CHRIST CONSCIOUSNESS
This is a difficult page for me to write because I may lose a few friends in the process ... and who wants to lose friends, right? Sounds a bit like politics, doesn't it? "If you want to keep the peace, don't talk religion or politics!" But God has put me in this seat, and to Him I say, "Thy will be done." Just remember this ... we are ALL on the same journey ... towards enlightment, Christ Consciousness, and ultimate oneness with the Creator. But we are all taking different paths. We have different circumstances, make different choices, and experience different joys, different pain. We have different ways of worship, and we "evolve" at a different pace and on different "levels."
So if the beliefs that you hold in your heart and soul at this very moment are your TRUTH, then you should not feel angered or threatened by mine. Hopefully you will not judge or feel the need to defend your beliefs because TRUTH needs no defending. It speaks for itself. You may not agree or see things the same way, but hopefully you'll be humble enough to listen ... that's wisdom ... knowing that you don't have all the answers, that you will continue to learn and do good works.
My father, a staunch Catholic, could sit in the same room and listen to my challenges, my criticisms, and my revelations without feeling the least bit threatened by them. He could overlook the "faults" of his own religion and extract the good. I, however, had an inability to do that. I JUST HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT JESUS. But Dad would simply say, "Sandra, I'm 80 years old and I've loved God my whole life. My faith has got me this far, and I'm okay with it. But I sure do admire your zeal!" He was content in his faith and he knew exactly how to respect mine. God, how I miss him! With that said, this is MY TRUTH ... and I'm sticking to it!
Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a pretty free spirit ... a bit of a rebel ... or as some have called me, a "warrior." I'm passionate about God, and there is nothing more important to me. I don't believe in something just because I'm told that it's the truth ... not even from my own parents. First of all, it has to make sense to me. Secondly, I have to know in my gut (SOUL, actually) that it's true. And if I don't know, then I simply have to study it, live it, and learn from it. Knowledge and widsom will come ... in God's time. I've spent my entire life searching for TRUTH. I've endured many hardships and experienced a whole lot of pain. Trial by fire, that's me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I've lived life to the fullest ... I thank GOD for that ... and I'm not done yet!
I was raised Catholic. I did eight years (sounds like jail time) of elementary school with nuns in black habits and stoic, monotone-speaking priests. I went to church every Sunday and every Holy Day of Obligation. I went to Stations of the Cross and fasted every Friday during Lent. I went to confession at least twice a month, and I owned about ten pretty rosary beads. Oh yes, belief in the Good Lord was "pounded" into me from an early age. And you know what? I'm okay with that. I survived it (lol). I have no regrets, and I will always thank my parents for doing exactly what God commissioned them to do ... teach faith. They gave me "roots." My parents were awesome.
After grade school, I attended weekly "confraternity" classes because the Catholic high school had shut down. Learning was more of the same ... Bible study, Gospels, Proverbs, Psalms, the Ten Commandments ... mostly repetition of the previous eight years. The best thing about those classes was our teacher, a very popular priest named Father Stan, who actually practiced what he preached, treated his students with kindness, and always had a pocketful of tootsie rolls. He was a great man.
But it was during high school that I really started "questioning" things. I mean even as a young girl, I had questions ... but I never really started voicing them until I was older. I was confused by a lot of the legalism and dogma of Catholicism; and I was turned off by the "sins of the Fathers", the coldness of the Nuns, the monotonous church services, the neverending rules and ceremonies. So after I turned eighteen and left home, I began studying other religions like Mormon, Judaism, Southern Baptist, and Adventist ... to name a few. I read the Bible twice, the Koran once, and even some of the Torah, searching for answers. I enjoyed learning about the faith of others, and I sifted through the precepts of their religions. I had many revelations and "wow" moments, but I still didn't feel "settled" in my own TRUTH. What I DID come to believe, however, was that if a person was searching for God, through a loving channel, then he or she would "get there." Religion didn't matter. And I still believe that today.
In the year 2000 I finally found a wonderful Christian church in Placerville, California, that I could call "home." The services were electric, full of high energy and powerful music. The messages were meaningful, and fellowship was warm and welcoming. That church was all about love and community service, which was just fine by me. So I settled into a happy rhythm and attended services twice a week. After six months of intense training, I became a Stephen Minister (crisis counselor) for the Church; and I did that for eight years. It was one of the most rewarding, albeit painful, things I ever did in my life. Walking alongside women in crisis is a very heavy burden because you hurt for them; but watching them come through their trauma and into a better life is the absolute best. It's like seeing the moth become a butterfly. I felt the presence of God often during that time, in my aloneness when I was weary, and with these women, praying or rejoicing. It was magic.
