Aug 11
3
Righteousness and Automation
(Being Jesus Part VII)
This is what God thinks of my religious practice???
One of the Jewish prophets recognized as prominent by Christians said, in the commonest form of English, that the religious righteousness exercised by humanity was equivalent to used sanitary napkins smeared with fecal matter and deposited among additional waste piled high in the local dump.
Having had the “privilege” of living, for a time, in a third world country in which towns of any size had such piles near the city centers (for convenience?) where giant and very ugly birds held guard over their primary food supply – I, therefore, have a vivid picture in my mind what the prophet was probably talking about and how it relates to the level of righteousness we humans achieve via living according to religious rules and ritual.
Another Jewish prophet, considered by Christians as not so prominent, Amos, said, “Away with your solemn assemblies, your uplifted hands and hymn singing; forget your sacrifices, alms and fasts; they are all an abomination to me.”
Both prophets presume they are speaking for God …or in the truest sense of “prophecy,” that God is speaking through them.
Along comes Jesus who said, about gaining physical supply including, but not limited to shelter, food and the like that, if our focus is on the realm over which our SPIRIT-PARENT maintains rule and Her/His/Its righteousness, all that stuff deemed “necessary” by us earthlings would come automatically …which seems to be a pretty good deal, does it not?
By now, you’ve most likely read Being Jesus Part VI wherein I write about YOUR virgin birth. I haven’t yet, at the time of this writing, received any e-mail about that particular piece, but I assure you that after it is posted I will get some asking if I came up with that concept primarily for its shock value.
Well, if that was the reason (I assure you that it wasn’t, though I have to admit it shocked me a bit when I first received and began to understand the concept) I am probably outdoing myself by mentioning particular, unmentionable (to some folks), items such as fecal matter and used sanitary napkins or, just perhaps, I am engaging in prophetic utterance. (?)
What is mystery of the Virgin Birth?
The availability of virgin birth for anyone who wants to partake in it is, to me, brand new …I doubt that anyone has ever broached the topic in such a manner before, but I’m not sure and I have no intention of researching it to see whether I’m actually breaking new ground.
Now then, back to what Jesus said about our “earthly” needs being met automatically as a result of placing our primary focus on the “kingdom of God.” As soon as I wrote the foregoing, I shuddered to think that anyone might need to be reminded that our religious concepts, by whatever name or title, may have nothing whatsoever to do with the “kingdom of God.”
To illustrate the truth of the foregoing let’s use merely one (of many) applicable Biblical references: “God’s ways are not man’s ways and His thoughts are far above man’s thoughts” …this to point out that religion, an invention or modification thereof by man, can be determined only by man as having any relevance or relationship to the spiritual realm, where “God” (by whatever other title or name) reigns.
Before we return to righteousness (some define this term as “right thinking”) and how to obtain it, let’s drift over to a discussion on “free will.” From my, albeit limited, perspective, we can’t have it both ways. This is directed at those who insist that “God is in control” of everything that happens on this planet; for if that is true, then we may want to examine just what that may mean in the scheme of religious thought as regards having the freedom to choose.
This Cat doesn't get it either.
Jesus introduced an interesting formula to achieve what he called righteousness as viewed by God: Acknowledging that I, as an individual, continually and completely miss what “God” (I prefer SOURCE) has intended for us because we just cannot “get it.”
The above referenced formula flies in the face of religious thought, because religion is a means by which mankind attempts to become acceptable to God. In Jesus’ example, given by the story he told of two men going up to the temple to pray, the religious cat reminds God of all the good he does, a review of which is, fasting twice each week giving ten percent of everything he has to the “church,” not committing adultery, not stealing or cheating, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah.
Jesus said this guy’s praying achieved nothing, but the other guy achieved righteousness in God’s sight. What was the second guys “prayer?” He beat on his chest and cried out for mercy for being a lousy sinner.
Let’s lay it all out …no matter how good of a person you are (in the sight of man), it doesn’t cut it. We are all murderers, adulterers, thieves – how are we these things? According to Jesus if you’ve looked at another person with merely the thought of sex, you have already committed adultery. I always hasten to add here that heterosexuality is no more righteous than homosexuality, lust is lust!
This is what murder looks like.
If you have ever been angry with someone, you have already murdered that person. If you have ever wanted something that belongs to someone else, you have already stolen it. There is no way out, YOU ARE GUILTY!
“Going to confession” or even “confessing your faults to somebody else” has merit in the Biblical sense, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us and cleanse us of our unrighteous acts.” Ah yes, that fits the above referenced formula.
So, what am I going on about? Stop thinking that anything we do or avoid doing accomplishes righteousness, let’s be really redundant here, particularly and including avoiding acting out some of our crazy thoughts …”there are none righteous, no not one!”
The seeming dichotomy of being Jesus and following his prescription to achieve righteousness, that is, beating on my chest and crying out for mercy, is just that, i.e., a seeming dichotomy and that brought on by the misconception that Jesus was a perfect man, which he never claimed.
He was tempted in all ways as we are, is how one New Testament author put it …and as we have just reminded ourselves, if we’ve been tempted, even if we resist (actually succumbing to the act), we are already guilty of having done it. That’s what Jesus said and what and who he was.
The argument that Jesus never sinned is stated in the Bible is one perception that is easily offset by many more contained in his own statements.
He also continually sought our SPIRIT-PARENT’s desires and purposes, and that is how we enter the realm of being Jesus. That is how we can say God is in control because He is at that point of awareness: “YOUR will be done, not mine.”
This works for Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim and all variations of same or of none… and it is being Jesus.
The perfection that comes in the flesh is far different than man’s view. One startling fact will clear it all up for you: The word in the original language translated as “perfect” means completed by virtue of being connected to the SOURCE.
Perfection is seen in the eyes not the flesh.
The promise issued out of the mouth of Jesus is if you chase after this kind of righteousness, again, being connected to the SOURCE, everything else will come to you automatically.
A New way to conduct business, maintain a career and to LIVE, “eternally,” NOW, this moment, that is, being Jesus.
