Move Over, Slick "Worship" Productions

An unexpected surprise. 

Thou Shalt Not Think!

“How fortunate for leaders that men do not think.” 

- Adolph Hitler



He has a valid point.

And we see this happening every day, in systems that forbids thinking outside the assigned boundaries.

Faith is Trust

"Faith is trust. If your dad says he will put you in the oven because you didn't trust him, I might be stating the obvious here, but I wouldn't trust him.”

- Sam Gollan

Related posts:

The Cosmic Turtle

Hell is a Mistranslation 

Reputation

"The best way to stop worrying about keeping a good reputation is to not try to have one. None of them are true anyway." 

- Donald Miller

Truth is Not Black and White

"People are drawn to black and white opinions because they are simple, not because they are true. Truth requires nuanced thinking."  

- Donald Miller

What if Jesus Meant All That Stuff?

Quote by Shane Claiborne, from this article.


"The more I have read the Bible and studied the life of Jesus, the more I have become convinced that Christianity spreads best not through force but through fascination." 

- Shane Claiborne

Spiritual Journey

"The classic spiritual journey always begins elitist and ends egalitarian."  

- Julie Ferwerda

Compassion trumps "perfect" theology

Theology bows down at the feet of compassion. 

Read this article - In disfigured man, Pope Francis saw Jesus

5 Churchy Phrases That Are Scaring Off Millennials

Quotes from the article, by Addie Zierman: 

"We don’t want to hustle to prove our faith; we don’t want to pretend. We want to be accepted, not analyzed." 

... 

"You’ve heard us say that we like Jesus but not the church, and it’s not because we’re trying to be difficult. It’s because the Jesus we read about enters into the pain of humanity where so often the church people seem to want to float above it."

Read more, here. 

Interpretation, the Lens.

This cartoon has to be one of my favorite works from David Hayward.

"Truth" is subject to the lens of one's interpretation.



Related post: The Elephant and the Four Blind Men

Please Spare Me Your Grace Message And Your God Is Love Message, If...

"Please spare me your grace message and your god is love message, if you still believe billions will burn for eternity, for not believing like you."

- Don Griffin

PS: Oh, and by the way, I am not at all, against the message of grace and unconditional love. The point of sharing this quote is that, it is hilarious when we put limits to grace and love.   

Clanging Cymbals...

“See the light in others, and treat them as if that is all you see.” - Wayne Dyer 

This thought that I came across today, was a good reminder for me. 

Focusing on darkness, soils one's mind. Unchecked, it morphs into another manifestation of a "right-er/better-er than thou" mentality. 

Thanks, but no thanks. 

It's no news that religion has always put people in bondage, under the banner of God. But fighting negativity with negativity has never yielded freedom for anyone. 

Rocked by the revelation of grace, the German priest Martin Luther broke out of the Catholic system (this, by the way, triggered the Protestant movement, which is now splintered into thousands of denominations). But since he was primarily driven by dogma and his rightness, rather than love, he was known for his deep anti-Semitism. 

So, the ultimate goal is not about having a "correct" theology (Christianity has plenty of versions of what "correct" is and isn't). It is, and has always been, love. Without love (who God is), we are merely clanging cymbals, whether we are proficient Bible thumpers, or “deep” contemplatives.

Spine

On Gays: 

"Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord?" 

On Finding God in Everyone: 
"God is in everyone's life. Even if the life of a person has been a disaster, even if it is destroyed by vices, drugs or anything else, God is in this person's life." 

On Faith and Doubt: 
"If one has the answers to all the questions that is the proof that God is not with him. It means that he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left room for doubt. You must leave room for the Lord, not for our certainties; we must be humble." 

- Pope Francis

::

Now this is an example of someone, who has a spine.

Bigotry

Having been raised, and lived in multiple countries, and thanks to real friendships (not just acquaintances) with people from almost all the major religious and non-religious backgrounds from several parts of the world, I know how embarrassingly shallow, and alarmingly ignorant it is, to use a very broad brush, to negatively portray a community, or a denomination, or a group of people, that are different from "us". 

