Jim Palmer's Blog, page 70

What can we expect from God?

Religion has always been an avenue that people have used to bargain for God’s blessing. If we do our part, we often think, God will do his part and grant us well-being of one sort of another. Let’s face it – the world can sometimes seem like a random and frightening place. People turn to God and religion in hopes of finding some measure of security, protection, and favor. All of this raises the question – What can we expect from God?

First off, the notion of pleasing or obeying God in order to gain favorable life circumstances as “God’s blessing” is false. The world is characterized by impermanence and was never intended to be the source of peace, happiness, contentment, well-being, and freedom. There is no measure of pleasing or obeying God that is ever going to change the fundamental nature of the world, which is impermanence. Thoughts, feelings, moods, finances, health, job, people, relationships, situations, conditions, circumstances, possessions, abilities, etc. are all characterized by impermanence and subject to change. And none of these things are entirely in our control.

As a rule of thumb in life, responding to situations as they require with wisdom and skill will yield a better result than responding out of ignorance and incompetence. Likewise, if we sow seeds of love, kindness, and compassion in our lives we are likely to experience a quality of life that is more enriching than if we sow seeds of hatred, selfishness, and bitterness.

But the idea that obedience, faithfulness and spiritual maturity should result in God blessing your life with favorable circumstances is false. If this were true, God really missed the boat when it came to Jesus, who experienced levels of physical, mental, emotional and psychological pain that few people ever have or will.

The reason why people are so caught up with seeking favor from God is that they wrongly assume that peace and happiness has something to do with better life circumstances. This is the spiritual ignorance that too often drives our lives and relationship to God.

The world is messed up in all the ways it is due to our spiritual ignorance. It’s that simple. Right now there is starvation, poverty, war, oppression, environmental destruction, racism, genocide, and a long list of other maladies that are a result of what WE are doing. It’s not Satan – it’s me, it’s you, it’s us. It’s not the demon of greed, the demon of addiction, the demon of violence, the demon of pride, the demon of infidelity – it’s my/your/our greed, addiction, violence, pride, and infidelity. What’s unfortunate about this are the people who suffer for the greed, pride, violence, addiction, etc… of others. There are people all over the world right now who live in poverty, oppression, hunger and abuse, and it’s NOT because they are cursed by God. On the other hand, there are people all over the world right now who live in prosperity, abundance and comfort, and it’s NOT because they are blessed by God.

So, what can we expect from God?

Let’s start with what God is not going to do. God is not going to indulge the notion of blessing you with favorable circumstances. God is not going to override the law of gravity or the law of impermanence to make you happy. Why? Because God is mean? No, because your circumstances are not related to true peace, well-being, and happiness.

Nor is God (or Satan) going to curse people with bad circumstances. We are the ones who created the mess, and we are the ones who must clean it up. But instead, we’d rather find someone or something else to blame to avoid taking personal responsibility for our individual and collective choices.

This sounds sort of depressing! What in the heck then can we expect of God???

Consider that the whole premise of the question is a bit flawed. It assumed there is “us” and there is some separate “God” out there somewhere, pulling the strings.

God is spirit. The likeness, image, being, nature of God is the underlying, unchanging and fundamental essence of who you and I are, and our true Self. That Self cannot be improved or diminished, is never threatened, and will never die. That Self is whole, complete, free, peace, wisdom, love, and well-being. What we fight and claw for in the world, we already are at the deepest level. What we seek God for in our obedience, faithfulness, and devotion, we already are at the deepest level.

What we can expect to be true is that we are never separated from God, peace, love, freedom, wholeness, well-being or each other. We can expect this reality to always be present in every moment because this reality is who we are. This is what Jesus meant when he said the Kingdom of God is within you.

This is what we are to learn on our human journey. This is the truth that sets US free.

The world is characterized by impermanence.

Q: “Our present imperfection and groanings are designed to prepare us for our future sonship. God intends those things we see as wrong within us and in the world in which we live as purposeful, in order to create in us a hunger for heaven.

The groaning of the creation is due to a divine sentence of corruption and futility. Creation has been in the process of deterioration since the fall of man. Our own bodies bear testimony to the process of corruption. My body is on the downhill slope of its existence—my hair falls out—my stomach sticks out—my brain blanks out more of the time. Creation groans because of the irreversible process of deterioration and decay. In essence, like men, the earth is dying.

