A Non-Pelagianist Perspective
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
While the doctrine of Original Sin is unique to Western Christianity and its satellites, this article should not be construed as condemning of all Western Christian churches; many, many independent--and even affiliated, in defiance of their charters--churches have abandoned this doctrine. Find one.
Humans labor under a curse, Scripturally defined as "The Law of sin and death," that any mind which harkens to the eternity placed within it must come to terms with; as people, we (almost universally) all suffer physical death. This Law is inescapable, and the foundation of the need for one to seek their own salvation. However, several centuries ago, at the Council of Trent, one of the later founding Councils of Christianity, a doctrine--the doctrine of Original Sin--grew out of this that literally split the Christian world asunder; and we have been divided ever since.
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 the rest of Christianity, (as strange as this might seem to us in the West).
"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." MFox
"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, in ''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, in ''The Orthodox Church'' (Middlesex, England 1963)
Understand that this is the bedrock of Western Civilization now, and affects every area of your life.
This was postulated by St. Augustine by way of what is now recognized even by many Western Theologians as being fatally flawed, and the result of misinterpretation; 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 perceived current situation can be laid. You were born into a flawed, sinful world, but your creation was a blessing, not a curse.
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,'' a natural part of your day. Scripture plainly outlines this; how the Established church will mis-read the Bible for their own ends, and why It is written in just such a way, so as to be 'hidden' from those who seek to abuse It.
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 the doctrine of Original Sin--a doctrine of men--in the Bible.
"The concept of Original Sin is alien to Jewish tradition."
Elie Wiesel
Understand that "Original Sin" and "fall/redemption" were very minor even to Augustine's theology. This can be verified on the web, since the following quote from ''Original Blessing'' is a bit unclear without some study aids. These were postulated based on what is now widely viewed as misinterpretation by him; "In Paul's Letter to the Romans he says, 'Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men 'because all men sinned.' And using a faulty Latin translation which left out the word "death" he translates as follows: 'Through one man sin entered into the world and through sin, death, and thus spread to all men, in whom all have sinned.' (Contra Julianum)" Matthew Fox, ''Original Blessing''
It should be clear from this that John did not mean what Augustine said. You are a sinner when you sin, and not before.
See that these concepts were seized upon for political reasons. An exaggerated doctrine of Original Sin, as used as a starting point for spirituality, plays kindly into the hands of empire builders, slave-masters, etc. It divides (and therefore conquers), pitting your thoughts against your feelings, your body against your spirit, and your country against the world.
Fall/redemption centricity describes our fascination with skulls.
It's why we like to wear black, v ''~always wearing white~"
"When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7
Does this sound like a proper characterization of the U.S.?
Know that Christ died for your sins. This article doesn't seek to negate this, but to restore a proper balance between "Have life more abundantly" and this. See that virtually every time you have heard a Christian message in the West it was
"Christ died
Christ died for your
Christ died
Christ died
Christ died for your"
well guess what that only took three days.
You should run screaming from this distortion.
Trust that God delights in your unique way of producing fruit. Embrace the Biblical concept of ''Original Blessing." God is our Creator, and we are "to be like gods" (Eph 4:24 et al) Imagine a creating god asking you if you brushed for the full 3 minutes...or pointing out that you shouldn't _____; or condemning you for being _____. Is there a time and place for that, from a god? Arguably. Is it a primary place? See that God is not your Accuser.
Is this the Christianity that you are comfortable with? You should be compelled to follow God because you have seen "Life, more abundantly" demonstrated to you. There are many creation-centered churches that understand "Life, more abundantly," or you can start one yourself or with like-minded people. You'll know "Life, more abundantly" as soon as you see it, if you have been in a death-centric church unawares.
Hence to Dabhar, the Word of God.
Meaning of Dabhar
We are going to assume for brevity's sake that you would be comfortable with "Word of God" (Hebrew ''Dabhar'') being translated "Creative Energy of God", even if you are a Western Christian; God's word "does not return to (Him) void," meaning that when God says it, it is going to happen; His word (and yours!) is literally "creative energy." Let's take a look at John 1 through this much more meaningful lens:
"In the beginning was the Creative Energy:
The Creative Energy was with God
and the Creative Energy was God.
It was with God in the beginning.
Through it all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through it.
All that came to be had life in it
and that life was the light of persons,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower...
