EXILE – anyone separated from his or her country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances.
In this case, I am not speaking of an exile from his country or home, but an exile from the Christianity of today.
I, for one, have become disenchanted about the direction Christianity has taken for over a thousand years. This is the theism so well known by those believers of modern Christianity. It just doesn’t work for me any more. It seems the task of the "church" has been for so many centuries to indoctrinate or relate its people to an external divine power. Also included in the job description of the church is debating proper liturgy, forcibly imposing an orthodoxy on the minds of its worshipers. It does not include freedom of thought, freedom to question the rules, freedom to ask the unaskable. This theism includes the benevolent "father figure" who does his work with only our interests in mind; ever correcting, often punishing his children for their indiscretions.
Can we, who are exiles, return to a Christianity whose God has been formulated from the theistic concepts of antiquity? Most assuredly not. It appears our only choice is to move forward with a new vision of the source of all, the ground of all being. Can God be real if he is not the one located in an external place as a supernatural being (a human being with supernatural powers)?Can God be real if there is no divine entity that can be involked to rescue us in times of peril and need? Can God be real if all images of God as a superparent, and thus a personalistic deity, are dismissed?
Mystics of every persuasion have always cried out against every specific definition of God. Perhaps for us in Western theism, the idea of a personal, but supernatural God is only a stage that we will move through in our religious development. I don’t know the answer. Professional academic theology has become aware of its own enslavement to the theism of the past, which no longer has power or meaning as it once did. Since at least the nineteenth century, those Christian theologians on the frontier of research, have sought deliverance from a dying theistic God.
You have no further to look than the breakdown of Biblical literalism in Germany in the early 1800’s. In the studies which were done there, it became apparent that the theological doctrines of antiquity could no longer be based on the literal texts that once undergirded them. What emerged from this research and study was a God who became the "Ground of Being". This God was not a person, but the mystical presence in which all personhood could flourish. This God was not an external, personal force that could be involked but rather an internal reality that, when confronted, opened us to the meaning of life itself. It was as if, over time, one experienced a growing awareness of the ground of being and one’s relationship with all those who also share that infinite and inexhaustible ground.
This ground of being is seen as that which gives life. This is seen in almost all identifications or definitions of God. This theological point of view received support from the newly developing psychological sciences. Among the insights from psychology is the realization that love is also the source and the creator of life. Without love, we human beings shrivel. Love opens the whole creation up to life and calls all things into being. The more we are freed by love to be ourselves, the more we are enabled to give our lives away to others as a way of expressing and revealing the ground of being.
Each one of us is an integral participant in a complex living organism, the constituent part of which die and are born in every instant of time. Each part of that living whole participates in the eternity of being united to an ultimate "ground" of what slowly but surely we may someday learn to call God. The call of this internal God becomes primarily a call into being. It has nothing to do with religion per se. The part that may be played by the "church" is that of providing opportunities for people to touch the infinite center of all things, the ground of being, and become all that they are destined to be. Thus this ground of being is revealed as something different from the theistic God of the past.
If, for you, the definitions of the past, no longer fit, you may well be one of those exiles, whether or not you have actually "left" the church. The "ground of being" is constantly calling our potential into reality. A new religious life appears with this new way of envisioning God.
Almost without saying, this agenda is not a comfortable one for everyone. Many will say that this vision is a downgrading of the holy. Certainly much of the nature of the theistic God of the past is not present, so this would be a natural assumption. Again, this is a developing concept and I certainly do not have all the answers that you may have. Above all else, this view of God raises an ultimate question for believers in exile. Is the "Ground of Being" real, or is it a philosophical abstraction to cushion our passage from the supernatural God into the aloneness of living in a godless world? Certainly the frightened defenders of theism would say, yes.They will also wonder if meaning can be found in life apart from the theological apparatus of the past. These folks will question whether there is any basis for moral behavior in such a view of God. Without behavior-controlling religious institutions, they will believe that civilization will sink into moral anarchy.