The extremist Hindu factions slaughtered hundreds of Muslims in Gujarat, India, in 2002, and continue to cause havoc in different pockets of India. Noting this, some may think that Hinduism is a violent religion. 

Because of the actions of a few Muslims that believe in a particular interpretation of their religious text, some paint that religion as evil. 

People are saying the same thing about Christianity too, when they look at the Westboro Baptist Church, the crucifix-wearing KKK, or the ever-scowling Evangelicals. They also must have thought the same thing about Christianity, when the Catholics and the Protestants deep-fried the "heretics" at the stake. Oh, and let's not forget the blood-bathed Crusades. 

The other day, I came across an article in TIME magazine, about the growth of radical Buddhism in Burma, where scores of Muslims have been killed, due to communal violence. One would assume that equating "radical" with "Buddhism" is oxymoronic, because it is a religion that is known for non-violence. 

What's my point? All the prominent religions have had their share of people who have spoken and acted as the agents of darkness. And they continue to do so, in the name of their beloved beliefs. Their sincerity is not in question here, but the result of what their words and actions produce -- which is anything, but love. 

John says, "…whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love, does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8 ESV). Period. It's not about our supposed theological rightness, devotion and/or passion. 

However, the fact remains that the rest, if not, the majority of the believers of all the major religions, do not support (as passive as they might be in voicing their disagreements) the actions, or the interpretations of the vocal few. 

Bigotry is a choice. It is birthed by ignorance; and often cultivated by a cocooned upbringing and the environment we choose to surround us with. Not one of us are born as bigots. 

The freeing news, however, is that, choices can be unmade.

Unconditional Acceptance

The “prodigal” son felt like a loser after he squandered his inheritance away and fed the pigs. Yet, that did not alter his sonship and his father’s unconditional love for him. 

The elder brother was the “good boy” of the family. He never missed one church service, he did not hang out with the “wrong” company, he worked hard at his father’s business; yet, he failed to understand the heart of his father -- because his trust was in his obedience and faithfulness, over his father’s unconditional acceptance. 

We serve. But we do not serve to be accepted by the Father. We already are accepted in the beloved, purely by his grace (Eph 1:6 NKJV).

God, Dogs and Cats

Dogs give birth to puppies. 

Cats give birth to kittens. 

The Christian religion, for decades, have been indoctrinating that, humans are worthless worms. This idea is laced in our messages, songs and prayers.

Without an ounce of respect, and with fervent passion, I disagree with that notion.

God created man in His own image and likeness. We are masterpieces (Ephe 2:10 NLT), whether we believe it or not. 

God created gods (John 10:34). 

Back to the animal analogy. 

Dogs bark. Puppies bark. 

Cats meow. Kittens meow. 

God is a creator. If we are His children, aren't we supposed to do the same too? 

We do. 

We consciously, or unconsciously create, with our intents, beliefs and words. 

The New Age camp recently popularized the Law of Attraction. I learned the heart of that message in a church setting, way before I read one book about LOA. And this is not to say that Christianity owns the patent to this timeless truth. 

But when we realize that our intentions, our core beliefs, are create-ive in nature, that will awaken us to a radically new perspective. 

As much as I value the power of our words, our words are merely thoughts and beliefs, given form. We don't say something that we do not believe. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 

And this is precisely why, what we believe, or how our mindset is programmed, matters. 

I don't know how "free" our will is, but I believe in the power of choices. We can choose to reprogram or renew our mindset - with create-ive belief patters that will free us and help us soar; or debilitating belief patterns that will chain us down, that will make us think we are chickens, when we actually are eagles. 

By the way, there is nothing wrong with chickens; the point is, it would literally be a crippling experience for an eaglet, if it were to be raised around the chicken mindset.

10 Ways to Spot Spiritual Abuse

Guilt and condemnation, regardless of how cleverly it is concealed, is not from God. 

