The doctrine of atonement: an Easter contemplation

This Easter season I have been contemplating where I stand as regards the doctrine of atonement. I thank my friend for the interesting conversation we had about this. She is the wife of a clergyman and works for the church, but she, like me, has problems with this teaching. It lies deep within our Christian psyche. It has shaped our history and is liberally sprinkled throughout our liturgy and our canon. It could be summarised thus:

That a punitive God

Was about to wreak vengeance on humanity

But Jesus stepped forward and said, “Take me, instead,”

The punitive God accepted his offer

And humanity was saved.

For me, this doesn’t work. Our Father-Mother God is not so punitive and conditional. Our God is a God of forgiveness. I would rewrite as,

A loving God saw humanity in need.

So Jesus came, to radiate God’s love and peace upon earth.

Jesus was attacked by evil and in God’s power, rose again.

In this and in his life and healings, he showed us the power of God’s love.

The doctrine as stated in its punitive form, is responsible for a deep wound in the Christian psyche. We feel we have to self-mortify, self-deny. My dear friend and teacher, Jenny Gayatri Marfatia, who passed on in June, 2010, said,

“Jesus did not teach self-harm”.

My friend Anna Amess said,

“Practising self-harm, never decreased the amount of harm in the universe”

To the God of forgiveness, you exist, your are part of the inventory, you count, you are important, you are worthy.

Jesus, I love you.

Mary, I love you.

Holy Spirit, I love you.

Our Father-Mother God, our heavenly parents, I love you.

Thank you for your light, love and power, thank you for your hosts of angels, who lifted Jesus beyond the pain upon the cross,.

Thank you.

Miracle of Mother Mary, Endeavour Hills, Melbourne, Australia

The statue is at the home of a Lebanese family in Endeavour Hills.  Their mother passed away in November 2013 and her photograph began to emanate the holy oil.  The statue of our Holy Mother was bought by the family in February 2014 and then it began to emanate the oil as well.

Miracle of Mother Mary at Endeavour Hills, Melbourne, Australia

Miracle of Mother Mary at Endeavour Hills, Melbourne, Australia

I have visited the family’s home four times since June 19, 2014.  I believe it is a genuine phenomenon because of the energy of love which is there.  It is like walking through a wall of love, intangible yet strongly palpable.  A cynical person would say I feel this as a projection of my own  faith, but I believe it is unlikely that I could conjure up such a divine and blessed state of mind, extending on through hours, with such fineness and subtlety as I have never before experienced, simply from my own wishful imagination.  I acknowledge that there is more out there in the universe than my rational mind can understand.

I also believe this is a true phenomenon because of the genuine humility  of the family.  They are kind, generous, careful and are offering service.   When the sisters and cousins chant the Hail Mary at 7 pm, it is  so beautiful.  Such devotion cannot be feigned.  They are tireless in caring for the people waiting in chairs outside.  Some of these are in mystical states of prayer and the family takes care of them

You receive a small plastic bag containing a cotton ball soaked in the chrism oil. It has a wonderful lightness and a subtle, sweet fragrance. You can sit in front of the statue and simply gaze upon her.  The air seems to be filled with bright white and  golden light.  The family will give you a cushion and you can pray.  There are some who come with doubts and cameras, but this does not matter.  Come as you are. Originally  in some weeks 3000 people came.   Now there are approximately 20 – 50 there at any one time.  You ignore the hubbub and focus on Her divine presence and your mind becomes still.  At times the Hail Mary arises spontaneously from within. I felt so uplifted, radiant, happy and energised.   Different prayers arose in her presence and wisdom  and insight were given on each situation.

I felt she was saying to me,

“My child, cease your afflictions, for you are deeply loved.  Come to me, just as you are”.

Our Lady of Guadalupe said  to Juan Diago on Dec 9 or 12, 1531, as narrated by Antonio Valeriano,

“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.”

Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.

Blessed art Thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Yesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Holy Mary, Mary, Mary,

Pray for us now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

If anyone would like to visit the statue and is in need of details of address and visiting times,

please email

livinglightofjesus@iinet.net.au

Below are links to an article and a video:

https://www.facebook.com/thecyrenecentre/posts/767561783295129

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90t3wqrN1_s

Jesus is the circuit breaker in the cycle of violence

Jesus: the circuit-breaker in the cycle of violence

Proverbs 20:22

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;

Wait for the Lord, and He will save you.

I have been thinking about killing the spiders destroying  a flowering native tree in my garden.  I am endeavouring to practise the Ten Commandments and the Yamas and Niyamas,  “Thou shalt not kill”, “Ahimsa”.   I asked in prayer and the answer I received was to prune the garden well, remove all dead wood, underbrush, and dead leaves, but don’t kill the spiders. The understanding which arose was that our society is corrupt and abolishing capital punishment was one of the best things we ever did.  So many innocents were killed and the guilty were not given a chance to turn over a new leaf. Humane imprisonment is a better option.

