Mystical Christianity

1. How do you view the Bible and how do you use Scripture in your daily life?

HOW I USE SCRIPTURE:

I keep a small copy of the New Testament in my department jacket at all times. It has a glossary of sorts in the very beginning that guides the reader to verses that apply to a great variety of situations. When I need guidance or I need a reminder of God’s presence I turn to the constant companion I carry in my pocket.

HOW I VIEW THE BIBLE:

The Bible serves as an outstanding guideline with which one can live their life. The stories contained within provide illustrations that help illuminate some of life’s most pressing matters. We find these stories in the form of parables: the story of the prodigal son, the light and the bushel basket, and the good Samaritan, just to name a few. Here we learn that God will accept us no matter what we’ve done if we turn to him with a pure heart, we learn that God has given us his light and love and the true sin would be to hide it from others, and we also learn that even those we consider to be our mortal enemies deserve our respect and our aid should the chance to offer it arise.

2. Describe a myth that is currently a part of your life. What is its origin? How does it influence you in a positive or a negative way?

Superstitions tend to play a role in my life to some degree, and these usually contemporary myths with sometimes ancient histories. Here are just a few:

MYTH #1

It’s bad luck to put shoes on the table or a countertop.

ORIGIN:

This myth shows up in many cultures, from Hungary to Ireland. It’s origins stem not from luck, but from the fact that shoes spend much of their time in contact with the ground, which is generally quite dirty. The idea is that you don’t want the dirt from the bottom of your shoes on your table. Even still, if I buy a new pair of shoes, I will not put the box containing the shoes on the table.

MYTH #2

It’s Bad luck to toast someone with water.

ORIGIN:

From what I understand this is an old sailor’s superstition. The first incarnation seems to have centered around the idea that toasting someone with water was actually a curse designed to bring about the drowning of that person. Last I checked, drowning is incredibly unlucky…

3. As you read the first three chapters of the book of Genesis, what feelings do these words evoke? Where are these feelings coming from?

As I read these words I feel a connection with whoever first put pen to paper and decided to write this account of how the world came to be and how we found ourselves in the position we’re in today. Maybe through deep contemplation, meditation, or a divine conversation with the almighty, this person was able to summarize a series of events that we humans have yet to wrap our heads around. This doesn’t just apply to the relationship between men and women or to mankind’s relationship with God; it applies to everything! Genesis, if given the chance, is a beautiful realm within scripture. It’s place where science and religion have the opportunity to share what they’ve discovered; a place where the two disciplines do not cancel each other out, but support one another. Think about the ancients that wrote these passages. There was no conception of physics, of space outside the earth, of an ever expanding universe. These are facts that we know are just as solid as the table my computer is sitting on. Maybe God, knowing that we had limited information, simply said “In the beginning there was darkness… Then I said ‘Let there be light!’ and there it was...” Darkness is nothingness and nothingness is the absence of a universe. Maybe this is just a simple interpretation of what science has come to recognize as the “big bang.” It’s just a metaphor. God and Jesus are both big on metaphors, as we can clearly see from the parables. How hard is it to believe that some of what is found within the pages of Genesis is also metaphorical?

4. What difference would it make to you as a woman or a man to re-interpret these verses of scripture as has been suggested in this lesson?

As I read through this lesson I was thrilled to hear another interpretation of the Genesis account. Throughout my life I have focused less on the equality of men and women, because I believe that we are all equal in the eyes of the Lord. I had no reason to examine the text in this way, because of my own controversial interpretation of what’s written, which implies our inherent equality. I believe that the creation account is the culmination of millions of years of evolution. Scientific evidence points towards evolution as the origin of our species, but that in and of itself does not by any stretch of the imagination rule out the existence and intervention of a divine being. On the contrary, it conjures the image of a God that is far more intelligent than we can even comprehend. The Bible states clearly that God created mankind in his image, however in all the years I’ve been reading and studying I have never found a recipe with which to create mankind. Scripture states that God created us out of dust and clay. It has been theorized that comets and asteroids brought the building blocks of life to this planet, which God must have orchestrated. One of these basic chemicals is carbon, upon which the foundation for all life is laid. God brought life forth from the dust of the earth, that came from space, and slowly molded that life like a sculptor molds clay, into the human form.  If we acknowledge that God is indeed all powerful, then we also realize that with that power comes the ability to do ANYTHING. Is it too far fetched to believe that he worked within the confines of the natural laws that he undoubtedly put in place to create mankind?  By that logic, if God points to a monkey and orders said monkey to evolve, it is indeed going to evolve.

Interpreting Genesis in this light negates the need to see equality spelled out in the words that it is comprised of because equality is implied. Instead we see the emergence of the human species, both male and female, simultaneously.  For scriptural evidence of this fact one need not look further than the verse that reads “in his image he created them, male and female, he created them.”  This verse is found prior to the mentioning of Adam or Eve.  Having said all that, I have to say that any interpretation of the Biblical texts that argues for equality, rather than against it, is an incredibly beautiful thing.

*******************************

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training. 

 

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.

 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar