Salvation 2.0- more thoughts

Hi Everyone, more thoughts occurred to me last night about Salvation. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, or if it happens to you, but some of the best ideas come to me when I'm in the shower. Sometimes, like last night, old thoughts resurface. First let's start with a true story about the inconsistencies of denominations, churches and salvation. 

"Unity" is a worldwide religious organization. I don't know if they would be considered a denomination, so let's just say they are more of a New Thinking religious organization. Andrea and I went to a Unity church here in Florida til the covid shutdowns, then everything seemed to be different afterwards and we just finally quit going. While I like the model of the church format and their teachings, something happend to the one in our town and it just didn't feel right to us anymore. With that being said, here's the story:

Michael Gott is the pastor of Unity Houston. I listen to his Sunday teaching sometimes. One day he said he grew up going to a Pentecostal church. He recalled his church teaching that if you aren't Saved AND speak in Tongues you aren't going to heaven. He remembered thinking, how can this be? This really narrows down who's going to be getting in. It was then that he decided he'd be leaving. He didn't say how old he was at the time, but if he was still young he knew this wasn't going to be his lifelong church. Along with that story and searching Buddhism, Hinduism and others, and hearing about so many people having encounters with God, I started thinking, how can Evangelical Christians say they have a monopoly on God? How can they say "If you don't ask Jesus to be your savior you aren't going to heaven?" I looked up some statistics, and these were just from last night.

Now, according to this, if Evangelical Christians are correct, three quarters of the world is going to hell. Like Michael Gott, since God is a God of love, I'm not buying it. I don't have statistics to back it up, but I think there have been more encounters with God in other religions then the 700 million christians have had. We are watching The Saints series on Fox Nation right now, and every one that we've seen so far has been a person who has had an "Experience" with God. Not just one that goes to church on Sunday, but one that truly gets transformed like it says in Romans 12:2. A favorite line salvation based Christians like to say is "God is a God of love. He isn't choosing to sent them to hell, they have a choice to accept Jesus or not, so they are sending themselves to hell." I'm not buying that one either. Those Christians want to say the sinners prayer and use that as a license to sin. My thoughts on that are, if you can feel like you can "just keep on sinning now" then I question your Love for God. 

I'm reading another book now called "The Soul's Desire-A Guide On How To Pray"  by Glenn Clark. He talks about Jesus method of teaching was in parables and using your imagination from those parables to learn, therefore teaching us that we need to think past what we see as our reality and connect with God and "Not My Will But Thy Will." Jesus's teachings was meant for everyone. How did we get to the point where any given denomination can say the other is wrong? Now everyone is looking at each other and seeing their differences and not the Jesus they have in common. Even within the churches themselves there are cliques. A group of friends gossiping about a person or another group. People join together for a Sunday class and/of church service and sometimes can't even get out of the front door before gossiping. I have to admit, that writing about it now kind of feels like that's what I'm doing here. I'm not trying to imply that I'm any better, but as I was reading how this author was talking about it I found myself nodding in agreement with him. 

The idea of the book is to pray using your imagination like Jesus did in the parables. Instead of starting to feel like you're catching a cold, taking medicine and praying to get better, connect to the Christ Consciousness in meditation that you are a child of God and have a healthy body. Instead of praying acknowledging you don't have enough money in your bank account to pay your bills that are due, meditate and listen for the thoughts to come to your for a solution. We want to pray, give our needs and desires to God and move on with our next task. What we need to do is sit in quiet and connect our heart with the heart of our soul's consciousness that was created in love and the solution will come. 

To try to summarize all these thoughts on salvation, they're what I feel have been shown me in my frustrations about the christian community, and my quiet time solutions when searching for answers, just because you say a "sinner's prayer" but then don't try to transform to a life of love developing your christ consciousness, doesn't mean you're saved and get a free ticket to heaven. Salvation has nothing to do with church, a denomination, rituals or believing what I say or anyone else says. Salvation is your own connection with God. Jesus said "Be still and Know That I Am God." If we just take time to sit quietly, focus our concentration on the spot on our forehead between the eyes, look into the darkness and notice the thoughts and possibly the images that appear, your will eventually experience the peace and love of The Christ that Jesus the man taught that we can experience. 

Salvation is connecting with That Love Consciousness. That Consciousness is God, not some man with white hair. God is Love. We were created in God's image, therefore we are love, we just have to bring ourselves back to the place where we remember our loving soul that love made. 

