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In Reply to: all "spirituality" is created equal? posted by WC on July 05, 2002 at 02:54:29:
as christian, it seems all are capable of "unchristlike" behavior. as you say much has been done wrongly by those who "name the name", but this is also true, and arguably in even greater degree by muslims, buddhists, atheists, animists, western and nonwestern, and those who have nothing to do w/ mo. seems to trace back to gen 3 imo.
once one is liberated from the stifling deceptions of mo & co., it seems to me the most fruitful effort is not trying to define truth in terms of its relationship to errors in mo, the west, failed missions etc. , but rather by a sincere search for it wherever it may be found, even if sometimes it may paralell a position held by a false teacher, movement, etc. it seems to me by focusing on what jesus said, in the context of the gospel, w/o getting overly wrapped up in the boo-boos and bad guys, (other than to take note of dangers, like those left on roadsides in africa to remind drivers...)that there is a better chance at getting at , or at least closer to, what he actually taught. it does really seem to me that the book itself, and the reality of his resurected spirit alive today, are themselves the main way to avoid the pitfalls of the past..(and present.)it has struck me that at times it was easier for me to focus on the sins of others in their contradictions of the word, rather than to focus on those bits that contrdict ME!
no doubt there is much one can appreciate and learn from those of other cultures and religious traditions. but if jesus really said, and DID, what it says he said and did, then God sending his son to die for us seems to put the importance of this news , and sharing it w/ others, in a totally different category than anything else.
i have seen many bad examples, and been one at times, of how not to do it, yet categorizing all efforts w/ the worst seems a mistake to me. perhaps this was not your intent. but it did strike me somewhat in that vein.
