~ ἆ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_/ Christianity’s Modern Problem \_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ᾮ ~ . ~* Christianity exhibits a history of having originated out of the unintended transformation of the Gospel and Life of Jesus into a religion about Jesus. It further presents the history of having experienced Hellenization, paganization, secularization, institutionalization, intellectual deterioration, spiritual decadence, moral hibernation, threatened extinction, later rejuvenation, fragmentation, and more recent relative rehabilitation. Such a pedigree is indicative of inherent vitality. And this same Christianity is now present in the world of the West and stands face to face with a struggle for existence which is even more ominous than those eventful crises which have characterized its past battles for dominance ~ . ~* Religion is now confronted by the challenge of a new age of scientific minds and materialistic tendencies. In this gigantic struggle between the secular and the spiritual, the Gospel of Jesus will eventually triumph ~ . ~* True religion (personal spirituality) is the revelation to man of his divine and eternal destiny. This is a purely personal spiritual experience and must forever be distinguished from man’s other high forms of thought, such as: . 1. Man’s logical attitude toward the things of material reality. . 2. Man’s aesthetic appreciation of beauty contrasted with ugliness. . 3. Man’s ethical recognition of social obligations and political duty. . 4. Even man’s sense of human morality is not, in and of itself, spiritual. . ~* True spirituality is designed to find those values in the universe which call forth faith, trust, and assurance; spirituality culminates in worship. Spirituality discovers for the soul those supreme values which are in contrast with the relative values discovered by the mind. Such superhuman insight can be had only through genuine spiritual experience ~ . ~* A lasting social system without a morality predicated on spiritual realities can no more be maintained than could the solar system without gravity ~ . ~* Do not try to satisfy the curiosity or gratify all the latent adventure surging within the soul in one short life in the flesh. Be patient! Be not tempted to indulge in a lawless plunge into cheap and sordid adventure. Harness your energies and bridle your passions; be calm while you await the majestic unfolding of an endless career of progressive adventure and thrilling discovery ~ . ~* When there is so much good truth to publish and proclaim, why should men dwell so much upon the evil in the world just because it appears to be a fact? The beauties of the spiritual values of truth are more pleasurable and uplifting than is the phenomenon of evil ~ . ~* In true spirituality, Jesus advocated and followed the method of experience, even as modern science pursues the technique of experiment. We find God through the leadings of spiritual insight, but we approach this insight of the soul through the love of the beautiful, the pursuit of truth, loyalty to duty, and the worship of divine goodness. But of all these values, love is the true guide to real insight ~ . ~* Do not overlook the value of your spiritual heritage, the river of truth running down through the centuries, even to the barren times of a materialistic and secular age. In all your worthy efforts to rid yourselves of the superstitious creeds of past ages, make sure that you hold fast the eternal truth. But be patient! When the present superstition revolt is over, the truths of Jesus’ gospel will persist gloriously to illuminate a new and better way ~ . ~* But paganized and socialized Christianity stands in need of new contact with the uncompromised teachings of Jesus; it languishes for lack of a new vision of the Master’s life on earth. A new and fuller revelation of the Gospel of Jesus is destined to conquer an empire of materialistic secularism and to overthrow a world sway of mechanistic naturalism. Our world is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment ~ . ~* The teachings of Jesus, even though greatly modified, survived the mystery cults, the ignorance and superstition of the dark ages, and are even now slowly triumphing over materialism. And such times of great testing and threatened defeat are always times of great revelation ~ . ~* The spiritual world does need new leaders, spiritual men and women who will dare to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings. If Christianity persists in neglecting its spiritual mission while it continues to busy itself with social and material problems, the spiritual renaissance must await the coming of these new teachers of Jesus’ Gospel who will be exclusively devoted to the spiritual regeneration of men. And then will these spirit-born souls quickly supply the leadership and inspiration requisite for the social, moral, economic, and political reorganization of the world. My brothers and sisters, it is time, the time is now. If you have a calling to be an ambassador of the Gospel of the Master then take heed, for the spiritual rejuvenation of humanity fast approaches ~ . ~* The modern age will refuse to accept a religion which is inconsistent