What also used to frustrate me about the church was when we would have a weekend event and people would be pumped up about God, then the next week back to the same routine. I don't want that to happen here. If you have questions, ideas for topics to help you on your path, please leave a comment and let's address them. Let's study the things you're unsure about, or questioning, or just want to go deeper into.

Have a great rest of your week and,

Keep Searching,

Paul 

 

Salvation. Saved From What?

 Hi everyone. Welcome to another Thursday's Child. Thursday's Child because of the nature of the content, but I guess we should call this Sunday's Child because of the day of the week. I started this yesterday(Saturday afternoon) then I got a couple of phone calls that took me into well into the evening. I'll be absolutely finishing today. I hope no one kept checking Thursday to see if there was a post. Things came up and time just slipped away. I apologize for that. As promised though, let's talk about the topic of salvation. To get an understanding on salvation, it may be a good idea to get an understanding of what or who God is. I listened to a video recently by Alan Watts, a writer from mainly the 1950's and 60's. He spoke about Taoism, Zen, Hinduism, Christianity and various other topics not necessarily all spiritual related. His view on God was, Although we say He when we refer to God, God is not a white haired bearded man in the sky handing out healings and punishments. Since a lot of us grew up in christian churches, and we see pictures of Jesus sometimes sitting at the right hand of the father, the picture also makes the father an older man, and they are sitting among angels in the clouds on a moonlit starry night. Like we've mentioned before, as humans it helps if we have something visual to relate to when learning about something. 

Watts, like Yogananda, talks about God as Consciousness. A consciousness that we can experience because we are God/Christ Consciousness in human form. That's what Jesus meant when He said "The Kingdom of God In within." Watts has said "The God you seek is the very "you" experiencing life right now, just viewed from a limited perspective." He says like many religions describe, God is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent. We can think of it like a wave being part of an ocean, when in fact it is the ocean performing an activity. Yoganada teaches that when Jesus quoted Psalm 82:6 saying Ye Are Gods, He was referring to the fact that we have souls created in God's images and have divine potential, but most people are asleep to this reality and need to awaken their true potential We also then are God performing our daily tasks. When you look at it in that perspective that means everyone you experience personally or on tv is also God Consciousness. That should give us a different view on how we see and relate to people. Even writing that right now speaks to me because of a discussion I was having with someone on messenger that I used to go to church with when I was in South Dakota that has changed his belief 180 degrees from back then. As humans it's hard not to feel animosity towards someone, but knowing they are also spirit having a human experience, we/I need to search our heart to let love overcome hard feelings. 

If we recognize God in this way, an omnipresent source in the universe, how does that fit into what we have been taught concerning our salvation? Taken from the book "Revelations Of Christ" by Swami Kriyananda Chapter 11 is titled "Saved From What." I love this chapter so, Warning!! this may get long. In this book Swami Kriyananda has written down the words of Paramahansa Yogananda. Someone asked Yogananda once, "What does it mean to be saved?" They asked "Do you believe Christ died for your sins?" Naturally they meant Jesus the man and not Jesus's title as the Christ. Yogananda asked 'How can God die?" They wanted to know was Jesus sacrificed so we can repent and be saved from eternal damnation in hell. We are taught that we are sinners saved by grace, but the Bible doesn't say we are. The Bible says All Have sinned and Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace. Romans 12:2 says Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind, meaning if you become saved the way the Christian community classifies it, you should be studying Jesus's words and gradually start to learn how to live with the mindset of Jesus. 

Yoganada says if we are going to identify as sinners, then we might as well keep sinning. In a biblical counseling course I took, the case study of a woman who was bulimic went for counseling. She said she was bulimic and wanted to be cured. The counselor told her if she is identifying with that condition and that's what you're calling yourself, just eat and puke, because that's who you are. If you aren't willing to accept that and want to identify as a Child of God then we have a starting point on how to make you better. When you use the words I Am you identify with what comes next. I Am Sick, I Am Poor... Identify on how you want to see yourself, not on your current view of what's happening.

If you have an issue with the word "Saved", like I do, you can omit that terminology and just recognize that you are a Child Of God, spend time in meditation, and start to recognize the new feeling and outlook of how you're viewing the world around you. I don't mean to imply that I'm able to spend hours or even a portion of that in meditation. I also have just as much trouble sitting still meditating and keeping my mind from thinking about everything else like everyone else. Jesus says Be Still and Know That I Am God. My meditation time is usually after I read at night, turn off the light and spend 10, 15 minutes or more thinking about things and people I'm thankful for, and asking for a better understanding of my Christ Consciousness and be able to know better what that really means. However you feel is your best way for you to connect to the energy, frequency or Christ Consciousness that we call God that is how you should do it.

