I took a break from reading the 100-page instruction booklet in filing US taxes for the year. (This does not include the State filing, which is twice as long and twice as complex. :P) During the break, for some reason I pulled up a website I had bookmarked last June, when a friend asked me something about it.
As I read through the conversations on the forum site, it became clear to me how an ego can become rapidly inflated online, and how talking about oneself can lead to the distraction of the point one wished to make.
When I went to close the page, a new post on the forum sight caught my eye. The thread started as:
Christians, if I decide to believe in Jesus, must I also believe in Satan, angels and demons in order to assure my place in heaven?
Others had already started to reply and I read the response from the original poster to one:
I don't believe in the whole bible. I do absolutely believe in God, beyond all doubt. I had believed in Jesus beyond a reasonable doubt. But, in the past several months, I have been reading that the story of Jesus was going around the Mediterranean for a thousand years before Jesus was born. I have read the stories of others who have the characteristics of Jesus and so my belief in Jesus dropped from beyond a reasonable doubt to a possibility. I can't fathom that God would love me as much as John 3:16, but then if happenstance results in my death one minute before believing in Jesus, that God would then send me to eternal damnation. I wouldn't do that with my kids. So, what I am saying is that I have changed. I no longer believe in men, churches, or the bible, but I do see the common story of Jesus, whether he was Krishna or someone else, I think it is reasonable for God to send a special messenger. So, with my loss in faith of a real Jesus to this minimal level, and my complete loss of faith that there is a hell or a Satan, is that minimal belief sufficient for salvation? In other words, what are the absolute minimum requirements to be saved as a Christian?
For some reason, something inside me wanted to respond. Given I had just received a reinforcement lesson in how the ego gets in the way, I set aside the laptop and prayed over it before I responded. Many fellow Christians may not agree with what I said or how I said it, but I did share this with love:
I wonder if there are two questions you ask here. First you ask what is needed to be accepted as a Christian by other Christians. You will have many answers from many different people. Then you ask what is the absolute minimum requirements to be saved. The first asks what you need to convince others; the later asks what you need to do for your own personal salvation.
I will try to answer the second question to the best of my ability, and as I understand it. "Christian" simply means one who follows the Christ, or more specifically His teachings. This applies regardless if you call Him Yeshua, Yehoshua, Iosus, Jesus, Isa, or many other names the world has given him over the millenia. ("Christ" is from the Hebrew word "Messiah.")
The same question you pose above was asked of Yeshua / Jesus. His answer was a simple one: Love God & Love each other. In doing so, we also follow the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have done to you & do not do unto others that which you don't want done to you. Simplified: Help others & do no harm. The other aspect many forget but is a key point in the Lord's Prayer that He taught: Forgive one another.
If you do these things, I would consider you as a follower of Christ, a Christian. "By their fruits, you shall know them. A good tree does not produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit." I would consider Gandhi a Christian, though he was a Hindu in the eyes of humanity. He lived life as Yeshua / Jesus taught we should, and even studied His teachings. One of his quotes is a favorite of mine: "I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
In sum, accept God's Love and love all others (friends, family, enemies and even strangers). Forgive and you shall be forgiven. Hold no grudges and you are free.
Even Thomas had doubts and was given an opportunity to see. Why would Yeshua / Jesus not give the same opportunity to those who have never seen Him face-to-face?
Continue to love and forgive others, and you will see your Faith and understanding grow, even in ways you have yet to conceive. :D
Peace and blessings to you. :D
Apparently, she took my assessment to heart. Her parting words to the thread were:
Thanks "Just Me". That statement of yours is peaceful to me. I accept your answer as logical and consistent with what I know of God and Jesus. I am going with that. Post closed as far as I am concerned.
Now I have an internal debate I must face. Did I do the right thing? Was I placating her, leading her away from my dear Brother Yeshua, or was I leading her back to His loving arms?
Yes, there is a narrow path indeed. I am plagued with doubts on one side and trying to keep a rein on my ego on the other. One thing that Yeshua has taught me does help with this, though. I know more in how to read my emotions. If I am calm, my thoughts are correct. If I am anxious, fearful or despairing, I've cut myself from Him and God. Well, not so much "cut" but a temporary disconnect that can be rapidly re-established faster than a redial. It's just a matter of putting aside my incorrect perception and asking the Spirit within, "What is the right way to see this?"
Doing so in this case, I discover much of my doubts are from too many years under the doctrines of the Church. Things must be done a certain way and a list of rules must be obeyed. But my statement above is the Truth. Keep it simple.
Love God
Love Each Other
Forgive
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