197 posts · 15 participants · started May 31, 2015, 1:16 AM
The doctrine of the total depravity of man destroyed much of the potential of religion for effecting social repercussions of an uplifting nature and of inspirational value. Jesus sought to restore man’s dignity when he declared that all men are the children of God. [Paper 99:5.5, page 1091:4]
Vern wrote: What steps can Christianity take to re-invent itself?
The book does say Christianity operates in low gear, because it is an extemporized, improvised religion. It is a mighty religion they tell us. Look what it did accomplish in the past to “re-invent” itself.
195:10:18 Christianity is an extemporized religion, and therefore must it operate in low gear. High-gear spiritual performances must await the new revelation and the more general acceptance of the real religion of Jesus. But Christianity is a mighty religion, seeing that the commonplace disciples of a crucified carpenter set in motion those teachings which conquered the Roman world in three hundred years and then went on to triumph over the barbarians who overthrew Rome. This same Christianity conquered — absorbed and exalted — the whole stream of Hebrew theology and Greek philosophy. And then, when this Christian religion became comatose for more than a thousand years as a result of an overdose of mysteries and paganism, it resurrected itself and virtually reconquered the whole Western world. Christianity contains enough of Jesus’ teachings to immortalize it.
It seems to me we are still in a materialistic age, even though they tell us the worst of it is about over. (195:6:4) What about the man in the street?
195:6:7 The mechanistic naturalism of some supposedly educated men and the thoughtless secularism of the man in the street are both exclusively concerned with things; they are barren of all real values, sanctions, and satisfactions of a spiritual nature, as well as being devoid of faith, hope, and eternal assurances. One of the great troubles with modern life is that man thinks he is too busy to find time for spiritual meditation and religious devotion.
I think the re-invention you ask about pertains to the individual in this day and age – the individual religionist. As the part, so the whole. Each one of us represents one part of the whole. Each one of us have our strengths. Some will bring their personal religion of Jesus to institutional religion. Others will bring the religion of Jesus to the man on the street, to friends, associates, family, and other social avenues by the method called living-the-teachings of Jesus in everyday life. True religion is not something intellectual, but rather it is demonstrated to others by the way the individual actually lives.
Mara wrote: Look what it did accomplish in the past to “re-invent” itself.
Yes, Christianity has at its core the greatest pronouncement Jesus made, that will carry it forward as an enduring religion towards the era of Light and Life when the world will enjoy the advanced benefits of one planetary religion—Fatherhood of God, brotherhood of man. This is already a fundamental teaching of Christianity.
“The kingdom of God is within you” was probably the greatest pronouncement Jesus ever made, next to the declaration that his Father is a living and loving spirit. [Paper 195:10.4, page 2084.4]
2. Return to its spiritual purpose.
No social system or political regime which denies the reality of God can contribute in any constructive and lasting manner to the advancement of human civilization. But Christianity, as it is subdivided and secularized today, presents the greatest single obstacle to its further advancement; especially is this true concerning the Orient. [Paper 195:10.7, page 2084:7]
How are the Chinese to know the good news if their only reference of Christianity is materially minded and divisive Western society based on the value of money?
The “Material Comfort Era” must lead to the discovery of spiritual values, either by a series of easy steps or severe harsh ones, depending on how long it takes to discover the error of materialism. Failure may eventually be the necessary wake up call.
Mara wrote: It seems to me we are still in a materialistic age, even though they tell us the worst of it is about over. (195:6:4)
If the worst is indeed over, then the combined forces of spiritual influence working within every normal minded person will conspire with sufficient power to quicken spirit to that degree where pivotal persons will be able to motivate increasingly large numbers of their fellows to consciously accept the truth of sonship with the Father, as a mass movement.
3. Respond to the call of adventure.
The call to the adventure of building a new and transformed human society by means of the spiritual rebirth of Jesus’ brotherhood of the kingdom should thrill all who believe in him as men have not been stirred since the days when they walked about on earth as his companions in the flesh. [Paper 195:10.6, page 2084:6]
4. Correct the errors of evolutionary history which inhibit growth. Such as the “fiat creation” theory and all the regressive thinking that has eventuated as a result of that erroneous supposition.
The Christian teachers perpetuated the belief in the fiat creation of the human race, and all this led directly to the formation of the hypothesis of a onetime golden age of utopian bliss and the theory of the fall of man or superman which accounted for the nonutopian condition of society. These outlooks on life and man’s place in the universe were at best discouraging since they were predicated upon a belief in retrogression rather than progression, as well as implying a vengeful Deity, who had vented wrath upon the human race in retribution for the errors of certain onetime planetary administrators. [Paper 74:8.13, page 838:5]
Vern wrote: Correct the errors of evolutionary history. . . .