Even though the image of the article that I link below, shows a church building, spiritual abuse is not just limited to the church, which gathers in a building, every Sunday; it happens within home churches and other ministries as well. 

Disclaimer: By sharing this link, I neither say, nor imply, that all organized gatherings are abusive in nature. They are not, and it would be naïve to think so. But if yours is, this is for you. 

Spiritual Abuse: 10 Ways to Spot It, by Mary DeMuth

Love Cannot Be Analyzed

"What I love about spirituality and mysticism (pursuit of God through direct experience, intuition, instinct or insight), is that it can only be experienced (and tested) subjectively. It requires an engagement of the heart, not just the intellect. We are given a brain, AND we are given a heart for a *reason*. To use only one is to live in a constant state of duality, confusion, and limited understanding. To dismiss the subjective heart experiences of others just because one thinks the other naive or weak, OR just because one doesn't know how to connect one's head to one's heart is not a discussion worth entering. Some things can only be deeply experienced, in a place without words or scientifically measurable evidence and analysis."

- Julie Ferwerda

I agree with this quote. 

While there is a place for hard questions, trying to analytically dissect faith, or spiritual experiences, is like trying to analyze and define love. We know it when we experience it. This is not head-knowledge, but an inner knowing. 

No explanations can satisfy the analyst, and none has to be given either.

The Practice of the Better

Any new structures of emerging Christianity cannot be in opposition to any existing church structures or anybody at all. Any antagonistic action merely creates an “equal and opposite reaction.” “The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better” is one of our core principles at the CAC. Just do it better yourself, and don’t waste any time criticizing others or the past! This, in fact, purifies your own commitment and motivation. 

Don’t bother being against anybody, anything, any group, or any institution. That will only keep you at a low level of ego, while falsely feeling superior. It is a most common mistake. You can, however, practice simple avoidance or quiet noncooperation with immature organizations, but don’t waste time or energy being oppositional to anything. We need positive energy now over negative criticism of anything. It is almost as if consciousness has now grown up to see this—and do this!" 

- Richard Rohr

Gimme a break!

"For some reason, the most vocal Christians among us never mention the Beatitudes (Matthew 5). But, often, with tears in their eyes, they demand that the Ten Commandments be posted in public buildings. And of course, that's Moses, not Jesus. I haven't heard one of them demand that the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, be posted anywhere. 'Blessed are the merciful' in courtroom? 'Blessed are the peacemakers' in the Pentagon? Give me a break!" 

- Kurt Vonnegut, A Man without a Country.

Creative Heretics

“The church desperately needs creative heretics. A “creative heretic,” an independent thinker, is an example of the “unbalanced” force to which Newton refers in his first law of motion. Only the person who breaks with tradition can change the direction of an institution. A heretic is not an enemy of God but one who is more interested in truth than in tradition.” 

- John Sloat, A Handbook for Heretics.

Groupthink

Read this post - Monkey See, Monkey Do, by Steve McVey, on a study done on monkeys, on indoctrination.

In any system that is enslaved to groupthink, people who begin to question the unquestioned answers, will be viewed through the lens of suspicion, and labeled.

And since we hate the idea of being ostracized, often times, we resort to sticking our heads in the sand. 

It's a bit hard initially, but in the process of being true to ourselves, it is important that we stop expecting that everyone around us will nod in agreement with us. 

I thoroughly enjoy the company of people who are not afraid of questions (whether we agree with our answers we have at the moment, or not), than pretend-friendships that are based solely on social, political and/or doctrinal agreements.

Ambassadors of Darkness

Like it or not, we inadvertently become the ambassadors of darkness, when we push sincere seekers away. 

But on the bright side, fortunate are those who have met Christ, without the interference of organized Christianity.

Read this post, by Frank Viola, about John Lennon.

One Of The Criticisms That Grace Faces...

One of the criticisms leveled against the message of Grace is, that it is lax on "sin". The assumption is, "it's all Grace now, so you can do whatever you want, without any consequences." 

Not one Grace preacher I know of, says that. 

