PRESENTED BY THE ECLECTIC
CHURCH
“Those are called Gods to whom the Word of God was
delivered.”
(John 10:35)
“To listen to any second hand
gospel is perdition of the first Gospel.
Jesus was Jesus because he refused to listen to another, and, listened
at home”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Jesus. Was he God?
--- Was he merely a man? --- Was he both? --- Was His nature any different than yours
or mine?
These are questions men have been trying to resolve for
two millennium. They are
questions, we at the
Can we really
ever know such a thing?
Is knowing the answer really relevant to serving
God?
If Jesus were
alive today, what would be more important to him --- what we believe about his
Divine Nature; or, what we are doing to our fellow man?
If we remove all the speculations and declarations that men have
postulated (most of them never knowing Jesus) --- and read the words of the gospels
themselves --- we will quickly see that this Divine Nature was not central to
the teachings of Jesus. In fact, Jesus
himself is totally ambiguous about that very subject. There can be little doubt that Jesus was much
more concerned with living his message than with worshipping the messenger.
It is also most clear in the
gospels, that the men and women who walked and talked with Jesus,
could not understand who he was, or what motivated this truly remarkable
person. If the very people who walked
and talked with Jesus could not say for certain just who he was; how is it we
claim to know more about him than they?
“One of the twelve, Thomas, that is
‘the twin’ was not with the rest of them when Jesus came. So the Disciples told him, ‘We have seen the
Lord.’ He said, ‘Unless I see the marks
of the nails on his hands, unless I put my finger into the place the nails
were, and my hand into his side, I WILL NOT BELIEVE IT!
(John 20: 24-25)
According to the gospel account, Jesus
goes on to oblige Thomas. While Jesus
may have given the proof
that Thomas required, we can see a significant second point to
the story if we approach it objectively.
The fact was, Thomas was already one of the
twelve. He did not need absolute faith
to be a follower Jesus. Despite his lack
of faith, he was already an apostle accepted by Jesus. Jesus accepted him even despite his doubts
about things that transcend human experience.
While Jesus’ final comment to Thomas is often argued “Blessed is he who
believes and has not seen”; one cannot find anywhere where Jesus would have
said, ‘cursed is the man who does not believe!’
˙
There are many who might cite the Resurrection as a proof of Jesus’
Divinity. But, what we must keep in mind
is that, there are many scholarly opinions about the authenticity of this
account, which was written long after the death of Jesus. There are also concepts such as those of Carl
Jung about such happenings as recorded in Scriptures --- that such text are
full of inspiration, and that inspiration is symbolic rather than a literal or
historical fact. And even if Jesus did
rise from the grave, such could be of the power God without Jesus having been
God. We Have Jesus’ own words to support
this:
“I DO NOTHING BY MY OWN AUTHORITY, but in all that I say I
have been taught by my Father in heaven.”
(John 8:28)
We can only have
‘faith’ in the resurrection, because in reality all of these scenarios are
plausible:
1.
that the event was symbolic.
2.
that the event took place by the power of God
3.
that the event was contrived or misunderstood.
4.
that Jesus rose of his own power as God
The reality is, all we can do is
believe, which is a wonderful thing if believing moves us to act upon the words
of Jesus. While eclecticism respects the
rights of a believer, and sees inspiration in most forms of faith, we strongly
object to any man declaring that God demands such belief in order to obtain
salvation. This is particularly true,
when the belief becomes more of a priority than the living of the message of God’s
Love, which is proclaimed in the Gospels.
There is nothing clearly stated in the actual teachings of Jesus (as
handed down to us in the gospels) to indicate he was interested in being
worshipped, idolized, or pronounced God Incarnate. In fact, if you read what Jesus had to say
about the final judgment in Matthew
25: 31-46, Jesus never talks about faith at all in
regards to that final judgment --- not even faith in God is mentioned!
And if you read the whole chapter, you will quickly see in the first
parable that taking responsibility for one’s self, one’s own actions, is the
necessary element to enter the
If men lived the teachings of Jesus, with the same enthusiasm they have
for proclaiming his Divinity, it would seem that the world could be a much
better place. If people only applied
Jesus’ words to their lives with as much devotion as they worship him --- one
has to wonder what could be accomplished in his name! There can be no doubt that Jesus’ primary
command was to ‘love one another’ --- which is the clearest of all the
messages the gospels deliver.
