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:: Monday, July 14, 2003 ::

Rant on being interfered with by one who claims to follow Christ

Chatting with some of my Christian friends I sometimes feel the playing field is distinctly not of the level kind. Whereas I have always been taught that it is not helpful, or even good manners to criticise my neighbours philosophy the good Christian finds it his duty to point out what he sees as the failings of his brother. If you're not a Christian you can have no experience of God. Worse, if you're not a Christian you are actively engaged in working for the other side. In other words as a Christian I can say bad things about you in the good knowledge that my maker will be cheering on from the sidelines. I believe our Muslim and Jewish friends may exercise a similar freedom at times.

Well what a license it must be, all that piety within Christian circles must prove a little tiring and what better way to let off steam than by airing a few blind prejudices, or exercising some good old fashioned bigotry. I even had some woman the other night suggesting that the reason she appeared to have more cash than me was because she was a Christian and I was not!

All harmless stuff in the grand scheme of things but I get sooooo bored of it!

For my part I try to avoid saying anything that would undermine a Christians beliefs, it's not my place. I will, of course, engage in healthy debate because I think this is how a more profound understanding of the thought systems we use to discover our true nature can come about.

It is my belief that all men were created equal. I believe this is biblical. It is my belief that the God concept, if he were to personalise himself to make himself agreeable to those who could not see Him in his works would love all men equally regardless of creed, colour, sex or sexuality. How many of us manage to change any of these in just the one lifetime? Surely he wants us to be who we are - the way He made us and if that means being Bin Laden then that is his will. He also wants George W Bush to be himself too and every bigoted Christian to be as narrow minded as they usually are. I'm cool with that, but I'm also cool with the fact that for me to be who I am I will come into conflict with those who criticise me or try to prevent me from being who I am. This is the law of cause and effect and my body and mind are not above it!

I will not be told by another how to think or discover myself before the absolute. This is no ones business but my own. Equally I would like to think that I would not impede anothers progress along this path, indeed I would like to think that I could support any man from any tradition on his path, I can see no conflict, truth strikes me as universal and when experienced our differences are ripples upon the surface.

If your good Christian sees me as the enemy of his faith then I am sorry, the way I see it we are all enjoying the renaissance in human consciousness that is taking place. It is not mine and it is not his although we all share in it.

It beggars my belief system that the entity that created the universe and entertained himself for billions of years with the twinklings of stars and the swirlings of galaxies would be bothered either way if I came to know him through a Book or through prayer or contemplation or through revelation. Is it any wonder that different cultures around the world, who are known to use their minds in different ways have evolved different mentations to frame their experience of what lies beyond the individual. A rose is a rose and God is God wether expressed through the Tao or Zen or Buddhist void, through the words of Allah or the Vedas.... these are all only things that the mind uses to point to the universal truth that is beyond words and ideas, beyond mind itself. To get caught on the details may be fun but it obscures what lies beyond, which is after all the interesting bit!

:: simon dunstan 12:14 AM [+] ::
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