The Quest For Eden

When God found Adam and Eve after eating the fruit... Did He say anything about sin? Did He say anything about hell? Did He say anything about needing to offer sacrifices as penance? Did He establish any system for "corrective action?" Nope. He just made sure to remove them from the garden before they ate from the tree of eternal life and lived forever in shame. Sin and punishment are not God's idea. They are man's.

Far too much of the systems of belief of the Christian Religion founds its base on the writing of Paul. When I read the words and follow the model of the love of Jesus, I see only remnants of this philosophy in the writings of Paul. In Paul, I see a push to retain the structure the Pharisees established; the structure that requires penance and hierarchy. When I grouse about the amount of focus the church has put into hell, punishment, and the need for "repentance," someone will almost always invariably say, "But did not Jesus preach repentance of sins to inherit the kingdom?" Sure. But did Jesus preach that punishment, payment, or homage was due to inherit the Kingdom? I don't think so. I believe that His message was that we need to repent and turn to living in love...to repent from judging, measuring, and defining what is or is not "sin..." And when ALL do this, we will BE His kingdom. When all live the kind of life Jesus modelled...or Ghandi modelled...

When Jesus said this to the one (of ten) cured lepers... Did Jesus mean the other lepers would become "unwell," or that thankfulness is part of living a full "well" life? I'd like to think the second option is more likely; that Jesus is congratulating the one man for truly enjoying a full life by being healthy, loving, and grateful.

 Although, Star Trek V was a fairly horrible Start Trek film, it does host this key scene. In it, Kirk poses the question that many of us ask about Church Services. If you were God; a loving father/creator, would you expect "worship?" I suspect God is not as keen about our "worship" as He is about our seeking to be better children. I get the feeling, He'd like to take us on a fantastic voyage, but only if we can all stop swatting at each other and ourselves. He doesn't need a Starship... or a "Service." “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22)

  This is a church question.   What is "a successful church?" What was Jesus' measure? Oh. Wait. He didn't have one. He also never "invited anyone to church." He invited people to follow His teaching. If YOU are following His teaching, YOU are the successful church.

How much of what you believe is based on what happens after death? Would you live differently if "the afterlife" had nothing to offer (good or bad)? Try. Live for love in the here and now. That's the gospel. The "afterlife" does not matter that much to Jesus.

  I've had a few post thoughts simmering for quite some time. This one seems imperatively timely.  In the U.S.A. we have these odd views on our Constitution that mirror most U.S. Churches' view of the Bible. Both are often deemed "infallible." Both are usually the standard used to measure the value of law, decisions, wrong/right, etc. Both have seen changes over the centuries, but still retain some "foundational" structures and flaws. Both have groups charged with decreeing the "accurate interpretation" of the documents.  In the case of the church, there are as many "accurate interpretations" as there are church denominations. In the case of the courts, the interpretations vary based on which judges were appointed. The thing is, the "accuracy," "infallibility," or truth of these documents is only useful when people choose to believe they are "pure." Thing is, they're both old. "Pure" and ...

  I just mentioned in my previous post that I attend worship services of a church that's attempting to figure out how to "grow."   They are looking for input.   I have a lot of thoughts, but I'm not sure which ones they'll think are "helpful."   Look around. We have more "churches" in this U.S. towns than restaurants. Is there a reason we're not all on the same page? How hard would it be to remove barriers to being ONE community "church?" Too hard? Then we aren't loving as Jesus loved. It's OK if the idea of Sunday "worship services" dies. It's OK if the idea of formal congregations/members/structure dies. As I've said in other posts, unless we have purposes outside of a "worship service" a church is nothing more than either a(n) social club mini-Jesus-concert Christ-centered TED talk attempt to manipulate a feeling of spiritual well-being                     or  business that "works" ...

Confession.   As much as I believe that attending a "Worship Service" is of little real value, I do attend frequently. In fact, for the past 2 years or more I have been a regular part of a "worship team." It's a bit of a struggle, as I like to make music, BUT singing and being in a "Worship Service" has little to do with how I spend time with or for God. The church I attend was perplexed when I explained I could not "become a member" and even more so when I explained I really shouldn't be a "worship leader."  It's hard to explain my issues without presenting a viewpoint that may seem a bit dismissive of many of the things congregants hold dear. Regarding membership, I had to explain that my beliefs do not conform to the standards required for membership. As for "leading," I explained that my beliefs would likely eventually lead to me saying something in front of the congregation that would offend ("this is bes...

