Jesus and Religious Universalism

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Jesus and Religious Universalism,
Philosophy and Religious Principles

Religious Universalism - Salvation is for Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and all Genuine Religious People - The Love Taught and Demonstrated by Jesus of Nazareth is probably the Highest and Greatest Love in Human History - Therefore, Jesus is the Christ, at least the most well known and widely loved Christ - All Religious Teachings are Worthy to be Heard (at least once) but are Not Necessarily Equal. This Is Not Quite the Same as Unitarian Universalism, which Includes Many Atheists Now. It is Much Closer to the Old Time Unitarians Like Ralph Walso Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Thomas Jefferson, who Were On the Right Track before modern suburbanites wrecked the theological train completely off the track of theism - we're Not That "Liberal" - we Do Believe in God, even a Real one, but only One, not Three. The Trinity Is basically a Non-Issue - Depends on your Definition of it - But Officially, We Come Down on the "No" Side - some would call it Heresy, and considering what has been called Orthodoxy throughout "Christian" History, we're Proud to be Heretics.

Religious Objectivity - There Really Is a God that is More Than a Concept - Not the White Male Physical One with Big Boots, but Not Any Or All of Our Little Pocket Sized Mentally Self-Made Golden Calf Subjective Gods Either. Most of Our Gods Are Way Too Small! However, Just Because We Humans Create God in Our Own Image Does Not Negate the Truth of the Opposite Statement - God is Spirit, Both a Loving Being and the Love Itself - Human Words are Inadequate to Define the Great Mystery of God.

Science and Religion - While the Perverted Christian Science Notion that Evil is Unreal Belies that Denomination's Name, Nonetheless, True Religion is Very Scientific and True Science is Very Religious - The Creator of the Universe Uses Science and Evolution as the Creative Tools - God is More than Nature, but God Is In Nature. Many of the Above Mentioned Denomination's Teachings Do Contain Spiritual Truth, along With Other Modern Metaphysical Churches like Unity and Science/Mind.

Religious Liberalism - Human Historical Progress is Affirmed - Human Concepts of God Progressed Greatly from the Primitive Old Testament Warlord Concept Toward the Loving Father (Parent) Concept of Jesus, and Progress in Other Areas Continues Today in Recognizing the More Spiritual and Natural Aspects of God in Creation. Whether God Changes Or Not, We Humans are Always Changing. There Has Never Been a God-Problem of Confusing Us With Conflicting Signals About His/Her/Its Nature, But There Has Always Been a Big People-Problem Listening to What the Real God is Telling Us. We Humans Learn Very Slowly. We Must Let Go of Old Superstitions like Blood Sacrifice, Magic Ransom Atonement, and Papal/Biblical Infallibility if We Are To Be Receptive to New Revelations of God's Truth. God Is Like Living Water Both Inside and Outside You, Not Like King Henry VIII, Napolean, or even Paul. Modern God Concepts Need Drastic Revision Now!

Honesty and Rationality - Capital "T" Truth Begins with small "t" plain talking truth, Total Honesty even when It Hurts, the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth With Almost No Exceptions - Preach No Bull! While Situation Ethics Are Affirmed to a Point, Rest Assured That the One Time in a Million When Lying may be Justified Is Probably Not When You Called In Sick From Work To Play Golf. "White" Lies are Self Inflicted Con Jobs - Self Contradiction is Bold Faced Lying. Failure to Think Things Through Is Not an Excuse. Using Confusing "Scholarly" Jargon to Obfuscate Actual Fact or Belief is Also Lying. Sometimes, "Optimism" is Self Inflicted Lying. Living in Religious Denial is a Sin and a Lie. True Religion Is Not Karl Marx's "Opium of the Masses". It Includes Both Thinking and Feeling that Do Not Contradict Each Other.

Eternal Life - Scientific Evidence, Documented Modern Personal Experience, and Logic Call For Belief That the Next Life Is Non-Physical but No Less Real Than This One. Contrary to Popular Opinion, It is RELATIVE, Not Absolute, and It Is a Spiritual Continuation of This Life. It Is Also Quite Likely that We Lived Before Visiting This Planet, but We Don't Remember It Because We Would Be Tempted to Commit Suicide to Return To That Better Life. If That One Blew Your Mind, It's Not Central to the Issue Right Now. Earth is Like College - We Are Here To Learn - In the Next Life, We Will Receive What We Need, the Good and the Bad, to Grow in God's Love. There Will Be Nothing Hidden in God's "Kingdom". We Will Reap What We Sow.

Justice and Humility - Too Much Material Wealth Corrupts the Soul of the Wealthy One and the Fabric of Fairness in Society - Give Most of it to the Poor. Likewise, Too Much "Self Esteem" (Self Righteousness, Egotism, Bigotry) Is Self Destructive and Hurtful to Others. Real Self Esteem (Loving Neighbor as Self) Does Not Need These Psychological Crutches. Love and Conscience Both Dictate Concern for Social Justice in Each Individual Spirit. This Includes Active Opposition to those Reactionary Voices Who Use Religion to Suppress Thought, Fair Play, and/or Spiritual Growth.

Right Belief Will Not Save You - God Probably Doesn't Care All That Much about Correct Theology Unless It Helps Us Learn To Love - That's Probably the Main Purpose of Life Both Here and Hereafter - God's Love, Not Theology, Saves Us From Evil, including Our Self Inflicted Misery and that Caused by Others. Many Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, and even Agnostics are Probably More "Saved" Than Many Self Righteous and Hypocritical "Christians" Who Like To Condemn Others to Hell. Let the Bigots Fight Their Religious Wars Amongst Themselves. Give God's Peace a Chance.

Religion of Jesus, Not Paul - Eternal and Universal Truth Is Contained Primarily in the Teachings of Jesus in the Four Gospels of Scripture - The Teachings of Paul About Jesus in Paul's Letters are Far From Perfect and Subject to Question Unless Supported by Jesus' Own Teachings. However, we Do Not Call Ourselves "Christian" Because we Do not necessarily affirm every single Teaching attributed to Jesus in the Bible. For example, Jesus Clearly Was a Pacifist, and we reserve the right to Believe in a Just Defensive War and/or the right to Strike Back in certain Situations - although we Clearly Condemn Most Wars (all since WW2) and normally Affirm "Turning the Other Cheek", we are Not Hypocritical Enough to Claim that we normally Act that way. Real Christian Followers of Jesus Cannot Possibly Justify War Without Contradicting His Teachings - He Clearly Said to Do As He Said (Pacifism) if You Want to Be His Disciples (Real Christians). We Do Not Claim this Level of Perfection - Therefore, the term, "Christian" is Not Claimed here. Those who Bask in the Glory of War and Call Themselves Christians are blithering Hypocrites - that Includes the Crusaders of the Middle Ages and the Conservatives of Modern Talk Radio and other Forums. While reserving the right to Question certain Specific Teachings Attributed to Him, we Basically Affirm Jesus, but not necessarily Paul.

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