The Eclectic Church feels it is possible for those who believe in the
Divinity of Jesus, and those who do not, to find a common ground if they opened
their hearts and minds. The fact remains, one CANNOT PROVE the DIVINITY OF JESUS anymore than
they can DISPROVE IT! But could not all
agree that Jesus’ central teaching and philosophy was to love one another and
do good works for one another. These are
things we can know about Jesus from the perspective of our mortality. Love is an article of faith which can be used
in a practical manner in the living of our daily lives.
How could anyone factual argue that a form of religious humanism was not
the core foundation of Jesus’ life? Any
reading of the Gospels (free of all the theology since their writing) would
proclaim that Jesus came to establish the Kingdom of God --- and that Kingdom
is in the hearts and minds of men expressed in their everyday lives and in
their interactions with one another.
If we look at Orthodox Christianity, as it exists today, in light of the
critique Jesus delivered about the religions of his own age (See
Matthew 23) --- one must ask one’s self: How do the churches of
today really differ so much from the criticisms Jesus had of the religious
guides of his own time? While most
churches do serve God in ways; do they really represent the
In our careful study of
Jesus, we do acknowledge that Jesus had a special and unique relationship with
the Divine; but this does not necessarily confirm his Divinity. From our point of view, we feel that men cannot
know for certain if Jesus was a God/man or a man of God. This is a matter of faith on the part of the
individual, and should not be a dogmatic declaration or assertion --- there is
just nothing absolute to base it upon.
Another way to look at this is: if Jesus is the God man, he doesn’t need
men to proclaim such
--- nor, does any man have the right! If Jesus is an Incarnation of God it will be
self evident to the individual who searches for God within his or her own heart
and mind.
˙
The
We view the Crucifixion in a different perspective. The Crucifixion is an example of the greatest
human atrocity of men toward their fellow man --- as a reminder of the extremes
humans can reach in the denial of the highest principles of Love --- as a
warning of allowing human beings the authority of God. The act of slaying Jesus is an atrocity if
Jesus were only a man of love; but, it is an even greater atrocity if he were
God Incarnate! We feel this barbaric act
should not be glorified as our salvation; but should serve to remind us of our
potential to reject God’s message of love.
If Jesus were Divine, he was subjecting himself to human authority on
the cross; not some Divine plan of redemption.
What should be our shame, theologies have turned into our redemption.
˙
This leads to the question: How
does Eclecticism see Jesus as a savior?
The answer to this question is a simple one. He lived it as his first priority and set the
example which we should strive to imitate.
And then, after living it, he taught it to all those who would
listen. Despite all the declarations of
men, all the theological arguments, all the dogmas and creeds --- the main
salvation message of Jesus was: ‘personal responsibility toward others, and love.’ The “salvation” is there for all to partake
in, but it is we who choose to make it part of our reality. The Redemption is in love; and love is part
of us all!
The salvation, which Jesus delivered to us, is contained in his words,
“Pick up your cross and follow me.” His
salvation is in the Sermon on the Mount.
Our redemption is in his directives to love one another --- to take care
of one another --- feed one another --- clothe one another --- shelter one
another. The
“Love your enemies, pray for your persecutors; only that you
may be children of the heavenly Father, who makes His sun rise ON GOOD AND BAD
ALIKE, and SENDS THE RAINS ON THE HONEST AND DISHONEST. IF YOU LOVE ONLY THOSE WHO LOVE YOU WHAT
REWARD CAN YOU EXPECT?”
(Matthew 5:45-46)
“…because He Himself (God) is kind to the ungrateful and
wicked. Be compassionate as your Father
is compassionate.”
(Luke 6:36)
What these words illustrate is that God’s love, mercy and forgiveness
extend to all men, including the wicked!
If God does not discriminate against those whom He/She might consider to
be evil; what right do we have as human beings to pronounce God’s judgment upon
others simply because they differ from us?
How much of our theology proclaims judgment upon those who refuse to
believe? How many
“Why do you keep calling me ‘Lord! Lord!’; and never do what I
tell you. Everyone who hears what I say, AND ACTS UPON IT…”
(Luke 6:36)
“Isaiah was right when he prophesized about you: ‘This
people pay me lip service, but their hearts are far from me; their worship of
me is in vain, for THEY TEACH AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.’ “
(Matthew 15:8-9)
The intent here is not to offer
an indictment against Christianity or any other religion. But when we read the words of Jesus, we are
forced to ask in light of today’s world --- despite the Gospel of Jesus being
preached to the four corners of the globe:
WHERE IS THE REALITY OF WHAT THIS PROCLAIMED GOD/MAN SAID IN THE
EVERYDAY AFFAIRS OF HUMANITY? If so many
people worship Jesus as God, should they not be trying to abide by the primary
directives he himself taught? If so many
re following Jesus, why are there so many starving children in our world -- so
many destitute and homeless --- so many neglected and lonely --- so many
forgotten seniors, so many underprivileged --- so much indifference and
selfishness --- and so much intolerance?
