Christianity : prelude
opening statement
In terms of religion and spirituality ... living in modern-day Australia means that we have choice.
We are free to choose whatever religion or belief, that we wish to believe.
No single view is unjustly forced upon society.
Religion has always been extremely strict and structured, with no allowance for deviation from the traditional orthodox teachings.
Yet, it is possible for society to only believe in a small fraction of any particular religion, rather than believing in a religion as a whole (and the entirety of all the doctrines/beliefs that it encapsulates) - more of a personal belief as such.
This type of view could be considered by some, to be more of a generalised Spiritual view rather than a Religious view ... especially if the person is a non-practicing Christian (eg. not affiliated with a church, etc).
In modern Australian society ... 52% of people are Christian (steadily decreasing with time). (#10.a)
Yet, within the group that identify as Christian, it is estimated that ...
Two thirds of people that identify as Christian, actually have no interaction at all with the Church.
And in fact, these people have little more than a vague cultural attachment to the faith. (#12)
Perhaps it is time that the Australian census has a 'Spiritual but not religious' option ... as there is a societal shift in terms of religion and spirituality.
It is possible to consider a Spiritual realm without being drawn into the Religious debate.
In these modern times, Christianity is moving away from its roots (eg. what progressive/reformed Christianity is doing towards advancing the faith) ... yet Christianity will always be shackled to the past - as a strong attachment to the 'traditional' orthodox roots still exists.
As these various branches of Christianity move away from the 'traditional' orthodox teachings ...
at what point is it no longer called Christian - and simply identified as being Spiritual?
Historically - Christ preached empathy and inclusion ...
"Traditionalist" church views highlight differences/divides - what separates us (our uniqueness) - within modern society.
While these 'traditional' Christian churches maintain "old style" of thinking, they end up excluding vast majortiy of modern society - including those that maintain general Christian views/beliefs (yet feel mis-aligned with Christianity as a whole).
In today's world, a person seeking spiritual truths is faced with a multitude of religions, each confessing that theirs is the correct one. There are over 4,200 religions, sects, cults and denominations proclaiming to be the bearers of light, yet most are in contradiction to one another.
No wonder so many people are confused. So how does one find the truth?
If we want to know the truth about God and the spiritual realm, where do we start?
Religion is a good starting point (just like starting from a scientific perspective), but it is sensible to understand that it may not be the ENTIRE answer.
For me, this journey started in my early 20's - with a religion that was familiar to me, and which I have grown up with ... Christianity. Yet as my spiritual journey progressed, I came to realise that the spiritual realm encompasses so much more than what Christianity considers.
I have aways had a profound feeling for something deeper - beyond what could currently be explained (even by Christianity). The Astral Plane has been an underlying/recurring theme in my spiritual progression (all the way back through to the late 1990's). It's what I felt drawn to the most and I wanted to discover more about. Various forms of Christianity never felt like the "correct choice for me" to align myself with ... it just wasn't right for me.
I knew that I couldn't be true to myself if I didn't seek out other possibilities.
"After all, the key question is never: What do you believe?
The key question, for me, is: What do you put your faith in, and does that point to a better world?"
(the above quote is from Hugh Mackay - author of the book Beyond Belief - published in May 2016)
Our individual beliefs guide us in everything we do, and in situations that arise within our lives (how we react, etc) ... often functioning in the background of our lives (without our conscious awareness). Every assumption we hold about how the world works is filtered through our faith and spirituality ...
morals - principles in understanding between what is right/wrong.
karma's - the potential spiritual consequences of such actions.
ethical decisions - and how you conduct yourself in situations.
It gives us order, structure and purpose in amongst the chaos of our everyday lives. Hence giving us a consistent worldview that informs our every decision.
These are deeply held values that guide our very lives.
To be a Christian ... essentially, means believing in some form of heaven (afterlife???) ... something that exists beyond this physical life.
Yet, if there is a heaven - is there a "hell" as well?
Traditional christianity in times past, has preached heavily about the existance of hell, the devil, satan, etc.
Most conservative Christians believe in Hell, but many liberal Christians do not.
It's hard to simply dismiss the biblical evidence for Hell (at least, if you're the type who trusts the bible to be accurate on this topic). Jesus preached on the subject more than anyone else in the bible. Liberal Christians are much freer with their interpretations.
Of course, in addition to wrath, God shows great mercy. He goes to extreme lengths to restore the world to perfection, to the point of sending Jesus to suffer and die. So perhaps he will redeem and restore even the most evil people.
(quoted from Quora.com : Do Christians believe that Hell exists).
Personally ... i feel that the "traditional" approach uses intimidating tactics to preach about god and the spiritual realm ... as well as a pessimist outlook.
Is that the truth as to how the spiritual realm operates??? ... that is up to you to decide and interprete however you want.
Even within Christianity itself, there are various approaches - many that are conflicting ... and that's without even considering other views/religions.
While I do agree on there being negative/ill-intentioned spirits/entities that can interact with the physical realm ... the existance of an "afterlife version of hell" I do not - each to their own I guess ... more indepth discussion later on, as to why the traditional Christian church has upheld these views in times past.
Although - throughout the ages, Christianity is changing and evolving ... Christianity in the modern world is different.
That is something that must be understood.
There is no doubt, that we are living in a post-Christian society ... the world over.
For instance, in Australia, we have gone from 96% of the population identifying as Christian (in 1911) ... to the most recent 52% (in 2016). (#10.a)
In America, Christianity and religion as a whole; is on the decline - with more people identifying as being religiously unaffiliated. (#10.b)
In doing so, it has given the Christian Church less power and influence over how people live their lives ... as well as several Christian political lobby groups (that try to push 'the conservative Christian view' during political debates - these include the ACL, NCC, Australian Family Association).
The big downside to this, is that many young people are growing up without learning decent ethics and values of how to treat and respect others.
As briefly discussed on the final few pages ... Special Religious Education in schools now only has a minor role in children's development.
One Australian state (Victoria) has removed SRE from the public school curriculum altogether (during school hours) from 2016 onwards.
Schools are considering other ways of teaching ethics + values ... with less discussion of the religious aspect, yet still keeping strong morals and ethics + how to respect others.
I have mixed feelings as to whether Victoria's idea for SRE is the correct way forward ... I feel, that it is good that children do have some sort of spiritual understanding when growing up (although not focusing on any one religion).
It's also a positive step away from how SRE has been taught in the past.
I would like to close this section by saying ...
Even though Religion is strict and structured, it has never been 100% constantly fixed, it is forever changing and evolving at roughly the same pace as society has changed their views. Religions change over time, some go extinct, and others split into distinct traditions. Sometimes when new religions form, they are influenced (in part) by beliefs of previous religions.
They adapt to their environment (specific to certain cultural areas), religions construct their environment in part, all just like organic evolution does. A "collective growth" of sorts, has been occurring since the dawn of time.