The Creative Energy was the true light
that enlightens all people;
and it was coming into the world.
It was in the world
that had its being through it,
and the world did not know it...
But to all who did accept it
it gave power to become children of God...
The Creative Energy was made flesh,
it pitched its tent among us,
and we saw its glory,
the glory that is its as the only Child of the Creator,
full of grace and full of truth."
''John 1:1-5,9,10,12,14''
Kinda takes on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?
When you can accept this as a Christian Manifesto, where is fall/redemption in this model? "And the world did not know it," that one line, about 3/4 of the way through, and the next, "but to all who did accept it..."
This is only a partial illumination of the Hebrew word ''Dabhar''; in Hebrew, the word is also used for ''law'' and ''commandments'', so a slightly more complete meaning might be ''Creative Energy, with Law and Commandments''; and then you should probably read several books on it, or none, to begin to grasp ''Dabhar''.
''Dabhar'' is where it all happens.
When you are busy ''Dabhar''ing (which includes quite a bit of work, actually, of the joyful kind...when you get really committed, you're prepared to die), and creatively, joyfully playing in God's creation for you, fall/redemption will assume its proper, undistorted place.
#* Add Proverbs 8:22-31 "ever at play in His Presence..."
Psalms 104:33 "...I mean to play for my God as long as I live."
Psalms 47:7 "God is King of the whole world; play your best in His honor!"
Even though these might technically refer to the playing of an instrument, they should also be read as alliteration.
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Rom 8:2
"All good deeds that are prompted by hope of happiness in the next world cease to be moral." ''Mahatma Gandhi''
(We would have preferred a pithy quote from a Western Christian mystic, but they are all quoting Gandhi)
''Creation is continuous, and never stops''
"To those who followed Columbus and Cortez, the New World truly seemed incredible because of the natural endowments. The land often announced itself with a heavy scent miles out into the ocean. Giovanni di Verrazano in 1524 smelled the cedars of the East Coast a hundred leagues out. The men of Henry Hudson's ''Half Moon'' were temporarily disarmed by the fragrance of the New Jersey shore, while ships running farther up the coast occasionally swam through large beds of floating flowers (!). Wherever they came inland they found a rich riot of colour and sound, of the game and luxuriant vegetation. Had they been other than they were, they might have written a new mythology here. As it was, they took inventory."
''Frederick Turner''
An online Bible search for 'play' yields 92 hits; 'redemption', 47...
*"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means."
''Gandhi''
== Sources and Citations ==
"Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality" Matthew Fox
This article quotes the source heavily; however, some concepts have been taken from other sources. All of the unattributed quotes are from the source, except "I can't wait to die, and go to heaven," which came from a death centric church.
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
While the doctrine of Original Sin is unique to Western Christianity and its satellites, this article should not be construed as condemning of all Western Christian churches; many, many independent--and even affiliated, in defiance of their charters--churches have abandoned this doctrine. Find one.
Humans labor under a curse, Scripturally defined as "The Law of sin and death," that any mind which harkens to the eternity placed within it must come to terms with; as people, we (almost universally) all suffer physical death. This Law is inescapable, and the foundation of the need for one to seek their own salvation. However, several centuries ago, at the Council of Trent, one of the later founding Councils of Christianity, a doctrine--the doctrine of Original Sin--grew out of this that literally split the Christian world asunder; and we have been divided ever since.
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 the rest of Christianity, (as strange as this might seem to us in the West).
"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." MFox
"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, in ''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, in ''The Orthodox Church'' (Middlesex, England 1963)
Understand that this is the bedrock of Western Civilization now, and affects every area of your life.
This was postulated by St. Augustine by way of what is now recognized even by many Western Theologians as being fatally flawed, and the result of misinterpretation; 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 perceived current situation can be laid. You were born into a flawed, sinful world, but your creation was a blessing, not a curse.
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,'' a natural part of your day. Scripture plainly outlines this; how the Established church will mis-read the Bible for their own ends, and why It is written in just such a way, so as to be 'hidden' from those who seek to abuse It.
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 the doctrine of Original Sin--a doctrine of men--in the Bible.
"The concept of Original Sin is alien to Jewish tradition."
