Religion has a big knock against it – do these institutions cause divisiveness rather than bringing people together? History seems to play this complaint out and with deep corruption running through mainstream “orthodox” religious institutions, this shouldn’t be surprising.
There is no church of the Radical Spiritualists or really a gnostic church either and that’s ok since organized religion seems to routinize the Way of the spirit. Where two or more are gathered in His name…right?
The written word is certainly flawed and been manipulated by mankind who put the original gospels down into manuscript form two generations after the events recorded. As the Living Word is in each of our hearts, we might call this Bible they eventually put down in writing the “dead word” that was taken, mistaken, omitted and transposed from the purely oral preaching tradition that came before it. To many heterodoxical believers through history, the Old Testament was the workings of Satan (possibly as the demiurge) himself.
Unless we want to continue to believe that our creator God can doom a group of His children to eternal damnation in the misery of Hell, then we should be able to look at all of our brothers and sisters without judgment.
When asked why He hung out, broke bread and communed with the dredges of society – fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes and beggars – Christ told them the righteous have no need for the physician, so he spent his time with those who needed his guidance – the sinners. Deep and multiple meanings were generally involved with anything Christ said and this particular example is steeped in irony. You, the self-righteous who find the highest places in public to pray, have no need or use for correction – only the sinners and lowly will have ears to hear.
We are – every living creature – His children. Love shall win over hate. You may point out that much of history seems to contradict this, yet humanity continues to evolve and write its history. You may call this dogma – so it is then, but call it a dogma of inclusion, of peace and of love. Nothing else is acceptable. There are no exceptions to God’s love or His grace. There can not be, so to believe otherwise is false and doomed. You must enter the fold of sinners before you have a chance to follow Christ to paradise.
This is to be born again. To be like Christ, each of us must love without conditions or judgment. Find the Way, live in peace, and follow the First Key – through strict vegetarianism and pacifism. Exactly, according to Gibbon, as the early Christians did.
If you live in hatred or conflict with your brothers and sisters, then physician, heal thyself. God’s children, indeed those that you will find Christ sitting among include all sinners be they black, white, brown, LGBTQ, Muslim, Jew, pagan, agnostic, atheist, or Christian. This intolerance or even hatred and its accompanying wars, oppression and coercion is an abomination to the Father and to any loving Christian. Amen, brother. Do the Harlem shuffle.
This post originally appeared on the Reveille website November 14, 2016 and has been slightly altered for publication today.