 Yoganada says focus your gaze either with your eyes partially closed or closed, on the area of the forehead between the eyes, which is the Third Eye, Christ Consciousness area. A few years ago, without knowing this information, I would do this and see images. I called it looking into the dark. I started drawing them on a sketch pad because I was pretty amazed that this was happening and didn't really know why. Edgar Cayce says when you wake up in the morning read The Lord's Prayer, Psalm 22, 23, 24 and 91. There are some more but If we try to read them all before starting our day we my not start til after lunch. We'll go through them here at some point. This gives me ideas to write about.

I'm also trying to read a book called Dominion. Let's say I'm gradually reading it. The way the author writes is hard for me to grasp. The point of the book is how political leaders and religious leaders in history were the ones who determined what was allowed in the Bible. Some of the things Jesus taught weren't allowed because he taught how to get to know your Christ Consciousness, and that wasn't good for the people in power. They needed people to think they were condemned to Hell to keep them coming to church and giving their money, kind of like how many still do today

Yoganada also says God would never send a perfect manifestation of the Christ Consciousness to earth. That manifestation had to come as a baby who grew and had to discover His own divine self. If that were the case we would always be discouraged that we couldn't accomplish our own divine consciousness and wouldn't be able to love others unconditionally. This is what is meant by Namaste. The Divine in Me Honors the Divine in You. 

I'm interested in your thoughts on this topic. Where you live. What you've been taught and the conversation we can have learning from each other, so as always feel free to leave a comment.

I'll make a point be better disciplined in getting my thoughts out on a regular basis.

Have a Great Week and Keep Searching

Paul

  

The Prodigal God. The Feast

 Hi everyone, Happy Thursday's Child on Sunday. I didn't intentionally decide to write this today but it seemed appropriate since this coming Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States, and after I was freshening up on The Feast in the Prodigal Son story and the Prodigal God book, I didn't completely agree with how it was described in the book. I had listened to a couple of videos on the teachings of Edgar Casey, The Sleeping Prophet. He has very similar teachings to Paramahansa Yogananda, so my brain wasn't exactly ready write since I still needed to put my thoughts in order. The Christian community focuses on the feast as something to we can look forward to after we die. I'm sure there are some mainstream Protestant churches that will talk about experiencing God in a joyous, bliss-like, feast state of mind, but having been in a few denominations the norm is, with that story, to see us as wandering away from God, having hardship, saying to ourselves "yikes this sucks" and coming back to God asking forgiveness. I've also been in more Pentecostal type churches that are more comfortable with experiencing God than just superficially teaching about God in a history format. 

Yoganada and Edgar Casey teach experiencing God now. Have a meditation time. Be still and know that I am God. The feast is now. The Kingdom Of Heaven Is Within. We never seem to make time to sit and meditate. I've also heard not everybody is suited to sit cross legged for 10 minutes or longer. Some of us will start to focus on our legs hurting. A chair is ok, as long as the back is straight. I like to sit on the steps in our pool. Whatever allows you to let your mind drift off and dismiss the thoughts that arise is the way that works best for you. 

My partner in life Andrea started reading a book by Richard Rohr called Preparing For Christmas Daily Meditations For Advent. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan Priest in New Mexico. He also has similar teachings to Yogananda and Edgar Casey. He's a good example of a modern Christian who teaches outside the mainstream Christian cookie cutter dogma. When I read the first one the heading is "Come Lord Jesus." It talks about how people, even Christians, are living in emptiness waiting for Jesus. In Advent we're focusing on the baby Jesus when we should be looking at why Jesus came in the first place. For us to experience the The Kingdom within. We're taught to live through drudgery and suffering and in the end we'll experience The Feast. 

One of the videos of Edgar Casey that I listened to this week talked about starting your day reading Psalm 23, Psalm 19, Psalm 32 and a couple of others. Not to just read them, but read them slowly. Let the words sink in. Think about how God takes care of us like a shepherd takes care of his sheep. Though we walk all day in a world that has a lot of ungodliness in it, He because God gives us strength when we focus on Him.

My hope is that you'll start today recognizing God in the good things that happen as you go about your day to day activities, and also the struggles that help you to see the lessons you're learning that turn your thoughts to God to give you strength through those struggles. 

