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Talk about an oxymoron, never has it appeared to me of that being more true than today.
I am viewing Christianity as becoming more and more irrelevant to so many, but especially to many, many Christians.
I can not but see God the Father’s hand in all of this; it is a wonder in the making.
Why (and I’m being rhetorical here) has Life-Truth-Love become synonymous with simply furthering what we were doing before the personal God encounter in our lives?
Meaning what has Love-Life got to do with it, perpetuating although now under the banner of ‘Christianity’ any religious adherences?
I thought it was all about God in the person of His Son saying, ‘I have come that you might have Life, and experience it to its fullness.’
Somehow Jesus is seen as someone who came to establish the only right religion, no longer the old format called Judaism but bringing to birth a whole new improved and MUCH better religion called, ‘Christianity’.
As I mentioned in a previous post, that in my opinion the basis of all religion, (or the impetus aka the father of religion being Satan himself), is based solely upon a performance based acceptance towards whatever God we say we worship.
And why shouldn’t it be that way when all we have ever known from birth was the religion of the age (the religion of our fathers), be a good vs bad boy and you will be rewarded etc, from the sublime to the ridiculous, really its all ridiculous isn’t it!
So somehow in becoming a recipient of the Life-Love God freely offers, why is it necessary to perpetuate any expression of any religion?
Rich
I wonder?
10 comments:
Rich I was trying to understand what you were saying and think I grasped it. Do you think that the reason why we go from being in love with Jesus to being in love with religion (if i heard you correctly) is because we fail to understand the Cross in the sense of God's heart / for us and for others ? if we have a heart for others and are concerned with loving them as He does, then we are less concerned with ourselves , we are instead giving life away ..
Ruth,
At best anything I try to share here on my blogs is me simply thinking out loud, it's in flux ponderings, trying to seee things even more clearly than I do in the present moment.
I don't know if you listen to the pod casts put out by Wayne Jacobsen on the God Journey, but this last one was fabulous, and it somehow so tied in with what I was trying to share with these thoughts here in my post.
It is only in discovering the depth of Papa's complete, unconditional loving acceptance of us that will free and keep us free from what all religion is based on, performance based living, imo that's the spirit/heart-beat of all religion.
Until that God created need in us is met by discoverying and continue to grow in the liberating power of His love, we will be lulled back to performing.
I hope this makes some kind of sense?? :)
I wonder even if most christians think of themselves as practicing a more performance religion than a love relationship. As for me I recall I didn't have a clue. I believed I loved Jesus back then but really, I didn't have a clue as to who He was or even who I was. Perhaps we're all blinded to this religious mask until our hearts give in to the cry of, "I need to know you for Who You really are!"?
Now I know a a little bit more of Who He is and who I am and I am so hungry to know Him more. I didn't get this hunger from practicing His faith (aka = being a christian).
Dave,
Thanks for your insights there, wonderful.
All I know is that when Truth (not mine vs the other alphabet soup flavours of truth out there) is shared, it alone has the power of His lovce in it to cause major disturbances within the force of the Matrix :)
So wonderful to know one doesn't have to rely upon a great or no so great mind to convey the Truth.
Being extricated from the lies we have believed even if it comes disguised with a sticker that says 'christian' is one hell of a heavenly trip!
Dave,
Some further thoughts.
In regards to 'speaking the truth', I would compare that to the miracle of Lazerus being raised from the dead, but bound head to toe with his grave clothes. Like all of us that have been re-birthed, yes the cancer of sin has been addressed, washed away, but more often than not imo looking back at my own life as well as so many other Christians around me, seemed to be so lifeless, or still bound with their grave clothes on.
A life that is being embraced as well as embracing the reality of God the Father's love speaks a reality of Truth not found or aquired because of our good stock we came from. Our being animated, becoming more fully alive because of His love has nothing imo to do with being plugged into some kind of repeated religious activity. It is that Love alone that frees us to BE all that He has purposed for us, now that's what I call Truth :)
Ruth and Dave,
Ruth thanks for the thoughts from Oz, I hadn't read that piece, so true and wonderful YES!
I have quoted from Sunday's reading as well from today, both excellent and imo fit in so perfectly with some of the thoughts I am processing.
The Cross is God exhibiting His nature. It is the gate through which any and every individual can enter into oneness with God. But it is not a gate we pass right through; it is one where we abide in the life that is found there.
The heart of salvation is the Cross of Christ. The reason salvation is so easy to obtain is that it cost God so much. The Cross was the place where God and sinful man merged with a tremendous collision and where the way to life was opened. But all the cost and pain of the collision was absorbed by the heart of God.
". . . tell no one . . . ." But so many people do tell what they saw on the Mount of Transfiguration— their mountaintop experience. They have seen a vision and they testify to it, but there is no connection between what they say and how they live. Their lives don’t add up because the Son of Man has not yet risen in them. How long will it be before His resurrection life is formed and evident in you and in me?
...................................
Dave,
I just noticed in the REM Losing My Religion video (on my blog) how when it starts out, it begins with a something that is causing a great disturbance, shaking where you see that picture of milk in the window come crashing to the floor.
I found that most fasinating in light of the song itself, the disturbance and force of His love shaking everything up in a persons life~so cool!
I remember like it was yesterday that song and video being released by REM. We had at that time been out of the Sunday gathering for a few years. Little did I know at that time it would be many years later and I would still be in the process of losing my religion.
I asked a friend awhile back if I was totally off the farm having come to a place of believing that Christianity was no different than the other two prominent world religions and all the rest of them for that matter. His response to me was; Not only are you not off the farm you are plowing the field.
Losing religion is a wonderful thing.
Kent,
Yes, this song ever time I hear it, it rings out such a wonderful sound of freedom.
The truth of Father's great love is being communicated throughout the earth, much like having a radio, all you need to do is pick up the signal and you can dance to the music~ha!
all you need to do is pick up the signal
which reminds me of another REM song....What's the Frequency Kenneth
Kent,
I love your love for music, its conatgious, and especially how our Father not only speaks through it to you, but also your sharing with so many out of that fullness.
Don't ever stop :)
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