It is my belief after the research I did in “Lord Jesus Christ, Master of Yoga”,  that the Christian canon contains corruptions as well as also containing the true words of Jesus. I have found that this rejection of the inerrancy of the canon is a movement in Christian thought and that I am not alone.

 An example could be Matthew 5:37 – 41

37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’

39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Verses 39 – 41 seem to me to be an interpolation.  I am sure that Jesus was not teaching that if someone hits you, let him hit you again.  I can also see that Spanish Inquisitors or other people would insert just such a statement into the text for the purpose of striking fear and submission into the hearts of an illiterate and hapless congregation. This fear lingers on even today as I google and find commentary after commentary written by faithful and sincere people struggling to understand these verses.

 I would re-render verse 39 as,

“But I tell you, turn your face away”.

Verses 40 and 41 I would just scrap.  I cannot imagine that Jesus would ever have said such a thing.

Jesus’ teaching then becomes,

“You have heard it said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.   But I tell you, if anyone strikes you, turn your face away from himher”.

Jesus then becomes the circuit-breaker in the cycle of violence.  Instead of aggressive counter-attack, Jesus is teaching peaceful self-protection.  Walk out.  Do not speak to that person.  Turn your face away. 

In Aboriginal law, the aggressor (child abuser, wife beater, murderer, war monger) must live alone in a separate encampment.  No-one in the tribe speaks to himher and heshe must fend for hisher own livelihood.  This is a much better option than capital punishment.

Does practising non-aggression, mean that we will be more vulnerable to attack?

No. Counter-attack makes us more vulnerable, not less, because the violence will then escalate.

Evil threatens to attack the good, but if we attack evil in return, we are in more trouble, not less. 

The best thing to do when evil attacks is to Remain Calm and remove ourselves if possible by walking away.  

In cases such as child abuse, we have to remove the child to safety with a good kinship carer because the child cannot remove itself.  In cases such as wife beating, it is better not to strike back, and then remove oneself if possible or wait for helpers who can help one remove oneself. Striking back will cause escalation.

Jesus’ advice to turn our face away is profound and insightful.

42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

Verse 42 sounds much more like Jesus’ words.  He is asking us to give freely to those in need.  

It has been a wonderful liberation for me, to be able to ascertain what could be corruptions in the canonical text of the Bible and then to get on with life sensibly.

1 John 2:27 says,

“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and heshe lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what heshe teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as heshe has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ” (New Living Translation, I have added gender pronoun correction.)

Eucharist

May the Lord bless us all and keep us all.

May the Lord make His face to shine upon us all and be gracious unto us all.

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us all, and grant us peace.

(after Numbers 6:24-26)

On the night of the Last Supper, Lord Jesus took bread,

And, having given you thanks, shared it, and said,

“Take, eat, all of you, each and every one of you is worthy.

This is my pure and holy, precious and sacred, material form, full of light and love,

Given for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.

There is no sin or harm or suffering in it,

Or which can touch it,

For it remains,

Pure and holy, pristine and sacred,

Full of love, mercy and compassion,

Even upon the cross.

For such is the Lord.

In the same way, my soul,

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.

In this way, your heart will remain calm and pure,

And the world will definitely be a better place.

This does not mean, subjugate yourself.

There is a lie which has been told about Me,

That I taught self-harm.

I remain the same Lord, yesterday, today and forever,

Before, during and after the crucifixion.

As Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked through the flames,

As Jonah and Daniel were saved,

As a mother is lifted up in childbirth,

The Nathanamavali says, Lord Jesus was in samadhi, in deep meditation, upon the cross.

I remain, the same, blissful, imperishable Lord,

Unshakeably, perfectly established in eternal Holy Communion

With the Aumen, my Heavenly Parents.

Therefore, be at peace, for I am with you always.
Therefore, be at peace, for I am with you always.

I am with every murder victim, I lift them up.

I deliver you from evil.  I lift you up, out of the body of pain.

I do not require your sacrifice,

I require your mercy, and to thyself as well.

Please do not think,

The path of righteousness I have laid before thee

Is a tunnel of impossible tasks, self-denial and self-mortification.

There is no such thing required by God.

The good deeds I have given unto you to perform

Are win-win situations, each and every one of them,

In which you yourself are nourished, uplifted and transformed

As you nourish, uplift and transform others.

The narrow way, is not a path of stricture.

The road less travelled, is not a difficult ordeal.

It is, the scenic route.

Come unto Me, all ye who labour and are heavy-laden,

And I will give you rest,

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “

After supper, He took the chalice,

And having again given You thanks,

He passed it to His friends, saying

“This is my pure and holy, precious, sweet and fragrant blood,

Given for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.

