Im not here to preach, but I do have thoughts on the subject. I’ll probably add some as time goes on, but what are your thoughts? I see a wide array across the different forums here, and I wonder if open discussion can bring us all any closer to Truth, Love, Beauty, Peace, and everything else our souls desire/require.
Please, speak as generally or as autistically hyper-focused as you want
You hit the nail on the head in that we should all be in pursuit of the Truth, the Love of which draws us towards it, and the understanding of which inevitably manifests in Beauty and Peace.
Christianity, then, is merely one available tool among many which may serve to bring us closer to the Truth. Paralleling this, and as Jesus himself said, "The Sabbath was created for Man, not Man for the Sabbath."
However, this vision collides with the Truth itself, which brings unwelcome news....
The vast majority of the human race places no value on the Truth. They fear it because of the anxiety and discomfort it brings, and thus they hate it. Instead, they construct their own version of "Truth" based on that which makes them comfortable, a Truth where they are Right and Good, and all that they think and say and do is justified.
Where virtually all Christians go wrong is at a paradigmatic level: they absolutely take the Truth as coming from the Bible, rather than recognizing that the Truth is in the Universe and the Bible is some tiny part of that Universe. Then whatever is in the Bible is interpreted in its multitudinous ways to suit their desired ends.
They aren't "bad" people--whatever that means--it is merely how their consciousness was constructed. You don't blame your dog for failing to learn arithmetic and placing no value on it. And your dog can live a wonderful life without it.
As to that small fraction of humanity which places an inherent value on the Truth, that is a product both of how their consciousness was constructed and that it was able to develop to that level. Not all do, and indeed perhaps very few.
Additionally, they have an in-built moral compass. In fact, that higher consciousness and the inner sense of morality can be considered simply as characteristics of a single condition.
All the others lack this in-built morality and require an external one to guide their behavior through a system of reward and punishment. That's where organized religion comes in, each of which provides such a moral system.
Boiling down the entire ministry of Jesus reveals that he knew what I just wrote. The Way was a simple set of moral precepts taught through simple parables and simple directives such as the Sermon on the Mount. Reward awaited those who practiced the lessons.
A harmonious society supporting the elevation of the human spirit and geared towards discovery of its destiny can be constructed of such simple elements, but it is plain for all to see how far we are from that.
Everyone may now return to arguing about chapter and verse, which is where comfort lies.
Really great, insightful response - thanks for sharing it
Hah, seems we may not even get that far!