81:2:9 The ancients sought a supernatural explanation for all natural phenomena not within the range of their personal comprehension; and many moderns continue to do this. The depersonalization of so-called natural phenomena has required ages, and it is not yet completed. But the frank, honest, and fearless search for true causes gave birth to modern science: It turned astrology into astronomy, alchemy into chemistry, and magic into medicine.
81:6:10 Science teaches man to speak the new language of mathematics and trains his thoughts along lines of exacting precision. And science also stabilizes philosophy through the elimination of error, while it purifies religion by the destruction of superstition.
12:9:5 Your religion is becoming real because it is emerging from the slavery of fear and the bondage of superstition. Your philosophy struggles for emancipation from dogma and tradition. Your science is engaged in the agelong contest between truth and error while it fights for deliverance from the bondage of abstraction, the slavery of mathematics, and the relative blindness of mechanistic materialism.
Vern,
Do you recall this statement [c. 1934] on page 2,081?
The majority of professed Christians of Western civilization are unwittingly actual secularists. (195:8:3)
They tell us, “For three hundred years Western thinking has been progressively secularized.” They also tell us, ” In revolting against the almost total control of life by religious authority, and after attaining the liberation from such ecclesiastical tyranny, the secularists went on to institute a revolt against God himself, sometimes tacitly and sometimes openly.”
I think the UB was indited in part because of the secularistic, materialistic, humanistic trends taking place on our world. Surly there are dozens of other reasons too, more reasons than we can know. They do tell us this:
(92:7:13 ) Modern man is adequately self-conscious of religion, but his worshipful customs are confused and discredited by his accelerated social metamorphosis and unprecedented scientific developments. Thinking men and women want religion redefined, and this demand will compel religion to re-evaluate itself.
Of the modern age they say :
195:9:5 The modern age will refuse to accept a religion which is inconsistent with facts and out of harmony with its highest conceptions of truth, beauty, and goodness. The hour is striking for a rediscovery of the true and original foundations of present-day distorted and compromised Christianity — the real life and teachings of Jesus.
Religion must be consistent with facts. It is jaw-dropping to hear intelligent people proclaim our world is 6,000 years old.
Hi Mara,
Good points, thanks for sharing them. Knowing a problem is the fist step in resolving it.
You may wonder what other aspect of this question of “What can Christianity do?” are worth bringing attention to.
On the previous website forum I presented a list of the basic errors which deviated from the Teachings of Jesus, do you remember those? I think it may be in the section about Paul of Tarsus and his well meaning efforts of compromise to make the message more appealing to the Jews. This compromise failed its intended purpose as you well know and Christianity has become just another Gentile belief system according to the Jews who are still awaiting the Messiah, little knowing the real identity of Jesus.
I can only imagine the great surprise in store for many Jews after surviving death when they awaken on the Mansion Worlds, when the truth registers within their souls, who the Nebadon Creator really is—one time mortal, Jesus of Nazareth.
Vern wrote: On the previous website forum I presented a list of errors . . . .
154:4:6 There was much talk about Jesus’ preaching doctrines which were upsetting for the common people; his enemies maintained that his teachings were impractical, that everything would go to pieces if everybody made an honest effort to live in accordance with his ideas. And the men of many subsequent generations have said the same things. Many intelligent and well-meaning men, even in the more enlightened age of these revelations, maintain that modern civilization could not have been built upon the teachings of Jesus — and they are partially right. But all such doubters forget that a much better civilization could have been built upon his teachings, and sometime will be. This world has never seriously tried to carry out the teachings of Jesus on a large scale, notwithstanding that halfhearted attempts have often been made to follow the doctrines of so-called Christianity.
Hi Mara
before I respond, can you teach me how to do the introductory sentence that you begin a reply with “Vern wrote…”please?
It is my intention with this topic of seeking to understand the steps Christianity should take to re-invent itself to know well the errors, for the purpose of more clearly highlighting the positive which will crowd out the error. To do as Jesus did, illuminate truth and thereby relegate error to history.
And this was his method of instruction: Never once did he attack their errors or even mention the flaws in their teachings. In each case he would select the truth in what they taught and then proceed so to embellish and illuminate this truth in their minds that in a very short time this enhancement of the truth effectively crowded out the associated error; and thus were these Jesus-taught men and women prepared for the subsequent recognition of additional and similar truths in the teachings of the early Christian missionaries. It was this early acceptance of the teachings of the gospel preachers which gave that powerful impetus to the rapid spread of Christianity in Rome and from there throughout the empire. [Paper 132:0.4, page 1455:4]
We can apply this lesson to ourselves in this pioneering stage of the Fifth Epochal Revelation, prepare our fellows for the subsequent recognition of additional and similar truths. Our Christian brothers and sisters are an obvious potentially receptive audience.