There is no sin, or harm or suffering in it.

It is full of love, sparkling with light, the very sap of Life itself,

Even upon the cross,

For such is the Lord.

It is this which I give thee to drink,

My Love, My Light, My Life.

The multitudinous angels who came to assist Me upon the cross, the Aumen, my Heavenly Parents
– Therefore, be at peace, for I am with you always –

Became transfigured in devotion,

To the vast and gentle, brilliant and pure white light,

Which poured forth from my Heart upon the cross

And covered all of the earth,

Nay, was seen unto the very ends of the universe,

For such is the Lord.

The Aumen sounded,

Uplifting every soul, bettering the matrix of every soul, in creation,

And faithfully rendered

By the gentle and humble, yet glorious, angels,

In song, on harp,

Lyre and flute,

Trumpet, drum and bell,

Rainmaker, didgeridoo, and Javed’s clapsticks,

Especially these,

For they were made and given,

By one who thought he had nothing to give.

The curtain of the Temple was torn in two,

That it might be known,

That the sanctum sanctorum

Is not the precinct of the holy few,

The priestly, the well-educated, the rich, the famous, the beautiful, the young,

It is the precinct  of me and you.

Those with worldly acclaim come as well,

When having made money, they share their wealth,

When overcoming undue ego, they let their colleague shine,

When letting go of addiction to self-punishment,  they allow true self-nourishment.

The sanctum sanctorum is the precinct,

Of the busy, tired Mums, and Dads,

The belated, beleaguered and mistreated children,

The poor, the ill, the afflicted,

Those who think they are ugly,  no-one is ugly,

The abused,

The children, the elderly, the disabled, the plants, the animals,

Each other and our Mother the Earth.

Blessed in spirit are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called, children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

(Matthew 5: 7 – 10)

I cried out,

“Eloi, Eloi, lamach shavabhthani!”

“My God, My God, how Thou has showered Thy mercy upon Me!”

Therefore, be at peace.

My yoke is this: remember Me, in death’s dark vale.

My burden is this, love one another, as I have loved you.

Mahavakya, Tat tvam asi

Atha, dhyanam.

Tejasnam.

Parabhakti.

Parabrahman.

Dharma marg, prem, vishvas, shanti.

Yama, niyama.

Sri Guru, dhanya wad.

Aum, shanti, shanti, shantihi.

“Take, eat, all of you

Take, eat.”

 

Taking the Bible literally: are there corruptions in the text?

After researching the historical Jesus in “Lord Jesus Christ, Master of Yoga” in 2006, (full text available on this website), I came to the conclusion that without doubt parts of the Bible contain corruptions or interpolations, both in the Old and New Testaments, some dating from before the time of Christ, some from the time of the Nicene Council around 325 AD, some from during the Spanish Inquisition. To be a practising Christian, it is not necessary to take the Bible literally. The important points are contained in the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and the Beatitudes. To honour what is kind and true, is the guidance for our lives.

Merry Spicer

Good Friday – on empathy

I was contemplating the crucifixion of Lord Jesus and the plight of all on earth past present and future who are facing violence and an image arose in my mind.

I am lying on the road after a car accident with a broken leg and the ambulance arrives. Instead of helping me, the paramedics all line up on the road next to me and start hitting their own legs with a hammer to break them. The paramedics think they are in empathy with me. Does this make me feel any better? Not at all – to see them believing they have to self-harm for the sake of empathy is a cause of sorrow to me. It would be much better if their empathy for me stirred them to lift me up and in their strength and inspiration take me to the hospital where my pain could be relieved.

Jesus did not teach or practise self-harm.

He has freed us

He has freed us from punishment and He punishes no being

He has freed us from guilt and he blames no being

His is forgiveness

His is unconditional love

And that we might be the same.

Allelu, allelu, allelu, allelu, allelu, allelu, allelujah

Eucharist Without A Priest

Last Sunday five of us met by Zoom and shared Eucharist together. None of us is an ordained priest. We each contributed a part of the service, using Catholic, Anglican and non-denominational prayers. We adjusted traditional liturgy to be more politically and ethically correct. For example, in the Gloria we revered God our Father and our Mother, and prayed, “You are one with the Holy One”.

To get to this place involved a deep process of self-seeking for some of us. Several issues arose. The first was the inerrancy, or not, of the canon, as an aged text surviving several periods of corruption, most notably the Inquisition, approx. 13th – 17th c. AD. The second issue arising was how to honour the traditional preparation of the eucharistic elements, a process upheld with unswerving respect from generation to generation since Lord Jesus’ time. The third issue which arose was how to hold a Christian Eucharist without a priest present.

