05-29-2008, 07:17 AM
A theology cut off from the Living God too easily becomes a rigid, impersonal structure behind which the church barricades itself.
(Biblical Hermeneutics, 1996, Broadman & Holman Publishers)
Is this statement a true indication of the direction that organized religion is taking? I don't know!
At this point, we need to ask; Why do the seminaries want preachers to consider different views and to teach based on an expanded awareness?"
Maybe it is the discoveries and publication for the general public of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi Library Scrolls, and the Corpus Hermeticum, and other ancient documents which serve to amplify the Bible, predate it or contradict it.
Maybe it is the gaining popularity of Pagan religions, eastern teachings; Yoga, Hinduism, and Buddhism, all of which predate Christianity. Maybe it is the growing influence of Islam.
Maybe it is the growing number of individuals who want to discover the Truth, wherever it can be found and reject the limited restrictive views offered by many of the churches.
These and many other influences are having a profound effect on what the Churches can get people to believe. Churches can no longer expect people to blindly follow what they are told.
On top of all this: Compared with the most accurate translations of scriptural scrolls now known, they have discovered that even the best English translation of the Bible has 1,450 known errors in the New Testament alone. Some translations have 11,500 places of variations or errors. Because of this, the seminary now recommends that a minister consult at least 6 different translations of the Bible, plus a Concordance, a Bible Dictionary, and related texts from other faiths when trying to learn the meaning of any scriptural passage.
This being so, Churches cannot ignore the abundance of new information that is now available to the general public. Churches can no longer ignore the questions and divergent beliefs of the members of their community.
Churches need to promote and accentuate the similarities found in the diverse faiths and belief systems, not the differences.
In the past and even today, disenchantment with existing doctrines leads to many different sects and religions being formed. On a smaller scale, disenchantment leads to divisions within church congregations and to lack of tolerance in the practices of others. It has also led to many individuals leaving the churches altogether.
New understandings and advancements in all types of knowledge have led to questions which many churches will not or can not answer. Churches need to meet this opportunity head-on and not try to suppress divergent views. We must recognize that no - one has all the answers, but still we need to ask the questions. We cannot say that God only spoke to one people at one point in time and we have an exclusive to all his teachings. If we do we are limiting what the One God could and did do.
The churches as well as we as individuals are at a cross-roads looking for answers.
We are all looking for a better way; a way to incorporate a spiritual understanding into our modern life-style; a way to make the world a better place; and a way to make our lives more meaningful and fulfilling.
Where do we begin?
Since the beginning of humanity, many systems, teachings and techniques have been developed and taught to aid individuals in overcoming problems and to increase our understanding of the One.
Because of our lack of understanding or ignorance, we have turned these systems and techniques into religions which have become rigid structures of beliefs instead of stepping stones or training devises in our spiritual development.
We have tried to freeze for all eternity the words of the teachers and prophets, the words of God or the teachings of God into fixed systems as if God no longer discloses Himself to us or talks to us or walks with Humanity.
In the past 50 years -- maybe in just the past 10 to 20 years, we have been given a wake up call ----- Information that was kept secret has been released to the general public, thanks to modern technology.
In the Nag Hammadi Library scrolls, we are given a different version of creation without the Supreme God being the creator of this world, but permitting it to be created and then putting life meaning His essence or spirit into each created being to be discovered on an individual basis. These scrolls lead into the book of Genesis as we know it but, if accepted, would change the total interpretation of the Christian faith system.
Let's now turn for a moment to the Corpus Hermeticum.
The Corpus Hermeticum is the pagan Bible recognized by the Muslim faith as a revealed scripture to the Sabeans, or the pagans of Harran in Northern Mesopotamia. It gives us even more additional knowledge. This scripture is attributed to Hermes or Thoth of the Egyptians and is one of the oldest known written scriptures.
Many Arab scholars identify Hermes with Enoch, and his teacher Agathos Diamon with Seth, the son of Adam.
