I wrote the following, mostly, as a response to a Facebook post regarding Ann Rice’s “defection” from “Christianity”. I then realized that I need to post this on The Quantum Christian.
Religions separate, Beliefs unite. I tell my children and the youth group in my Church that as soon as ANYONE tells them that they have the one, true answer……..Run Away, Run Away Screaming!
MY God is everywhere, in everything and part of everything – physically, not just as allegory. Christ showed us our ultimate potential and true reality. Christ is the “way shower” of my potential and ultimate reality.
“I am in the Father and the Father is in me”…..”And if you do not believe me then believe in the works (miracles – of which he TAUGHT others to DO)….”And YOU shall do greater things than me”. John (‘ish”). The Bible must be read in a cultural context or else it is like using a 2000 year old map to navigate the streets of San Francisco. We all have the ability to connect to “the” Christ WITHIN us, just as Jesus did. Jesus showed us the way. Other great Master’s have also made the same “connection” and have shown and taught this within their own cultural narrative. While most of us cannot manifest how Jesus, or many others, did or do through the Christ (yet), I know my ultimate potential and reality. The inspiration and knowledge that was available to the “authors’ of “The” Bible and other great “inspired” works is just as available today as it was 3000 years ago. Truth is one and eternal as Yogananda once said.
Jesus, by being fully cognizant and physically connected to the Christ Consciousness (reflection of God that exists all around and through us) showed us that we are NOT temporary physical beings seeking an eternal spiritual reality, we are in fact, eternal spiritual beings experiencing a temporary physical reality. This was the message of the Resurrection. It was not a magic trick to be used for thousands of years by HIS CHURCH leaders to scare the school children into submission through fear, anger, separation and guilt.
I prefer, myself, to refer to myself as a Christ Follower. The term “Christian” carries far too much baggage. I accept all other’s path to God as well and seek to learn from and with them. God does not care what name you call Him. Have you considered the fact that at the time of Jesus that “English” did not even exist?! Try using Jesus’s GIVEN name in conversation some time. “Yeshua ben (bar) Joseph” and see the looks you get. Christ is a title bestowed upon him. Try reading the Lord’s Prayer translated DIRECTLY from Aramaic (containing words such as Light and Vibration) instead of the mainstream version which has been translated and trans-iterated from Aramaic to Sanskrit to Greek to Roman to Old English to Modern English and look at the reactions. As you read it, look at the huge change in focus from eschatological (reintegration) to existential (separate and apart) focus.
My “denomination” has steadily declined since the early 70′s high of 4.5 million at a rate of 60,000 per year to today’s number of just over 2 million. Unless my “denomination”, with my voice, vote and prayers, changes many of it’s ways to align more with what MY personal, prayerful belief and ”alignment” with who Christ is, I will leave as well and align fully with others that share my same BELIEFS, preferring to be part of a spiritual COMMUNITY instead of part of a fragmented “denomination”. I already am a “member” of two distinct “churches” and prefer to believe out loud, regardless of the consequences. I am not removing my time, talents and treasures from Christ or His people, far from it, but growing and delivering them in accordance with MY perception and belief of TRUTH.
One of my favorite traditional hymns is “We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord”. Do you hear it in your head now? So if we TRULY believe this, then WHY do so many people and denominations that call themselves “Christians” behave so differently from those words? Apply this to Anne Rice’s reasons for publicly leaving “Christianity”, “in the name of Christ” and see if that holds true you. It does for me.
Ultimately God/Spirit/Source exists as an ultimate TRUTH, regardless of what we think, believe, do or say. The ocean of God’s spirit exists with or without the waves of our thoughts and emotions upon it. However, we as the waves cannot exist without the ocean of ultimate Truth to sustain us. Ultimately the Earth is round and the earth travels around the Sun, no matter how fervently, piously or religiously the Church of the 1400′s persecuted those who said otherwise in the name of Christ.
It is our mission here, on the leading edge of creation, to seek Truth and co-create our world in the “Now” with each other and with God, regardless of what we choose to call Him/Her.
Peace, Aum, Amen.
