are BOLD changes from the world we currently live in. But let’s not get side tracked. Because again, because that’s the “end” of the story. But it is important to be aware of this in light of the discussion about who we are following. John the Baptist did NOT preach this vision of the end. He preached that there was a change coming. He wanted people to be aware and knowledgeable about this change. Jesus taught that the change is here! You are forgiven. Start living now as if the new heaven and earth have already arrived. LIVING THESE CHANGES NOW IS THE PREPARATION for the second coming.
I love the parable Jesus told of the 10 virgins were watching and waiting for the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1-13).
(my modernized version) 10 women were waiting for their man for a late-night party. 5 had flashlights and 5 didn’t. As it got dark the ones who were prepared got out their flashlights and were just hanging-out, waiting and watching having a good old time like women do. The ones without flashlights got nervous, were afraid of the dark and decided to go buy some flashlights quickly before the man hosting the party arrived. While they were gone the man they were waiting for arrived. The five women with flashlights went inside for the party and the door was locked. The five who weren’t prepared and left to get some flashlights came back knocking on the door and crying, “it’s not fair, let us in”. And the man simply said, “go away, I don’t know you.”
My understanding of this story is; “Sure, watch and pray – but all the watching and praying isn’t going to make a bit a difference if we’re not prepared by living NOW in the manner that Christ taught.” In other words, preparation doesn’t mean paving the way as John the Baptist did. True preparation is living and BEING the way.
WHAT JOHN AND JESUS SAID ABOUT EACH OTHER John the Baptist announced the coming of Christ. That was his message and function. He was the one shouting “prepare the way”. That was his job. And it seems that Christianity has fallen into that trap. The trap of preparation, as if that was the end of the story. In doing so they are equating the second coming with the first arrival of Jesus on the world scene. But is that correct? By focusing on the second coming of Christ are we jumping over and ignoring the teachings and presence of his first arrival? Are they just cool stories? I wonder if the need to prepare actually ended with Christ’s arrival. It turns out that there is some precedent for this question. Even after Jesus arrived and was baptized by John people were debating. And how did these key players respond to the debate? First let’s look at why Jesus was baptized and the result of that baptism. Jesus requested, yes, he asked to be baptized by John (Matt 3:13) Why? Because it was “proper…to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” With the baptism of Jesus the focus shifted from the preparation message of John to the acceptance message of Jesus. In the baptism John’s message was both completed and ended. Now it would have also been proper for John to stop preaching at this point but like most institutions he felt the “need” (it was a worthy cause) to continue perpetuating the message of preparation and was eventually imprisoned. John watched Jesus closely and he even questioned him at one point. (Matthew 11:2-6) “When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor….'” And then Jesus does something remarkable he addresses the change in message from John’s to his own. He does this in a simple statement in Matthew 11:11 & 12 “I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the Kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” And here is the BIG change, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” Do you see the change in message? It officially changed from future to present. John is not “top dog” in the kingdom. Its the “Everyman” who is “top dog”. Why? John the Baptist preached about the future, Jesus preached the power of NOW as people are now LAYING HOLD OF THE KINGDOM. Again preparation is not about paving a way to the second coming of Christ. It’s living these changes in the ever-present NOW. All four of the traditional Gospels record this.
Another amazing incident that is very telling is recorded in the Gospel of John (3:22-36). Jesus and John are both baptizing in the same area. John’s disciples were very concerned and went to him and asked John, “Rabbi that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan – the one you testified about – well, he is baptizing , and everyone is going to him.” Can you see the concern and jealousy start to develop? But John, who I suspect knew that his message had become obsolete said (vs 28), “You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him….'(vs 30) He must become greater; I must become less.” So John surrenders his message of preparation. So why do we get stuck on this idea?
Jesus Christ message was, “the Kingdom of God/Heaven is within you”. His purpose and function was to live that message so that people would understand their day-to-day lives with a new and enlightened perspective. And many did and still do.
So if the Kingdom is here and so very near that it is within us what are we preparing the way for? Why does anything need to be prepared. The preparation was done and completed more than 2,000 years ago. Jesus was (body) and is (spirit) here. It seems to me that if we are focused on preparation we are following the wrong master. Like Jesus we should focus on BEING. It’s not about the institution it’s about the individual.
FORGIVENESS AS COMMODITY OR FORGIVENESS AS GIFT
Of course we cannot discuss the differences between John the Baptist and Jesus without touching on the subject of forgiveness. Baptism for forgiveness of sins was one of John’s modus operandi. John’s mission, as spoken by his father, was to give people knowledge of forgiveness. John did that by saying you can be forgiven and adopted a practice called baptism. It was a sort of spiritual economic exchange. You can be forgiven if you are baptized. Baptism became the ritual and focus of the message. It became institutionalized and became the model for all sorts of “rules of the game” by which people were expected to follow. It was the way to prepare/pave the way for the coming of the Christ. But we must also look at John’s description of baptism which suggests that with Christ there will be a change. He said, “I baptize with water but there is one coming after me who will baptize with fire” We have here the comparison of the material world of men and institutions compared with the spiritual/metaphysical world. John knew the difference. He knew a change would come and I think he would be disheartened if he still saw people preaching baptism by water for forgiveness of sins today – If he saw how baptism is being used as an “outward sign” of being in the club. In fact I think he might be more than a little irritated.