Regardless of whether anyone says that or not, I think, this criticism stems from the belief that people can be controlled by the Law; sadly, without realizing the fact that the Law actually empowers one to sin (see 1 Cor 15:56). 

A lifestyle of destruction destroys us, but it does not affect God's love for us. There isn't a big enough boulder that can separate us from His love for us (see Rom 8:38-39). 

Despite what we feel about the man, God unconditionally loves Ariel Castro, the man who, for a decade, imprisoned and used three young women as sex slaves, in his basement. While God's love is offensive to most people, it does not negate the law of sowing and reaping - which is why Castro is in a jail right now. 

God's love towards the human race has nothing to do with one's good or bad actions. He loved us from before the foundations of the world. Unlike most of us do with each other, we don't earn God's acceptance with our actions. We are already accepted and reconciled in God (see 2 Cor 5:18-19), whether we have the experiential reality of it, or not. It's a gift - it is called Grace (see Eph 2:8-9). 

Regardless, I love all the heat that the message of Grace is getting now. It simply means that nerves are being struck left and right, for the better. You can't make a good chicken curry without stirring the pot. : )

Grace nullifies...

“The gospel of grace nullifies our adulation of televangelists, charismatic superstars, and local church heroes. It obliterates the two-class citizenship theory operative in many American churches. For grace proclaims the awesome truth that all is gift. All that is good is ours, not by right, but by the sheer bounty of a gracious God.” 

- Brennan Manning

Everyone’s a Biblical Literalist Until You Bring Up Gluttony - by Rachel Held Evans

"In short, we like to gang up. We like to fashion weapons out of the verses that affect us the least and then “clobber” the minority with them. Or better yet, conjure up some saccharine language about speaking the truth in love before breaking out our spec-removing tweezers to help get our minds off of these uncomfortable logs in our own eyes."

Read the rest of the article here, by Rachel Held Evans.

Imagine That!

"If Evangelical Christianity spent 1/4 as much time focusing on changing hearts through manifesting the unconditional love of God as it does trying to change laws, and infiltrate Government, we might just have a revolution on our hands! 

If we spent even 1% of the energy that we spend debating evolution and trying to defend young earth science on healing wounded hearts, and repenting to the world for treating them like garbage, we might just have a revolution on our hands! 

If we would focus even a fraction of the energy that we spend on fighting the "culture war", on simply preaching Jesus Christ, the earth would shake! 

For far too long we've been propping up this patriotic "gospel" or moralism mated with Americanism. I'm all for morals and godliness, but Christianity is not about fighting culture wars, picketing certain establishments, or seeking to set a man in an oval office. It is about filling the earth with the knowledge of God's glory by selflessly manifesting His love to all we come in contact with! It's time that we saw people instead of political issues again! It's time that we saw human beings with feelings, emotions, and histories, instead of just opponents in a moral showdown. It's time to get the crud out of our eyes so that we can once more see that the Kingdom of God is not about imposing human rules on an unbelieving society, but showing the earth a King who loves them unconditionally, and welcomes them into His arms. 

The Kingdom of God is not about cold, sterile courtrooms, but a warm, and welcoming family room."

- Jeff Turner

Two Roads

by John Lynch, TrueFaced.com.

In case the video is not displayed on your browser, click here, to directly view from YouTube.

I believe this is one of the (if not, the) best messages on Grace I've ever heard.

If you have been striving hard to please God, with no apparent success in the endeavor, I urge you to watch this video.

Where was your free will when Adam plunged you into death???

"Many of my pastor brothers love to tell us that our free will is so precious to God that because of His great love to us He dares not violate it. But He sure violated it in the fall. God apparently to some does not mind violating your free will in order for you to perish, but He becomes suddenly reluctant to violate your free will to save you. Where was your free will when Adam plunged you into death???"

- Don Keathley

The More You Know, The Less You Realize You Know...

"A life of faith is not defined by being proud of your answers; rather, it's defined by your humility to keep asking questions. 

