Matthew 7:13-14
13 “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
I don't think there will be many people who find the path toward salvation because they keep twisting scripture and making excuses for their behavior.
Just looking at this forum, there are people who say you are saved by grace, some say that you are saved by choosing to do good works, some say that you are saved by keeping the commandments, and still others that say you are saved by grace, but must keep it through works or you will lose salvation. So, even within Christians, there is disagreement on a very fundamental part of the religion, making finding the path very complicated.
My belief is that Christ came to the world to show us how to love: to be kind to one another, to forgive others without end, to not seek revenge when someone acts against you but pray for them, to humble yourself before everyone, from celebrity to the homeless person, as if you were speaking to Christ himself, speak out against people in power who use it to oppress others, even religious leaders, although you will be hated, called a child of Satan, maybe even killed. Speak out against people who claim to speak the word of God when it is twisted scripture meant to harm like a weapon. But above all, in praying for love, the love of the HS flows through you, and the Kingdom of God is already within you, not something you must wait for death to see. Rather than a list of laws one must follow, trying to "thou shalt not", Christ tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, how to love actively - helping those in need, comforting those who are mourning or have lost hope, giving more than asked, and asking nothing in return, behaving as literally on body, working together. Rather than worrying about a misstep, I believe God shows us that we have endless possibilities before us. He wants us to live in joy, not fear. He offers us freedom, not enslavement.
A quote from a priest in What the Bleep Do We Know:
When I was younger, I had lots of ideas about what God was. And now I realize I'm not conscious enough...
to truly understand what that concept means. That I am at one with the great being that made me and brought me here...and that formed the galaxies and the universes, et cetera--
How did that get taken out of religion?
It was not hard. Most of the problems that religion and various philosophical movements, down through the centuries
have produced...have been errors because that's where they're started -That God is a distinct separate being from us...to whom I must offer worship,
whom I must cultivate...humor, please and hope to attain a reward from at the very end of my life.
That is not what God is.
That is a blasphemy.
And the thing that has had me scratching my head since childhood is listening to so many Christians talk about their religion and relationship with God, Christ and the HS, like it will start in heaven, when they die, rather than focus on the gift of life given to them now, and the fruit of the spirit that grows from the Tree of Life planted in our hearts. But instead, there is this equivalent of "you're gonna get it when your Dad gets home." But we've been texting all day, and we good.
It puzzles me when Christians quote with glee that the path is narrow, most won't make it, but they of course will, while the Good Shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one.
I don't understand when Christians, faithful to every word of the Bible, don't seek God for guidance in prayer, but only Scripture, and only their interpretation of it. I have always assumed God speaks to everyone, that quiet voice within us.
And I don't understand beliefs that man has a sinful nature. We were created in God's image, and also have a divine nature. A First Nation's story tells of a boy explaining to his father that within him there seems to be two wolves, one who wants to do good, and the other who wants to do evil. Who will win? His father replies, The one that you feed. And in acknowledging the two sides of us: a lower and higher self, a human and a divine self, we are empowered to overcome our human nature of revenge to forgive, selfishness for giving of self, for self-righteousness for humility.
I'm confused why Christians that portray a God that demands you kneel and tell him how great he is, can't understand how arrogant that makes God sound to nonbelievers. Rather than walking through town in Royal garments, telling people to kneel before him, Christ humbled himself before us, showed mercy, showed kindness, gave love rather than demanded it. And he gives us love first, that we may extend love to others first, Forgives us without deserving it, so that we will do the same to others.
And in loving our neighbor as ourselves, we love and honor God. I believe salvation is that simple, which Christ referred to as "becoming like a child."
But the reason the path becomes narrow is that they feed the wrong wolf. In believing themselves holy, which the dark wolf tells them, they condemn others. The dark wolf tells them that they are choosing to obey, congratulates them, and tells them they are better than those who they believe disobey. In fact, those who disobey are enemies of God, so if they go to hell, good riddance!
They look to Scripture but it only reflects their heart, and tell nonbelievers God hates them, maybe even commands them to execute them, and are pleasing their god, encourages them to lie if the end justifies the means, and as they push people away from God, distort what God is, trying to keep souls lost, they are definitely serving the god.
We just serve different gods.