When Jesus was baptized by John it was the equivalent of John handing the torch to Jesus to carry on. Which Jesus started to do because Jesus also started baptizing. And the gospels only record Jesus baptizing other in the earliest part of his ministry. At some point he abandoned it. Why? Because it became irrelevant. The message changed. Jesus changed the message. There was no more bargain, forgiveness was not something to be purchased with baptism being used as coinage. It was now a gift. When Jesus talked of forgiveness it was simply YOU ARE FORGIVEN. There’s no “you must do this…” or “that” to be forgiven. You just are forgiven. Period. You are no longer a slave to your past. You can redirect your destiny with a fresh start. People may try to use the past as a weapon against you (the media has perfected this – ask any politician) but as long as you know you are forgiven their weapons are of no good. For Jesus’ grace, mercy, and forgiveness was a gift. It was not some commodity to be traded. To continue to follow John is to say, “I will be forgiven” but to follow Jesus is to say, “I AM forgiven.”
CONCLUDING REMARKS
People need to embrace the gift and pass it on because that is where real changes will start to happen. As long as the gift is used as a bargaining tool it will never be effective and produce lasting change. Remember you are forgiven. To the believers I say, let John the Baptist go – embrace Jesus. As long as the gift is used as a commodity to prepare the way it will never be effective. It’s time for a change. One master, one message. To teachers, preachers, churches, and other religious institutions. I think it’s time to re-tool. It’s to to re-evaluate what message your actions are sending. Do your actions and policies promote a paving of the way for the second coming or do they actually promote the more radical idea of acceptance and living in the kingdom of heaven that is here now within each of us? Do you teach your people that they are part of the kingdom already or are you still inviting them to come get ready for the coming kingdom? Do you teach your people to see the kingdom of heaven in others or do you promote exclusivity and separation from others who may not fit YOUR criteria of religious belief? And like the story above of the 10 women; If you want to be part of some exclusive spiritual “club med” where your team, your church, your religion is the definition of rightness then you are watching and waiting without a flashlight. if you follow John the Baptist’s methods and practices you may want to buy a flashlight before it gets dark. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. It’s not. You will fail as I have failed. But we must pick ourselves up and learn from these lessons and allow them to change us and help us grow toward perfection. Perfection is the new spiritual “singularity”. It is possible and it is near.
If you are one of the few that have made to the end of this post, whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist or any other belief or non-belief tradition; know that there is only one message: YOU ARE FORGIVEN! Accept it and enjoy. You have a blank slate to fill, a new book to write, a new picture to make, a new movie, music or art to create. A new life to live. Go ahead, say it out loud, “I am forgiven.” And view everyone around you as forgiven and live accordingly. If you are reading this, if you are alive and on this planet, in this place and time in all of existence, then you are already a part of the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of heaven is already within you. As Richard Rohr wrote on his blog – UNPACKING PARADOXES in a post on forgiveness,
“To help people ACCEPT THAT THEY ARE RADICALLY ACCEPTED is the only real task of Christianity.”
When we accept that we are unconditionally accepted and when we in turn unconditionally accept others we have taken our first steps on the road to perfection.
Enjoy this song by Sanctus Real – FORGIVEN
“Forgiveness is the cash you need – All other kinds of silver really just buys strange things – Everything has music – Everything has genes of God inside – But learn from those courageous addicted lovers of glands and opium and gold – Look, they cannot jump high or laugh long when they are whirling – And the moon and the stars become sad , when their tender light is used for night wars – Forgiveness is part of the treasure you need to craft your falcon wings – and return – to your true realm of divine freedom” ~ Hafiz(Hafez of Shiraz)
Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3 and Luke 3:4 all recount the same event.
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness,
‘Make ready the way of the Lord,
Make His paths straight!’” [NASB]
This verse is an inaccurate/incomplete quote from the prophet Isaiah. (40:3-5)
“A voice rings out:
‘Clear in the desert
A road for the Lord!
Level in the wilderness
A highway for our God!
Let every valley be raised,
Every hill and mount made low.
Let the rugged ground become level
And the ridges become a plain.
The presence of the Lord shall appear,
And all flesh, as one, shall behold –
For the Lord himself has spoken'” [Jewish Publication Society]
Without regard of the differences in text this message is always associated with John the Baptist. But John the Baptist DIDN’T preach this. And Isaiah didn’t talk about baptism. John the Baptist preached baptism for forgiveness of sins which isn’t mentioned at all in the previous quotes.