Patrizzi petitioned Pope Gregory XIV to have the Corpus Hermeticum taught everywhere, and to recognize it as a part of the Canon of the Christian faith. He regarded the Hermetica as one of the most effective instruments that could bring about the restoration of the True Religion.
Still today, however, few people realize that these scriptures exist. But, Much of St John is based on these works. Many of the teachings of the ancient Vedas and Upanishads of Hinduism could be based on or been inspired by these texts. Many of the teachings of Jesus are taken almost word for word out of these texts. Even the teachings of Buddha can be related to the text.
The point here is that no world religion or no world philosophy originated in a vacuum. The people of the ancient world did know and assimilate teachings and beliefs from all over the earth. They took what they found; saw what they could learn from it; incorporated the good parts into their system and discarded or set aside those parts which did not seem plausible to their world view.
Religion then was fluid and as conditions changed, and new knowledge was gained, the religions modified and grew to incorporate that new condition or new knowledge.
We need to do this same thing today to make ours a living faith.
Ancient religions were not the static systems that we know today. We need to realize that Religion was never intended to be a static structure.
Where does this leave us?
We can spend all our lives reviewing ancient manuscripts, searching for answers in the deep past and then reassembling the Truth teachings from all over the world or we can realize that the basis we are looking for lies within us.
We are told in many teachings, the Bible included, that the true teachings of God; the scriptures written without the hand of man are written in our hearts by the hand of God. Other scriptures tell us that our hearts connect us to the Light, which is the Mind of God. Several tell us that these teachings or the teachings we need to know as individuals are revealed to us on an individual basis through our dreams and our intuition.
When we listen --- God will speak to us; aid us, and furnish us with the appropriate information, at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way. But we have to listen; We have to be open to the information; We have to really want to learn and then to use what we have learned.
As we use what we have and know; Applying it in the way we live on a daily basis, then and only then will we be given more.
This is the teaching.
What are the alternatives? There are only two that I have found. Learn and grow or close the mind to learning and stagnate in ignorance. To learn and grow is to become enlightened and to remain in ignorance is to stay in suffering and to continually repeat the same mistakes over and over again until we learn and grow.
With love,
Rev Dorris
(Biblical Hermeneutics, 1996, Broadman & Holman Publishers)
Is this statement a true indication of the direction that organized religion is taking? I don't know!
At this point, we need to ask; Why do the seminaries want preachers to consider different views and to teach based on an expanded awareness?"
Maybe it is the discoveries and publication for the general public of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Nag Hammadi Library Scrolls, and the Corpus Hermeticum, and other ancient documents which serve to amplify the Bible, predate it or contradict it.
Maybe it is the gaining popularity of Pagan religions, eastern teachings; Yoga, Hinduism, and Buddhism, all of which predate Christianity. Maybe it is the growing influence of Islam.
Maybe it is the growing number of individuals who want to discover the Truth, wherever it can be found and reject the limited restrictive views offered by many of the churches.
These and many other influences are having a profound effect on what the Churches can get people to believe. Churches can no longer expect people to blindly follow what they are told.
On top of all this: Compared with the most accurate translations of scriptural scrolls now known, they have discovered that even the best English translation of the Bible has 1,450 known errors in the New Testament alone. Some translations have 11,500 places of variations or errors. Because of this, the seminary now recommends that a minister consult at least 6 different translations of the Bible, plus a Concordance, a Bible Dictionary, and related texts from other faiths when trying to learn the meaning of any scriptural passage.
This being so, Churches cannot ignore the abundance of new information that is now available to the general public. Churches can no longer ignore the questions and divergent beliefs of the members of their community.
Churches need to promote and accentuate the similarities found in the diverse faiths and belief systems, not the differences.
In the past and even today, disenchantment with existing doctrines leads to many different sects and religions being formed. On a smaller scale, disenchantment leads to divisions within church congregations and to lack of tolerance in the practices of others. It has also led to many individuals leaving the churches altogether.
New understandings and advancements in all types of knowledge have led to questions which many churches will not or can not answer. Churches need to meet this opportunity head-on and not try to suppress divergent views. We must recognize that no - one has all the answers, but still we need to ask the questions. We cannot say that God only spoke to one people at one point in time and we have an exclusive to all his teachings. If we do we are limiting what the One God could and did do.
