AN OVERVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY The values of contemporary Western society are based almost entirely on the illusory perception of separation - of a Universe comprising an aggregation of separate parts, be they atoms, people, stars or galaxies. This perception of separateness and the attendant loss of insight into the essential Oneness pervading all reality has resulted in most members of contemporary human society believing that power is external (i.e. lies outside themselves and not within ) and as such must be obtained, by fair means or foul, from something or someone else. As a result of this perception most human endeavour throughout 'recorded' history (i.e. the past 5000 years) has been focussed almost entirely upon exploitation - be it of fellow humans and/or the environment at large - in the pursuit of personal wealth and self aggrandisement. Such a system has by necessity fuelled the ongoing suppression of the weak by the strong and ensured that the weak remain dependent on the powerful to fulfil their daily needs through this illusion of separateness and the attendant fear that goes with that perception. The so called 'competition of life' associated with the 'Them against Us' syndrome and the current 'Free Market' world economy is a direct result of this thinking. The deep-seated feelings of resentment engended by this process, and the tensions associated with those feelings, have resulted in dishonesty, violence and warfare becoming an endemic and accepted form of human behaviour throughout the world. Throughout its history, the Christian Church has been at the forefront of this process, often in the pursuit of secular power and wealth for rather base and venal reasons, leaving a trail of misery and destruction in its wake. 1 Contemporary Christian theology is based upon the notion that there is a fundamental separation between humans and their SOURCE (i.e. God), with the Church acting as the 'official' intermediary between God and Man through its self-appointed role of being "God's vicar on Earth". By its very nature this model of reality dis-empowers individuals and concentrates power in the hands of a few. By denying the essential ONENESS of the Universe, Christianity perpetuates a false perception of reality that is the fundamental cause of evil on Earth and in the process it divides humans into 'good' and 'evil' along with the attendant 'them' versus 'us' syndrome. In reality, there is no real separation between God and Man, as the whole Universe, including Man, is simply a expression (manifestation) of God and as such is God. The perception of separation experienced by most humans incarnating on Earth at this point 'time' is just that - a perception for the purpose of SOURCE to experience itself from within a perception of separation. (it adds realism to the Game of Separation so to speak) 2 EVIL is simply the denial or negation of 'Truth', with the primary 'truth' underpinning all reality being that everything is an expression of God. As such, the basis of all evil on Earth is the loss of insight by most humans as to their true identity, namely that they are individualised, but inseparable aspects of God. Thus for example, it is not credible that the 'left ' and 'right' hands would engage in actions to harm each other (up to an including murder) were they aware that they were part of the same body, but that is essentially the mindset embraced by the vast bulk of contemporary human society. 3 Paradoxically, whilst Christian theology accepts that the Universe was created by God and that Jesus and God are one, it sees this creation as somehow being separate from God. Perhaps those embracing conventional Christian doctrine should ask themselves: "If God created the universe but the universe is not of God, then what did God make it out of?" --- A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH Introduction There are numerous Websites and books dealing with the history of the Christian Church and whilst that history includes some notable examples of human dignity and quiet spiritual endeavour as displayed by Jesus and Saint Francis of Assisi, a significant proportion of that history represents an ugly and violently cruel side of humanity in the pursuit of secular power and wealth, and all in name of God. Examples of this sort of behaviour are legion and include the violence of the Crusades, the inhuman cruelty of the Inquisition, countless religious wars, the ruthless destruction of all pagan religions that stood in its way - especially those associated with the sacred feminine aspect of the Universe and the subtle intuitive nature of the same - and the nefarious politics of the Christian Church itself. Below is a very short account of the major events that came to define Christian theology. First Ecumenical Council 325AD Most people (and that includes most Christians) are unaware of the history of the Christian Church or that the 'official' Catholic (meaning universal) doctrine of the Church was not substantially arrived at until a council of religious leaders (from numerous religions, not just 'Christians') met at Nicaea (now Iznik, Turkey) in 325 AD to attend the First Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church. This council had been summonsed by the Byzantine (later to become Roman) pagan emperor, Constantine (?285 - 337 AD) in order to establish religious unity within the Roman empire for a whole raft of mainly secular political reasons. Constantine was closely involved in the Council's deliberations and the resulting doctrine, known as the Nicene Creed, had more to do with political expediency than theology. Needless to say, Constantine was the first Roman emperor to adopt the Creed, although interestingly enough he chose not to become