These are legitimate questions and fears for today’s Christians who ask from a position of belief in the Theism of antiquity and from a position of fear. But, there are those of us for whom these theistic images of yesterday are simply not revivable. These questions can most probably only be answered by those in exile, if at all. Many more questions are certainly to follow from adherents on both sides. More exploration and meditation will be required.There are no readily apparent answers at this time. The only choice for the exile is to keep moving forward.There is no return to the now abandoned security systems of the past. When the exile comes of age, he cannot return to the image of God as a heavenly parent because he realizes that the theistic God of yesterday is no longer there. Like the Jews who returned from the exile in Babylon, the modern exile from the church also realizes that God can never be worshiped in the future the same way God had been worshiped in the past. That will be the fate of the modern Christian exile; find a new song to sing because the "songs of Zion" do not fit anymore. I believe we are beginning to see a new song to a new vision of God.
The artifacts of faith of the past have to be understood in a new way if they accompany the exiles beyond this exilic period and those that cannot will have to be laid aside. Time will tell us which is which.
There is no God external to life. God is not a being superior to all other beings. Instead, God is the inescapable depth, and center of all that is. The God who is "The Ground of Being".
~Ideas for this post from John S. Spong’s, "Why Christianity Must Change or Die".
Ξ July 28th, 2009 | → 6 Comments | ∇ Life |
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.
Blaise Pascal
When someone tells me that ‘the Almighty told me to do this’, I want to see the transcript.
Fred Reed
No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means.
George Bernard Shaw
The problem with fundamentalists insisting on a literal interpretation of the Bible is that the meaning of words change. A prime example is ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child.’ A rod was a stick used by shepherds to guide their sheep to go in the desired direction. Shepherds did not use it to beat their sheep. The proper translation of the saying is ‘Give your child guidance, or they will go astray.’ It does not mean ‘Beat the s— out of your child or he will become rotten’ as many fundamentalist parents seem to believe.
Unknown
Ξ July 23rd, 2009 | → 3 Comments | ∇ Life |
*This letter was given to me. While it’s a little too anthropomorphic for me, and I cannot agree with all that’s in it, it is close enough for me. This is pretty much the way I see God communicating to us all. So, this version is my own interpretation of what God might say to us all.
Date: Eternity
From: GOD
To: My Children on Earth
Re: Idiotic religious rivalries
My Dear Children (and believe me, that’s all of you),
I consider myself a pretty patient Guy. I mean, look at the Grand Canyon. It took millions of years to get it right. And how about evolution? Boy, nothing is slower than designing that whole Darwinian thing to take place, cell by cell and gene by gene. I’ve even been patient through your fashions, civilizations, wars and schemes, and the countless ways you take Me for granted until you get yourselves into big trouble again and again.
I want to let you know about some things that are starting to tick me off.
First of all, your religious rivalries are driving Me up a wall. Enough already! Let’s get one thing straight: These are your religions, not Mine. I’m the Whole Enchilada; I’m beyond them all. Every one of your religions claims there’s only one of Me (which, by the way, is absolutely true). But in the very next breath, each religion claims it’s My favorite one. And each claims its bible was written personally by me, and that all the other bibles are man-made. Oh, Me. How do I even begin to put a stop to such complicated nonsense?
Okay, listen up now: I’m your Father and Mother, and I don’t play favorites among My Children. Also, I hate to break it to you, but I don’t write. My longhand is awful, and I’ve always been more of a "doer" anyway. So all your books, including the bibles, were written by men and women. They were inspired, remarkable people, but they also made mistakes here and there. I made sure of that, so that you would never trust a written word more than your own living Heart.
You see, one Human Being to me — even a Bum on the street — is worth more than all the holy books in the world. That’s just the kind of Guy I Am. My Spirit is not an historical thing, It’s alive right here, right now, as fresh as your next breath.
Holy books and religious rites are sacred and powerful, but not more so than the least of You. They were only meant to steer you in the right direction, not to keep you arguing with each other, and certainly not to keep you from trusting your own personal connection with Me.