When it comes to living a spiritual life of faith, the more you know, the less you realize you know, and therefore the more eager and prepared you are to keep seeking the truth. Don't be afraid to ask questions. That is what seeking the truth is: It's like picking up a question, throwing it into the dark forest outside, then taking the lamp of the Holy Spirit upon your feet, and, one step at a time, walking by faith until you not only find the question again, but also the answer wrapped around it as well."

- Mick Mooney

"Did you believe that I loved you?"

by Brennan Manning.

In case this video is not displayed on your browser, click here, to watch it directly from YouTube.

The New Testament Gamble

In case the video is not displayed on your browser, click here, to watch it directly from YouTube.

God Cannot Be Boxed In

“If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don't find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don't cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both-and, fully aware that God's truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition.” 

- Brennan Manning

Rest

"Rest. Rest. Rest in God's love. The only work you are required now to do is to give your most intense attention to His still, small voice within." 

- Madame Jeanne Guyon

Spurgeon's Take on Giving

"But you are not under a system similar to that by which the Jews were obliged to pay tithes to the priests. If there were any such rule laid down in the Gospel, it would destroy the beauty of spontaneous giving and take away all the bloom from the fruit of your liberality! 

There is no law to tell me what I should give my father on his birthday. There is no rule laid down in any law book to decide what present a husband should give to his wife, nor what token of affection we should bestow upon others whom we love. No, the gift must be a free one, or it has lost all its sweetness." 

- Charles Spurgeon

Was Jesus Advocating Cannibalism?

"Just because Jesus talked about yeast, that in a literal sense is used to make bread, doesn’t mean he was talking literally about bread. Just because Jesus talked about being put outside with gnashing of teeth doesn’t mean he was talking about some kind of eternal torture. Just because Jesus talked about eating his flesh doesn’t mean he is talking about cannibalism.

We have to look into his words for the deeper, more divine message he shared if we want to actually understand what he is really talking about. That requires both humility and time, because it will only be revealed to us in God’s timing, not ours. Sometimes, that means walking for months, years or even decades without a full arsenal of definite answers. This is also not a bad thing."

This is an excerpt from Mick Mooney's post - The Problem With Interpreting Jesus' Words Literally

The Heart Wins

I'm looking forward to the day when more and more people will see, and boldly proclaim about the gaping holes in the empty and the fear-based doctrine of the eternal torment in the mythical and a very mistranslated word called "hell".

The heart knows that answer, that a "loving Father" would never do that; but it's the pre-conditioned mind that hinders the light from flooding in. 

The good news is, given time, the heart wins.

If Beliefs Were Concrete...

"Beliefs are never concrete - if they were, we'd still be living on a flat earth where every woman with a brain was a witch, slavery was still a justifiable business, and the sun revolved around our world."

- Caleb Miller

Undeserved. Really?

"You deserve God's love. God is not being nice to you by giving you something you don't deserve, he is being a Father to you and giving you exactly what he believes you do deserve. You deserve his love, all his love, and if it's possible, even more. He wants you to have his whole being and the fullness of his love.

You're his child, and to your heavenly Father, you deserve everything he desires to give you. Not because you've earned it, but because of the DNA of who you are. His beloved child. His treasured possession. His everything. You're worthy of it all, every last drop of love, you're worthy of it. It's yours. Bless your heavenly Father's heart and receive it freely and abundantly."

I love this quote by Mick Mooney.

Saying "we didn't earn it" and "we don't deserve it" are two totally different things. 

Religion harps on the latter - saying, singing and implying in so many ways, that we are the unworthy, undeserving scum of the earth. 

We are not. We are God's masterpieces, his beloved children.

Our two children did not "earn" the clothes they are wearing, but we would deeply be hurt, if they kept telling us that they are "unworthy and don't deserve anything they have." Any loving parent knows that it does not make any sense. They do deserve everything we have for the simple reason that they are ours.