a 'Christian' himself. (he was allegedly 'baptised' at his deathbed) The Nicene Creed of Christianity eventually became the 'official' religion of the Roman empire and is used in the Eucharist service of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Churches. (Source: Oxford Reference Shelf, 1994) 4 The Pauline Heresy 5 The Nicene Creed is based almost entirely on Paul's (Saul) 'alleged' interpretation of Jesus' mission on Earth, to the exclusion of all other interpretations. Many religious scholars (including the author) view Paul's interpretation of Jesus' mission as a gross distortion of the truth. More importantly, Paul's interpretation is not supported by any evidence that Jesus actually believed what Paul is alleged to have said about him or his mission. It is for this reason that Paul is considered by many as being the first heretic of the Christian Church and why his interpretation of Jesus' mission is often referred to as the "Pauline Heresy". The basic principles underlying Paul's doctrine which are questioned by numerous religious and spiritual scholars include: * The notion that Creation (the Universe) is separate from its Creator (God). Paul's theology is based on the alleged separation of humanity from God associated with (amongst other things) the fundamentalist Jewish notion of Jews being God's "chosen" race and the vilification and rejection of Lucifer. There are numerous esoteric spiritual texts regarding the Luciferin rebellion which is alleged to have occurred millions of years ago. Irrespective of whether the Luciferin rebellion actually occurred or not, the core tenet of that rebellion was that Lucifer considered himself separate from God. The great irony is that in vilifying 'Lucifer', Judaism and its offshoot, Christianity, have embraced that very tenet. 6 * The notion that Jesus died on the cross to 'save' humanity from their sins. Central to contemporary Christian theology is the notion that humanity's redemption from 'sin' and entry into Heaven rests solely with the vicarious and sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross and the personal acceptance of that doctrine by those who wish to be 'saved' through the auspices of a formal acceptance ritual (i.e. 'baptism') and 'blind faith'. The source of this doctrine rests almost entirely with Paul (Saul) who argued that the whole purpose of Jesus' mission was centred on his sacrificial death - that through the shedding of his blood, Jesus absolved the faithful of their sins allowing them to enter 'heaven' after their physical death. Paul explicitly states that humans can do nothing themselves to secure salvation - that even leading an exemplary life counts for nothing unless they personally accept the sacrifice Jesus is alleged to have made on their behalf associated with his 'death' on the cross. (Ephesians 002:008-9) It goes without saying that this doctrine requires those wishing to be 'saved' to accept the power and authority of the Church in their self appointed role as "God's vicars on Earth". 7 This rather naive, and some would say barbaric interpretation of Jesus' purpose has been embraced without proper thought by literally millions of humans throughout history because, by conferring the responsibility for personal spiritual matters to a higher authority such as the Church and accepting the doctrine without question on faith alone, it releases 'believers' from any responsibility regarding their own actions and behaviour, something many humans find very comforting. (a lazy person's path to spirituality so to speak) The problem with this doctrine is that it is not supported by any evidence - be it scientific, theological or historical - and is certainly not supported by anything Jesus is reported to have said, taught or done. Thus, this doctrine is not mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount (arguably the quintessence of Jesus' message), or the Lord's Pray, or any of the parables Jesus shared with his followers. Even more fatal to this doctrine is compelling evidence unearthed by German theological researcher, Holger Kersten, (and others) that in his youth Jesus travelled in India, studied Buddhism, adopted its tenets becoming a spiritual master and upon returning to the Middle East (Galilee), survived the crucifixion and returned to India to die there of old age. Kersten asserts Jesus is buried in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir, where he continues to be revered as a saintly man. (Source: 'Jesus Lived in India' by Holger Kersten) 8 Irrespective of whether Jesus physically survived the crucifixion or not, 9 Paul's doctrine regarding the meaning of Jesus' alleged death is nothing more than a fiction invented by someone who is well documented as being an unbalanced zealot - a person who relentlessly persecuted the followers of Jesus prior to him (as Saul) "seeing the light on the road to Damascus" and who, like a reformed smoker, then became a fanatical supporter of 'Christ' under his new name of Paul. The Pauline doctrine was readily embraced by those holding the reins of power after 325AD - not because it made good theological sense - but rather because it conferred upon them an inordinate amount of power and authority over the people they ruled, and was embraced by the general population at large because it absolved them of any responsibility they may have had for their own actions. In summary, the Nicene Creed of Christianity, which is still practised today, is the direct result of a decision by the Roman Emperor Constantine to form a State religion to satisfy secular political imperatives of his time, and in many respects the Christian Church today still reflects the inherent hypocrisy and dishonesty of that process. There is little doubt that in the course of