Corruption and deterioration results in a life characterized by futility. Futility is the opposite of hope. Futility means that no matter how hard we try to resist or reverse the process of corruption, it is inevitable. We may buy a new house, but soon termites find it and begin the process of decay. If not, mildew or dry rot begins to appear. Then there are earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters. Our new car soon begins to leak oil. The transmission starts to slip. The seat covers become soiled. Rust begins to work away at the metal. Sooner or later, the car will find its way to the wrecking yard and then to the crusher. The work of our hands, in the long run, is futile.”

A: First, there is no “future sonship” – we were born into our “sonship.” Secondly, it’s a little too convenient for an upper-middle class white American to have an interpretation of the gospel to go something like this, “The world is messed up. There’s no fixing it, it’s meaningless to try, it’s inevitable; I’m biding my time till God whisks me off to Heaven.” Here’s the deal – you and I (all of us) are responsible for the suffering in this world, and it’s here because of our spiritual ignorance. WE CAN FIX IT! We don’t have to hate, abuse, oppress, harm or wound people or any living things.

The world is characterized by impermanence. That’s just the way it is. That’s why your body, mind and car falls apart – like everything else, they are characterized by impermanence. This is only a problem because we attach our identity and source of meaning/happiness to things like our body, mind, and car. Consider that it was in this world of impermanence in which Jesus said over, and over, and over, and over again that the Kingdom of God had come!

The world is groaning alright, but for what? For you and I to wake up from the illusion and see things as they truly are. Listen, there is pain in this world that is a natural part of the human experience. If you hit your thumb with a hammer, there will be emotional pain. If a loved one dies, there will be emotional pain. But all the other stuff you mentioned is a result of our spiritual ignorance.

The world is characterized by impermanence. Deal with it! How? It was never meant to be the source of your peace, happiness and well-being. Start with that consideration. Live your life as if every human being is your mother or father, sister or brother. When it is within your power and opportunity to do good, do it. Respond to the situations of life as they require. This is how Jesus lived.

St. Francis put it this way:

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen”

What is wrong with the human condition?

Q: I don’t understand why you so insistently and relentlessly defend the human condition so much. It would seem that you know as well I do it is touched, affected, damaged, decayed, etc. We pollute, murder, rape, torture, traffic children to exploit, starve for political and ideological gain.

A: Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing wrong with the human condition per se. The Genesis story beings by telling us that the underlying, unchanging, and fundamental essence of humankind is the image, likeness and being of God. Can God be damaged, corrupted or decayed? Of course not. Which means that our fundamental essence has been untouched and unchanged. Jesus unmasked the false notion that our humanity separates us from God by demonstrating that the two can be one. Neither does the human condition separate us from the Kingdom of God, which Jesus said is here now.

So, why do we pollute, murder, rape, torture, traffic children to exploit, and starve for political and ideological gain? Spiritual ignorance. We go into the world and scrap and claw to find meaning, identity, peace, happiness and fulfillment, and there is no end to what one will do to get it, including hurting others. Why do we do this? Because we falsely believe we are separated from God, separated from each other, separated from peace, separated from wholeness, separated from freedom, separated from well-being, separated from meaning, separated from….

The world is as it first appeared in the Garden. Nothing has changed. All the other stuff we have added through our spiritual ignorance – taking things to be a way they really aren’t. There will always be pain in this world. This is natural. You hit your finger with a hammer and it produces physical pain. A loved one dies and you feel emotional pain. But the kind of suffering you described in your question is something we unnecessarily create and impose on life out of our spiritual ignorance. This is why Jesus said, “If the eyes are good, the whole body is good.” In other words, to see things as they truly are is to be free. This is what creation is groaning for – that you and I will see the truth, which sets all living things free.

People like the following options in terms of an answer to the suffering of the world:

A. It’s the human condition and nothing can be done about it

B. God will rapture us out of it

C. Heaven is waiting and we will escape this mess entirely

D. Satan is to blame

E. The world is inherently evil and must go up in flames

The option we don’t like, which is the truth is:

We are responsible for the mess of the world. There is nothing or no one to blame except ourselves and our spiritual ignorance. We don’t have to be doing this. We are free to choose differently.

Free to sin?

I’ve been posting answers to questions I get through email. Here’s another one…

Q: In your article “15 Things Jesus Didn’t Say” you state that ““By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have correct theology.” Of course, he did not say this. But are you saying that false theology is ok? In the same article you write ““Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you a checklist of things to do and not do in order to remain in God’s favor.” Does this mean that we are free to sin and God does not care about that?