Which brings Me to My next point about your nonsense: You act like I need you and your religions to stick up for Me or "win souls" for My Sake. Please, don’t do Me any favors. I can stand quite well on my own, thank you. I don’t need you to defend Me, and I don’t need constant credit. I just want you to be good to each other.
And another thing: I don’t get all worked up over money or politics, so stop dragging My name into your dramas. For example, I swear to Me that I never threatened Oral Roberts. I never rode in any of Rajneesh’s Rolls Royces. I never told Pat Robertson to run for president, and I’ve never ever had a conversation with Jim Bakker, Jerry Falwell, or Jimmy Swaggart! The thing is, I want you to stop thinking of religion as some sort of loyalty pledge to Me. The true purpose of your religions is so that you can become more aware of Me, not the other way around. Believe Me, I know you already. I know what’s in each of your hearts, and I love you with no strings attached. Lighten up and enjoy Me. That’s what religion is best for.
What you seem to forget is how mysterious I Am. You look at the petty little differences in your scriptures and say, "Well, if this is the Truth, then that can’t be!" But instead of trying to figure out My Paradoxes and Unfathomable Nature — which, by the way, you never will — why not open your hearts to the simple common threads in every religion?
You know what I’m talking about: Love and respect everyone. Be kind. Even when life is scary or confusing, take courage and be of good cheer, for I Am always with you. Learn how to be quiet, so you can hear My Still, Small Voice (I don’t like to shout). Leave the world a better place by living your life with dignity and gracefulness, for you are My Own Child. Hold back nothing from life, for the parts of you that can die will surely die, and the parts that can’t, won’t. So don’t worry, be happy (I stole that last line from Bobby McFerrin, but he stole it from Meher Baba in the first place.)
Simple stuff. Why do you keep making it so complicated? It’s like you’re always looking for an excuse to be upset. And I’m very tired of being your main excuse. Do you think I care whether you call me Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Wakantonka, Brahma, Father, Mother, or even The Void or Nirvana? Do you think I care which of My Special Children you feel closest to — Jesus, Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed or any of the others? You can call Me and My Special Ones any name you choose, if only you would go about My business of loving one another as I love you. How can you keep neglecting something so simple?
I’m not telling you to abandon your religions. Enjoy your religions, honor them, learn from them, just as you should enjoy, honor, and learn from your parents. But do you walk around telling everyone that your parents are better than theirs? Your religion, like your parents, may always have the most special place in your heart; I don’t mind that at all. And I don’t want you to combine all the Great Traditions into One Big Mess. Each religion is unique for a reason. Each has a unique style so that people can find the best path for themselves.
But My Special Children — the ones your religions revolve around — all live in the same place (My Heart) and they get along perfectly, I assure you. The clergy must stop creating a myth of sibling rivalry where there is none.
My Blessed Children of Earth, the world has grown too small for your pervasive religious bigotry and confusion. The whole planet is connected by air travel, satellite dishes, telephones, fax machines, rock concerts, diseases, and mutual needs and concerns. Get with the program! If you really want to help Me, then commit yourselves to figuring out how to feed your hungry, clothe your naked, protect your abused, and shelter your poor. And just as importantly, make your own everyday life a shining example of kindness and good humor. I’ve given you all the resources you need, if only you abandon your fear of each other and begin living, loving, and laughing together.
I’m not really ticked off, I just wanted to grab your attention because I hate to see you suffer. But I gave you Free Will, so what can I do now other than to try to influence you through reason, persuasion, and a little old-fashioned guilt and manipulation? After all, I Am the original Jewish Mother. I just want you to be happy, and I’ll sit in The Dark. I really Am, indeed, I swear, with you always. Always. Trust In Me.
