A
AHIMSA
Guest
Many Christians approach the so called New Age movement with animosity, for they realize the broad, religious shift is occurring within Western society. A shift which is, more or less, becoming known as the New Age Movement. People’s views are changing and they are beginning to reject the God that has been preached to them for, possibly, the last two millennia. I also suspect that this frightens you. Seeing as these ideas are so often in such clear contradiction to the doctrines and theologies of your own faith. It disturbed me too, that is, when I was still a literalist Christian. But let us look beyond the mesh of fundamentalism, let us sweep away the constraints that come with such arrogant assertions as “This is the only pathâ€Â, so that, perhaps, this movement can be seen for what it truly is; a revolution.
Yes, we have come to this word, revolution. And I think we are all well aware of what connotations arrive with such a choice of words. For with revolution comes the implication of rebel, yes heated, passionate…unreasonable rebels who are blinded by the fervor of their own cause. Revolutions, which have disastrous effects, which, though seeking to establish peace, harmony and justice, result in chaos, bloodshed and further conflict. Revolutions, which are rooted in improper causes.
Is this ever the case? Certainly. But it is not so in the case of this revolution, the Spiritual Revolution. In which the people, perhaps in response to hundreds and hundreds of years of church dominance, oppression and control, are finally coming to retake something that was once theirs; their souls. Yes, it is time that the Western world fully undo the grasp of Christian tyranny. However, we must never confuse this Christian tyranny with Christianity itself. For Christianity is a religion that never preached the abuse and despotism that has so often been used in accordance with its name.
“When you invite people to think, you are inviting revolution" Ivana Gabara
This is the place on which this Spiritual Revolution stands, upon the pillars of thought. It is a revolution of spirituality, a revolution of ideas. For centuries the Church did not allow us to think. Even today, in the name of true religion, in the name of infallibility, free thought is restricted to the limitations of a faith thrust upon
people. But now, we can think for ourselves, and the logical consequence is revolution. Perhaps, this is the beginning of the realization of the dreams of many who have fought for a more tolerant faith. Thomas Merton, the famous Christian monk, stated:
“ The only thing that can save this world from a complete moral collapse is a spiritual revolution. Christianity, by its very nature, demands such a revolution. If Christians would all live up to what they profess to believe, the revolution would happen. The desire for otherworldliness, detachment and union with God is the most fundamental expression of this revolutionary spirit.†Merton
This, fortunately, is not restricted to Christianity alone. But the so called New Age Movement, captures the very essence of this revolution, and directs its ideas towards all religions that have grown stale through their immobility.
We can not, I suppose, even call it the New Age Movement at all. For it based on nothing new. It is based on the very things that have been echoed by many of history’s spiritual founders and leaders for millennia. For the Christian, it is not a command to abandon his or her religion. Rather it is a command to embrace it, to return to the spirit in which the Gospels and the Bible were written.
It is not the modern equivalent of ancient idolatry, it is not making God into the image of man. Rather it is the assertion, the return to the realization that humanity exists, and always will exist in the image of the eternal God. It is regarding the virtues of love, mercy and compassion as the very source of our faith.
So it is here that I will confront, which many regard as the most terrible of heresies, that is, the unity between humanity and God. The ‘oneness’ that exists between us. Which, for me at least, is the corner stone of this Spiritual Revolution. I shall illustrate how I see God: Imagine a vast and beautiful lake. Great tall pine trees stand on the banks, a great expanse of sky stands above with wisps of cloud. This is all God: The lake, the sky, the trees and clouds. We, human beings, are the reflection upon that water. At times, the water can become murky, or distilled and the reflection may no longer be clear. But allow the waters to still, and the reflection is perfect.
It must first be noted that this assertion, that God is intertwined in humanity, is the greatest of all safeguards in securing human dignity. For when we see God in each other, how much harder does it become to hurt them?
“When you do this for the least of my brothers, you do it for meâ€Â
It always baffles me how Christians can somehow assert that there exists no unity between God and man, that they are not, in any sense of the word, intertwined. For this is the very heart of the Christian message. To ignore this is, in my opinion, to side step Christianity completely. To illustrate this, we must turn to Christ, whom to the Christian, is God and represents God to us.
Now, does the Bible not say that Christ is within us? Does Paul not say that: “You have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesusâ€Â
This can not be ignored. You are all ONE in Christ, we are told. Does this not speak volumes of both human unity, and our unity with God who is expressed in Christ?
“There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in allâ€Â
Is Christ not the very symbol of humanity’s full potential? Is it not in Christ that the ultimate unity of God and man is expressed? Is Christ not the expression of limitless, boundless, selfless love…to which we are all called.
This is the very message of the cross, that we must give ourselves away completely in love. For Christ said:
“If anyone would come after me, he must DENY HIMSELF, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But who ever loses his life for my sake will find it.â€Â
What does Jesus mean by “take up his cross?†Simply that we must ‘put to death our sinful nature’ as Paul said. Why is this? Only So that we can come to realize our full, divine nature. That is, the nature that is expressed in the story of Eden. When we put to death of selfishness, when we come to realize the essential unity of God and man, we have then shared in the new life of Christ.
“All of us who are called to a serious way of life are called to face the blackness of this ourselves and of our world. If we are to have victory through the risen Christ over death we have to pass through death…or arise out of our own death. It means seeing death and hell within ourselves. I never imagined, when I was a novice, what it would mean to suffer the darkness which he himself suffers in me.†Thomas Merton
It is not through asserting in some kind of belief of atonement that we are ‘saved’. For beliefs themselves are empty unless through produce action. We are not saved by some divine formula, that is: Me + Belief in Jesus Christ = Salvation. For in this, there is no substance. You can truly believe that Jesus died FOR you, all you want. But that does not mean you yourself will have ‘died’.
