Recognize the Fallacy of a Death-centric Christian
 

That should be Christianity, in the title, and understand this was pitched for a secular market. A useful resource for leading the cynical.

This appears on the Eschatology page, but suddenly seems to have more relevance. Rediscovering mythology in a spirit~filled way comes to mind. May this show you a deeper knowing of Standing on the Rock.

How did we get from "I came that you might have life, and more abundantly" to "I can't wait to die, and 'go to heaven'?"

With a brief illumination of the Dabhar of God

The concept of Original Sin and the fall/redemption model are primary in Western Christianity (born a sinner); yet they are unknown to Judaism and Eastern Christianity. This is strong language; to call a doctrine 'alien' that Christians believe they found in Jewish Scriptures. But today, Biblical scholars who are themselves Christian agree that original sin is not found in the Bible.

"The doctrine of original sin is not found in any of the writings of the Old Testament. It is certainly not in chapters one to three of Genesis." Herbert Haag, former president of the Catholic Bible Association of Germany, Is Original Sin in Scripture?; "Most Orthodox theologians reject the idea of 'original guilt'...Men automatically inherit Adam's corruption and mortality, but not his guilt." Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church (Middlesex, England 1963);

This was postulated by Augustine, who went on to become the first archbishop of Canterbury, by way of what is now recognized even by many Western Theologians as being fatally flawed, and the result of mis-interpretation; and elevated to dogma by the Council of Trent, despite being a minor in Augustine's theology.

This is responsible for Western Christianity's 'death-centered', rather than life-centered approach to salvation, and is where much if not all of the responsibility for our current situation can be laid. You were born into a flawed, sinful world, but your creation was a blessing.

Fall/redemption displaces your center in time--creation was twenty billion (or six thousand) years ago, redemption was a couple thousand years ago, along with Christ, who is "returning someday", Heaven is "someday"--we are encouraged to escape now in a thousand different ways; drugs, food, shopping, ipods. Rapture. It sets up many dualities, chiefly that you are somehow separated from Heaven. Heaven, for most of us, is a magical place, somewhere else, that you'll get to someday, ignoring "the kingdom of Heaven among you." See what has been stolen from us! It even makes all of this religious, instead of spiritual.

If the world is 20 billion years old, then Original Creation precedes the concept of Original Sin by something like 19.996 billion years; yet it has been virtually absent in Western Christianity for at least the past 400 years.
We'll take a look at how this came about, and examine the Biblical concept of Divine Creation, which far outweighs the concept of fall/redemption in the Bible.

"The concept of original sin is alien to Jewish tradition." Elie Wiesel

Unfortunately for you, this theology now forms the bedrock of WChristian society, and, this is like an apology on the back page...

http://www.wikihow.com/Recognize-the...ristian-Models

Re: Recognize the Fallacy of a Death-centric Chris
 

I dont believe anyone is going to see Jesus who thinks his teachings are "myths". The writer proclaims the story of Adam to be a "myth". Jesus believed in Adam and Eve. Why shouldn't he? He made them.

Re: Recognize the Fallacy of a Death-centric Chris
 

Hmm; I wouldn't have labelled that the myth part (Christ alluded to the story, but did not initiate it); and I do see a danger in going off the res, so to speak, if any part of the Bible is not adhered to. I note you went right to a part that I took to the least, and that the entire quote was included for transparency. While whether the story of Adam and Eve can be taken literally or as allegory is hotly debated, and I have slowly morphed from the first to the second, mostly through study (one session on this subject at biblecc can be quite illuminating), and no longer believe that "touching, biting fruit" has anything to do with an actual piece of fruit, I would say that Christ pointed out similar instances of Biblical allegory--ha, that's all He used to teach-parables.

The term mythology denotes "old wives tales" to us-and including the word in my spiritual lexicon is very new, for me, but I believe I am led here by God. And, that I am being asked to adjust my definition here, also.

Your entire beginning dogma, as a Western Christian, has been passed down to you from the Council of Trent. Putting aside the laughable illusion of "separation of church and state," it was fairly easy for me to absorb how this concept is a cornerstone of our society. While I have to admit that some of Fox's concepts initially read as heresy, I would point out that this man surely loves God, deeply, and witholding judgement until I had achieved a fuller understanding of his meanings pretty much always led me into a comfortable scriptural parallel, although one that many WChristians might find difficult to connect.

Hopefully, for anyone interested, an entire reading at the link will lead you to "Christ lives!" which you would be hard-pressed to admit is heard much by the secular from the religious.

Although this just may not be for you, you strike me as a thoughtful person who loves God, and I would urge you to not entirely dismiss what I believe contains some higher, re-emerging truth for the sake of a possibly misunderstood, or at least differently interpreted phrase in an ancillary quote.

"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means."
Mahatma Gandhi

"The only thing more worldly than Hollywood is religion." ~ Bro. Chris

Re: Recognize the Fallacy of a Death-centric Chris
 

This article has now been edited to its detriment, imo. The original is here

http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?tit...&oldid=7193158

Re: Recognize the Fallacy of a Death-centric Chris
 

Recognize the Fallacy of Death Centric Western Christian Models has been nominated for deletion at wikiHow. Not sure what took so long.

http://www.wikihow.com/Recognize-the...ristian-Models

for the latest link. You may comment on the article's Discuss page if you want.