Good, Good Times, Good Work

Is good determined by God? Is Good the principle that God must conform to? While this reminds us at first of the chicken and egg question, we find that it is crucial to our basic theology.  If God must adhere to a high standard of good, then it effects our entire belief system, especially our Soteriology, the study of the doctrine of salvation.  If we believe in the later, then how could we believe in a vengeful God who smites us?  We would be limited to the atonement theories of appeasement and ransom.  In appeasement, God is Holy but has wrath that Jesus is sacrificed to appease God. Would we need to placate a God that is principle of Good? In the Ransom Theory, where humanity is enslaved by the devil, Jesus is used to buy us out of our enslavement.  What kind of God would allow enslavement?  In the Penal Theory of atonement, God is judge accepts Jesus as our offering to suffer the consequences of our breaking the rules.  The fourth theory of Moral Influence holds Jesus as a perfect pattern for humankind to emulate.  This makes a Jesus that is relevant, and there is no need to change God’s mind.  However, we have had a number of special people but as in this theory, they are not unique.  The fifth atonement theory of Reconciliation theory allows us to have a God of principle goodness and a Jesus that is a relevant archetype to our being in the world and relating to God. 

At first the salvation plan to take it on faith that Jesus saved you seems to be the easy way out.  In this mystery cult perspective we can just let the good times roll because we are not capable of perfection anyway.  We can demonstrate an under-responsible behavior: “It ain’t my fault!”  However, if we shift to an ownership of a choice to follow Jesus, would that be demonstrating a responsible response to life.  Rather than an easy out, this may require more courage than an intellectual model.  Could it be that this choice is about growth? Could we consider that this leap of faith is in itself a reconciliation atonement?  Could this be God “reconciling the world unto Himself”? We have the possibility of a new understanding of those with such a strong faith that Jesus is their savior, not as a lamb slaughtered to appease an angry God, but as an individual making a responsive choice to accept Jesus is a wayshower.  Maybe next time someone asked if we are saved we could actually engage in a conversation! 

Jesus Who?

Who is this person named Jesus?  Did he really say that?  Was he a wise rabbi or a rebel rousing troublemaker?  Is what we have come to know been based on fact or fiction?

In Revealing Word, Charles Fillmore makes a distinction between Jesus the man, Christ the divine man, Jesus Christ the perfect idea of God for man, and Christ Jesus the fully ascended post resurrection man.  Before our heads start spinning, let’s dial back to Jesus the man.  First of all we have learned in our adulthood that Christ was not Jesus’ last name.  When our early learnings begin to unravel, we may be asking “What else is not true?”  While we may have been told that “Jesus said this,” how do we know if it is a fact?  Some of us have been told to just accept out of faith.  Sort of like when my mother told me to do something because she said so.  I usually had a hard time with that then, and now I am searching for the real story of Jesus.  Fortunately (or not) there are people who have spent a lifetime and career sorting through data, archeological, bible manuscripts and other documents to unveil that accuracy of the events.  Discoveries that have at least cast doubt of the accuracy of the New Testament have been made by numerous scholars such as J. J. Wettstein (1693-1754.) In the Codex Alexandrinus, the Greek word for God is abbreviated in two letters theta and sigma with a line drawn over the top to indicate that it is an abbreviation. What Wettstein saw was that this line had actually been drawn in different (later) ink which created a different word. Thus revealing the original meaning of the manuscript did not speak of Christ as God. Uh oh!

There is a mythology surrounding Jesus.  Mythology is used in a broader sense than we currently and commonly consider a falsehood.  Merriam-Webster defines myth as an idea or story that was told in an ancient culture to explain a practice, belief, or natural occurrence. Here we are talking like fairy tales and fables.  Stories that may not be factually true but still have meaning.  The mythology around Jesus is so deep that perhaps the historicity is less important than the effects of the mythology.  Clearly the first century people were attracted to the story to the point that the culture was affected.  What scholars do know is that Jesus did appear at the River Jordan, and he was crucified.  From the writings of Paul we know of mystical experiences that impacted people in such a significant way that they were willing to risk their lives.  What we read in the Gospels is the account of the writers of Matthew, Luke, Mark and John.  Today we hear people say they have a “personal relationship” with Jesus.  I wonder if they are speaking of the guy that showed up at the River Jordan or the one written about in Matthew.  Or did they piece together their own Jesus?  Meeting the needs of the time is what the early followers did, like linking the experience of Jesus with the Israelite stories.  Why not allow that today?  While there were numerous claims during Jesus’ time of other messianic people, what made Jesus the king of the mountain from the heap?  With all the gaps in historic factual information, we are just as capable of filling in the blanks.  Some have debated whether Jesus was married or not.  How does it matter?  So we go back to our original question…Who was Jesus?  Then we get to the real question.  What is Jesus to us?   

Is God A Process?

As I listen to the question, I recognize the lens I have been wearing is that God is unchanging.  How could God be a process and be unchanging?   God as one Power and One Presence has been my mantra for a number of years.  Now I can use my creative thinking to listen and question this embedded theology. 

