Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Christ Isn´t Only In the Bible

Patric Hof @Je Rei So you’re suggesting that Christ isn’t experienced outside of what is written in the Bible?
Je Reim Patric Hof No, but how could we recognize our experience of Christ without the revelation of the Bible?
Patric Hof Jef Reim Well certainly Christ is prepared for, described, and historically quoted in the Bible. But the presence of Christ is timeless. His presence can be, and still is, experienced in our lives—and not just Christian lives.
Mark Rego Monte I´m an outsider raised on the US inside, and was guided by the desire to help and learn the truth of how after beginning to touch lightly on theism in the Chinese Tao and UUism´s vague acknowledgement of people´s "spiritual path." My US-based Brazilian dad was ex-Catholic atheist and pro-education, and my mom German-born agnostic. As I engaged with Christianity, I did it beginning with a powerful basis in the 12 step group Recovery Movement (and its strong psychotherapeutic and smooth spiritual basis) and holistics that made Christian Science´s approach to God´s healing "power" (actually "reality") and presence through Jesus and the Bible palatable. UUism´s flexible openness has maintained it as my primary approach, and altogether justified my values in education and eco-social justice. Universities and not-for-profit soc justice have a high integrity basis as Jesus´ legacy, that has been allowed to fragment, but perhaps necessarily. It is post Reformation, Enlightenment, and University-based society that now holds Jesus´ legacy in a kind of lopsided suspension, and with churches and their doctrines, it is all like the elephant and the blind monks while Jesus (and his high integrity legacy) names it as the elephant. Psychosomatic Medicine´s labwork is the tip of an iceberg, and Greenpeace, Oxfam, food co-ops, and credit unions, all crying for their mommy Jesus, to put it lightly. The Prodigal Son parable (Luke 15:11) itself merely suggests that it is only the sinning outsider who needs Jesus and God by returning, incorrectly. Yes, that is a possibility, but only one angle. The non-Jewish woman story who implores Jesus to heal her daughter, is told that the bread is for the "children," not the dogs. She replies that the crumbs are still good enough for the dogs! Jesus is struck by the lightning of her faith. (Matt 15:26). Jesus himself has expanded his vision and learned in God´s world thanks to an outsider. Peter and Pauls´ own expanded visions come later, each with his own relevant lessons. The lesson is spectacularly demonstrated by FD and Eleanor Roosevelts´ visions for the United Nations. Indeed, Jesus´ image and many Christians have to be freed and reintroduced to Jesus´ existing legacy and the real meaning of high integrity that challenges profiteering business´ and mechanistic science´s pretenses, devious or otherwise misguided.

No comments:

Post a Comment