Now I read in my Jewish Bible a great commentary that said that throughout history this text from Isaiah has always been perceived by the Jews as a metaphor that God would clear away all obstacles to salvation.
My next question is; What is salvation?
Before salvation humanity was perceived to be separate from God. Humanity attempted to connect with God through laws,rituals,sacrifices,etc. After Christ, those previous attempts (and that’s all they were) become utterly worthless. We now need to look at what Jesus taught. He was THE WAY to a relationship with God. HE was the one who actually fulfilled The prophecy in Isaiah of paving the way to salvation/communion/oneness with God. (John 14:6) Jesus said to him,
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
In his daily actions and teachings Jesus, the Christ called out to humanity and cleared ALL obstacles to God – and that happened more than 2,000 years ago. Humanity has had that direct line and communion with God ever since then.
More than ever before the good news for humanity is that WE ARE ALREADY SAVED. WE ARE CONNECTED TO GOD. WE WERE SAVED BEFORE WE WERE BORN (because every single person alive today was born after Jesus, the Christ.) WE WERE SAVED BEFORE WE EVEN WERE TAUGHT THAT WE WEREN’T. Anyone born from now on is ALREADY SAVED. Now that IS good news!!!
Now the reason I think this is affiliated with John the Baptist is because at that particular time he was on the public scene before Jesus. He was already preaching and baptizing etc. He was going against Jewish tradition so naturally he was seen by the masses as the one removing all obstacles to salvation/communion/oneness with God. Baptism was outside the institutional realm at that time. But like all things in modern Christian religion John’s message and practice of baptism has BECOME the institution and therefore becomes the obstacle to salvation.
The failure of ALL religion, Judaism and Christianity included, is that religion continually reinvents the wheel by making salvation/connectedness/oneness to God something to be attained. Religion teaches that each person must remove the obstacles of salvation through, practices, rituals, behaviors, regulations etc. But this is wrong and anti-christian. Why? Because Jesus already did the work.
What does this mean for us now? When we view and understand that EVERYONE, (yes every single person including Hitler, Saddam Hussain – insert name of most hideous evil person you know) is already saved, even if they persist in their religious beliefs, or do evil, or are just plain jerks – it changes how we interact with them. This realization allows us to act with mercy, forgiveness, grace, peace and love. It allows patience, long-suffering and endurance and all the other fruits of the spirit.
The way of Christ and the true nature of his salvation will never be taught in religious institutions/organizations. It may be alluded to – but to practice it would mean the end of the institution. The Way of Christ can only be practiced and taught (through our daily actions at home, work, play) outside the realm of religion. Because it is about life, living and being – not religion. Of course when people ask us what’s changed that’s when we can tell them the good news.
*** note: This post was first blogged on my other blog mobius faith imaging. Since this blog will be about my spiritual and philosophical ideas It seemed an appropriate first post.
While I am an artist there are many things that inspire me and give me energy. Music, Film, Nature and Mysticism. There are times when I am in this meditative space where time seems to slow down. A time/space when that which is normally solid and concrete becomes fluid and dynamic. A time that leaves me feeling paradoxically exhausted, rested and energized. While this doesn’t happen often – last night was one such time. The following is the fruit of that time.
Many people want to think of God as all good and that God would never do any evil. But I wonder if that’s true. There are instances in the Jewish and Christian Bibles where God says he will “work evil…” If that’s so then God is not only the God of Good but also the God of Evil. God is not Good OR Evil he is the totality of Good AND Evil. God cannot be divided. God is the ultimate non-duality. It is humanity and religion specifically that try to divide God. And see Evil as something that must be eliminated.
While evil can be defeated it can never be eliminated. So that next thing is how to defeat evil. All that is evil can only be defeated when we recognize the capacity for evil within each of us. We both hold the secrets of good and evil. After all that was the whole point of the story of the Garden of Eden. Humanity had consumed the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It has been with us from the beginning.
When we recognize the ways we can be evil and accept it – evil has no power over us. It is always there. It is always waiting for us to forget or deny its existence. It’s always waiting for us, goading us and trying to get us to fight it. Evil feeds on fear, pride and hate. And when that happens — well — Shit happens!
And it’s not about control. We cannot control evil. We can only balance it with Good. Co-existence.
The evil we see in others is the same evil that is within us.
Example : Who am I to judge a murderer? The evil in that person who murders is the same evil in me when I enjoy saying, “he had it coming to him.” Just because I chose not to murder doesn’t mean I am less evil or that evil doesn’t exist within me. It just means that I didn’t murder someone. The person who murders has the same power as me to create or defeat evil.
Recognize the evil within you
Forgive yourself and others
Be at peace
Love yourself and others
Be the balance
You and I were created in the image of God
We hold within us the seeds of the totality of Good and Evil.
... on being and becoming ... 