A: Jesus had no theological or doctrinal litmus test for his followers. The chief characteristic he identified that authenticated whether someone was truly embracing his message was love. The disciples were all over the map theologically, and for sure had “false theology.” We all have “false theology.” Our best and highest notions about God are just approximate indicators of the truth.

On the second point, this is what I would say:

1. We are in fact free to sin. Right? If you want to sin, you are free to do so. No one is stopping you.

2. The checklist I was referring to are those things religion tells us we must do in order to be close to God, or be worthy of God’s love and acceptance. This stems from the false notion of a performance-based relationship with God.

3. You’re going to have think a little more critically about things than your question implies. I won’t even answer the part of whether or not God (or us) should care about something like inflicting physical, emotional, psychological pain or abuse on others. Any eight-year-old child knows the answer to that because it is self-evident.

You don’t have to vacate the world to find Heaven

 

Consider the following meaning of the Genesis story.

The world of living things appeared, including humankind. We learn that the underlying, unchanging, and fundamental nature of the human being is the image, likeness and being of God. Our first look at the human race is Adam and Eve, and we learn they have a body and mind with which to interact with the world.

So far, so good. Everything is perfect!

But then a problem arises. And every human being after them is born into this problem. Adam and Eve relate to the world as it appears to be. This is symbolized by their eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Before that moment everything was perfect and none of that had changed. But at that moment when they eat that fruit, the world suddenly appeared to them as something that didn’t seem quite as safe and serene. Suddenly, there was an opposite of everything. There was good AND bad; pain AND pleasure; happy AND sad; gain AND loss; full AND empty; connected AND alone; security AND instability; physical AND spiritual; heaven AND hell; abundance AND lack; wholeness AND brokenness; together AND separated,  etc.

Before that, if you remember, everything was just basically one thing and perfect just the way it was. But Adam and Eve took the world at face value, relating to it as it appeared to be. Wisdom tells us that things are not always as they appear but Adam and Eve did not consider that. As a result, they now found themselves in an entirely different reality altogether – a reality where they were left to seek and attain everything in the “good” category, and avoid or protect themselves from everything in the “bad” category. Seek pleasure, avoid pain; be happy, not sad; fight evil, be good; achieve gain, avoid loss; etc. Unfortunately, this approach never leads to lasting happiness or peace because everything in that reality is characterized by impermanence. Even if you were on the top of your game 24/7 working this system, it can never lead to lasting peace and happiness.

What Adam and Eve (and us) fail to see is that everything is fine just the way it is. Remember? Before Adam and Eve acted out of spiritual ignorance, their reality was perfect. Nothing needed to be added or subtracted. The spiritual ignorance of Adam and Eve didn’t make the first reality obsolete; it just blinded them to its presence. They became too caught up in the drama of the reality they created to recognize the truth of the way things really were.

The reason why religion has not provided a solution is because it focuses on solving a problem that isn’t real. In other words, it only perpetuates the illusion further by offering solutions to remedy it. The notion of liberation, transformation or enlightenment applies nothing else other than our spiritual ignorance. Nothing needs to change except our coming to see things as they truly are. That opening scene of perfection in the Garden has not changed or gone away. It is never threatened or diminished. How could it? Is God ever diminished or corrupted?

We can learn something useful from a common religious view. Most religions, especially Christianity, hold the view that we must escape our present reality in order to have true peace and well-being. Christians identify this reality as a place called Heaven. This escape mindset acknowledges the truth that we cannot have lasting peace, happiness, and well-being working the system that Adam and Eve created out of their spiritual ignorance. But where religion goes astray is assuming that we must depart the actual world itself in order to have lasting peace.

The primary message of Jesus was, “The kingdom of God is here.” Thinking of the Genesis story, Jesus could have easily said, “The Kingdom of God is STILL here.” So, while it is true that we can never find lasting peace and happiness Adam and Eve’s way because of the world’s impermanence. And while it is true that we must escape or abandon the mindset and system Adam and Eve created out of their spiritual ignorance, it’s not necessary to be raptured or die and go to heaven for this to happen.

Jesus said the kingdom of God is here. HERE! NOW! In other words, there is no Kingdom of God to be found outside of HERE and NOW. Why? Because the Kingdom of God is within you. In other words, the Kingdom of God is the underlying, unchanging and fundamental nature of all things! It’s the reality before Adam and Eve plunged into the world they created out of their spiritual ignorance.