If God is creator, we cannot assume that all is already created.  So this appears to be a process.  If God is omnipotent, why would God need to learn and grow?  Here is the opportunity to distinguish between the adjective, omnipotent, and the noun, omnipotence.  The adjective is describing an object, God, and the noun omnipotence is the quality.  In our feeble efforts to describe the vastness and the indescribable, we can slip into adjectives.  God as a presence is clear in the statement that God is everywhere.  This is the OP2.  In Acts 17:28 Paul says, “We live and move and have our being I God.”  So God is in us and all around us.  As we grow, so must God.  However not in the adjective perspective, but in the essence of who we are.  I reconcile this with the distinction of becoming to being.  In being God changes, but not in becoming, because God already is.  The essence of God does not change ie the omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience.  Our Divine nature does not change as we learn and grow.  We are whole in our Divine Nature.  Where we learn and grow is in the world. 

I used to think that the God in the Hebrew Scriptures who was not necessarily a “good” guy, was just the author’s level of consciousness.  As I have read the Bible, I viewed it as the evolution of the soul, and we could see the “better” God as we grew. Abstract essence does not change when we include ourselves as growing, we cannot see God sitting up somewhere, as a deist would believe, watching with no involvement.  It is like there is no God.  So if we believe that there is One Power and One Presence, we must be a part of it.  If we are changing and growing, why wouldn’t everything be changing and growing?

God creates the Divine Idea of us humans.  Our essence is the same image and likeness as God.  Therefore, neither of our essences change. God as Principle is changeless.  That is the essence that does not change.  Rather than just thinking that it is our understanding evolving, with this Process Theology even God is evolving.  Still sounds a bit too much like God is a person.  And we, do not believe God is a person. Right?

Charles Fillmore in “Revealing Word” says

God, Spirit, is the only presence in the Universe, and is the only power. He is in, though, and around all creation as its life and s sustaining power. 

Sociology or Theology?

Opps!!  I just realized that I was looking at my research paper as a sociologist, not as a theologian.  I was seeking to explain the reason and approaches of different attitudes on society or psychology.  Now I see that this is an opportunity to change my lens! (Again!) With my background in Behavioral Science and the consulting work I have done in corporations in implementing change and working with the human side of that equation, I have a usual pattern of explaining the impact of change on people and systems.  Although the social science ideas can point our theology discussion in a useful direction, theology looks critically at religious beliefs

Sociology lens would ask “How did I get to be my brother’s keeper?” The sociologist wants to know how did this happen. The model of Marvin Harris can be used to see that this is not such a simple path, but one of an impact of multiple elements which may have eventually become a religious dogma that requires taking care of your brother.  That may appear to be the emic explanation, as the group describes its role. However, from the etic (more objective) perspective, it is perhaps the way the group survives. 

A theological question would be “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Here we are exploring our relationship not so much with our role in society, but that with the divine. 

How do I know it’s true? Now we get into the epistemology!  I actually love the simplicity of “because the Bible tells me so.” Now that scholars have been and are sorting out the pieces of manuscripts that were used to compile “the book”, the Bible may be to some just a bunch of cut and paste losing any validity. When I realize that these pieces of writings were carefully preserved in jars, survived hundreds of years, were important enough to be copied over and over for thousands of years, and were not even the actual writings in the first person but, in fact, really the ideas and memories of the author, I get even more interested!  These writings can be added to my circle of faith as I explore questions such as “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Now we are into theology!

Will the real Christian please stay up!?

To the question of whether Metaphysical Christians really have the religion “of Jesus”?... I say no. However, I can say yes to having “a” religion of Jesus.  To say “the” religion of Jesus at the surface level seems to have a claim that is unsubstantiated and arrogant. 

Since the religion of Jesus was Judaism, as a Christian, we do not follow the religion he practiced.  As a Metaphysical Christian, we do not follow the Judaic laws, wear sandals, preach from mountains, etc.  However, the term “Christian” has been used to describe a follower of Christ.  If we believe that Christ, as in the divine man as Charles Fillmore defined, existed before Jesus and Jesus was an individual expression of Christ, we could also call Jesus a Christian.  This may be a stretch.  Let us consider that we in Metaphysical Christianity do not use the terms Jesus and Christ interchangeably as other Christians often do.

 We speak with our own authority as we claim the term Christian, just as Jesus spoke of his own authority.  We in Unity also have a tradition, not only from the Fillmores, but also from the tradition of Jesus speaking from his own authority. We are to be cautious in the use of classic epistemology of tradition and not resort to glib statements.  This is where our study of theology serves us.  Theology can engage us in a dialogue with individuals with other perspectives.  Here is the opportunity to practice going beyond the shallow statements that separate us from others.  When we say we have found our “home” in the Metaphysical Christian teachings, we are declaring intuition as a source of Truth.  However, intuition is not a way to prove our knowing.  So we really are practicing “a” practice of Jesus when we speak from our own authority.