"Jesus's habit of "eating" with sinners and people on the margins of society cannot be explained as an act of condescension, much less a patronizing method of saving sinners. It was the act of a man who appeared to have no regard for the canons of honor or shame. Worse still, it was the act of a man who had no regard for Israel's favored nation status with God. Israel's "chosen race" syndrome was supported by the purity laws separating the "clean" people from the "unclean". The manner of Jesus's ministry was therefore, a formidable scandal."

- Robert Brinsmead

Who is a Leader?

A title does not make someone a leader. Titles are like business cards. Anyone can have one printed.

Leaders pave the way, often for themselves. It might sound heroic and Braveheart-like, but this path is often often forged in the deep valleys of despair, darkness, self doubt and/or cluelessness.

Leaders are not afraid to think outside the box. And outside the new box they land in. And outside the newer box, and on and on. Walls attract them, to plough through.

Strong leaders beget leaders. Weak leaders beget subjects.

Weak leaders crave for titles and positions. Titles and positions don't attract healthy and secure leaders. 

Many good leaders I know, don't know they are leaders. 

A leader is anyone with a strong spine to follow his or her own gut. This concept is alien to most of us, because we have been programmed to to blindly and unquestioningly conform to the most vocal or accepted idea out there. That need not be the case.

The Offended Sheep

"I am deeply offended that you did not let me exercise my free will choice to be saved."

- The lost sheep to the shepherd, right after the the shepherd found it.

Forgiving Frees Us

"To forgive another person from the heart is an act of liberation. We set that person free from the negative bonds that exist between us. We say, "I no longer hold your offense against you" 

But there is more. We also free ourselves from the burden of being the "offended one." As long as we do not forgive those who have wounded us, we carry them with us or, worse, pull them as a heavy load. The great temptation is to cling in anger to our enemies and then define ourselves as being offended and wounded by them. 

Forgiveness, therefore, liberates not only the other but also ourselves. It is the way to the freedom of the children of God." 

- Henri Nouwen

The Elephant and the Four Blind Men

Since God is invisible to our physical eyes, the conclusions we make about him can be speculative in nature. However, it does necessarily mean that it is blind though.

The experiential reality that the four blind men had while exploring an elephant were true to them. Yet, their individual experiences were not the complete picture. 

Religion, or rigid beliefs within a particular religious system, happens when a blind person's interpretation (regardless of how real it is) is elevated to the one and only truth. 

My bet is on the elephant, rather than the blind men's interpretations, regardless of how true they are to each one of them.

Not one of us, can claim that we know it all. Right now, we only know in part. Common sense, wisdom and humility can acknowledge that; but a mindset that is driven by fear and insecurity, abhors it.

"......two thousand years of religious tradition have inculcated in us the mistaken notion that God’s love is something we earn. If we do what pleases him, he loves us; if not, he doesn’t. Giving that up isn’t easy. Moving from a performance-based religious ethic to a relationship deeply rooted in the Father’s affection is no small transition."

- Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me! Learning to Live in the Father's Affection

"Whether we are conscious of it or not, the threat of hell can create an inner dissonance in our perception of the God who seeks our love. How can we feel safe with a God who is seemingly anxious to dangle us over the flames of hell? If he can find nothing else to call us to him, then what kind of God must he be? And if we can find no better reason to love him, how shallow must our faith be?"

- Wayne Jacobsen, He Loves Me! Learning to Live in the Father's Affection

"It has always seemed odd to me how people are convinced that knowing and experiencing God is grounded in correct theology. What did people do before there was a Bible from which theological propositions could be formulated? Somehow God and humans made due without a well-defined belief system in place. How did that work? For instance, in the book of Genesis, a man named Enoch, only a few generations removed from Adam and Eve, is described as a man who “walked with God.” Maybe a well-defined set of truth propositions about God isn’t necessary for knowing and experiencing God.”

- Jim Palmer, Wide Open Spaces: Beyond Paint-by-Number Christianity

Hell is a Mistranslation - Part IV

Disclaimer: 

I’m neither a theologian nor a scholar. In this this series I am merely sharing how, I, as a regular person, came to the understanding of what I am about to share. These posts are not exhaustive essays, but nutshells. 