with facts and out of harmony with its highest conceptions of truth, beauty, and goodness. The hour is striking for a rediscovery of the true and original foundations of present-day distorted and compromised Christianity — the real life and teachings of Jesus ~ . ~* Primitive man lived a life of superstitious bondage to religious fear. Modern, civilized men dread the thought of falling under the dominance of strong religious convictions. Thinking man has always feared to be held by a religion. When a strong and moving religion threatens to dominate him, he invariably tries to rationalize, traditionalize, and institutionalize it, thereby hoping to gain control of it. By such procedure, even a revealed religion becomes man-made and man-dominated. Modern men and women of intelligence evade the religion of Jesus because of their fears of what it will do to them — and with them. And all such fears are well founded. The religion of Jesus does, indeed, dominate and transform its believers, demanding that men dedicate their lives to seeking for a knowledge of the will of the Father in heaven and requiring that the energies of living be consecrated to the unselfish service of the brotherhood of man ~ . ~* Selfish men and women simply will not pay such a price for even the greatest spiritual treasure ever offered mortal man. Only when man has become sufficiently disillusioned by the sorrowful disappointments attendant upon the foolish and deceptive pursuits of selfishness, and subsequent to the discovery of the barrenness of formalized religion, will he be disposed to turn wholeheartedly to the gospel of the kingdom, the Life and Teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. Brothers and sisters, the time is now. You know it as do I ~ . ~* The world needs more firsthand spirituality. Even Christianity — the best of the religions of the modern day — is not only a religion about Jesus, but it is so largely one which men experience secondhand. They take their religion wholly as handed down by their accepted religious teachers. What an awakening the world would experience if it could only see Jesus as he really lived on earth and know, firsthand, his life-giving teachings! Descriptive words of things beautiful cannot thrill like the sight thereof, neither can words inspire men’s souls like the experience of knowing the presence of God. But expectant faith will ever keep the hope-door of man’s soul open for the entrance of the eternal spiritual realities of the divine values of the worlds beyond ~ . ~* Christianity has dared to lower its ideals before the challenge of human greed, war-madness, and the lust for power; but the religion of Jesus stands as the unsullied and transcendent spiritual summons, calling to the best there is in man to rise above all these legacies of animal evolution and, by grace, attain the moral heights of true human destiny ~ . ~* Christianity is threatened by slow death from formalism, overorganization, intellectualism, and other nonspiritual trends. The modern Christian church is not such a brotherhood of dynamic believers as Jesus commissioned continuously to effect the spiritual transformation of successive generations of mankind ~ . ~* So-called Christianity has become a social and cultural movement as well as a religious belief and practice. The stream of modern Christianity drains many an ancient pagan swamp and many a barbarian morass; many olden cultural watersheds drain into this present-day cultural stream as well as the high Galilean tablelands which are supposed to be its exclusive source ~ . >>>> It is time to break free from these shackles of bondage and to open up to the Spirit of Truth within and the indwelling Fragment of God... Which shall ever guide those true of heart in the right direction. Trust only in the divine Life and Teachings of Jesus >>> . ~ An enlarged revelation of truth ~ . ~ For humanitys spiritual advancement ~ . Jesusanity - Join the Public Group, ask questions and learn more https://facebook/groups/jesusanity/ . Jesusanity. For all the World . jesusanity.org . Jesusanity is here ~ The time is now....... . ~ Ȋ ᾎM >> . ~ Ŝtepђen >> Ρurveyor of Ʈrue Ŝpirituality ~ Ŝpiritual Ʈruth >> including the Teachings of Jesus which shall be the basis of the revival for the spiritual evolution of Ӈumanity ~ . The Spirit of Truth in the New Temple of the Heart . ~ I offer guidance only as the truth lies within your own hearts ~ Open up to the fragment of God that indwells within you and He shall surely direct your paths ~ Seek and thou shalt find the Spirit of Truth within ~ . ~ WE ARE ONE >> . ~ ἆ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_/ Ʈђe Kingdom of God is within All \_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ᾮ ~ ~ ἆ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_/ Embrace it with all of your Heart \_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ᾮ ~ . ~ ἆ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~_/ Ȋ ᾎM ἆlphḁ ḁnd ᾮmeģḁ \_~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ᾮ ~ ~ ƑḸ _/ Ʈђe Ƒirst ḁnd ṱђe Lḁst ~ Ʈђe Beģinninģ ḁnd ṱђe Ẽnd \_ BẼ ~ ~
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 09:36:35 +0000
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