Our answer lay in, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my Name, there am I amongst them.” (Matthew 18:20). We endeavoured to do all we did with true care and devotion. We each prepared our own bread and wine.

We felt that our meeting was truly blessed. We felt God’s presence amongst us and our joy knew no bounds.

A Eucharistic Poem

May the Lord bless us all and keep us all.

May the Lord make His face to shine upon us all and be gracious unto us all.

May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us all, and grant us peace.

(after Numbers 6:24-26)

On the night of the Last Supper, Lord Jesus took bread,

And, having given you thanks, shared it, and said,

“Take, eat, all of you, each and every one of you is worthy.

This is my pure and holy, precious and sacred, material form, full of light and love,

Given for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.

There is no sin or harm or suffering in it,

Or which can touch it,

For it remains,

Pure and holy, pristine and sacred,

Full of love, mercy and compassion,

Even upon the cross.

For such is the Lord.

In the same way, my soul,

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.

In this way, your heart will remain calm and pure,

And the world will definitely be a better place.

This does not mean, subjugate yourself.

There is a lie which has been told about Me,

That I taught self-harm.

I remain the same Lord, yesterday, today and forever,

As Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego walked through the flames,

As Jonah and Daniel were saved,

As a mother is lifted up in childbirth,

The Nathanamavali says, Lord Jesus was in samadhi, in deep meditation, upon the cross.

I remain, the same, blissful, imperishable Lord,

Unshakeably, perfectly established in eternal Holy Communion

With the Aumen, my Heavenly Parents.

Therefore, be at peace, for I am with you always.
Therefore, be at peace, for I am with you always.

I am with every murder victim, I lift them up.

I deliver you from evil.  I lift you up, out of the body of pain.

I do not require your sacrifice,

I require your mercy, and to thyself as well.

Please do not think,

The path of righteousness I have laid before thee

Is a tunnel of impossible tasks, self-denial and self-mortification.

There is no such thing required by God.

The good deeds I have given unto you to perform

Are win-win situations, each and every one of them,

In which you yourself are nourished, uplifted and transformed

As you nourish, uplift and transform others.

The narrow way, is not a path of stricture.

The road less travelled, is not a difficult ordeal.

Come unto Me, all ye who labour and are heavy-laden,

And I will give you rest,

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. “

After supper, He took the chalice,

And having again given You thanks,

He passed it to His friends, saying

“This is my pure and holy, precious, sweet and fragrant blood,

Given for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.

There is no sin, or harm or suffering in it.

It is full of love, sparkling with light, the very sap of Life itself,

Even upon the cross,

For such is the Lord.

It is this which I give thee to drink,

My Love, My Light, My Life.

The multitudinous angels who came to assist Me upon the cross, the Aumen, my Heavenly Parents
– Therefore, be at peace, for I am with you always –

Became transfigured in devotion,

To the vast and gentle, brilliant and pure white light,

Which poured forth from my Heart upon the cross

And covered all of the earth,

Nay, was seen unto the very ends of the universe,

For such is the Lord.

The Aumen sounded,

Uplifting every soul, bettering the matrix of every soul, in creation,

And faithfully rendered

By the gentle and humble, yet glorious, angels,

In song, on harp,

Lyre and flute,

Trumpet, drum and bell,

Rainmaker, didgeridoo, and Javed’s clapsticks,

Especially these,

For they were made and given,

By one who thought he had nothing to give.

The curtain of the Temple was torn in two,

That it might be known,

That the sanctum sanctorum

Is not the precinct of the holy few,

The priestly, the well-educated, the rich, the famous, the beautiful, the young,

It is the precinct  of me and you.

Those with worldly acclaim come as well,

When having made money, they share their wealth,

When overcoming undue ego, they let their colleague shine,

When letting go of addiction to self-punishment,  they allow true self-nourishment.

The sanctum sanctorum is the precinct,

Of the busy, tired Mums, and Dads,

The belated and beleaguered children,

The poor, the ill, the afflicted,

Those who think they are ugly,  no-one is ugly,

The abused,

The children, the elderly, the disabled, the plants, the animals,

Each other and our Mother the Earth.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

Blessed are the humble in spirit, for they shall be lifted up.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for to them shall be granted custodianship.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

I cried out,

“Eloi, Eloi, lamach shavabhthani!”

“My God, My God, how Thou has showered Thy mercy upon Me!”

Therefore, be at peace.

My yoke is this: remember Me, in death’s dark vale.

My burden is this, love one another, as I have loved you.

Tat tvam asi.

Mahavakya, Shiv’oham!

Atha, dhyanam.

Tejasnam.

Parabhakti.

Parabrahman.

Dharma marg, prem, vishvas, shanti.

Yama, niyama.

Sri Guru, dhanya wad.

Aum, shanti, shanti, shantihi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Take, eat, all of you

Take, eat