But, during those eight years, there remained the same little "nagging" questions, those teachings that just didn't sit well in my heart and soul ... that familiar feeling that something just wasn't right. I know my son felt it too because we discussed it. He had the same questions:
What do you mean Jesus died for our sins? If that were true, then anyone could keep "sinning" and continually hand it over to Jesus. What would that teach us? Shouldn't we be accountable for our own misdeeds?
What do you mean Jesus is the only Son of God? If that were true, then what am I? What is anyone? Surely a loving God, who created all men in His own likeness, could not favor one soul over another.
What do you mean that as long as we accept Jesus before we die, we will go to Heaven? If that were true, then criminals like Hitler and Jeffrey Dahmer could keep doing their evil deeds; and then on the day of their death, simply say, "I believe in Jesus," and be "saved." Would it be "just" that they so easily end up in the same place as Mother Teresa?
What do you mean only Christians are saved? If that were true, then all the other millions of good people in the world wouldn't stand a chance. What about those who were never introduced to Christianity? What about those who worship the same God, but in a different way? Would a loving God say one is better than the other? Would a loving God ever condemn an entire population?
What do you mean we have only this life to get everything right? If that were true, wouldn't we be discouraged all the time? What about the children? I mean even as adults we are still learning. Would a loving God really limit us to a "one and done" prospect?
And what about hell? ... that place of "fire and brimstone" ... the eternal damnation? Surely a loving God wouldn't instill FEAR into the hearts and minds of the souls He created.
Don't get me wrong ... I embraced the "all about love" teachings of Christianity ... I still do. That's why I stayed so long. "Love God and Love Thy Neighbor." That is really all the teaching we ever need to know, in a nutshell, right? But it's the "elitism" of Christianity and the skewed interpretation of Jesus Christ that I could not come to terms with. As far as I'm concerned, Jesus (I like to call him Yeshua) was the greatest, most impactful human being that ever walked the Earth. I would never "deny" that. He was the perfect example of living as one with God. But there were others as well; and it is known that during the unaccounted years of Jesus' early life, He went to the East to study with those Masters. They kept their own records of His learning, His innate wisdom, and His Godliness.
So let's take a look at the questions I carried around with me for so many years. I'm going to answer them to the best of my ability based on my "works" and my own experiences. God, give me the right words.
"Jesus Died for our Sins."
I never understood where this teaching came from. I can only summize that it was written by men looking for a reason that appealed to the masses, an easy means of explaining away one of the greatest wrongs of mankind. Remember, the Bible was written by ordinary men; and you can't always believe what you read. Much of it is truth; but after so many translations and interpretations, a lot of it is skewed indeed.
Jesus never said, "I'm going to be scourged and hung on a cross, and then all of your sins, now and in the future, will be forgiven as a result." Jesus died because He chose to spread the TRUTH, which was unwelcome by those who controlled the churches and the people of that time. He knew exactly what was going to happen, but spreading the message was more important to Him than his own life. To believe that one man, albeit the most Holy Man, holds all accountability for every other man's deeds just doesn't make any sense. It takes away each soul's God-given right and earthly opportunity for learning and growth; and believing in that teaching is, to me, just an "easy way out."
God created every single one of us with the gift of FREE WILL; and in exercising it, we make choices that cause both joy and pain, not only to ourselves, but to others. If we do harm, the goodness within us (SOUL) WANTS to correct it, to make it right. That is the individual soul's own "atonement," and it belongs to no one else.
What the death of Jesus DID signify, however, was a glorious "shift" in mankind's thinking ... from the fearsome teachings of the Old Testament (an angry, jealous God ... an "eye for an eye") to the teachings of love and forgiveness in the New Testament. And we have Jesus Christ to thank for that!
"Jesus is the Son of God."
Yes indeed, Jesus is the Son of God, no denying that. But Jesus never said, "I am the ONLY son of God." He said, "I and the Father are ONE." And that is the biggest lesson that you and I, as souls, were sent to Earth to learn ... that we too are ONE with the Father. Just as the rays of sun are all part of the same Sun, we are ALL sons and daughters of the Creator. No one soul is above another in God's eyes But one soul, as in the case of Jesus, can simply "shine brighter" and be more evolved; and therefore, be chosen to teach and spread TRUTH, which is what He did. God said, "This is my son, in whom I am well pleased," and rightfully so. Jesus also demonstrated to us that death is not the end of our journey. So remember: God created the family structure for humankind to live within. But the eternal family is ONE, with countless sons and daughters.
