If Jesus did not die (which is the first misconception) then Jesus did not die for my sins. While the church might scratch it’s metaphorical head on my first statement, it would take my head off for the second statement. Killing someone (in the name of God) is LOVE of course. Since I believe in original blessing and not original sin, I’ve automatically reduced the need for an ancient Old Testament sacrifice that Christianity adopted. We simply must get over and past the scrificial blood demanding paradigms. Continue reading ‘# 47- Jesus Did Not Die!’
Archive for the 'Religious Myths' Category
There is no questioning the fact- Jesus was a man: a male. And He called God Abba Father, but God certainly isn’t a man- male! When the Bible was written, men were dominant, they ruled the roost, and God couldn’t be anything but a MALE according to the Biblical authors. This isn’t deep logic, nor does it need intense investigation. Continue reading ‘# 46- A Changing View Of God’
The church loves to blame original sin on Eve, who tempted Adam, who passed his blood line down to me. Say what? I’ve already mentioned the fact that if I believe in anything, I must follow Matthew Fox and his “original blessing” concept. Of course all Bible-believing Christians blame our mess on Satan, the Devil, the serpent. But, I really do need to ask the obvious question. How can any of this make sense when Adam and Eve are UNHISTORICAL? Continue reading ‘# 45- Blaming Adam & Eve?’
We are transformed, we are energized, and we are saved NOT by any proper name, not even by the English names Jesus and Christ! Put ‘em together, separate ‘em, or put a comma between them and it’s all the same. We are in fact saved by the SPIRIT of Jesus, the Christ. God, the Father, the Spirit was IN Christ reconciling Himself to the world. Continue reading ‘# 44- Not By Proper Names!’
One of the msot over-worked Scriptures by fundamentalists is II Timothy 3:16. So what does INSPIRATION mean anyway? The word inspiration comes by way of the Latin wherein the King James translations of the Greek word θεοπνευστος (theopneustos) means literally “God-breathed“. Fundamentalism take that to mean something akin to “automatic writing“, in that the writers of the Bible had no will nor personality of their own, but were only putting on paper what God spoke to them. I don’t think so! Continue reading ‘# 43- Practical Inspiration’
The church loudly proclaims that God is omnipotent! And then it says that 80% of God’s plan is a failure. How does that work? Tell me. How in the HELL (metaphorical language you know) does that work? My answer is- it doesn’t! The traditional thinking has been that JUSTICE is a back up plan in the event that LOVE isn’t capable of doing it’s job. Come on mankind, get real. God is also omniscient. He SAW before He DID. Love wins! Continue reading ‘# 42- There Is No “Back-Up” Plan’
If you’re not coming from LRCHouston- Sept. 10th, it might be helpful to start there, as this is more or less a follow up from there.
Martin Luther changed a whole lot of the religious landscape with his reformational spirit. Few are aware that he not only wrote the Bible in German, took on the Catholic church and it’s “indulgences“, but also changed the books of the Bible. Say what? Can you do that? He did, but then he changed that too. I’m fine with the New Testament canon being closed. I mean, who am I to question that? But, the books of the New Testament are not the sole revelation of God, any more than the historical or living Christ is. Continue reading ‘# 41- God Is Still Revealing!’
It’s not all said and done. The deal is not over. Man is not a static automaton. I’m amazed at how some people take the election doctrine so far as to totally abrogate any free will of man. God is not “up there” pulling our strings and making us behave. If He were, He’s sure not doing a very good job of it. Man is a “becoming human being” and God is right there with us all the way, encouraging us with His unlimited love. Continue reading ‘# 40- God Isn’t A Puppeteer!’
If you didn’t come from the August 23rd post at LRC Houston entitled Christology Trumps Soteriology (salvation), then you might want to go back and read that as this commentary is basically a follow up from that thread. Let me get two points out of the way. First, we are ALL sinners- all of mankind. It’s just in the water we drink, the food we eat, and the air we breathe. Meaning, I don’t think it’s in the blood. Second, the life and acts of Jesus, the Christ was an effectual demonstration of salvation for ALL men. But, unlike most in the fundamentalist camp, and others, the incarnation for me is so much more than a salvistic golden parachute. Continue reading ‘# 39- Salvation Isn’t The End Game!’
I am glad that I have moved from being a “pastor” of and institutional church to a “spiritual guide” of a local community of believers. I, me personally, no longer believe in the hierarchy that I found myself attached to for six decades. I don’t know what that means about the future, but I am thinking that it is GOOD!. Only time will tell. However, the point of this 38th theses being nailed to the internet airways (and not the church door as in the days of Luther), is that church has lost it’s way, and I’m not sure that it has the courage, interest, or resources to find it’s way back to Jesus! Continue reading ‘# 38- Religion Need Not Be Mediated!’
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