Perceiving the power and glory of God is not unique to Christianity.

Readership: All
Theme: Awareness and Introspection; Christian / Mystical Awareness; Confusing Issues;
Length: 2,600 words
Reading Time: 14 minutes

Intro

A while back, one controversial commenter, Aaron MacDonald*, had the idea that I was singlehandedly allowing the Christian Manosphere to be taken over by Islam by allowing historical architectural landmarks to be attributed to Muslim interpretations.

Whut!?! Yeah… Right! /S

His question,

“Is this an attempt at “Abrahamic Religions” unity?”

brought a smile to my face.

To be clear, I am not making any attempt to unite Abrahamic Religions or whatever.

However, I do have a few things to say about ecumenicalism — as seen through the lens of Mysticism. Perhaps if I explain my views more clearly, I can alleviate any remaining confusion.

Case Study — Truth is Ecumenical

I once took a trip to China in 2002 to teach English.  One of the men who went with my group was a Protestant Minister.  After we had arrived at our destination in a very rural area of southern China, he marveled for days, saying, “God is here!”  I asked him what he meant by that and what he had expected to find.  He answered, “I didn’t know what I would find here, but I sure never expected to find God here.”  I thought his statement displayed his ignorance of the omnipresence of God, but at the same time, hearing him say these things was both refreshing and very humbling to me.

Yes, God exists in pagan nations and cultures!

There are people all over the world who recognize the power, grace, and beauty of God and are at a loss to describe it in words.  As such, the religion that is most familiar to people tends to provide the language in which these observations and mystical experiences are interpreted and expressed.  Thus, it is not surprising that many religions share some of the same conceptualizations and teachings, although they appear in different words and perspectives from one religion to the next.

Therefore, I am ecumenical in so far as recognizing that most all “true” religions attempt to provide a theoretical understanding of metaphysical phenomena with the recognition that spiritual truth is buried therein, and that these phenomena are universal to all men.

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God’s Law is Written on the Hearts of All Men

In his famous sermon on Mars Hill, the Apostle Paul described the faith of those who had never heard the gospel.

22 So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I see that you are very religious in all respects.  23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’  Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His descendants.’

30 So having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now proclaiming to mankind that all people everywhere are to repent, 31 because He has set a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all people by raising Him from the dead.”

Excerpts from St. Paul’s sermon on Mars Hill, Acts 17:22-31 (NASB)

God’s proclamation that all people everywhere are to repent (verse 30) continues to reverberate to the present day, and since the global reach of the internet, it is now more important than ever.

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Romans 2 levels the playing field with respect to religion [emphasis added].

1 Therefore you have no excuse, you foolish person, everyone of you who passes judgment; for in that matter in which you judge someone else, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.  2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.  3 But do you suppose this, you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God?  4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?  5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will repay each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life; 8 but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation.  9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of mankind who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek, 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.  11 For there is no partiality with God.

12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; 13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law who will be justified.  14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, 16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of mankind through Christ Jesus.

Romans 2 (NASB)
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17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, possessing in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth — 21 you, therefore, who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself?  You who preach that one is not to steal, do you steal?  22 You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery?  You who loathe idols, do you rob temples?  23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?  24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written.

25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a violator of the Law, your circumcision has turned into uncircumcision.  26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will his uncircumcision not be regarded as circumcision?  27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a violator of the Law?  28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.  29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.

Romans 2 (NASB)

I might summarize all this as saying that whatever church one attends doesn’t matter as much as one’s personal (i.e. conscientious and mystical faith) relationship with God. To God, each man stands or falls on his own merit — NOT on grounds of whether he attended a certain church, or faithfully performed all the sacraments and other rigamarole. This is essentially what was concluded from the Christian Mysticism Debate.

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Mysticism and Sin

Sin is seductively gratifying partly because it is forbidden, not just by law and society, but by every person.  Even the most godless are aware that sin is bad.  But in addition to the instant gratifications of sin, the human desire to experience unconditional love, in spite of our sin, draws us to sin like moths to a flame.  Modern thinking rebrands this as ‘acceptance’ and ‘tolerance’.

However, sin has consequences, and for the most part, the consequences are what earmarks something as a sin.  The overlap is not coincidental.

Of course, there is some variation, as Info wrote.

“One must regard the outcomes of Righteousness and Wickedness as Probabilistic on the Individual level. Blessings and cursings as more apparent on the group level.

Righteous people are more likely to get blessed, but not always. Wicked people are more likely to be cursed, but not always.”

Obedience to the Lord, both individual and collective, is good for the individual man, good for the church, good for the community, good for the nation, and good for civilization.  For the most part, sin erodes and destroys all these in varying degrees of immediacy and severity.  In fact, up until the mid 20th century, Christianity was equated with Civilization, and vice versa, as a matter of common sense.  We have totally forgotten this.  Patriarchal Christianity IS Civilization!  The underlying thesis of Helen Andrew’s essay — and the social degradation from which it draws its thesis — is proof.