But rather we are saved by putting to death our selfish nature and sharing in the resurrection of the transfigured Jesus….in awakening to our own nature and full loving potential.
Yes, we have come to this word, revolution. And I think we are all well aware of what connotations arrive with such a choice of words. For with revolution comes the implication of rebel, yes heated, passionate…unreasonable rebels who are blinded by the fervor of their own cause. Revolutions, which have disastrous effects, which, though seeking to establish peace, harmony and justice, result in chaos, bloodshed and further conflict. Revolutions, which are rooted in improper causes.
Is this ever the case? Certainly. But it is not so in the case of this revolution, the Spiritual Revolution. In which the people, perhaps in response to hundreds and hundreds of years of church dominance, oppression and control, are finally coming to retake something that was once theirs; their souls. Yes, it is time that the Western world fully undo the grasp of Christian tyranny. However, we must never confuse this Christian tyranny with Christianity itself. For Christianity is a religion that never preached the abuse and despotism that has so often been used in accordance with its name.
“When you invite people to think, you are inviting revolution" Ivana Gabara
This is the place on which this Spiritual Revolution stands, upon the pillars of thought. It is a revolution of spirituality, a revolution of ideas. For centuries the Church did not allow us to think. Even today, in the name of true religion, in the name of infallibility, free thought is restricted to the limitations of a faith thrust upon
people. But now, we can think for ourselves, and the logical consequence is revolution. Perhaps, this is the beginning of the realization of the dreams of many who have fought for a more tolerant faith. Thomas Merton, the famous Christian monk, stated:
“ The only thing that can save this world from a complete moral collapse is a spiritual revolution. Christianity, by its very nature, demands such a revolution. If Christians would all live up to what they profess to believe, the revolution would happen. The desire for otherworldliness, detachment and union with God is the most fundamental expression of this revolutionary spirit.†Merton
This, fortunately, is not restricted to Christianity alone. But the so called New Age Movement, captures the very essence of this revolution, and directs its ideas towards all religions that have grown stale through their immobility.
We can not, I suppose, even call it the New Age Movement at all. For it based on nothing new. It is based on the very things that have been echoed by many of history’s spiritual founders and leaders for millennia. For the Christian, it is not a command to abandon his or her religion. Rather it is a command to embrace it, to return to the spirit in which the Gospels and the Bible were written.
It is not the modern equivalent of ancient idolatry, it is not making God into the image of man. Rather it is the assertion, the return to the realization that humanity exists, and always will exist in the image of the eternal God. It is regarding the virtues of love, mercy and compassion as the very source of our faith.
So it is here that I will confront, which many regard as the most terrible of heresies, that is, the unity between humanity and God. The ‘oneness’ that exists between us. Which, for me at least, is the corner stone of this Spiritual Revolution. I shall illustrate how I see God: Imagine a vast and beautiful lake. Great tall pine trees stand on the banks, a great expanse of sky stands above with wisps of cloud. This is all God: The lake, the sky, the trees and clouds. We, human beings, are the reflection upon that water. At times, the water can become murky, or distilled and the reflection may no longer be clear. But allow the waters to still, and the reflection is perfect.
It must first be noted that this assertion, that God is intertwined in humanity, is the greatest of all safeguards in securing human dignity. For when we see God in each other, how much harder does it become to hurt them?
“When you do this for the least of my brothers, you do it for meâ€Â
It always baffles me how Christians can somehow assert that there exists no unity between God and man, that they are not, in any sense of the word, intertwined. For this is the very heart of the Christian message. To ignore this is, in my opinion, to side step Christianity completely. To illustrate this, we must turn to Christ, whom to the Christian, is God and represents God to us.
Now, does the Bible not say that Christ is within us? Does Paul not say that: “You have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is neither Greek nor Jew, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesusâ€Â
This can not be ignored. You are all ONE in Christ, we are told. Does this not speak volumes of both human unity, and our unity with God who is expressed in Christ?
“There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in allâ€Â
Is Christ not the very symbol of humanity’s full potential? Is it not in Christ that the ultimate unity of God and man is expressed? Is Christ not the expression of limitless, boundless, selfless love…to which we are all called.
This is the very message of the cross, that we must give ourselves away completely in love. For Christ said:
“If anyone would come after me, he must DENY HIMSELF, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But who ever loses his life for my sake will find it.â€Â
What does Jesus mean by “take up his cross?†Simply that we must ‘put to death our sinful nature’ as Paul said. Why is this? Only So that we can come to realize our full, divine nature. That is, the nature that is expressed in the story of Eden. When we put to death of selfishness, when we come to realize the essential unity of God and man, we have then shared in the new life of Christ.
“All of us who are called to a serious way of life are called to face the blackness of this ourselves and of our world. If we are to have victory through the risen Christ over death we have to pass through death…or arise out of our own death. It means seeing death and hell within ourselves. I never imagined, when I was a novice, what it would mean to suffer the darkness which he himself suffers in me.†Thomas Merton
It is not through asserting in some kind of belief of atonement that we are ‘saved’. For beliefs themselves are empty unless through produce action. We are not saved by some divine formula, that is: Me + Belief in Jesus Christ = Salvation. For in this, there is no substance. You can truly believe that Jesus died FOR you, all you want. But that does not mean you yourself will have ‘died’.
But rather we are saved by putting to death our selfish nature and sharing in the resurrection of the transfigured Jesus….in awakening to our own nature and full loving potential.
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