If the Kingdom of God is here and now, you will not find it somewhere else. Rather than waiting around for death or rapture, Jesus wants us to learn to see and walk in the present reality of his Kingdom here and now. After Jesus crucifixion, we are told that he spent some 40 days with his closest followers teaching them further about what? The Kingdom of God!

If you don’t have to depart the world in order to walk in the present reality of God’s kingdom, what are you supposed to do? That’s what Jesus is all about – showing us that exact thing! Jesus spoke of being IN the world but not OF the world. He spoke of a peace “not as this world gives.” He unmasked the underlying lie of the “knowledge of good and evil” – that God and humankind are separated. Jesus said, “I am the truth.” How is Jesus the truth? God and humankind, not as opposites or pairs, but as one.

15 things Jesus ‘DID’ say

15 Things Jesus DID Say:

“There’s only one litmus test to authenticate if someone gets what I’m about – love.”

“The kingdom of God is here and now, which means it’s not somewhere else and later.”

“If you’ve reached perfection on your journey, feel free to judge others. Otherwise, be quiet.”

“My peace is not as this world gives. Your strategy to control circumstances in order to be happy won’t work… ever.”

“You religious people have your nose buried in the Bible, feeling all smug about your spiritual maturity. But you wouldn’t know my truth if it knocked you in the head.”

“There is no mountain, sacred place or church building where God expects to be worshipped. True worship is a way of seeing – it’s spotting and honoring the divine in all things.”

“You think you are doing well because you have not been hauled off to prison for murder, but your harsh and critical spirit is no different.”

“Embracing my truth will make you a heretic in most people’s minds and you will be persecuted. No worries; you’re on the right track in my kingdom.”

“God and I are one, you are included.”

“I have to die. Otherwise, you’re going to create a religion around my human personhood and personality, rather than embrace and give expression to my spirit and truth.”

“Don’t say you love God and then hate people. Those two things can’t be true at the same time.”

“You and God are not separated and never have been. You are connected to God like a branch to a vine – the essence and nature of God is the sap running through your veins.”

“You can’t reduce my way to a book. The same spirit that filled and led me fills and leads you. Follow that spirit.”

“You think your humanity is an affront to God. If this were true how could I be one with God?”

“You look into the sky to find some God that sits on a throne. You want to see God? You’re looking at him. Now, see that same God as yourself.”

God is not a proposition

People often send me questions. I’m going to try my best to respond to them from time to time. Here’s one below…

Q:

“In one of your articles you state that “‘Jesus said ‘I am the truth,’ which we mistakenly turned into some kind of a theological proposition about God, the gospel, eternal life, etc.” If you do not believe it is a propositional statement about God what do you think this is?”

A:

It is particularly a Western phenomenon to think of “truth” as something the mind grasps in the form of a concept. When Jesus said “I am the truth,” he was indicating a reality that can’t be lassoed by the mind. There is a context in which Jesus made this statement, which is a part of the meaning itself. It is an unnatural thing for his words to be plucked out and fit into some sort of topical or systematic theology.

Systematic theology is a discipline that attempts to formulate an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the Christian faith and beliefs. It is also called Dogmatics. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this as long as it is recognized that they are only pointers or indicators of truth and not truth itself. There’s an axiom that says, “When pointing at the moon, don’t confuse your finger for the moon.” Anything anyone can say or write about truth is a finger pointing at the moon but not the moon itself. Even Jesus’ words were indicating a truth, which can’t be verified as true or false like a typical propositional statement.

So what was the point in Jesus saying it?, you ask. The intent of Jesus’ teaching was to awaken people to the way things really are. That awareness happens at a deeper place than mental cognition. When Jesus said, “I am the truth” he was not serving up a propositional statement about God to be verified in the mind as “true” or “false.” He was strumming a chord to awaken our soul.

A place of not knowing

“A common religious pathology is a twisted understanding of “self denial.” Jesus said “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself.” Lets start with what this does NOT mean.

The religious understanding of “self-denial” is based on the false notion that our humanity is bad, and that in order to know God we must suppress it. In this view, practically everything we feel or desire is suspect, and the chief characteristic of following God’s will is that you shouldn’t be enjoying it. This view also tends to shame the body. Hence the often unhealthy religious views about sexuality. This is why in many religious traditions, the mortification of the flesh is viewed as a sign of being devout. Self-denial is not an obliteration of your body, identity, individuality, sexuality, interests, needs, or desires.

