[QUOTE=kanicbird]
This is a point I disagree with. There is a split between man and God (the fall), man is his own ‘god’ by that act and acting in his own power. Fortunately, much like power company deregulation, we can shop around for another ‘God’. Some people will chose the true God of Love and receive His Spirit, some will chose other ‘gods’ perhaps ending up with other spirits.
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This belief seems founded in Christian tradition. Not that that automatically makes it incorrect. I’d just point out that a traditional belief , even one held by many others, is often embraced simply because of tradition and not because of personal exploration.
The fall IMO is a metaphor for something we can’t really grasp. The illusion that we are somehow separate from God and each other. A study of the OT will point out that the spirit of God was with man long before the day of Pentecost as the two passages I pointed out previously show. The term “receive the Holy Spirit” is a bit of a misnomer. It’s more accurate to say we awaken, or become more aware of the spirit that has always resided within.
Once I began to question traditional Christian beliefs more seriously I began to study other religions with the idea that other cultures and other sincere people had also sought God and seeking, they would find. I began to sift the common threads and themes from the tradition and mythology. It’s a complicated puzzle that I’m still working on.
The other God’s amount to what we hold as a priority in out lives or what it is we value the most at any given moment. It may be money and influence one moment and sexual conquest the next. It may be what others think of us, and being accepted by the group we’re in, at another moment. When the inner journey and seeking the Holy Spirit and living in love and truth becomes our consistent priority we begin to be transformed from within. All IMHO of course.
Yet Jesus said “Whatever you do unto the least of these you do unto me” so service to our fellow man becomes service to God yes? Wouldn’t it also follow that being one with our fellow men is being one with God. IMO the theology that places God as some separate being out there somewhere creates a false impression in our mind. Read the chapter on one body again. The body is one being , head arms legs etc. One being made up of the same stuff. The goal is to allow the body to function as one without competing over who’s right and who’s more important and who does the head like best.
Christians often see the body as Christianity and the body of Christ but I think this fails when we see how much some Christians disagree with other Christians and how very un Christ like they behave. I think the metaphor of the body extends to all mankind and to bring the whole body into alignment and see that we are all part of the same body and when we contend with each other we contend with a part of ourselves and when we nurture each other we nurture ourselves.
Men acting as if the flesh is our primary reality deny the truth that we are spiritual beings first and only temporarily inhabiting this physical form. When we realize and embrace the truth of who and what we are we come into alignment with that oneness. The hand may not be the head but certainly saying they are the same being is not outrageous. Get down to the essence of DNA. The head and the hand are the same as every other cell in the body. If one cell says,… “no I’m not the same” it is mistaken and needs to return to the truth. If the hand says, “we’re correct and the head loves us the most. We have been chosen by the head to teach the rest of the body how right we are and how wrong they are” that’s also incorrect and far from the truth.
So, what we are left with apart from the labels and differences of doctrine and dogma, is our actions reflect our true inner spirit and we should honor the fruits of the spirit where ever we find them.