Consider the following quote in this light. The factors which applied in the times in which we live, set the stage for rapid subsequent spread of the teachings of The Urantia Book.
…We who view human activities from behind the scenes and in the light of nineteen centuries of time recognize just three factors of paramount value in the early setting of the stage for the rapid spread of Christianity throughout Europe, and they are:
1. The choosing and holding of Simon Peter as an apostle.
2. The talk in Jerusalem with Stephen, whose death led to the winning of Saul of Tarsus.
3. The preliminary preparation of these thirty Romans for the subsequent leadership of the new religion in Rome and throughout the empire. [Paper 132:0.5–8, page 1456:1–4]
When you consider these three factors you will recognise the achievement was the combined result of pivotal spiritually motivated individuals in whose minds the living truth had gained the degree of registry to motivate them wholeheartedly in service to their fellows.
We are informed there is great a satisfaction of accomplishment when a truth giver meets a truth seeker.
Vern wrote: before I respond, can you teach me how to do the introductory sentence that you begin a reply with “Vern wrote…”please?
No Mara, this does not work for me.
No Mara, this does not work for me.
Try this.
1. Look at the post you want to respond to.
2. Highlight the words you want to quote from that post.
3. Look to the upper right hand area of the post you are looking at and you will see these buttons: Reply, Report, Quote.
4. Click on “Quote”.
5. Scroll down to your dialogue box and you will discover WordPress has neatly pasted the name of the person whom you are quoting, as well as the words you highlighted.
Vern wrote: When you consider these three factors you will recognise the achievement was the combined result of pivotal spiritually motivated individuals in whose minds the living truth had gained the degree of registry to motivate them wholeheartedly in service to their fellows.
123:5:8 Jesus received his moral training and spiritual culture chiefly in his own home. He secured much of his intellectual and theological education from the chazan. But his real education — that equipment of mind and heart for the actual test of grappling with the difficult problems of life — he obtained by mingling with his fellow men. It was this close association with his fellow men, young and old, Jew and gentile, that afforded him the opportunity to know the human race. Jesus was highly educated in that he thoroughly understood men and devotedly loved them.
Look to the upper right hand area of the post you are looking at and you will see these buttons: Reply, Report, Quote.
4. Click on “Quote”.
Thank you very much for teaching me this.
Another thing I learned today is how to use the toggle button to reveal the second row of tools in the toolbar.
Mara wrote: But I’m of the opinion that the steps Christianity needs to take to re-invent itself is wholly dependent upon people – individual faith-sons as individuals. How can Christianity evolve otherwise?
In conversations you have had with your fellow Christian believers, have you discovered any recurring topical sticking points?
Here are a few I’ve come across:
1) The sacred book syndrome, (Bible is the word of God).
2) Jesus died for our sins (the atonement doctrine).
3) All of us are born sinners (already damned—evil).
4) Only Christians will be saved (chosen people syndrome).
5) Jesus was born to a virgin (abandonment of reason, acceptance of superstition/miracles in the face of scientific fact)
6) Insistence on the fiat of Creation (denial of the natural course of evolution).
I’m sure you could easily add to this list, as we are told it’s easy to see the problems, harder to articulate solutions. Solutions must be heartfelt, service motivated “fruits-of-the-spirit” powered by love. Love, after all, is simply the desire to do good to others.
One of the habits
P.2085 – §5 But there is no excuse for the involvement of the church in commerce and politics; such unholy alliances are a flagrant betrayal of the Master. And the genuine lovers of truth will be slow to forget that this powerful institutionalized church has often dared to smother newborn faith and persecute truth bearers who chanced to appear in unorthodox raiment.
How likely in this day and age are Christian religions willing to borrow the best in their neighbors’ living spiritual faith, rather than denouncing them? (P.1012 – §4 ) We won’t be erasing differences, but we can rejoice together in the worship of our Heavenly Father.
(P.1012 – §5) All these religions have arisen as a result of man’s variable intellectual response to his identical spiritual leading. They can never hope to attain a uniformity of creeds, dogmas, and rituals–these are intellectual; but they can, and some day will, realize a unity in true worship of the Father of all, for this is spiritual, and it is forever true, in the spirit all men are equal.
Mara wrote: One of the habits Christianity should break is the habit of politicizing religion and religious-cizing politics.
It is just because the gospel of Jesus was so many-sided that within a few centuries students of the records of his teachings became divided up into so many cults and sects. This pitiful subdivision of Christian believers results from failure to discern in the Master’s manifold teachings the divine oneness of his matchless life. But someday the true believers in Jesus will not be thus spiritually divided in their attitude before unbelievers. Always we may have diversity of intellectual comprehension and interpretation, even varying degrees of socialization, but lack of spiritual brotherhood is both inexcusable and reprehensible. [Paper170:5.20, page 1866:3]