In order to be "saved," you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.
This "requirement" never made any sense to me. I have loved Jesus and His teachings my whole life, and it felt "silly" to me to think or say that verbatim. I've never seen any evidence that Jesus uttered those words, and I'm convinced that it is just another misinterpretation by simple men (Paul mostly) with pens in their hands. I believe Jesus meant that it's His teachings, the One consciousness, that we must accept ... not the actual "man." I mean what about the Native Americans who called the Creator "Grandfather" and had no knowledge of Jesus Christ? They honored God and Mother Earth better than most cultures. Would they get to the pearly gates and be halted by Jesus, with His arms outstretched, saying, "Believe in me or you cannot enter!" No Way! And what is "saved" anyhow? To me, that implies that we were all condemned from the start. What loving Father would do that? NO! God is PERFECT, and therefore, God would not create one single soul to fail. Can you picture God up there creating souls and saying, "This one will be good, take the right path, and come home." or "This one will be bad, perform heinous deeds, and go straight to hell." That is so ludicrous that it's actually funny.
Friends, we will ALL get there ... yes, even the worst of us. It's a LONG, LONG journey. And if you've done terrible things, it's even LONGER. So why not get on board? There's a beautiful, collective "awakening" happening all over the world right now. Accept your truth and do your part to help. Spread love, forgive, set a holy example, and judge not ... because every single soul, you and I included, WILL get home ... eventually.
Christians are the Chosen Ones:
This is religious "elitism." For a brief time I really believed that I was something "special" because I was part of the only religion in the world that would be "saved." Oh yes, my Ego was quite satisfied with that one, and I felt a deep sadness for all the millions of souls in the world who had it all wrong.
But after meeting so many God-loving people from other religions, I quickly realized that there was no way that they were any "less than me" in God's eyes. These "others" were doing far more in the way of outreach and spreading the word (as they knew it) and exhibiting love in their daily lives. I was humbled by their works. And it was always easy to talk with them because we simply stayed on "common ground," which was that we believed and loved the One God. There was mutual respect, and we didn't try to convert one another into believing or worshipping in the same way.
I think where the Christian misconception originated was from the biblical verse that quoted Jesus saying, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." I've always loved those words; and again, I'm going to reiterate that what Jesus meant was not through the actual man, but through His teachings and the "ONE" consciousness. You have to realize that Jesus spoke in Aramaic, a Galilean dialect, and that His words, after many translations, may not be exactly the way He meant them.
There were many religions before Jesus Christ walked the earth, so what happened to those God-loving souls? You can't tell me that God condemned an entire population because they just happened to be born before the real one came along. There were many Holy men before Jesus ... Moses, Noah, Abraham, Buddha, Krishna ... who all spread knowledge of the One God ... and that was long before Christianity. And there are many enlightened beings on the earth today, the Dalai Lama and other Masters, who do not profess Christianity. "Religions are usually dengenerations of truth and confuse the issue. Blind acceptance of any tenet or individual as a source of spiritual knowledge is spiritually destructive, including demands for exclusivity of any religion or teacher."
But Christians aren't the only ones who call themselves "chosen." Other religions do the same thing. They express that the only "Way" is through their own figurehead, and they believe in their faith as strongly as any Christian does. So who are we to say which one is right? ... because none of them are. And what does it matter anyway? The important thing is that we spread the message of love and forgiveness throughout the world. In the end, all that matters is that we, as Souls, are striving to know God ... because, guess what, We are ALL "chosen."
"This is the Only Life ... After that, it's Heaven or Hell."
That has got to be the most discouraging thought of all thoughts ever! As a little girl, I used to say, "I better hurry up and get it "right" before I die. I hope I don't die before that!" What an awful way to live, with that fear in your heart. Where did that way of thinking ever come from?
I think this misconception was used as a "tool" to get people to make the "right" choices. "If you do wrong, you go to hell. If you do right, you go to Heaven." This is such an "elementary" way of thinking. It's never been that simple, and it certainly isn't a JUST way to go about living. Life is not so "cut and dry." You make choices, you suffer the consequences, and you learn by them so you can do better. Sometimes you die by them. Does that mean you're all done? Now you end up at the pearly gates or at the firepit of hell saying, "But I made a mistake! Please give me another chance!" and God saying, "Well, no, that was your one shot." Come on! Even human beings give each other chances. Surely a loving God would do the same. In fact, surely a loving God would do it hundreds or thousands of times over!
