Christianity : basic interpretation
There are many different ways of approaching the concept of God and the spiritual realm.
Yet why should any single spiritual path exclude each and every other path from being right and correct?
The general spiritual philosophy held through-out the world, is that all religious belief systems ... as long as they are genuinely heart-felt ... are equal.
Pick one and follow it sincerely, and you'll get to Heaven. On the surface, collectively that's what the world believes; but once you start to dig deeper into almost any major religion such as Christianity (and hence the words of Jesus) they actually teach otherwise.
Similar to other Monotheistic religions, Christianity teaches that 'to follow the path of Christ is the one and only true path to reach heaven and God'.
All other paths are false and misleading. (#1)
This construct is deeply rooted in the traditional Christian beliefs.
The views of 'traditional Christianity' are at odds with the 'traditional views' of other religions.
Case-in-point ... US professor who said Christians and Muslims 'worship the same God' to leave school (article posted 07.02.2016).
Do we all worship the same God? ... just from different perspectives/points-of-view?
I say we do !!!
Unfortunately, that sort of thinking causes a rift with those that have traditionalist views ... due to the dogmas/doctrines of specific religions.
Traditionally - the concept of God, is an exclusionary view - Christianity is no different to other Monotheistic religions in this respect.
"my God exists as an entirely different entity from your God"
"the Christian heaven excludes those that believe in other deities"
"non-believers and non-Christians will be going to hell" ... an idea which has come-about due to the notion of salvation.
As highlighted further down this page ... these Christian ideas were often taught during scripture classes in Australian school classrooms right up until the 1970's.
I feel that society has grown beyond considering those views as true ... Christianity has evolved and progressed ... beyond that of the 'traditional' view.
Yet, it's valuable to understand the history of Christianity - and the general Christian views (as a whole) in recent years.
We do live in a multi-faith, multi-cultural society ... and that is something that people of Christian faith must take on board.
Australia is considered one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.
It's important to remember, that : the central claim made by Christianity, is that God came to earth as a man, incarnate as Jesus Christ.
Jesus died on a cross between two thieves and rose from the dead three days later - this is a historical event that Christianity depends upon.
His resurrection, not only does it signify hope - but many Christian denominations have placed a far greater meaning on this event (perhaps more than there should be).
According to Christianity, Jesus was both God, and the Son of God.
Jesus was God's son not in the normal father-son sense, but in the sense that he was God manifested in human form (John 1:1, John 1:14).
By raising the Christian God (and hence Jesus) to 'Supreme status above all else' ... it places Christianity up on a pedestal, in doing so it downplays all other religions, and in fact sets up a scenario where there is much friction and conflict between those that have different beliefs - as this type of belief system is exclusive in nature.
Although, the same can be said for all Monotheistic religions ... eg : Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Sikhism.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one gets to the Father but through me." (John 14:6)
During Pope Francis' first sermon as Catholic pontiff in 2013, he said the following ...
"When we do not profess Jesus Christ, the saying of Leon Bloy comes to mind:To some, the above may sound strange, but "the personification of the devil" is a theme that runs heavily throughout Christian beliefs.
'Anyone who does not pray to the Lord prays to the devil.'" (#2)
It shows a narrow view, that depicts Christians as right and heavenly - and all other faiths or non-believers as wrong and going to hell.
This is something that traditional Christianity has a long history of preaching.
Historically, Christianity has taught a fairly exclusive doctrine of salvation : those who don't accept Christ are condemned to hell.
For instance, refer to Australian ABC 720am radio's feature story 'God in the classroom' which echo these very same sentiments regarding Christian teachings in the not-so-distant past (#10 + more info at bottom of 'where I stand' page).
This style of Christian thinking prominently existed in the late 19th and early 20th century (and was still commonly taught in Australian school classrooms well into the 1970's era).
Also, the generally held Christian belief that "you need to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour to be allowed into heaven".
Together, these two Christian views, interpret that ... the spiritual/divine realm as something that excludes anyone who is non-Christian, as well as instilling a sense of fear in people - and I personally feel that it is an outdated view that deserves to belong back in the 1900's, yet it appears that, traditional Christianity to this day continues with this thinking : as it is ingrained in the traditional Christian doctrines, set in stone as 'absolute truths' by those that have come before us.
Christians must understand this, and question it ... especially if Christianity truly desires to repair strained relations with other faiths.
In questioning this thinking - it also means questioning your religious faith ... or at the very least, how you interpret your faith.
Although historically, those that have asked questions have been deemed not 'true Christians' - and basically outcast by the orthodox Christian Church.
In the early years, the Christian Church controlled what was to be considered "absolutely true and correct" - there was strictly to be no deviation at all.
Luckily, in modern society - those that ask questions aren't treated as harshly by the church ... we are free to believe whatever we wish to believe.
So how should Jesus be remembered by modern Christians?
The following quote is from the late Marcus Borg, one of the most influential New Testament scholars and theologians of modern times.
He was a leading light of what is known as Progressive Christianity, a movement that has taken root in Australia and New Zealand among a broad spectrum of theologians and across various Christian denominations.
It was at a 2013 conference in Australia, where he was asked if "the progressive Christian movement was itself vulnerable to a literalist reading of the Bible, which might cause it to jettison the passages that were 'unbelievable', including the resurrection of Jesus after his death."
"I think his death does matter, Not because it was payment [for humanity's sins], but because it was the result of his passionate desire to transform the world. Jesus as a prophet and wisdom teacher was passionate about a world of justice, meaning economic fairness, in which everyone had enough, in which there was bread for the day. He was an advocate of peace in a world that was filled with violence. Both of those commitments challenged the religious and political authorities of the day and so they killed him." (#3)
For Marcus Borg, Jesus' example as a compassionate world healer is the enduring message of his life and death.
Due to this, Marcus Borg has previously also drawn many comparisons between Jesus and the teachings of Buddha.
For myself; at a glance, this line of thinking seems to draw closer to my own views; that is the philosophy of Esotericism.
Essentially that - Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, etc ... were/are each part of an overall group of Ascended Masters.
Each prophet just as important as the other.
The modern Christian interpretation provided by Marcus Borg is in stark contrast to the traditionalist views indoctrinated by the majority of churches (eg. Catholic) and historically by Christianity as a whole. Perhaps a different interpretation is needed for Christianity to continue to thrive well into the future?
As progressive/reformed Christianity moves away from the traditionalist Christian views ...
just how far removed do we go, until such point that it is no longer called 'Christian' - and simply identified as being 'Spiritual'?
Especially since Spirituality isn't as strict or structured (eg. dogmas/doctrines) and may only follow parts (but not all) of any particular religion.
It is a much more personal faith, hence why people can be Spiritual but not Religious.
