Question for Christians
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When Michael takes the Christian faith and 1) connects it with current cosmology, 2) clarifies interpretations with the concepts of night and day language, 3) purifies it of doctrines which divide people, and more-
How did you respond? I can imagine an initial response being one of relief. But was it a little disconcerting at first? Did it take a while to sink in? Or was it an immediate “Yes! Here’s something that really makes sense.”
Since I grew up Christian but rejected the faith, now I can’t help wondering if I would have remained a Christian if I’d heard these interpretations back then.
Do you see evolutionary interpretations spreading? Here’s my guess: picturing a typical congregation (no such thing but just for the sake of argument), I can see scattered individuals with an evolutionary perspective but it may take people in leadership positions to really help it get going.
Some TGFE sample references:
Page 167: “I envision that traditional, flat-earth religious believers will eagerly shed the last vestiges of literal interpretations of ancient scripture once they understand how our evolutionary story corroborates the central teaching about the Fall…”
Page 198: “To imply that the best guidance available today for interpreting salvation or any other doctrine is to be found in 2,000-year-old texts is to declare God as cruel, uncaring, and impotent.”
Page 202: “Given what we now know about deep-time creativity and grace, we can no longer in good conscience continue interpreting the story of Jesus’ birth, life, teachings, passion, death, and resurrection as primarily having to do with saving a select group of human beings from the fires of a literal hell when they die.”
Page 336: “If my interpretation of Jesus as “the way, the truth, and the life” of God is the same as that of peoples living hundreds or thousands of years ago, I miss the magnitude and magnificence of what God has publicly revealed through science and cultural evolution in the intervening centuries.”
3 Responses
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(continuing)
Spirituality, faith, evolution, all are connected in man’s quest to understand reality. It is just so very difficult to picture ourselves in this vast, infinite cosmos as even being of significance when are so very minute (literally and figuratively.) Unfortunately, so many men and women don’t take time to consider that and instead see themselves as big and powerful; and power not only corrupts, it also, for individuals and nations, slows areas of evolution to a crawl sometimes, but fear not – evolution in all forms continues its march… -
Finally a spare moment to respond…
Janice wrote “ However, I firmly believe that it all begins within, just where it is supposed to begin, because our very souls and minds are in the process of evolving, individually.”
I think it works in both directions – an interplay of top-down (or external) and bottom-up (from within) where one can lead to or help the other.
Janice wrote: “…but it has not caused me to leave the Christian faith.”
One of the main reasons why I dropped the religion I grew up with was that the concept of original sin didn’t make sense, didn’t resonate for me. So it’s possible that I would still be a believer if I had heard TGFE’s interpretation of original sin at the right time in my life. I have to admit that TGFE does have an incredible interpretation using evolutionary brain science.
If you couple all that you quoted with the teachings of Edgar Cayce, (which includes life, evolution, God, Jesus, the way, the truth, the life,) all makes perfect sense. Of course, the teachings of Edgar Cayce takes years, as there are volumes upon volumes of material to explore and begin to digest. Having said that, now I must say:
I was raised a Christian, and I am still a Christian – but I have never been a “traditional Christian.” I am a Christian in the sense that I try to live my life according to the teachings of Christ, which even his disciples did not fully understand – and could not understand at the time of his life. I do believe, however that Jesus came to provide salvation for all – not just a select group. Even Jesus said that. I do also believe there is evil in the world – in many shapes and forms, and perhaps even demonic influence of a power and nature we are not capable of understanding at our current stage of evolution. Jesus was indeed the only son of God – in that he “got it” and provided us the way to become true sons and daughters of God. When Jesus said, “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me,” no one understood.
I suggest that anyone who wants to take Michael’s explanations just a step further, become involved in a lifelong quest of study of the Edgar Cayce work.
Jesus did not come to earth to begin the religion of Christianity. God has no religion. God just IS. Jesus knew that. He attempted to light the fires of understanding and was often totally frustrated at the inability of his beloved friends to understand. Remember when Jesus was told that his mother and sisters was looking for him (after all they themselves often feared for Jesus’ sanity) and he replied that all were his mother and sisters. He clearly understood evolution and desperately desired the same understanding for his disciples and for the disciples to come. 2,000 years is indeed a very long time (in earth time) but you can be sure that Jesus knew what he spoke of and he planted the seeds for understanding, seeds that are still sprouting…
Carl, I believe that a true “Christian” is one who lives a life in which they love God (and all creation) to the extent that they want only good for all. Christianity has not yet evolved to the point for which Jesus aimed, and probably won’t for a very long time! But, even Christianity will evolve and is evolving. More and more “Christians” are slowly beginning to understand Jesus" teaching on a higher level (which includes evolution.)
Like you, Carl, I sometimes wish I had understood long ago that which I understand now, and had not been raised in a “hell, fire, and brimstone” attitude of Christianity, but it has not caused me to leave the Christian faith. I’m just still waiting for other Christians whom I love to evolve to the point where I am, but then again, once they do, hopefully, I will have evolved even further! Once evolution stops (on any level,) learning and life itself stops.
All that you have stated above, including the quotations from MIchael’s book are so very true. I feel your frustration in your last statement, “I can see scattered individuals with an evolutionary perspective but it may take people in leadership positions to really help it get going.” However, I firmly believe that it all begins within, just where it is supposed to begin, because our very souls and minds are in the process of evolving, individually. None of us are at the same place of evolution and it will take more than those with an evolutionary perspective to “really help it get going.”