It's a well-known fact that some of the writers of the Bible intentionally left out chapters about reincarnation. Those books were discovered quite a while ago. Again, I can only summize that it was out of FEAR, the inability to explore something they couldn't or didn't want to understand. They probably assumed that it didn't pertain to what they were trying to get across with the teachings of the Bible. But it does ... even the resurrection of Jesus Christ proves that!
The belief that this life is "one and done" makes no sense at all, and we'll explore why on another page.
"Hell is Fire and Brimstone ... Eternal Damnation."
I don't know about you, but this description really scared the heck out of me! I grew up with vivid images of the Catholic "hell" ... huge flames of fire, red devils with horns flying around, miserable people sitting all over the place, just wailing and moaning. I had to look up the word "brimstone" 'cuz I didn't know what it meant ... it means sulphur, so hell was stinky too! If eternal damnation was meant to scare me into behaving, it surely worked (for a while lol).
This interpretation of hell does not exist and it never has. It is the stuff of horror movies and wild imaginations. Again, it was used as a "tool" to incite good behavior. The real "hell", if you want to call it that, is the temporary state of separation from God. It is a person's own misery caused by his or her distortions of what their real purpose is. Hell is just a description, a state of being. It's not an actual place. It's a word I try to stay away from 'cuz I've already been through my own "private hell." I don't look in that direction anymore. But I would consider depression, abuse, angst, jealousy, hatred, or any of the seven deadly "sins" to be a "living hell." I guess you could liken it to the Dark Night of Soul.
I should also point out that I do believe in the presence of "negative entities" whose purpose is to instill fear or sway humans into negative choices. These entities can only wreak havoc if a person "opens that door." I've seen it firsthand. So one should always be careful with things like television, video games, some meditations, occult practices, drugs and medications, etc. Those can be avenues for these spirits, so be careful.
There is no such thing as God sending a being to "hell." And we are never separate from God. That is a condition solely created by man, and this state of "hell" or separation is certainly not eternal. There is always hope and another chance to rise from the "pit" and find the light of God. You can be sure of that!
CONCLUSION
So the point of this whole page is to "debunk" some of the myths about the man, Jesus Christ. These misconceptions have turned many a person away, myself included, from the teachings of Christianity. One thing that many Christians have overlooked is that Jesus of Nazareth was an Essene (thus, Jesus the Nazarene) and that He spent a good part of His childhood learning from them. The Essene Gospel of Peace has been left out of the Bible and it contains so much truth about living in the One Consciousness. I am currently reading it and will place it in the Book Club later.
Moving forward, do your best, like my dad did, to "separate the chaff from the wheat." Concentrate on teachings of love and forgiveness, compassion and understanding. "Walk in someone else's shoes." In situations, ask yourself, "What Would Jesus Do?" That's the part of Christianity that is worth learning.
Right now, at this very moment, there is a huge spiritual movement going on throughout the world. I encourage you to do all you can to get on board. It is AWESOME ... thousands and thousands of like-minded people sharing, learning, and living in Christ Consciousness.
And there is a wealth of information, knowledge, and wisdom out there as well. It's never been so easily accessible. Find a website or podcast that "speaks" to you. Whatever you feel you need help with, google it! For example, if you're experiencing depression, search for "spirtual help with depression" etc. God will lead you to the right source. Throw away those pills and medications if you can. God's healing lasts longer! Get up off the couch, and go for walks. Enjoy nature ... God is very present there. Simply continue to "Seek, and ye shall find."
AARON ABKE
This is as good a time as any to connect you with one of the teachers I have learned so much from in my search for TRUTH ... besides Jesus Christ and my dad, of course. A big thanks to my sister, Lisa, for "hooking me up!"
Aaron is an extremely sincere, enthusiastic, and charismatic teacher; and I attended one of his seminars last year. His biography is interesting because, like me, he loved the teachings of Jesus Christ but couldn't "get right" with the misconceptions in the religion. He has recorded so many YouTube videos and podcasts, and the depth of his knowledge and wisdom is off the charts. This man is "on a mission!" It doesn't matter where you're at spiritually, he has something for everyone. One of his latest and most popular series is "The Jesus Way." I encourage you to check him out!
I would love to know who your favorite "teachers" are! Please send to sandra@soul-in-control.net.
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Please send to sandra@soul-in-control.net