Elie Wiesel
Understand that "Original Sin" and "fall/redemption" were very minor even to Augustine's theology. This can be verified on the web, since the following quote from ''Original Blessing'' is a bit unclear without some study aids. These were postulated based on what is now widely viewed as misinterpretation by him; "In Paul's Letter to the Romans he says, 'Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men 'because all men sinned.' And using a faulty Latin translation which left out the word "death" he translates as follows: 'Through one man sin entered into the world and through sin, death, and thus spread to all men, in whom all have sinned.' (Contra Julianum)" Matthew Fox, ''Original Blessing''
It should be clear from this that John did not mean what Augustine said. You are a sinner when you sin, and not before.
- It is well known that the Council of Trent insisted on the doctrine of Original Sin, yet the doctrine of Original Blessing is a far more ancient and Biblical doctrine. The Council did not deny this (nor could it); nor did they ever say what Original Sin even means.
- Understand how this doctrine disagrees with so much of the rest of the Bible; the 'age of accountability', etc., and see that you are responsible for ''your'' sins and that it isn't possible for a baby to sin.
- What does God say? "...the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth." ''Genesis 8:21'' Which may ''sound'' like a condemnation to someone unfamiliar with God's condemnation; but the important part of this verse for us at the moment is the ''from his youth'' part. You are not "born a sinner" in the sense that Western Christianity teaches, and it doesn't matter if you are an atheist or have never been in a church, this founding premise has become baked into your assumptions.
See that these concepts were seized upon for political reasons. An exaggerated doctrine of Original Sin, as used as a starting point for spirituality, plays kindly into the hands of empire builders, slave-masters, etc. It divides (and therefore conquers), pitting your thoughts against your feelings, your body against your spirit, and your country against the world.
- "The harm that has been done to souls during the centuries of Christianity, first by the literal interpretation of the story of Adam, and then by the confusion of this myth, treated as history, with later speculations, principally Augustinian, about Original Sin, will never be adequately told." Paul Ricoeur, ''The Symbolism of Evil''
- This is "dualism," recognized by sages from Eckhart to Daly as "the sin of all sin." Separation. Subject/object relationships.
- "Pleasure" becomes "sin" with this model. Leave it to an Accuser to turn pleasure into sin. An actual (Catholic) test for sin is "did you enjoy it?"
- The U.S. is currently (still) the dominant world power; the professed theology of the U.S. is Christianity, of the Western stripe. The 'center' of this theology is 'Original Sin' and 'fall/redemption,' and you may witness the fruit of Western Christian theology simply by turning on the news. Understand that your 'Christian' leaders are the world's largest arms dealers.
Fall/redemption centricity describes our fascination with skulls.
It's why we like to wear black, v ''~always wearing white~"
"When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him." Proverbs 16:7
Does this sound like a proper characterization of the U.S.?
- "Throughout Christian history, the conviction that man's birthright is sin has encouraged an unrealistic acceptance of remediable social evils, or even a callousness about human suffering. It helps to explain the easy acceptance of slavery and serfdom, and a record of religious atrocity unmatched by any other religion." Professor Herbert J. Muller
- "A spirituality that preaches resignation under official brutalities, servile acquiescence in frustration and sterility, and total submission to organized injustice is one which has lost interest in holiness and remains concerned only with a spurious notion of 'order.'" Thomas Merton Bystander
Know that Christ died for your sins. This article doesn't seek to negate this, but to restore a proper balance between "Have life more abundantly" and this. See that virtually every time you have heard a Christian message in the West it was
"Christ died
Christ died for your
Christ died
Christ died
Christ died for your"
well guess what that only took three days.
You should run screaming from this distortion.
Christ rose and lives. There is ''Life'' after Salvation.
- "The fall/redemption spiritual tradition is not nearly as ancient as is the creation~centered one. The former goes back principally to St. Augustine (354-430 AD); to Thomas a' Kempis, who said, 'Every time I go into creation I withdraw from God' (?); to Cardinal Bossuet; Cotton Mather; and Father Tanqueray.
- The creation~centered tradition traces its roots to the 9th century BC, with the very first author of the Bible, the Yahwist or J source, to the Psalms, to Wisdom Books of the Bible, to much of the Prophets, to Jesus and much of the New Testament, and to the very first Christian theologian in the west, St. Irenaeus (c. 130-200 AD).
- ...Luther says, drawing on ancient tradition, that there are three articles of faith: 1)Creation; 2)Redemption; 3)Sanctification. Yet if we skip over creation--which Protestant and Catholic theology has been doing for four centuries--then is not redemption distorted? And sanctification as well?" ''Original Blessing'' Matthew Fox
- Ever been quoted to from "Song of Songs"? Why not, we wonder?
