The Bible study leaders at my parish, recommended this author, Brian Zahnd. I listened to some of his sermons online and decided to buy some books. Oh, was I in for a huge surprise. He opened scripture in ways that shocked and surprised me and caused me to get tears in my eyes as I repented for having followed the crowd instead of following my Lord.
Now it seems my week becomes weak if I don't listen to Brian Zahnd's weekly sermon from Word of Life Church (wolc.com) and read his blog. I've read three of his books and each one was a mind-opening, mind-blower that left me scratching my head, searching my Bible, and changing my heart and life.
Now that I've read "Farewell to Mars" for the third time, I'm ready to blog about it. I'm sure it will take more time, more searching the scriptures and probably more read-throughs the book to "gork" the information.
Here's my major take-away from the book: "[Jesus] would rather die than kill his enemies.". The book is unpacking that power-packed quote and explaining how the "Kingdom of God" and the Scriptures looks different through that filter.
One of the titles of Jesus is Prince of Peace and in that capacity, he rules over the Peaceable Kingdom. Having lived in a war-participating country since I was a child - do I even have the capacity to understand a peaceable kingdom or a peace-filled ruler? The only way is by the divine imagination God gave me to "see" his word mentally and then try to act like a peacable kingdom is achievable (at least in my life) and if that's True and worth pursuing.
Another part of the book that boggled my brain. He gave excellent examples of the difference between nationality vs Empire all tied up in scripture (especially Isaiah) and history. He uses the term "chaplaincy to the Empire" to describe where the church gets mixed up in politics; rather than being the church under the rule of Jesus Christ. He explains the goals of the Kingdom of God and the goal of Empire - and how they are not compatible so Christians have to chose if they want to belong to the warring Empire or the peaceable Kingdom; if I want to hang onto the benefits of Empire or the blessings of God's Kingdom.
One of the eye-openers for me was when he talked about Cain killing Able. Later Abraham lead his son up the mountain but recognized God and didn't kill him but put down the knife. What if Cain had put down the killing stone? Jesus told us to do what Abraham did; yet many people extrapolate different things out of that verse. What if we'd put down our guns? What if we'd put down our national guns and stop warring?
Zahnd says, "We come to realize that in using violence as a means of achieving justice, we are capable of murdering God!" And that is what happened when the crowd yelled "Crucify Him!" in front of Pilate.
I'll end this entry with a quote from the book: "Jesus sets us free not by killing enemies but by being killed by enemies and forgiving them." I want to be like Jesus.
To better understand Zahnd's definitions of Empire, please listen to this short video that is under five minutes, "Empire vs Jesus" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zTBCOzXiB8
Saturday 17 October 2015
Reading: Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D.
I've been using applied kineseology for over a year. So when a friend recommended this book not only for that topic but because he knew I'd find the information healing; I bought the book quickly. The main thing I took away from this book is the difference of power and force, and some new techniques to have greater accuracy when I check myself using kineseology to find my hidden wounds, pride, ego, prejudices, etc. so old stuff doesn't hold me back but opens me to greater empathy and compassion for others and self. Early in the book he mentioned just reading the book would change me; I about put the book away as that seemed silly; but since I trusted the friend who recommended it - I plunged ahead. I feel I was changed for the better. For me "better" means more Christlike: more receptive to give and receive love, peace, joy and compassion.
I've read through the three parts of the book once and sections twice. Some is common sense, but most was revolutionary to my thinking. Although Hawkins is an atheist, I found nothing anti-God or anti-Biblical. Here's some of the new information I found helpful:
Objective and subjective are the same - therefore, it will change how I view myself and others. It lowers life's playing field to one level. Since quantum physics became a topic of interest through energy healing; Dawkins explained how quantum physics is part of the dynamics of reducing the objective and subjective into unity. From reading books by Christian mystics through the ages, they called the pluralism or dualism by the title, Me/Thee; but the unitive or non-dualistic way of thinking so it levels the playing field is called the Me/Thou.