The teachings of Jesus beg the questions: How is it so many Christians tolerate the
concept of war; yet, remain silent about oppression? Why do so many of the Christian worshippers
see the necessity of faith; but, remain complacent about the exploitation of
peoples of third world countries by industrial nations? Why don’t more churches cry out against
financial and social injustices, and oppressions of millions of people, with the same
enthusiasm they do in promoting their moral platitudes?
If the acceptance of Jesus as God is so prevalent in our society: why
does bigotry, poverty, hatred, inequality remain so widespread in our
society? Is that Something Jesus would
tolerate?
Are all these things not an indication that somewhere along the line we
have lost the priorities of the
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS, WHAT DO YOU THINK WOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT TO
JESUS, ACCEPTANCE OF HIS DIVINITY, OR, LIVING THE MESSAGE HE DELIVERED?
Where do we find this
Is it in the theology of his Divinity?
Is that Kingdom expressed in the organized churches and temples that
tower into the sky? Is Jesus’ described
Kingdom in the creeds and doctrines of the divisive opinions about Jesus? Is his
Eclecticism does not see it in any of these things. Jesus told us where the
And when he was demanded by the Pharisees when the
(Luke 17:20-21)
He tells us in these words that the
Kingdom is us, which his philosophical views proclaim that our actions of love
and brotherhood are the manifestation of that Kingdom. That is why in the Gnostic GOSPEL OF THOMAS, Jesus goes on
with the thought expressed above to say, “No man sees it!” There are too few living it, and when someone
does live it nobody sees it that way --- we are too busy looking for man’s idea of God’s Kingdom.
While theology continues to establish and justify an earthly kingdom;
the
Love is the redemption Jesus gave, and if more of us truly loved one
another we could remake the face of the earth.
˙
Over the years, because of our preoccupation with the Divinity of Christ
--- because of our projection of the redemption of our sins upon his shoulders
--- because of the avoidance of personal responsibility before God by our
declarations of faith that he saved us:
we feel that religion for the most part has lost sight of the primary
message of Jesus. Religion is too often
declaring faith the truth; while missing the truths we should be living in
faith.
In searching the universal inspiration from myths and sacred scriptures
of all faiths, the
˙
In our Western world, where we know and love Jesus so much, we would
hope the wisdom he imparted to us could be used as the cornerstone of what we
do --- for the believer as well as nonbelievers. We hope that the argument over the nature of
Jesus never divides us, so then we can work together to carry out the message
of Jesus. If we were to receive an
important telegram from someone, we would never think to argue about the nature
of the messenger who brought it. The
importance of the telegram would stand alone.
Yet, this is what so many do when it comes to Jesus! Jesus brought us a message from the Creative
Absolute, a manual for living of sorts, but many are worshipping the messenger
and neglecting the message!
Jesus summed up his Kingdom, his life, and his idea of law in one
commandment:
“I give you a new commandment:
LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU, SO YOU ARE TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER. IF THERE IS LOVE AMONG YOU, THEN ALL WILL
KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES.”
(John 13:34-35)
Twice more Jesus repeats this
directive in Chapter Fifteen. While
faith is a great asset to any individual; the bottom line message of Jesus was
to love each other. Too many religious ideals
have made the faith more important than the love, but Jesus himself tells us:
‘we are know as his disciples in love.’ This is a Divine revelation we can all aspire
to in our lives.
It is our vision to build a religion that serves this directive as its
prime directive. It is our hope, as we
join minds, we will be able to implement this love and serve God in the reality
of our everyday world.
In asking us to “pick up our cross”, Jesus was asking each of us to be a
messiah of sorts. This doesn’t mean we
have to lay down our lives, or suffer pain and agony. Simply, it means, we do what we can and are
able to do to reach out to our fellow man.
Like so many other religions that have went before us, we begin here
with only words. But words are empty and
useless if we do not build realties from them.
The Divine truth in the Gospels is not in the words Jesus spoke; that
truth is in the message of love becoming a reality in our everyday world. As Jesus demonstrated, this is not an easy
task!
WE HOPE TO JOIN HANDS IN THE SPIRIT OF JESUS, TAKING OUR WORDS AND
TRANSFORMING THEM INTO “MIRACLES OF LOVE” --- miracles reflected in church,
home, business, and our everyday world.
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