Enjoy the feast of the blessings of God. If you're in the United States and you recognize Thanksgiving, have a thankful Thursday. No matter where you are lets all try to remember to be thankful daily for all God gives us, even the struggles that teach us and lead us back to His Feast.

I think we'll talk more about Richard Rohr's book as well as the act of salvation that I mentioned last week. Salvation will probably be the next Thursday's Child on the first week of December, unless I get distracted with something else God shows me has a higher priority. 😊😊

Have a great week and Keep Searching,

Paul  

Prodigal Brothers: A True Older Brother

 Hi Everyone, I hope everyone has had a good week and a warm one if you're in the United States. I saw that most of our country was getting some cold weather. In central Florida it has been colder than a normal November. For us it lasted 2 days and we're already back up to 70 degree days

Lets get into this weeks Thursday's Child. 

This week we'll talk a little more about the culture of that era. First lets get into the 2 parables that Jesus told before the Prodigal Son parable. Beginning in Luke 15 Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who has 100 sheep, and one gets lost. He asks the crowd of tax collectors, sinners and remember, the Pharisees are there as well, would they go and look for the lost sheep leaving the other 99? When that shepherd finds it he calls his friends and neighbors to come celebrate with him because what was lost now has been found. In the 2nd parable a woman has ten silver coins and has lost one. He asks again, wouldn't she light a lamp, sweep the floor and search carefully until she finds it? When she does, she calls her friends and neighbors to come celebrate, because what was lost has now been found. 

Jesus intentionally put these 2 scenarios before the Lost Son Parable. The shepherd went to look for his sheep. The woman went to look for her coin. Who went to look for the rebellious, disrespectful son? No one. Should someone have looked for him? Should someone have swept the countryside searching? Jesus knew the old testament. He was teaching the elders in the temple when He was 12. He absolutely knew the Torah. The books of Moses. After Cain killed Able God came and asked, Hey, where's your brother? Cain said "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" God said "His blood is calling out to you from the ground." God was telling Cain that he absolutely was his brother's keeper. Now he will pay the price for killing him. No matter what he does the ground will not produce food for him any longer.

Without coming right out and saying it Jesus was letting the crowd figure out for themselves that the older brother should have gone to search for the younger brother. Maybe if he had he could have convinced him to come home without blowing all of his inheritance. Maybe he could have caught him before he was starving. Since he didn't, the younger brother came home on his own, the father forgave him and restored him back into the family. 

Why was the older brother so angry? Yes, now he inherits even less. This shows us that forgiveness comes with a price. In the United States on the day we honor soldiers that have died in war, it is frequently said "freedom isn't free." The younger son came home, was forgiven, and reinstated back into the family. He was now free. Free from poverty. Free from hunger. Free from suffering. But at what price? There has to be a price for forgiveness. The older brother was his keeper. He had to pay the price. He was angry because he was arrogant, self-righteous like a Pharisee and didn't think he should have to pay. In all scenarios when something is broken we think whoever broke it should pay for it. Either that or we forgive them and buy ourselves a new one. No matter what, somebody pays.

In the Lord's Prayer Jesus tells us to ask forgiveness as we forgive others. Jesus says on the cross "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." They didn't know what they were doing. Jesus taught a select few how to be in touch with their God self. Buddha Nature, Christ Consciousness. Jesus was so in touch with His God Self that he truly was able to conquer death. Jesus forgave and he instructs us to forgive. It is common to hear in churches that Jesus paid the price for our salvation. We'll talk about salvation at some point, but I think it is better said that Jesus paid the price to give us a lesson in forgiveness, to show us how to forgive at all costs. If somebody does us wrong we are to forgive. We are still human so forgetting is next to impossible. We also don't have to put ourselves in situations that continuously allow people to hurt us. 

To NOT forgive can affect us physically. There are stories of people having serious physical ailments because they held on to bitterness. Once they forgave, they instantly or gradually became healed. Forgiving gives us a release we can actually feel in our bodies. Literally like a weight being taken away. If there is something you're holding onto today, or someone you are having a hard time getting over something they've done to you, take some time in a quiet space, talk to God. It doesn't have to be some formal Thees, and Thous type of monologue. King David, who wrote Psalms used to yell at God. Just talk. Tell God what's on your mind. As Children of God we have inherited the right as family members to tell God what's on our mind. That inheritance comes with benefits like feasting at His table.

Next week we'll get into the feast the Father had for the younger son, and what that means for us.

Have a great week,

Keep Searching,

Paul