It is not written from a haughty and insecure "I'm right - you're wrong" position, something that is so prevalent in the fundamentalist religious circles. My hope is that, this will encourage someone to look beyond the obvious, to dig in, instead of blindly agreeing with the unquestioned answers. 

This series is not about me pushing my thoughts down your throat; again, something that fundamentalism is infamous for. Truths are discovered by the seeker; not swallowed. 

You may not agree with this series right now (which is absolutely fine), but know that, just because we have heard something for so long, does not necessarily make it the ultimate truth. There was a time when we scripturally believed that the sun rotated around the flat earth. We now look back and laugh at our idiocy of having believed that ignorance, and yet, sometimes we assume that we now know it all. But, do we?

Based on the scriptures we know, it may be tempting to discard anything that we haven't heard before, while reading this series. I used to be a pro at that. I had all the scriptural points to prove why I was “right” regarding a particular belief. Little did I know then, that I was merely echoing one of the many interpretations out there, and that, the picture is much bigger than what I initially thought it was.

On to Part IV and the last post in this series. 


If you have not yet read them yet, read Part I, Part II and Part III of this series.

::

Picture a baby who has just begun to crawl across a busy highway. If we are standing right next to that infant, what would our first reaction be? Our heart would sink and without thinking, we would immediately jump in to grab the baby to save her from the oncoming traffic.

Why would we do that? Why would we not look for the parent first? Why would we not call the police? That instinct to save that baby, without her permission, is wired in us, because we are made in the image and likeness of God.

It is this same God that we say, would damn (or "allow") billions of people to a fire chamber, for never-ending billions and trillions of years.

Jesus said, we are to become like a child. Show me one child who can wrap his head around the idea of eternal torment. The only language that is native to a child is love. He resonates with, responds to and becomes alive with love. Fear shrinks him. Fear is not our natural environment. Beneath the polish and the smiles, the religious mindset is built and sustained on fear.

The first verse that tore through my fear-based mindset is the second half of 1 Timothy 4:10 ESV - "For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."

"living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."

My traditional mindset, however, looked away, when I first saw this -- for the simple reason that it did not rhyme with what I was led to believe all these years.

But as Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions."

This verse was the beginning of the end of my fear-based thinking.

Soon, I came across Romans 5:18 - "Therefore as by the offence of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

There was no going back for me now. I jumped in to get to the bottom of this -- only to find the vastness of who we call God, the vastness which could not be contained in an interpretation or two that tickles me at any given point in this journey.

The conclusions I have come to right now, is not necessarily based on the scripture verses or the Greek and Hebrew words that I have shared in these posts. My heart already knew the answer. It is ludicrous to assume that the divine engineer would allow his creation (not a foe of equal strength), the one that he so loved, to be consciously tortured, forever and ever.

I do not know all the answers (and for the first time in my life, I am fine with it); but if that divine engineer is Love, then I know this, that Love Never Fails.

Hell is a Mistranslation - Part III

Disclaimer: 

I’m neither a theologian nor a scholar. In this this series I am merely sharing how, I, as a regular person, came to the understanding of what I am about to share. These posts are not exhaustive essays, but nutshells. 

It is not written from a haughty and insecure "I'm right - you're wrong" position, something that is so prevalent in the fundamentalist religious circles. My hope is that, this will encourage someone to look beyond the obvious, to dig in, instead of blindly agreeing with the unquestioned answers. 

This series is not about me pushing my thoughts down your throat; again, something that fundamentalism is infamous for. Truths are discovered by the seeker; not swallowed. 

You may not agree with this series right now (which is absolutely fine), but know that, just because we have heard something for so long, does not necessarily make it the ultimate truth. There was a time when we scripturally believed that the sun rotated around the flat earth. We now look back and laugh at our idiocy of having believed that ignorance, and yet, sometimes we assume that we now know it all. But, do we?

