The Nicene Creed (written 325 C.E.) is the indiginization of early Christian beliefs into the Hellenistic thought of the early 4th century and crystallization of thought of a particular time and place.

Trinitarian language says God is one known to us:

* as God the creator
* in the person of Jesus
* in the presence of the spirit

The emergence of Jesus Christ in Christian tradition amounts to a cumulative claim.

For Marcus Borg, as a scholar and as a Christian, Jesus is an epiphany of God, a manifestation of the sacred, the decisive disclosure of God.

From "A Portrait of Jesus" created by Cam Howard based on the work of Dr. Marcus Borg.

I found this website quite interesting since I haven't gotten around to rereading and reading the books by Marcus Borg. I like the conclusion:

Spirit, compassion, and the quest for justice are at the center of a Christian life that takes this portrait of Jesus seriously.

I think I have been bothered lately with those professing a Christianity that puts certain things at the center of a Christian Life that end up being more like the rule-bound Pharasees than what Jesus taught.

I don't want to be flippant about my faith or the faith of others in this blog. I have been writing about feeling a release; a new excitement about my faith. Maybe what is new is the freedom to no longer hang onto some of the basic doctrines of Christianity that are clearly not plausible to me anymore. I am feeling freed from hanging on to these teachings that I don't think I ever accepted. I still remember my reaction and that of many in the crowd when Bishop Spong exclaimed, "Jesus did not die for my sins!" There was such a release in hearing him publicly and proudly proclaim a faith view that I dare not say since it is considered heresy. It certainly engendered a new freedom in me.

It is getting close to a year since I started this blog last March. I initially just wanted to bookmark and comment on items that were attracting my attention. Then within a month, I went to the talk by Bishop Spong mentioned above. At some point, I decided to write my spiritual autobiography and started using the profile to do that. I haven't gotten back to it though I had made a list of significant influences on me that I seemed to have misplaced. Maybe I will change the profile to such a list and comment on their significance in the blog.

I also do not want to make this blog a criticism of others. There are two aspects to that. I am discussing it here because I am not sure who is ready to talk about this stuff. I do not want to be critical of where they are at. Secondly, there is a huge urge to be critical of the Christian Right. Much of what their leaders do has nothing to do with faith. They are trying to promote a political agenda and find manipulating believers as a handy tool. Many of them have to keep the excitement up to keep bringing in the money. This article is an example of the things that scare me about the Religious Right.

If for his life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" 1st Corinthians 15:19

What an awful verse! I have begun preparing for the Lenten Study and the materials mostly present some good verses and topics to discuss. I happened to notice this verse in the last chapter of the study quide. This is a some of Paul's reasoning that I have never been comfortable with. The study author talks about his father's life and how he "died too young" at 65. After saying how most people are forgotten and the world moves on after they are dead, he says "What a bleak and empty view of life..." The study author then tries to convince us that it might be OK to live selfishly since "no one remembers us." "If death is the final answer, why live a faithful life?" After presenting us with this, he offers an alternative using the standard claims of what we have gained from Christ's resurrection.

This is a perfect example of the theology that has never worked for me. I was taught duing my high school years to witness with the four spiritual laws but always found it odd that one had to first convince people what bad shape they were in and then tell them you have a incantation that will fix that suppossed empty feeling.

This worldview seems unable to meet people where they are at. For the author, life appears to be meaningless and empty unless there is a heaven. Does life only have meaning if we live on? Is that really true for this author and is that a necessary part of Christian theology? If so the they "are of all people most to be pitied"

In Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas Pagels wrestles with her own faith as she struggles to understand when--and why--Christianity became associated almost exclusively with the Trinitarian doctrine of the fourth-century Nicene Creed. In her exploration, she uncovers the richness and diversity of early Christianity. At the center of her book is an early Christian document, The Gospel of Thomas (rediscovered in Egypt in 1945); it reflects the view that Jesus is not God but, rather, a teacher who seeks to uncover the divine light in all human beings. But its "secret teachings" were driven underground by early church fathers, emerging once again in the work of Pagels and other contemporary scholars. As Pagels argues, the rediscovery of documents like the Gospel of Thomas may transform our understanding not only of early Christianity, but of the Christian faith itself. GodWeb: Finding God on the Web

I looked up this review after reading Continued discovery within 'secret gospels' By Louis Sahagun, Times Staff Writer, in the January 20, 2007 LA Times. I liked Elaine Pagels answers to questions that seem designed to stir up a bit of controversy. I had never looked into anything about the "lost gospels" because they were not part of the canon and it seemed (at least in the '70s) that folks were interested just to be rebellious. As Elaine says, "We were told they were bizarre, heretical, nonsensical, full of philosophical fantasies and religious junk." My views have changed as I have read about them and became convinced that "the richness and diversity of early Christianity" has been suppressed. Like Pagels though, I feel they are not the answer but just a part of the mystery of faith. She says, "Essentially, they were trying to make a distinction between anthropomorphic notions of God and the divine reality." Sounds like what Bishop Spong is saying. I would like to read this book one of these days when I have the opportunity. I had not realized till I did a search that she had written this article I quoted on The Truth at the Heart of 'The Da Vinci Code'.

In my journal today, I described many of the traditional Christian tenets as facades with supports behind holding them up. I imagine a television set or a set for a play. The supports have been removed and the false walls have fallen outward. I still have my central beliefs but the barriers have been removed. Like the young person in my last blog entry, I have not rejected my faith but I don't find it necessary to say everyone else is wrong. In fact I find much of value in these other faiths.

I am not a subscriber to Bishop Spong's newsletter but I am on the mailing list for occasional samples. He is helpful in reminding me that it is OK to remain with a mainline church denomination. I don't believe Jesus died for my sins but I have agreed to lead a group using a published lenten study. It will be a time for me to look at some central beliefs and see what I can find. Hopefully I won't have to tell them much about the current episode in my spiritual journey; I don't think this is the time or place to "come out." At some time I will have to have a talk with the Pastor. I can contribute to the classes but maybe there should be some discernment. I don't want to cause problems for the Pastor. It does show though that we have never had a deep conversation where I could tell him where I am at spiritually. We have talked a lot about where our congregation is at and he assumes my beliefs are fairly mainstream.

Experiencing Other Faiths to Find One's Own, by Judy Woodruff
I found this interview fascinating. There may be feelings of jealousy in me since not only did she have an amazing journey but she seems to have a rich church life to come back to. I has a similar desire when I was that age but my journey was not quite as rich. There was some great things but as they say, "Mistakes were made."

I would like to go on a this kind of journey or exploration now. I will see how that can happen. The journey can be metaphorical; I don't have to actually travel to distant lands. I will also see what my spouse is interested in.

THIRTEEN WAYS OF SEEING NATURE IN L.A. by JENNY PRICE, The Believer magazine. I started reading this article after seeing a piece in GRIST adapted from it. I like what she has to say.