Your One and Only,
GOD
*author unknown
Ξ July 20th, 2009 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Life |
"An Inuit hunter asked the local missionary priest: ‘If I did not know about God and sin, would I go to hell?’ ‘No,’ said the priest, ‘not if you did not know.’ ‘Then why,’ asked the Inuit earnestly, ‘did you tell me?’ – - Annie Dillard
*Thanks to Louis Charles for this quote
Ξ July 20th, 2009 | → 0 Comments | ∇ Life |
No concept of God, not even our cherished Christian one, can ever be more than a limited human construct. Our concept is nothing more than personal or corporate words about God, the Source. These are inadequate and do not reveal God, only our own yearnings for God.
Ξ July 15th, 2009 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Life |
"Deep in the conscious minds of countless believers is the knowledge that most of the traditional God images have lost both their meaning and their power. Many who still claim to be believers know in the depths of their being that they….. have rejected these images. The narratives in the Bible, which undergird the superstructure of doctrine and dogma, have had their literal power cut to the bone by the advent of critical scholarship. The hymns and prayers of the church use images and make assumptions that most of us can no longer make [if we’re honest with ourselves}. There is an increasing sense even among believers that the word God now rings with a hollow emptiness. Clergy in the exercise of thier pastoral duties discover that the pious phrases they have dispensed so frequently are increasingly empty. They are received by the people without either enthusiasm or comment, as meaningless cliches. With every passing day, the ties that once bound traditional believers so tightly to these supernatural, supreme-being concepts of God are becoming dramatically loosened. "You will be in my thoughts" or maybe "in my prayers", people say, without really expecting either to do anything or that what they do will have any effect whatsoever. Since such words and phrases once brought comfort, it is assumed, perhaps that they still can, even if we no longer know quite what they mean.
But these cliches are simply regarded as the final weak defenses against an overwhelming sense of the loss of God. The conclusion is more assumed than spoken in our society……"
from-"Why Christianity Must Change or Die", John S. Spong
- brackets are my words.
We need a new definition for God and for theism as well if Christianity is to survive in the 21st Century. Theism is too closely tied to the anthropomorphism which has fully dominated human beings view of God since time immemorial. I don’t know if a new definition for either word is possible. I don’t know if God is definable or if there is an acceptable theism for today. I just know that for most followers of Christianity (if they are brutally honest), the current paradigm does not work anymore.
UPDATE,7/15: The little church has changed it’s sign.
"There is no thermostat in HELL."
We’ve seen some unprecedented heat lately around here. On the way to work today, I saw that the little independent Baptist church about a mile from my house had changed their sign. It read:
"If heaven’s not your home, get used to the heat".
Hmmmm, makes me want to join their fellowship. How about you? There’s one reason that I began to question what I believed.
Louis Charles has written a good article. Find it here
*from a post written in 2007. I felt it was time to revisit this one.
A statement may be true at a high level of understanding, but can be incomprehensible to the person operating at the average level of consciousness. Its value may therefore be corrupted when the statement is distorted by the limitations of the listener.This has been the fate of religions throughout the ages, when pronouncements or teachings originating from high levels of awareness were later misinterpreted by followers vested with authority, operating at lower levels of consciousness.
Such distortion can be seen today in fundamentalist Christianity. The fundamentalist’s interpretation of religious teachings stresses negativity, and is removed from this negativity only by truth. The lowest depictions of deity are of a God who is jealous, vengeful, and angry, a God of wrath far removed from the God of mercy, grace, and love. The God of righteous negativity represents a glorification of the negative, and provides for his followers a disavowal of responsibility through justification of human cruelty and mayhem, through religious justification. The truth of each level of consciousness is self-verifying in that each level has its range of perception, which confirms what’s already believed to be true. Thus, everyone feels justified in the viewpoints that underlie his actions and beliefs. That’s the inherent danger of the general usage of the term "righteousness": anyone can be righteous, from the killer who justifies his rage by some vague religious teaching , to ecclesiastic demagogues and political extremists of all persuasions. By distorting context, it’s possible to rationalize and justify almost any human behavior. All wars are stated to be "righteous" by their perpetators. *
*essential information from: "Power vs Force" by Dr. David Hawkins
Stumble it!