It was hard to sit through a sermon centered on guilt. It was harder to hear guilt described as how the Holy Spirit shapes Christians to be better disciples.   No. Please, no.   If we wish to follow the model of Christ, we do not teach "the sinners" to feel guilty about  their "sin." He.Did.Not.Do.This. He Loved. He did not chastise "the sinner." He chastised the Religious. We do not change the hearts of people through fear. Love changes hearts. Jesus loved. Do this.

  On my journey, I tend to look at Bible passages and think, "Wait. Is what I was taught actually what was meant?"   Is Matthew 7:1-3 just about not judging others?  Or is it just as much about not judging yourself? Or about not starting the domino-effect of everyone judging each other? Or is it equally about the first few words, "Do not judge so that you will not be judged. (NASB)?" My contention continues to be that God never intended us to see bad/good or label actions as "sin." My thought is that Jesus may have been suggesting that the only reason "judging" exists on the planet is because humans started it.

"Name it and claim it." "These are the 'BE' attitudes." "Seek first His kingdom... and you will be 'blessed.'" "Everything happens for a reason."   No.   Church leaders and their followers have clung to a transactional function of our relationship to God and how the universe "works;" or even how "attaining heaven" works. No. I do not believe Jesus was teaching how to "attain" or "obtain" anything. I believe He was teaching how to make the world full of blessings; or even how to see that they are already there. He was teaching that we all share struggles, but together, in Love, we share heaven here and now.   Don't equate good fortune with blessings. Blessings are the bonds we share.

  There are throngs of people in the U.S.A. who accuse those like me of "living in fear." It is suggested that we "live in fear" because we Stayed home when directed. Wore a mask when suggested. Got a vaccine when they became available. Regularly get vaccinated against a variety of ills. Regularly follow recommendations from doctors and medical institutions. Avoided crowds, groups, and people in general when government agencies said disease was rampant. and on and on.... I find that the folks who claim I "live in fear" often seem to cling to a religious belief that God is also to be feared.  Always. The God they fear  insists on specific rituals.  insists that no one was created good. insists that we should constantly judge the actions of ourselves and others. insists that we should "speak out in love" against the "sins" of those around us. insists that there is only one version of religion that knows this God. This is not the God I kno...

What was Jesus' Gospel? Did He preach about the need to shed a sinful nature? Did He preach that mankind was condemned to suffer eternity in Hell unless they said just the right penance? Did He single out the varied other faiths of the Mediterranean Region and cite why each was destined to lead to Hell? Did He condemn the lifestyles of the lascivious Romans and their sexual promiscuity? Nope. He pointed a finger at all those who would condemn a "woman caught in adultery" and condemned their hateful spirit. He pointed a finger at all those who would claim to be greater and called them lesser. He pointed at the religious leaders and called them vipers. His Gospel was Love. After He died, He still came back one more time to instruct His followers to take THAT gospel to the world. The Gospel He preached was that there never was condemnation. He said it Himself. He was doing as His Father is doing - not condemning, but loving, healing, and asking everyone to do the same.  His ...

I understand why some Christians feel the church in the United States is constantly being persecuted.    It's because we have a tendency to want to believe that we are right.  That we have always been right. That we've never strayed.   In our efforts to believe that we are right, we have difficulty questioning when we might be wrong.    Religion has been wrong many times before.  Slavery.  Crusades. Race. Westward Expansion.   But. No one wants to think that there are still pieces of their religious foundations that might STILL be wrong. So - when someone calls in to question *one* idea, the "persecuted" feel that all that remains might also be in jeopardy. And they may be right. Because, it's possible that they were led astray. Admitting you were led astray is harder to believe; harder to admit,  than believing you are "persecuted" I do not believe the church is persecuted.  I believe its foundational beliefs may be wrong and is ha...

  It's hard for "Evangelical/Conservative Religions/Christians" to grasp the * possibility * that they may be wrong or mislead. Church institutions taught that to even question the "rightness" of leaders is to question God & as such is sin. Centuries of that's hard to defeat.   Jesus tried. Jesus questioned.   Jesus called out the religious leaders.   Jesus said - NO. It's not about rules, it's about love.   The children of God should not be about crime/sin and punishment.   Jesus tried to show us how to dump shame and live in heaven here and now.