The churches as well as we as individuals are at a cross-roads looking for answers.
We are all looking for a better way; a way to incorporate a spiritual understanding into our modern life-style; a way to make the world a better place; and a way to make our lives more meaningful and fulfilling.
Where do we begin?
Since the beginning of humanity, many systems, teachings and techniques have been developed and taught to aid individuals in overcoming problems and to increase our understanding of the One.
Because of our lack of understanding or ignorance, we have turned these systems and techniques into religions which have become rigid structures of beliefs instead of stepping stones or training devises in our spiritual development.
We have tried to freeze for all eternity the words of the teachers and prophets, the words of God or the teachings of God into fixed systems as if God no longer discloses Himself to us or talks to us or walks with Humanity.
In the past 50 years -- maybe in just the past 10 to 20 years, we have been given a wake up call ----- Information that was kept secret has been released to the general public, thanks to modern technology.
In the Nag Hammadi Library scrolls, we are given a different version of creation without the Supreme God being the creator of this world, but permitting it to be created and then putting life meaning His essence or spirit into each created being to be discovered on an individual basis. These scrolls lead into the book of Genesis as we know it but, if accepted, would change the total interpretation of the Christian faith system.
Let's now turn for a moment to the Corpus Hermeticum.
The Corpus Hermeticum is the pagan Bible recognized by the Muslim faith as a revealed scripture to the Sabeans, or the pagans of Harran in Northern Mesopotamia. It gives us even more additional knowledge. This scripture is attributed to Hermes or Thoth of the Egyptians and is one of the oldest known written scriptures.
Many Arab scholars identify Hermes with Enoch, and his teacher Agathos Diamon with Seth, the son of Adam.
Patrizzi petitioned Pope Gregory XIV to have the Corpus Hermeticum taught everywhere, and to recognize it as a part of the Canon of the Christian faith. He regarded the Hermetica as one of the most effective instruments that could bring about the restoration of the True Religion.
Still today, however, few people realize that these scriptures exist. But, Much of St John is based on these works. Many of the teachings of the ancient Vedas and Upanishads of Hinduism could be based on or been inspired by these texts. Many of the teachings of Jesus are taken almost word for word out of these texts. Even the teachings of Buddha can be related to the text.
The point here is that no world religion or no world philosophy originated in a vacuum. The people of the ancient world did know and assimilate teachings and beliefs from all over the earth. They took what they found; saw what they could learn from it; incorporated the good parts into their system and discarded or set aside those parts which did not seem plausible to their world view.
Religion then was fluid and as conditions changed, and new knowledge was gained, the religions modified and grew to incorporate that new condition or new knowledge.
We need to do this same thing today to make ours a living faith.
Ancient religions were not the static systems that we know today. We need to realize that Religion was never intended to be a static structure.
Where does this leave us?
We can spend all our lives reviewing ancient manuscripts, searching for answers in the deep past and then reassembling the Truth teachings from all over the world or we can realize that the basis we are looking for lies within us.
We are told in many teachings, the Bible included, that the true teachings of God; the scriptures written without the hand of man are written in our hearts by the hand of God. Other scriptures tell us that our hearts connect us to the Light, which is the Mind of God. Several tell us that these teachings or the teachings we need to know as individuals are revealed to us on an individual basis through our dreams and our intuition.
When we listen --- God will speak to us; aid us, and furnish us with the appropriate information, at the appropriate time and in the appropriate way. But we have to listen; We have to be open to the information; We have to really want to learn and then to use what we have learned.
As we use what we have and know; Applying it in the way we live on a daily basis, then and only then will we be given more.
This is the teaching.
What are the alternatives? There are only two that I have found. Learn and grow or close the mind to learning and stagnate in ignorance. To learn and grow is to become enlightened and to remain in ignorance is to stay in suffering and to continually repeat the same mistakes over and over again until we learn and grow.
With love,
Rev Dorris