Aug 04, 2014

Pondering’s

So spoke God through Neale Donald Walsch, when asked to summarize ‘Conversation With God’ in 30 seconds. That quick statement, given on a sudden flash of grace, illustrates what the principle problem is with what we have been taught about God in the past by almost all our religions, and what God really has been trying to say through the thousands of years of teachings.

 

When a prophet arises, such as Jesus, the prophet attempts to tell the people about God, as seen from their viewpoint, usually after spending time being absorbed by God and finding themselves unable to avoid shouting from the housetop what they have learned. Jesus was one of the most intense prophets, filled with wisdom gained from his frequent time spent talking to God. He was 30 years of age, having spent his early years in an intense Jewish family. From what we have come to know of that time, the young Jewish boy was sent to school, becoming more and more immersed on the teachings of their religion, until they could learn no more, based upon tests. Then they would move on, each according to their level. Only a few would be granted further teachings, until they reached the level of a “learned one”, or rabbi. Jesus passed that level probably at the usual age of 18-20. Some believe he then may have gone East, to learn from the learned ones there. The Coptic Christians believe that Jesus founded their group at that time, during the early time of his “enlightenment”, when Jesus was in his twenties. He then returned to Israel, around the age 30, and began to move about gathering followers, as told in the gospels.

We are not really sure of what Jesus really said, as no one took notes. His words were effective, causing many to follow him, as least for a short time before returning to their individual homes and jobs. After the death of Jesus, some of his sayings were gathered up from what people remembered, and used some 40 years later as the basis if the synoptic gospels. John’s gospel was not written for another 60-80 years, and differs greatly in some of the sayings, and added new ones.

Each of the gospels were written from the viewpoint of the writer, using the remembered stories and sayings as a basis for their own beliefs, embellishing where required to fit their beliefs and viewpoints at that time, and always to emphasize a given direction of thought prevalent in the community that spun out the story. Many other gospels, or stories of Jesus, were written besides these, but few have been saved, for after the third century when the chosen works were confirmed as “official” by the church, great attempts were made to destroy all other writings about Jesus. The gospel of Thomas was found in 1945. Other fragments of gospels are also known.

What does all of this have to do with the contention that the stories as told by our Christian religions, and almost all religions, tell a limiting and if not a outright false story of God? What all this proves, and this is only a small sample, is that while a true prophet tells of a wondrous God, the stories that are retold are only a sample of what the prophet actually said, and too often used in a manner to bolster up a group, consciously or unconsciously, to maintain the power they have at that point, and to grant them more power, not to free people to be and express what they came into this creation to become.

These stories tell of a god who is like themselves, petty and easily hurt, unable to bear their own shortcomings. Now there are many in the Christian religions who have come to know God in a far more personal relationship than the church’s teach, so God has always worked around these shortcomings in the past. All branches of Christianity teach that Jesus came to save us from hell, and in order to do that God demanded that Jesus be tortured to death by crucifixion. Jesus himself never said that was his purpose. True, he may have talked of hell, but since so much was placed in his mouth in long speeches that could have been remembered for 40 years, it remains doubtful how many things he really said. Only short sayings are deemed to be true to what Jesus actually said.

The truth of what all prophets said, everywhere, when boiled down to the essence of the message, is expressed most clearly the John’s letter, “God is Love, and he who abides in Love, lives in God, and God in him.” From that saying all else is to be weighed against, and if it fits it is right, and if it doesn’t fit, it should be removed.

“You got me all wrong.”

Our religions have formed a God, and most really believe in it, of a god who is weak, a god who can be offended, a god who is angry, a god that actually needs something. What type of God needs anything? (Even though, in our hearts, most understand that things are really different, but are afraid to actually think that out loud.) Does a God need our worship? Why? And if God does not need our worship, then why should God punish us for anything? What would God, a true God who is All in All, controls and more all the universe and more, all 100 billion galaxies of 100 billion stars each, need anything from a being on a minor planet from a small star. Looking at things from today’s knowledge, none of the thinking of 2000 years ago makes since. What would be the purpose? From a 2000 year old perspective, we were the only place to live in the universe, there was no other sun or even any other planet. Why we do we have to continue to act as if the universe does not exist? Why are we still stuck in the thinking pattern of 2000 years ago?

The thinking of 2000 years ago, when everything was centered about our place where we lived, where the sun and moon revolved around us, the lights in the sky, stars, were there only for our delight, and there was nothing else, that type of thinking made sense. But not today. Thus we see most young people understand this , and find the teachings of religions antiquated and old fashioned.

Because it is antiquated and old fashioned in the present framework of beliefs.

We are being driven, yes, by God, to find a new definition of God.

A definition that understands God from the knowledge we have today, from and includes all our basic knowledge of the world, the universe, and the world of particles, but keeps the fundamental and breathtaking thoughts presented by our religions that God is Love, and all we see is a result of that Love.

Meditation

My Eternal Wisdom, my God, my very Being, I live in gratitude for all You have given me at this time. You have granted humanity the ability to truly rise to a new level of understanding of the true nature of everything, including a more inclusive knowledge of Yourself. Thank You. I pray that You use whatever capability I have to open up the world around us to the Truth of your Being, as we can understand at this time. I look forward the gaining further knowledge and to deepen my love of all that this creation and Your Eternal Being opens up to us.