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Epilogue

All these things that St. Paul wrote almost two millennia ago are just as true today as they were back then.

Just as God is no respecter of persons, true faith is no respecter of religions.  Now that Western Christianity is falling apart at the seams, more people are beginning to recognize this.

It would be wrong to say that all Catholics go to hell simply because they don’t have a “born again” experience in their catechism.

It would be wrong to say that all Protestants go to hell simply because they don’t go to confessional or mass, or participate in the ritual sacraments.

Just as Catholics and Protestants fall into the trap of esteeming their own liturgical interpretation of God’s Authority (through either ecumenicalism or scripture, respectively) as correct and all others heretical, and thereby fall into the sin of sectarianism, likewise, those who have been given the gospel of Christ find it easy to esteem the Western interpretations of Christianity as correct — as corrupted as they are, and which have long abandoned mysticism which is the root of faith — and all other forms of religion as heathen, even though the latter may cling to a mystical knowledge of God by faith.

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Therefore, I think it would be wrong to say that all Buddhists, Muslims, et al. automatically go to hell simply because they’ve never completed Catholic catechism or heard the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection and had a “Born Again” experience (per Protestantism).  God can redeem a Buddhist just as easily as He can shake a converged churchian out of the gynocentric idolatry of the Blue Pill mentality (as many of us once were).  Maybe more easily with the way things are looking now.  At least Buddhists and Muslims recognize the importance of authority and Headship, and that QTπ fluff stuff is a sin.  Not so with today’s so-called Christian church.

Believe it or not, those who are faithful in other religions also receive God’s blessings.  If this makes the reader angry or envious, then perhaps Romans 2:17-29 (quoted above) is relevant, except in this case, Romans 2 is relevantly modernized as,

“But if you call yourself a Christian / Catholic / Protestant and rely upon the Bible / Church and boast in God…”

[…]

You who preach that “all persons are created equal (in the eyes of God)”, do you not discriminate those who come to your church based on their age, marital status, social class, and SMV?  22 You who say that marriage is a sacrament, do you not have premarital sex and practice birth control?  You who loathe other religions, do you tithe regularly?  23 You who boast in the Bible / Sacraments, through your breaking the fundamental Law of God, do you dishonor your religion?  For Christianity is blasphemed among non-Christians because of you.

It is blasphemed precisely because God’s Law is written on the hearts of all men (as discussed above), and they intuitively know that Western Churchianity is committing blasphemy by attaching progressive Feminism and all the sins thereof as an intrinsic part of Christian living.

Summary

I am not saying that all religions are the same.  They are not. 

I am not saying that “all paths lead home” or something like that.

I am not saying that different religions should settle their scores and live in peace.  That isn’t going to happen.

I am indifferent about ecumenical conferences, councils, and communications, as I know these will never supersede the confines of their respective doctrines.  However, I do think it is good that there is more dialogue between the various Christian sects and denominations.

img-1783677652-6a50c2d4a63c69.25276147.jpgPastor Cliffe Knechtle and his son, Stuart.

I am saying that if you could somehow make a comprehensive survey of every Christian church and the true doctrines among these churches, and if you can take it all in, you’ll realize that faith in Christ is the central tenet of Christianity.  Christ provides the unconditional love that humanity craves and searches for through sin.  Christ provides the purpose for suffering, the motivation for repentance, and the beatific vision of redemption. Everything else involves how that faith is realized, verbalized, and lived out.

Those religions that recognize Jesus Christ as Lord are closer to the Truth, and thus, those who confess this Truth are open to greater blessings from God.  They are also more intensely targeted by Satan in an attempt to sully God’s reputation, which we have learned is very important to Him.

Those churches / religions that prioritize Covenant living within a small community of believers are more likely to experience the daily joys and eternal blessings of this Truth.  IMO, very few churches offer this kind of fellowship.

Ultimately, we can’t know the answer to the question of who is elect on this side of the eternal (although you yourself can know your own destiny), so all we can do is to love and care for those whom God has put within our domain.  Moreover, I prefer not to put God’s power and grace into a box of doctrinal teachings informed by “Enlightened” philosophies — teachings which have been corrupted for centuries.

For all these reasons, modern Christian spirituality is turning away from church affiliations and doctrinal teachings, and embracing the mystical, as it should be, I think.  We lament the disintegration of the church and its influence over society (encapsulated in Aaron Renn’s “Negative World” thesis).  But it would be foolish not to recognize this as the resurrection of authentic faith and the beginning of a new revival.

* Aaron MacDonald is suspected to be the same person as Grifter Shifter and/or InsanityBytes22.

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