Since I have departed from the Christian community I am constantly challenged to explain myself. And maybe I'm a fool to think that I can explain myself completely and be completely understood. But I have to give it a try. It's impossible to answer all questions. I hope you understand what I do explain.
The first thing an Evangelical Christian has to understand about me is that I do not believe the set of scriptures called the “Bible” speaks with authority to anything but Jewish history, Jewish literature, and Jewish wisdom. And the New Testament is a highly filtered account of a man named Jesus from the town of Nazareth.
It's not a case that I reject the collection totally. It does contain wisdom, and it demonstrates human nature very accurately. But, I reject the notion that it speaks with the authority of God.
As a practical matter, that means quoting scripture will not have any effect on me, unless you are quoting from the epistles by Saul of Tarsus, the Apostle Paul. Paul ranks with my favorite philosophers because he has so many insights into the spirit.
The second thing one needs to understand is that I had a moment similar to when Paul was knocked off of his horse, and God spoke to him directly and set him straight about his mission. My moment came in 1979 in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. where I experienced a direct encounter with God.. I have explained that encounter numerous times on Facebook. The immediate impact of that encounter was coming to understand that God loves me unconditionally. God accepts me as I am. That does not mean I am perfect. That does mean that God's love is perfect, and it is restorative and healing. It also does not mean that I understand all I know, or know all I have come to understand over the years since that incident. It does mean that the impact of the incident was so profound that it is ever before me, vivid as the moment it occurred. It does mean that I am ever trying to understand all there is to understand about the message that I received. It does mean that my understanding of God is above and beyond anything I could have ever known without the encounter. And the more I have come to understand, the deeper my love of my Creator.
Here are the very basic things I have come to know about my Creator. 1) Creator has created all things seen and unseen. 2)Creator is pure love and all things created are created with pure unconditional love. This includes all living things, including our human species Unconditional love means love WITHOUT conditions. 3)Creator does not withdraw Its love for any reason. It's UNCONDITIONAL
4)Creator does not seek to punish or destroy Its creation. When we humans behave poorly, bring injury to others, or abuse or harm parts of creation, Creator seeks to correct, bring healing, and restore those that have done harm. 5) No one gets away with causing harm. All who have done harm will pay a just price for the harm done, and will also have to do restitution. Creator's goal for all of creation is to grow and mature. Creator will ensure that goal is accomplished in time.
OK, Chuck, what about those people that commit heinous crimes against society, child molesters, Hitler's henchmen, torture, mutilation, stealing, rape, and so on? My purpose and goal is to learn to love unconditionally as I have been loved unconditionally. I have not been given a mandate to judge and punish those who do harm. Jesus warned that we not judge because we will be judged in like manner. The matter of judgment and correction belongs to Creator who knows all circumstances and is the only one capable of administering justice. Yes, I am absolutely abhorred and saddened by the cruelty we humans can inflict. But I will not waste precious energy judging and hating anyone, especially since I know and understand Creator's perfect and unconditional love for all.
I am told that by rejecting the Bible I have rejected the only absolute truth and that I am playing God by making my own rules. Does not the Apostle Paul say that all of creation is without excuse because the law of God is written in the fleshy tablets of the heart? I know that to be true, and it is more true for me now than it was prior to that day I received the total love of God. I do not make up the law. It indwells me in the form of the Holy Spirit of God;. And dare I say I understand the law better than ever before because love is the basis of the law.. Did not Jesus tell the pharisees that the greatest commandment was to love God above all else and to love others as we love ourselves? Fulfilling that law fulfills all the laws, according to Jesus.
What is the meaning of life? What is the purpose of life? What is MY purpose in life? Could it be that these questions are answered by the greatest commandment? Love God above all else; Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Why else would that be the greatest commandment if it were not the commandment by which we are told to live? Do we fulfill that commandment by judging others? Do we fulfill that commandment by going to church every Sunday? How do we fulfill that commandment? Paul says we all fall short of the glory of God. How can that be if we have never killed anyone, never stolen from anyone, never broken even one commandment? The primary reason we all fall short is because we fail to love God above all else, and we fail to love others as we love ourselves. The meaning of life is love. The purpose of life is to love..My purpose in life is to love.
There may come a day way far in the future, when Earth shall be swallowed by a black hole. There will be nothing left to tell the story of man. All that transpired on Earth will be non-existent. It won't even be a memory. If you invested your life in material things, it will all come to naught, The only thing that will transcend and remain is love
This is my strategy for learning to love:
Be in continuous contact with the One who loves us unconditionally. He teaches us.
Apostle Paul gives us a definition that is crystal clear and gives us a direction: 1 Cor 13:4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.
Meditate on people and how we feel about them, and think about how we can identify with them so that we can love them. The Dalai Lama teaches how to do this exercise. It works. It has to become a constant habit, It has to be a constant exercise.
Learn to do meaningful things to help people.
Our first response to others should be compassion. Listen deeply to others. Understand them. Understand their needs. Accept them. Comfort them.
I do not want to misrepresent myself. I am not a Christian. It serves no good purpose to explain that, but I identify most with Taoism/Buddhism. I am not a Taoist or a Buddhist, either. I simply identify with and embrace its teachings.
Taoism, Buddhism and Christianity have many intersections when it comes to how we are to treat one another. A Christian must live the life of Christ to be a true Christian. Likewise, I must live by the teachings of the Tao. However, I differ from the Taoist in that my focus is on a Divine Being we commonly call God. I must live by the rules and guidance that the Creator has placed in my heart. The Creator is pure love, and I must live by love.
Make no mistake, I am deficient and imperfect in my life and in my ability to love. I fail miserably, but my Creator does not fail and the Creator covers my failures with love. As the Creator will not fail me, I will honor that love by living by love, living with compassion, as the Creator teaches me to live.