The whole notion of denying yourself to please others, including God, is misguided. Is it any wonder that codependency is so widespread in human relationships when it’s the underlying premise of our relationship with God – deny yourself in order to make God happy. You were born out of the image, likeness and being of God. Your true Self is complete, whole, and connected with God. There is nothing you can ever do to improve or diminish your true Self. You don’t need to do anything to make God happy. God is happy, and happy with you. The only thing left is for you to know and walk in the truth of this.

When Jesus spoke of denying oneself to follow him, he was referring to letting go of our insistence that the spiritual path be a certain way or coincide with our comforts and preferences. In other words, it’s setting aside all the things we think we know and the willingness to start from a place of not knowing. This is not an easy thing because we are attached to the things we think we know, and have likely constructed our identity around them.

The central message of Jesus was that the Kingdom of God had come. But no one could find it. Why? Because they had a notion of what the Kingdom of God should look like and what it would be when it came. That’s why the complete declaration Jesus commonly spoke was, “Repent, for the kingdom of God has come.”

In the religious context, “repent” usually means acknowledging and grieving your sinful condition, turning from your wicked ways, throwing yourself on the mercy of God, and pledging to do better… or else! “Repent” is one of those religious words that conjure up images of judgment, condemnation, and fear.

The word “repent” (metanoia) actually means a change of mind or having a new mind. The word suggests a radical transformation of how we process reality. Metanoia literally means “beyond the mind.” It’s the idea of stretching or pushing beyond the boundaries with which we normally think and feel. It often involves pressing beyond our religious conditioning about ourselves, God, others and life itself.

When Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is near,” he was saying that peace, freedom, fulfillment, and wholeness is present in every moment but it can’t be accessed or grasped in the typical way we understand things. “Repentance” as a way of life would mean acknowledging that what you most deeply want in life lies beyond what you already know or think you know. It involves approaching life from a place of “not knowing.”

Denying yourself is setting aside your preconceived notions. It’s a willingness to approach Truth as a beginner, a place of not knowing. It’s setting aside your preferences that Truth has to look like and line up with what you already know or is comfortable. Following Jesus’ Truth can be discomforting and an affront to everything we think we already know. Our ego is threatened by Truth and will fight it kicking and screaming the whole way.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes from (Over) the Edge

Note from Jim

Hey everyone. I wanted to share a few things with those who visit my blog.

I’ve had several people contact me about my books. You can find information about them on my Goodreads Author Page.

Also, in addition to my personal Facebook Page, I also have a Facebook Community Page, which provides a space for more conversation and dialogue.

It seems like a few of the most popular posts on my blog lately have been:

15 Things Jesus Didn’t Say

God Is Not A Belief-System

What Is Our Crime That Separates From God?

14 Factors that influence what one comes up with in the Bible

Dear Jim (letters from the frontlines of shedding religion)

25 Reasons Why It Is Time For A Religion-Free Bible

An 11-Step Religious Guide To Sabotaging Your Life

10 Implied Messages of Institutional Church Because The Medium Is The Message

20 Mistakes I Made As A Senior Pastor

I appreciate your encouragement and support, and your contribution to the discussion of knowing God. My plan is to have my fourth book, Notes from (Over) the Edge finished this summer. I’ll keep you posted.

Freedom filter

“One of the big questions I came to on the journey was whose interpretation of scripture is right and who’s to say? This question never really occurred to me during my 25-year odyssey through evangelicalism. Back then, there was no other interpretation. It was understood that there was only one interpretation―the right one, which was ours. Outside of my particular Christian sub-culture, I discovered many different views and interpretations of the Bible, stretching all the way back to the earliest days of Christianity.

In Wide Open Spaces I wrote about discovering for myself a reliable way to discern and determine truth. Jesus taught that the distinguishing characteristic of truth is that it brings freedom. I found this thing deep inside my gut that would tell me so. You’ve heard the phrase of how something can have “a ring of truth to it.” What part of you detects or experiences that “ring?”

I dubbed it as my “freedom filter.” Here’s how it worked for me. Whenever I was presented with an opinion or view of interpretation about God, my “freedom filter” would test it by asking, “Will this lead to freedom?” If the answer was “yes,” I went with it. If the answer was “no,” I didn’t.”

- Jim Palmer, Notes From (over) The Edge