Trust that God delights in your unique way of producing fruit. Embrace the Biblical concept of ''Original Blessing." God is our Creator, and we are "to be like gods" (Eph 4:24 et al) Imagine a creating god asking you if you brushed for the full 3 minutes...or pointing out that you shouldn't _____; or condemning you for being _____. Is there a time and place for that, from a god? Arguably. Is it a primary place? See that God is not your Accuser.
Is this the Christianity that you are comfortable with? You should be compelled to follow God because you have seen "Life, more abundantly" demonstrated to you. There are many creation-centered churches that understand "Life, more abundantly," or you can start one yourself or with like-minded people. You'll know "Life, more abundantly" as soon as you see it, if you have been in a death-centric church unawares.
Hence to Dabhar, the Word of God.
Meaning of Dabhar
We are going to assume for brevity's sake that you would be comfortable with "Word of God" (Hebrew ''Dabhar'') being translated "Creative Energy of God", even if you are a Western Christian; God's word "does not return to (Him) void," meaning that when God says it, it is going to happen; His word (and yours!) is literally "creative energy." Let's take a look at John 1 through this much more meaningful lens:
"In the beginning was the Creative Energy:
The Creative Energy was with God
and the Creative Energy was God.
It was with God in the beginning.
Through it all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through it.
All that came to be had life in it
and that life was the light of persons,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower...
The Creative Energy was the true light
that enlightens all people;
and it was coming into the world.
It was in the world
that had its being through it,
and the world did not know it...
But to all who did accept it
it gave power to become children of God...
The Creative Energy was made flesh,
it pitched its tent among us,
and we saw its glory,
the glory that is its as the only Child of the Creator,
full of grace and full of truth."
''John 1:1-5,9,10,12,14''
Kinda takes on a whole new meaning, doesn't it?
When you can accept this as a Christian Manifesto, where is fall/redemption in this model? "And the world did not know it," that one line, about 3/4 of the way through, and the next, "but to all who did accept it..."
This is only a partial illumination of the Hebrew word ''Dabhar''; in Hebrew, the word is also used for ''law'' and ''commandments'', so a slightly more complete meaning might be ''Creative Energy, with Law and Commandments''; and then you should probably read several books on it, or none, to begin to grasp ''Dabhar''.
''Dabhar'' is where it all happens.
When you are busy ''Dabhar''ing (which includes quite a bit of work, actually, of the joyful kind...when you get really committed, you're prepared to die), and creatively, joyfully playing in God's creation for you, fall/redemption will assume its proper, undistorted place.
#* Add Proverbs 8:22-31 "ever at play in His Presence..."
Psalms 104:33 "...I mean to play for my God as long as I live."
Psalms 47:7 "God is King of the whole world; play your best in His honor!"
Even though these might technically refer to the playing of an instrument, they should also be read as alliteration.
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." Rom 8:2
"All good deeds that are prompted by hope of happiness in the next world cease to be moral." ''Mahatma Gandhi''
(We would have preferred a pithy quote from a Western Christian mystic, but they are all quoting Gandhi)
''Creation is continuous, and never stops''
"To those who followed Columbus and Cortez, the New World truly seemed incredible because of the natural endowments. The land often announced itself with a heavy scent miles out into the ocean. Giovanni di Verrazano in 1524 smelled the cedars of the East Coast a hundred leagues out. The men of Henry Hudson's ''Half Moon'' were temporarily disarmed by the fragrance of the New Jersey shore, while ships running farther up the coast occasionally swam through large beds of floating flowers (!). Wherever they came inland they found a rich riot of colour and sound, of the game and luxuriant vegetation. Had they been other than they were, they might have written a new mythology here. As it was, they took inventory."
''Frederick Turner''
An online Bible search for 'play' yields 92 hits; 'redemption', 47...
*"Those who say religion has nothing to do with politics do not know what religion means."
''Gandhi''
== Sources and Citations ==
"Original Blessing: A Primer in Creation Spirituality" Matthew Fox
This article quotes the source heavily; however, some concepts have been taken from other sources. All of the unattributed quotes are from the source, except "I can't wait to die, and go to heaven," which came from a death centric church.
