What Do You Believe?
by Jean Conley
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Christianity Bears a Wealth of Wisdom
Christianity embodies a richness and wisdom that was revolutionary during Jesus’ lifetime and continues to nurture us today. The Judaic focus, for the most part, had been ‘an eye for an eye,’ but Jesus proposed a radical message of love and compassion:
He tells us to turn the other cheek:
"You have heard that it was said, 'an eye for an eye .' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
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He challenges us to love our enemies:
"… Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you…” Luke 6:27-28
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He advises us on how to treat one another:
””Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Luke 6:31
He stresses mercy:
“Forgive and you shall be forgiven.” Luke 6:37
Jesus envisioned a God of love, a God that accepted all people regardless of class or social standing. This message resonated with his followers so powerfully that it became the basis for a new and life-changing religion that we now know as Christianity. Yet in spite of this dynamic impetus for our faith, it is not the primary focus of the Christian faith.
What Is the Core of Christianity?
The reality is that the profound words and deeds of Jesus are not at the center of the Christian faith. Amazingly, the Christian creed is mainly focused on Jesus death and there is absolutely no mention of Jesus’ life or values here.
Following is the Christian creed, which asserts what one is traditionally required to believe in order to become a Christian:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son].
With the Father and the Son
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. AMEN
Most Christians seem very accepting of the emphasis being on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. In some congregations everyone stands and professes the creed aloud at every Sunday service. The tone is one of pride that Jesus died for us, that he actually came down from heaven to save us. Scripture tells us that the reason for this fate of Jesus was because our God loves us so much that he sent his only son to save us and his death is perceived as heroic, glorious.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Jn. 3:16
Though the death of Jesus as it is described may sound heroic and glorious, when analyzing the series of events, it presents a much different image of God than the one perceived by Jesus. It is an image that reflects:
· a God that created a people and then deemed them to be unworthy of forgiveness without a mediator;
· a God that is so unforgiving and vengeful that He required a human blood sacrifice to atone for our sins;
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· a God that felt so strongly about this that He sent his only son down to earth to be tortured and put to death.
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We are told that the reason God required his son to suffer and die on a cross is because S/he loved us so much. Hmm… This act is typically received as a benevolent gesture, but is it really? Think about it… God required a human blood sacrifice, his own son no less, in order to find it in His heart to forgive us. If he loved the world so much, then why didn’t he simply forgive us in the first place?
So there is the message of Jesus that reflects a loving God but that message has been overshadowed by the reason for Jesus’ death. This presents a dilemma of a major magnitude since the reason given reflects a vengeful God that Jesus rejected. The startling reality is that Christianity recognizes two conflicting images of God. Unless God is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, S/he cannot be both vengeful and loving. We need to do away with the contradiction and bring the focus back to the reason for the formation of Christianity: the profound message of Jesus.
Did Jesus Really Die For Our Sins?
At the heart of this dilemma is the question of how a vengeful God could have crept back into our radical religion of love? Perhaps the answer lies in the manner in which the crucifixion/resurrection story materialized. Obviously, Jesus had nothing to do with the details of the events that took place after his death. Instead, the explanation had to be developed by his followers. Though Jesus projected a compassionate God to his disciples, perhaps they were also significantly influenced by their religious background. As is true for all of us, it is difficult to let go of beliefs and traditions that have been instilled in us and practiced most of our lives.
The following information does not document the reason for the reinstatement of a vengeful God but these are clues that are factual and can therefore help us better understand how it could have happened:
· Jesus was Jewish, not Christian.
· There was no Christian church nor did he form a church while he was alive.
· After his death, his followers continued to practice Judaism.
· The Jews of those times believed in blood sacrifices, that is, the slaughtering of an unblemished lamb to atone for their sins.
· When Jesus was executed as a common criminal, his followers were pressed to come up with a justifiable reason for their God to allow him to die such a horrific and humiliating death.
Jesus’ followers, who were practicing Jews, traditionally sacrificed an unblemished lamb to atone for their sins during the Passover. What is so striking is how closely their explanation for Jesus death fits into the religious practices of that time. Thus, it is likely that they surmised God sent Jesus to earth as the Ultimate Sacrifice, not just an unblemished lamb but the Lamb of God. The clincher to this magnificent explanation was the conclusion that this perfect sacrifice would wash away all of their sins and they would never be required to make sacrifices to atone for their sins again.
Jesus’ followers did indeed come up with an explanation that gave powerful meaning to Jesus’ death, a heroic and glorious reason for his execution as a common criminal, but we are still haunted by the reality that the reason given was surmised and is also incompatible with Jesus’ picture of God. Hopefully, lightening will not strike, but perhaps God did not actually sacrifice His son as atonement for our sins. Though a radical claim, all evidence points to the very real possibility that the crucifixion/resurrection story was construed -- construed for good reason -- but nevertheless construed.
