
In my quest to quiet my mind and feel inspired again, I'm studying religions. Taking a break from studying Hinduism (which I already believed in, somewhat, but forgot. College, the last time I studied it, was a long time ago!!), I read this book, which my dad gave me. He said it changed his life, and if anything, made his faith stronger. I can't wait to discuss it with him. I agreed wholeheartedly with this author, Garry Wills, who is a scholar and an excellent writer. He writes very clearly and uses scripture as each example. Jesus was the most controversial man who ever lived, I'd say. He was radical. He was very human. And He was also God, if you're Christian. If you're not, He was, at the very least, a great prophet and a sage. Wills comments on a lot of things I've also come to understand over the years: Organized Religion: There are pros and cons to everything in life, and The Church is no different. Jesus didn't really intend for The Church to be as it is today. He said that where even a few gather in His name, it is Good. He never owned a thing in his life, except for the clothes he wore. Gold crosses and silver communion cups are reminiscent of the Jewish religious customs of Jesus' day (this is why Catholics and Protestants alike use them, I suspect; to emulate Jewish customs), but He was against the organized religion of his day. His message was that religion comes from the inside, and resides there. And "religion," for Him, was simply, Love. I see this reflected in the good people who attend my home church, and I see us all trying to learn and grow, and understand who/what God is, so I try to overlook the negatives. The Old Testament: The Book of Leviticus has always bothered me. If we're to believe that The Old Testament was divinely inspired, just as The New Testament is, do we believe that God was harsh, judgmental, and full of Rules? I can only see God in one way; as Peace, Love, and Kindness. But, as Wills points out, this is the view of Jesus that we're taught in churches. And He DID have anger, and was rather blunt in His criticisms of the religious rulers of his day. But the rules? Jesus threw them all away. He sought out the people of his day who were considered the lowest-prostitutes, the homeless (which, He also was), the poor, the sick. And I've felt (as Wills does) for some time now that those of today who are shunned (numerous races, homosexuals, the poor, the sick) are the very ones Jesus embraces (and, so should we). The bottom line for Christians is, we can't judge. So why do we see that so much from Christians? Well, the world is full of people who don't quite get it. Sadly. If you truly love, unconditionally, you don't judge. But, it's a lifelong thing to learn to truly love others unconditionally. I know I can't do it yet. But we keep trying. His Kingdom: I had never thought of Jesus' kingdom in this way before. His kingdom has nothing to do with a place in the clouds, pearly gates, or even an afterlife as we think of it. His kingdom is a higher state of consciousness inside each and every one of us. He achieved this state, and The Good News for us is, so can we. Study His words, and we can all get there. Death: Hell for Jesus was being a human and dying a human death, according to Wills. The descent was, coming from Heaven (or another plane of existence) and dying as a human. Did He go to Hell and conquer it? The Bible never really says, but we can assume He did. And the fact that He was unrecognizable to so many after He came back from the dead tells us, we don't yet understand what we'll be or look like in the next life. We in this life do not yet recognize the next life and its possibilities, just as those who were with him daily did not recognize Jesus. It's a lot to think about. I've got some more on the way-Wills also wrote What Paul Meant and What The Gospels Meant. A lot of the implications for women in The Bible have bothered me, especially some of Paul's writing, so I'll be curious to see what Wills gleams from it. I also have The Gnostic Gospels on the way-the lost gospels of Mary and others. One of my favorite quotes comes from The Book of Judas: "You will sacrifice the man that clothes me." That sums it all up nicely, I think: We're all spiritual beings clothed in physical bodies we call so many names....man, woman, black, white..etc. But inside, it all has the potential to be the same, on a plane of nirvana we keep trying to discover. I have faith that we all will, and when we do, we'll really know what Jesus meant.
4 comments:
I find it amazing that you are reading many of the books that I have read - and are reaching the same conclusions. Great minds DO think alike! I am finally adjusting to the time change again - perhaps we can get together next Saturday? For Lunch? Let me know.
:-) Terre
Hey Terre!
Welcome back!
I am learning a lot from these books...it gets the mind going, for sure. I'll be in touch about lunch. :)
I took a book out of the library on Hinduism and am reading it at the moment; you are fortunate you studied it in college, even if you dont recall it all.
Thursday!
I learned to love Hindu ideas in college...of the religions I studied, it was/is my favorite. I'll be posting a lot more on it. Perhaps we can discuss!
:)
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