Is it wrong to be angry at those who would “judge” in the name of Christianity?
I am a Christian, but not a the kind you might think. I have a PERSONAL relationship with Christ. This relationship is not based on a man made book, full of ugliness and hate, confusion and contradiction. My relationship is from studying historically accurate facts....as well as made up stories, and then listening to my own heart, and watching for signs and input from the Divine Reality. I am also Buddhist, Hindu, Pagan, and Gnostic. Most of all, I am Spiritual, and most definitely not religious.
Why do so many people base their beliefs on man-made so called “divine truths”? If I say “God spoke to me”, does that mean that what I tell you he said to me is divine? Come on people... why do you think God gave us a sense of REASON? Why were we provided with tools, like the ability to write and record history? How about scientific theory and research? So we could blindly wonder through life accepting what someone told us God said? I don't think so! What about "God helps those who help themselves"?
Close you eyes and picture a cat. What do you see? Many people would see a house cat, but not everyone! An avid boater might picture a Catamaran (type of sailboat), a doctor might think of a CAT scan, and someone in construction may imagine a Caterpillar bulldozer (even the Caterpillar website is Cat.com).
Those who DO picture a house cat would picture one that is fairly unique to themselves...one person would see a yellow tabby, another a Siamese, and someone else would imagine a Russian Blue. If the person we are asking studied zoology (or maybe even if they didn't), they may picture a black panther, or a lion. If you asked me, I might think of my good friend Kat, or maybe even the Cheshire Cat from Alice In Wonderland. Communication is the act of getting a picture or idea from one mind to another. It is not perfect, in fact, far from it. How often do folks misunderstand one another? Only ALL the time! Everyone sees their own pictures.
A book is one way to communicate. It is a way to accurately pass down info through time. The words stay the same, unless revisions change them, or translations slightly alter the meanings. If a story is written, it can be kept. Scrolls were the way to record words before books.
So if, for... say 500 years, folks told stories to their kids, and their kids told them to their kids and so on....for 500 years remember, how accurate do you think those stories would be to the original?
Did you ever play the gossip game in elementary school? That's the one where the kids are all put in a long line, and a phrase is whispered into the ear of the first child, and they whisper it to the next and so on, until the end of the line. Then the phrase is said out loud and to everyone's surprise it has dramatically changed from the original. Well imagine 500+ YEARS of the gossip game, with different stories recorded on scrolls from time to time.
Now picture a group of men, gathered by a powerful ruler to sit down and decide which of those stories would be put into one “True word of God”. Sure these men were scholars. But they were MEN, meaning they were not perfect, nor were they tempered by the gentler sex's input (sorry guys, but it is true, women are generally less interested in conquering/war).
These guys were there to please a ruler...
So they made the “Bible”, and it was recorded and passed down in writing.
Still we deal with the issue that the very same words make unique pictures or ideas in each persons head.
So if we base our entire spiritual belief system on the in a book, that alone is full of contradictions, analogies, metaphor and stories that were passed down generation after generation for more than 500 years before a group of men (who were gathered by a ruler) sat down and argued over what was “true” and what was not, and if we put all our hearts and souls into blindly believing every single "word for word" is true, and taking everything literally... are we on the right path?
I think THAT whole system IS the antichrist.
Judgment of others is unchristian, yet you see those who claim to be doing “God's work” stand up at the pulpit and sling judgments. These men incite riots, start wars, molest children, encourage killings, train terrorists, and other disrespectful and harmful things “in God's name”.
Why, if those are examples of “God's will” should ANYONE wish to follow that ”god”?
My friend Jesus was the original hippy-dude. He traveled around asking questions of others' beliefs, promoting love and peace, challenging the authority that allowed the temple to be turned into a marketplace, healing (yes, even non-believers!), eating and sharing fellowship, talking to prostitutes, etc, etc. He didn't sell tickets or pass the plate for collections. He didn't act ugly and judgemental. If He bucked something, it was the "system"....all those things people were just supposed to blindly be o.k. with.
He was cool, and himself...and a rebel. He didn't just blindly follow what he was told to follow.
And here's a secret...he was also into the metaphysical!
That's right folks...you've been denied some of the stories...the scriptures that talk about this part of Christ's life and conversations were thrown out of the bible. They couldn't leave room for the unexplained, that would cause folks to ask questions and get their answers from the Divine! There is a lot more you may not know, unless you have asked questions...unless you too are a rebel.
I dare you to do some real research...there's a lot you may not know about this Jesus Christ guy. Read the Gnostic scriptures ( The Nag Hammadi Library) .
Then go even further in your rebelion... check out some of the older religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Paganism, Bon, Confucianism, Epicureanism, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto and Zoroastrianism. You might be surprised to find a lot of similarities between them and the good parts of Christianity. You may even find out where a lot of the stories in the bible actually came from.
Here's my theory: Whatever is truly Divine, God would allow to survive, across the barriers of time and space. The Divine Truth would show up consistently, and “stick” throughout time, and in different religions far from one another (“Truths” that were recorded on different continents, well BEFORE mail and internet..lol).
Divine Truth can be FELT. You just know it. It “fills you with Spirit”. You can actually feel it. Really. And if you are not sure, ask for a sign. You will get it. This blog may be a sign for you...who knows?
No one “true” religion exists, because of the perversions of mankind, over the years. Translations are not accurate (for example, the word “man” in the bible, actually comes from 7 different ancient words, all with slightly different meanings).
Folks have interjected their own beliefs, in their own words, all along. Not always with the intention to deceive, but hoping to help...to make it clearer or easier to understand...but changing the words just the same. And translations from one language to another...well, if you are biligual, you know how "loose" words can translate from one language to another. Just try telling a French joke in English...lol.
The “newer” religions, like Christianity, Scientology (Us 1954), Rastafari (Jamaica, 1920s), The Nation of Islam (Chicago, 1930), Satanism (US, 1966), Eckankar (Las Vegas, 1964), etc. etc. were all created BY man, to address some social issue or personal need, or to simply "get rich".
More people have died “in the name of God” than by any other means.
I say religion is BAD.
Spirituality is GOOD.
Use your GOD GIVEN brain and sense of REASON. Think for yourself, no matter who taught you what you think you believe. Ask QUESTIONS. Don't accept anything “Just because”.
I think it really is that simple. Spirituality is personal. Being Spiritual means reaching inside yourself and finding the words YOU use, to describe what you believe. Yes, fellowship is good. Anywhere two or more are gathered in His name, IS church. That means this blog is Church. Can I get an Amen?
But, judgment, and pushing the words you use to describe what you believe on others is NOT GOOD. Asking them about it, talking to them and finding out if there is reason to share fellowship, because you have Spirituality in common or maybe asking them questions to make them think and enlighten them, or even...GASP... gain enlightenment yourself from really understanding their perspective...
Well, that's what Jesus would do, He would not be ugly and judgmental!
So stop DISRESPECTING my Buddy, man!
PEACE!!!
Check out http://religionfacts.com/ for impartial historical FACTS about the different religions of the world. Open your mind and be FREE!
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