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| How dare you? |
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The Reason for the Paradigm Shift Now
Even if this scenario seems to make sense, it may still be difficult to accept. There is the very valid rationale that the crucifixion and resurrection has been a huge part of our doctrine for centuries… if the events were not accurate, why wasn’t the discrepancy discovered years ago. Though this is a logical argument, there is good reason why it has taken so long to come to this point of analysis. In past ages few people were literate and therefore simply accepted what they were told without question. To this day many individuals are told what to believe and accept the tenets as their own without much of a discernment process.
However, the number of Christians who simply accept what they are told to believe is declining. As we become more educated as a people, more individuals are questioning their faith. At one time, the doubters stayed in the closet, thinking they were unique and/or alone in their uncertainty, but this is a new age. We now have a much better means of communication and easy access to different ideas and information related to our faith. Modern technology has made it possible to conduct more accurate and detailed research and, through the use of the Internet, the masses are now able to join together without ever physically meeting.
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Each of Us Is Responsible for Our Belief System
Many Christians are under the impression that it is wrong to question their faith and rely on church authorities for the answers. Yet even though it is judicious to give a great deal of consideration to the theological background of biblical scholars, theologians, and pastors, it is also wise to trust in our own intellect and reasoning. One can have the conviction that the church knows best but, after all is said and done, each of us is responsible for our own spiritual life.
Of course, taking responsibility for our spiritual path is much more difficult than simply being told what to believe. Nevertheless, there can be dire consequences if we do not go through a discernment process of our own. To embrace the beliefs of a church – any church -- without question is to virtually trust that church with our lives. There is an expression that states ‘we have just one life to live’ and unless one believes in reincarnation, this is the reality. It is therefore in our best interest to make sure we are not just going through the motions of our faith and, ultimately, going through the motions of our life. We can certainly follow the beliefs of a church but we also need to listen within and make decisions related to our belief system that make sense to us.
A Paradigm Shift Is Emerging
The time has come… There is a movement in the church to refocus on the message of Jesus and take that message into the twenty-first century in language that makes sense to us based on what we know today about the universe. As we accumulate more and more scientific knowledge over the years, we are becoming aware of the vastness of the universe and it is much more difficult to imagine our God as a person somewhere up above. In light of what we know about our world, many individuals, including theologians and biblical scholars, perceive God as Spirit and that Spirit being present everywhere. Picture a God that exists in all of creation. Just look at the awe and wonder of a tree, a flower, a bird, a human being, yes, a human being. If we can believe that God is everywhere, then God also dwells within each and every one of us. Remarkably, Jesus seemed to have the wisdom to view people in this way and acknowledged the Divinity within each individual.
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Instead of adhering to a mentality that we are sinners, each of us should own the Divinity that is within us. If God dwells in us, we would then:
· hold our heads up high instead of bowing and asking for mercy;
· expect true joy here and now rather than accepting suffering is our fate on earth;
· and revel in our value and lovability instead of believing we are unworthy.
With this focus, we can only conclude that our capacity to love, to be fulfilled, and to reach our full potential is limitless.
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| We don't know how great we really are... |
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A paradigm shift can surely be perceived as a frightening endeavor. It is difficult to let go of beliefs that have been the foundation of our faith, even if they no longer makes sense to us. There is a tremendous amount of emphasis on the crucifixion and resurrection, complete with a liturgical season that begins with forty days of Lent. This time is intended to prepare Christians for the observance of the crucifixion and resurrection. There is then an entire week, Holy Week, that is devoted to the events that led up to the Jesus’ death and culminates with Easter, which recognizes the resurrection of Jesus. In an effort to justify the continued observance of what have been considered the most important holy days in the church, it could be argued that it is senseless to up heave such a key segment of our doctrine. Even if it is a little off focus, what harm could there be to keeping the status quo. After all, Christianity has been straddling both positions throughout history and the traditional paradigm has worked so far. Yet even though it might not seem to matter, the crucifixion/resurrection story does harm to us.
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The idea that God that would allow his son to be tortured and put to death on a cross as an atonement models for us behavior that is unforgiving, cruel, and violent. This model is just the opposite of Jesus’ message of forgiveness, compassion, and love.
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It is typically implied that we must have unquestioning faith. We are to have faith that beliefs conveyed to us through the church are the true beliefs. However this is a futile effort since it is impossible to have all the answers when it comes to faith. Rather than having an unwavering faith in our belief system, it would be much more conducive to our spiritual growth if we simply walk together as a people, listen to one another, listen to the Spirit within, and continue to evolve as a church.
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Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it.
Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held.
Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books.
Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin.
Believe nothing just because someone else believes it.
Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true.
-Buddha
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Ms. Conley is the creator of this site. She holds a Master of Theology degree in contemporary Christianity and she and her husband, Mike, conduct liturgies that reflect the Christian church of the future and also give workshops on this topic. She is currently writing a book that reflects the work of her thesis, "A Contemporary Chruistianity Based on the Historical Jesus." Jean and Mike are dedicated to promoting a new Christian paradigm and are administrators of an online university that offers contemporary theology.
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