Posted by
Republiservative on Tuesday, September 09, 2008 1:14:26 PM
If it were "unto Original Sin" to doubt the nearness, existence, or interest of God, things like Psalms 22 and 88 could hardly be a part of the Christian faith deposit for thousands of years.
I recently in life actually questioned if God exists, or if Christ is His Son, and upon much prayerful contemplation of every religious writing in my Roman Catholic and other Christian's faith deposits...together with eyes on secular science, metaphysics, and the like...I was able to conclude for myself that: Big Bangs would all trace back to some ancient first of first planets, and matter cannot generate itself, so that first of first things must have been created, with this and all other Big Bang results being that first "world without end"; that considering the massive, inter-faith, and inter-demographic animosity toward Jesus in His earthly lifetime, culminating in mass glee over His sadistic and grizzly execution, you'd think at least ONE tome would exist de-bunking any of His miracles reported in the New Testament, but instead, it's all just acknowledgement it ALL (including Ascension) happened with all then just creeped out by it, as if being rid of Him would make His words go away; and that Jesus essentially wants all mankind, by whatever labels it lives, to go about their affairs as usual, mindful that only the rather simple Ten Commandments and whatever He taught need be in the HEARTS of people as they do everything...this means that's all ANYONE need do, and sins will be forgiven in Heaven if one converts back the heart, either has a remaining lifetime available to live by it or otherwise at least sincerely urge others not to repeat their mistakes, and realizes that whereas the soul can be forgiven there are still the secular systems of justice God intends have their effects in the human sphere.
Essentially, God and Jesus simply want all people to do the just and right things to the natural limits of their ability to do so, even if they are poor or rich, and without regard to social or ritual practices as long as they bend to Jesus ; even sickness and affliction seem to be no longer tests of faith, rather being signs to show how if the afflicted can hold to God's and Jesus' intents, what encouragement to hale and hearty people to not falter or bend no matter the weight. There appears no "infinite personal scorecard and jeweler's Lupe constant scrutiny" named by Jesus, just expression to do right things and within human law as such legal systems proceed, yet without intendment law and faith should be far apart...church and state, yes, but nothing re separating law and faith.
My own Roman Catholic faith, especially in the USA, certainly is adopting that motif; currently, they allow both the nature of "Vatican I and II" practices by laity, but teach and encourage embrace of gays, other cultures, anything going as long as it cleaves to Jesus, arm-in-arm prayer in Church formerly called "channelling", all the true universality of Christ...but like many of its "separated" Protestant brothers, it has a twist: also, we must accept that public officials in the USA are correct that Apostolic succession from St. Peter into Bishops and Ordinaries is false, ergo any lay congregation at all should vote for these positions; further, that they believe USA officials actually have more pull with God than anyone could, probably DO have an office-holding Apostolic succession of themselves they alone can best anoint, and all such officials are doing God's Will as Jesus would want through what we laity and "unconverted" or "unchurched" or "heretics" see as personal and political expediency via collectivizations to favor on any given day, and the like. Eventually, the "Vatican I and II's" will fade away, leaving only the New Catholicism...wherein some find "it's so hard to know if laity are worried about the Kingdom of God or just themselves, selfish notwithstanding representative form of government", faith leaders should not even tacitly opine re social issues or social justice even if peaceful and logical.
This has led me to my own conversion to my Universal Life Church ministry. I wish to spread God's and Jesus' words of hope and salvation to as many people as possible, only without being a "Bible Thumper" or tacking on all that illustrious psychology and stagecraft that's on the ebb anyway...only minus the twist of New Christianity insofar as the stuff about public officials. I believe that the words of Jesus apply to ALL people regardless of anything else they go about doing their own ways, and that's what I will offer in my ministry: "Do only that which is right by God and duly settled law". To such end, I will preach only as one finds in the 1989 New American Bible as a prayerful person aware that the "Eucharist" is now taught as symbolic and that the Bible is not to be a fundamentalist "so there!" statutory listing except for the actual intentions of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said all who are baptized into Him share that burden, and I will do my best to preach as Christ intended, without rancor to other peaceful faiths be they New Age, New Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, or otherwise.