Based on the scriptures we know, it may be tempting to discard anything that we haven't heard before, while reading this series. I used to be a pro at that. I had all the scriptural points to prove why I was “right” regarding a particular belief. Little did I know then, that I was merely echoing one of the many interpretations out there, and that, the picture is much bigger than what I initially thought it was.

On to Part III of this series. 

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"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

The popular conclusion based on this verse says that those who do not believe in Jesus will consciously be burned forever and ever in a lake of fire. 

First of all, there is no reference to 'hell' or the 'lake of fire' here. 

Let's zoom in on the word 'perish'. The term 'perish' comes from the word 'Apollumi'. Apollumi is translated to the following words - lose, destroy, death or perish.

I'll paste an excerpt from the book 'Raising Hell: Christianity's Most Controversial Doctrine Put Under Fire', that explains this mistranslated word below:

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[Quote begins]

Lose/Destroy/Perish. (Apollumi, Strong’s #622).

As far as I have found, all of the New Testament and Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) verses that have to do with the destruction of people (some evil, some not) use some form of the Greek word, “apollumi” or “ollumi.” Many verses use this word while speaking simply of the death of mortals, and many others seem to convey utter and final (eternal) destruction in hell.

So what does apollumi mean exactly? The best way to find out is to compare all the various ways that apollumi is used. Consider the following verses (uses of apollumi in italics):

Matt. 2:13: “Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child [Jesus] to destroy Him.’”

Matt. 8:24–25: “And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, ‘Save us, Lord; we are perishing!’”

Matt. 10:28: “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Gehenna).”

Matt. 10:39: “He who has found his soul will lose it, and he who has lost his soul for My sake will find it” (MLT).

Matthew 27:20: “But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death.”

Luke 15:4: “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?”

Luke 15:24: “ ‘…for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.”

Luke 17:29: “…but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.”

Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

1 Cor. 15:18: “Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ (died) have perished.”

What can we conclude? First of all, you can clearly see that apollumi can’t be used to convey utter, final destruction in most of these verses, but only temporary loss. Apollumi comes from two root words, “apo” and “ollumi.” According to Strong’s Concordance, Apo means “of separation” or “away.” Ollumi is from the root word “olethros” which translates roughly in ancient Greek to “destruction,” but often with a positive connotation, as in the destruction required for and preceding renewal.

According to Wikipedia: “A more enlightened translating of this word (olethros) in these verses* would be punishment—the kind of punishment that relieves one of guilt for a debt paid in full, enabling one to go on to share in the LORD’s everlasting grace, continually receiving discipline as one of His beloved sons.”

A good example of this idea is demonstrated in Scripture is 1 Corinthians 5:5: “I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction (olethros) of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

In his section on Word Studies from the New Testament, Marvin Vincent writes of olethros: “But olethros does not always mean destruction or extinction. Take the kindred verb apollumi, to destroy or put an end to, or in the middle voice, to be lost, to perish. Peter says ‘…the world being deluged with water, perished’ (apoleto, 2 Pet. 3:6); but the world did not become extinct, it was renewed. In Heb. 1:11–12, quoted from Ps. 102, we read concerning the heavens and the earth… ‘They shall perish (apolountai)…like and old garment they will also be changed (allagesontai).’ The perishing is only preparatory to change and renewal. Compare Isa. 51:6,16; 66:22; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1.”71

[*The Greek word olethros is found in 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Thess. 5:3; 2 Thess. 1:9; and 1 Tim. 6:9.]

Understood correctly, apollumi never implies a total, permanent loss, death, or destruction of anything. In fact, throughout the New Testament, people or things that have been “apollumi-ed” are found, saved, and restored. It’s a temporary putting away of the old through a process of correction, renewal, and restoration. Isn’t that wonderful news?”

[Quote Ends]

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So as we see, apollumi has nothing to do with the concept of eternal perishing.

The word 'apollumi' is translated as 'perish' in John 3:16. But in Luke 19:10, it is translated as 'lost' - "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

The next post will conclude this series. 

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Read Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV of this series.