What Christians Believe
- From: "CMH" <matthawkins404@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 25 Nov 2005 14:01:18 -0800
Christianity pivots on the following key points of understanding:
* The Universe is an intelligent affair of intention and design rather
than randomness.
* The origin of this universe of intelligence and design is both
spiritual and personalistic (i.e. subjective) known to us as "God."
* Above all this subjective being is self-expressed in cognitive and
spiritual passion (agape - unconditional love and creativity).
* Human beings are created in the cognitive image of this subjective
being, who is the only source of human self-actualization.
* As distinct from other beings, humanity is "free" to become alienated
from ourselves by denying our true identity and knowledge of our
creator.
* Ironically, when humanity exercises this "freedom" we become slaves
to the false "gods" we create out of our lifeless possessions, passions
and obsessions.
* Such "gods" always let us down.
* Out of love for humanity, and a desire to liberate us from our folly,
our creator (the Wisdom of the universe) became human, in the person of
Jesus the Christ.
* In this physical form Jesus suffered the fate of all of those who
have tried to call unwelcome attention to humanity's ongoing state of
rebellion against his origins and his true identity.
* Through his death and resurrection, Jesus re-established the link
between humanity and our creator.
* The person of Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, continues to reach out
to humanity and to call us to our senses through awareness of our true
identity as sons and daughters of our creator -- the living God.
* The Christian community (the Church) has become the body of Christ
through the ages, charged with responsibility to be the faithful,
ongoing expression of the love and wisdom of our creator and to
minister to humanity's physical and spiritual needs.
To examine these points more closely, Christians believe that the
Universe is an intelligent affair and not a mindless affair. Christians
believe that there is an underlying intelligence, purpose and
personality behind all physical phenomena. This is illustrated at the
beginning of the Book of Genesis:
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the
earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the
deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." (Genesis
1:1-2)
Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah (Christ) and
the incarnation of the divine intelligence and love present in the
universe. The Apostle John explains:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things
were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was
life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1: 1-4)
John was careful to note that the Wisdom of the universe was widely
rejected, never even comprehended, by humanity:
"The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not
understood it." (John 1:5)
Even before the birth of Jesus, Wisdom was rejected by humanity, as
David illustrates in the Book of Proverbs:
Wisdom calls aloud in the street,
she raises her voice in the public
squares;
at the head of the noisy streets she
cries out;
in the gateways of the city she
makes her speech:
"How long will you simple ones
love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in
mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
If you had responded to my rebuke,
I would have poured out my heart
to you
and made my thoughts known to
you'." (Proverbs 1: 20-23)
>>From the beginning Wisdom has gone in pursuit of human kind. Humanity
rejects Wisdom because we are often confused by our attachment to
transitory things. We attempt to cling to things that fade even as we
pursue them. We are confused in a world of constant changes. There is
an underlying order, however, behind all of the changes. This is
described by the teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes:
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity
under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to
uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to
build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to
dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time
to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to
refrain,
a time to search and a time to give
up,
a time to keep and a time to throw
away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to
speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
This order lies beyond all conventional wisdom. Despite the fact that
many who call themselves Christians seem to have turned Christianity
into a vehicle for conformity, "respectability," and maintenance of
the status quo, I am always impressed by the fact that when the Word
became flesh he was an outcast and was rejected. As Simeon prophesized
to Mary when Jesus, as a baby, was presented in the temple:
"This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many...and
to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many
hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too."
(Luke 2: 34-35)
The incarnate Wisdom of the universe was born into very humble
conditions indeed. His mother, Mary, never faltered in her humility and
her understanding that the proud, the rich and the powerful must
ultimately submit to justice and the Truth of the Spirit:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
>>From now on all generations will call
me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great
things for me -
holy is his name.
His mercy extends to those who fear
him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds
with his arm;
he has scattered those who are
proud in their inmost
thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from
their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good
things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendents
forever,
even as he said to our fathers."
(Luke 1:46-55)
Jesus was born homeless, to an unwed mother, in a working class family,
soon to be refugees in exile, and he would ultimately be imprisoned and
sentenced to death by the state.
He was also the center of controversy and opposition by the clergy and
religious scholars, and he associated with people who were not
considered respectable, including prostitutes, the poor and minorities.
He was betrayed by one from his inner-circle.
The teachings of Jesus are counter-intuitive to conventional wisdom.
Like all times (ours included) people at the time of Jesus' birth
were looking for a thunder god - a god of anger, wrath and
uncompromising displays of raw power. Jesus presented a much different
picture:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Blessed are those who morn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and
thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of
righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. (Matthew 5: 3-10)
Jesus reminded his followers to get their priorities straight. Rather
than prioritizing worldliness, Jesus' focus was on spiritual
nourishment:
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole
body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body
will be full of darkness. If the light within you is darkness, how
great is that darkness!
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve both God and Money." (Matthew 6: 19-24)
The orientation of Jesus toward the life of the spirit is severely
tested when he is tried and executed on the cross. Throughout the trial
and the journey to his execution he is tortured and humiliated. The
mass of popular opinion is against him. There were moments on the cross
in which he identified with ontological alienation. Jesus recites the
introduction to Psalm of David, who asks why God has abandoned him:
My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving
me,
so far from the words of my
groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you
do not answer,
by night, and am not silent...
All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their
heads:
"He trusts in the Lord;
let the Lord rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him..."
I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of
my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled
me,
they have pierced my hands and
my feet.
I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
They divide my garments among
them
and cast lots for my clothing. (Psalm 22: 1-2; 7-8; 14-18)
Nonetheless he invites us to take up our personal and collective
crosses and to follow him; to walk the paths that he walked and to
share in his joys and suffering. He reminds us that we must be united
with him in order to actualize our human potential, which extends
beyond our biological constitution to the depths of our spirit.
By his death and resurrection, Jesus bridges the gap between God and
humanity; a gap created when we turn our back on our very nature in
which we were created in the image of our creator, as explained in the
Book of Genesis: "So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God he created him; male and female he created them." (Genesis
1:27)
Jesus taught that the world, which has repeatedly rejected divine
wisdom - from the prophets all the way up to Jesus himself -, would
surely reject and persecute those who are followers of the Christ, but
this should not discourage us:
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you
belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do
not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. This
is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No
servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will
persecute you also..." (John 15: 18-20)
By his death and resurrection Christ becomes united with us if we are
open to receive him.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I
in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If
anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away
and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned." (John 15: 5-6)
In the end, Christians believe that human beings will not find rest
until they find rest in God. Until we place the life of the spirit as
the center of our priorities we will be tossed about by many passions
and obsessions. We may seek security in the things we own or try to
control, but we will soon find that that which we possess possesses us.
We will pursue many things that will ultimately fail us.
Because the Word became flesh, and suffered persecution and rejection
as he witnessed to the truth, he is not distant or removed from the
suffering and alienation of the human condition. When we allow Jesus to
become a part of us, the relationship between the Church and Christ is
not unlike that expressed by David in the 23rd Psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not
be in want.
He makes me lie down in green
pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.
He guides me in the paths of
righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow
of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow
me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the
Lord
forever. (Psalm 23)
All cited Biblical passages were taken from the New International
Version of the Old and New Testaments, International Bible Society
(1984).
.
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