such a process many of the deeper spiritual beliefs and insights espoused by Jesus were dispensed with as they were either misunderstood, or presented a real threat to the power and authority of both the Roman Emperor and the leadership of the early Christian Church. Perennial esoteric spiritual concepts such as the essential unity (ONENESS) of the Universe and the immortality of the Soul associated with REINCARNATION are clearly incompatible with the Nicene Creed (i.e. Paul's doctrine) as they unambiguously imply that the communion between a person and the core 'GOD' aspect of themselves (i.e. the Higher Self or Soul) is a personal and private affair, with no real place for an external clergy except as spiritual advisers. Fifth Ecumenical Council 553AD - the removal of Reincarnation from the Bible Most of the references to reincarnation were formally removed from the Christian Scriptures as a result of the 5th Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church convened by the Byzantine (Eastern Roman) Emperor Justinian at Constantinople in 553 AD. Emperor Justinian convened the council to declare reincarnation an anathema, specifically the teachings of an earlier Church leader, Origen (185-254 A.D.), and ensured the council was 'stacked' with compliant church representatives to achieve this end. Origen had spoken out in unmistakable terms on the question of the repeated incarnations of the soul. For example Origen is reported as saying "Each soul enters the world strengthened by the victories or weakened by the defects of its past lives. Its place in this world is determined by past virtues and shortcomings." (Source: De Principalis) There is some evidence that Justinian's wife, Theodora, was the driving force behind Justinian's decision to have the concept of reincarnation declared an anathema. Theodora had been a pantomime actress (and quite likely a prostitute) before she married Justinian and some religious scholars suggest that Theodora didn't like the idea of possibly having to come back and "reap" what she might have sown in attaining her high position, hence her abhorrence at the notion of reincarnation. 10 Pope Vigilius, who was in Constantinople at the time of the 5th Ecumenical Council, refused to attend the Council meetings in protest and initially refused to ratify the Council's declaration that Origen's teachings were an anathema, but eventually was forced to assent to this. He died on his way back to Rome. 11 --- JESUS or PAUL? In many respects the views of Paul are the complete antithesis to those of Jesus. There is no credible evidence that Jesus was interested in creating a formal theocracy or church based on his life or teachings - he lived by what he taught and in the process set an example for others to follow. And what he taught was toleration at all times, care for the welfare and benefit of others (both human and animals), giving and sharing, selflessness in helping others to carry the burden of their suffering and a universal and unconditional love for all - as a means of achieving perfection and breaking the cycle of karmic rebirth and returning to humanity's original purpose of being stewards overseeing the evolution of 'life' on planet Earth. In contrast to the conservative Jewish culture of his time, Jesus had an almost modern attitude towards women by treating them as equals to men. By contrast, Paul was an overt misogynist (woman hater) with a deep felt a loathing towards physical existence, the human body and sexuality. (1 Corinthians 007:034, 1 Corinthians 007:037, Galatians 005:017) Where Jesus spoke of an unconditionally loving God, Paul spoke of a wrathful God. (Colossians 003:006, Ephesians 005:006) Where Jesus spoke of tolerance and love towards others, Paul spoke of intolerance and hate. (Galatians 001:009) Out of the Good News of compassion, healing and love that Jesus brought to humanity, Paul distorted it and instead created a news story that was dark and threatening and based on fear. --- CONCLUSION This article argues that contemporary Christianity is based on a theology that is manifestly false, and demonstratively so as evidenced by the wealth scientific, theological and historical evidence now becoming available. To quote Holger Kersten from the preface to his book 'The Original Jesus.' "The Jesus mediated to us by the Church is not the true Jesus. That is an artificial construction, assembled from true and false fragments of his biography, from authentic and invalid statements, and based on a great deal of inventiveness on the part of Christian writers ... the real historical Jesus and his concerns are hidden like a portrait beneath layers of varnish added by 2000 years of church history. If we remove that varnish carefully like a restorer, without destroying the precious original, the primary colours become apparent." In conclusion, Reality is a far more sophisticated process than either contemporary Christianity or Western Science have any concept of - and a recognition of this is what is encouraging an increasing number of people to reject the concepts underlying both Western Science 12 and orthodox Christianity as they seek to re-discover who they really are and the essence of their BEING. As many can now attest, the journey back into a rediscovery of SELF is truly an awesome experience. The question I pose to people who embrace contemporary 'Christianity' (whatever that term means) is: - "why limit yourself to a concept of reality that may have had some meaning and given succour to an unsophisticated (and invariably illiterate) person a thousand years ago, but which has become meaningless (and restrictive) in the 21st century?" Article based in part on excerpts from 'Jesus Lived in India' by Holger Kersten Copyright A© Alex Paterson (November 2001)