Force vs Power. My understanding in my own words is since Cain killed Able, humanity has harboured a desire to dominate and to kill to prove he/she is right. That's using Force. Force is violent (like satan). Power is strong, yet non-violent (like Christ). I often write about pacifists or non-violence heroes of mine; but this book helped me see why they are my heroes. As Brian Zahnd said about Jesus, "[Jesus] would rather die than kill his enemies." That's the deepest phrase I've read about non-violence; because it doesn't invite me to learn pacifism, but to become proficient at that type of non-violence to all since Christ is the Lord of all. It fits perfectly into what Hawkins teaches on walking in power and rejecting force.
Interior vs Exterior. I can't control what happens to me; but I can control my response to it. As I let go of my unrealistic expectations, I can forgive more quickly, learn the lesson more quickly, and be back to peace sooner. He states all stress is internally generated. Thus the quicker I grieve a disappointment or loss and move back into the sunshine of my life - the more I attract positive things into my life. He says that every time a person with an incurable illness can shed the negative attitudes and embrace the positive attitudes (I think of Christ-like attitudes, especially of 1 Cor 13); they will heal much faster. If they hang onto the negative, they lessen their chances to heal and live long. He write, "Recovery from any disease process is dependent on willingness to explore new ways of looking at one’s self and life." That's where I find prayer and Bible-centered meditation helpful as it calms me so I can look at myself more realistically and see my life (hopefully) more through the eyes of Christ. That's where kineseology is a good check-up because I'm capable of self-deception and this technique helps me be more self-honest.
He says, "Beware the humorless, whether in a person, institution, or belief system; it is always accompanied by an impulse to control and dominate, even if its proclaimed objective is to create prosperity or peace." then follows that with, "Peace is the natural state of affairs when that which prevents it is removed. Relatively few people are genuinely committed to peace as a realistic goal. In their private lives, people prefer being “right” at whatever cost to their relationships or themselves." I still struggle with wanting to be "right." But I'm also learning that others deserve the dignity to have their own sense of "right" - even when their opinion is 180 degrees different from mine. I am old enough to trust God and to not live in the tension of the dichotomy. I'm not called to judge others - I'll leave that to God who has the power to change them. I'm called to love others.
Having been studying non-dualism through Richard Rohr and my parish priest, I liked this following comment even while I realize I only see the shadow of it and not the reality and depth of it: "to claim that the comprehension of the non-duality of existence is superior to its realization as dual is again to fall into another illusion. There is, ultimately, neither duality nor non-duality; there is only awareness."
This quote was intriguing, "To transcend the limitations of the mind, it is necessary to dethrone it from its tyranny as sole arbiter of reality." Oh, my. But a part of me feels safest when "I" get to make that choice; yet, when I see the lumps, bumps and bruises of life; I realize that is a self-deception. The first couple of years after the brain injury when my working memory dropped 25% of my pre-morbid score; I realized the mind needs dethroned because it's not reliable but is very co-dependent on the ego's selfishness. 'nuff said. He said, "Eventually, we may arrive at the insight that all our thoughts are merely borrowed from the great database of consciousness and were never really our own to begin with." If all good and perfect things come from God, then the times my thoughts are good and perfect they are His thoughts; but when I have stinky thinking, they are my thoughts rattling around in the wide open spaces of my gray matter.
He says, "When circumscribed self-identifications have been surmounted so that the sense of self is identified as consciousness itself, the condition is called “enlightened.”" I call that the "mind of Christ" as 1 Cor. 2:16 says. That is my goal; to become so forgetful of self that I can no longer distinguish where I end and Christ begins. It seems when this happens that I'll no longer wonder what I like, what I want, or try to dig up a scripture to hopefully be obedient to Christ - but I will be such a part of Him (Acts 17:28) and He'll be such a a part of me (Galatians 2:20) that my gut (belly of living water) will lead. The times I experience this for short periods; I feel that freedom the Lord promises me. My mind is at rest and my spirit in peace because I'm in awareness and not in selfishness. It is those rare times that I know who I really am and yet knowing who I am shows me who He is in deeper ways and connects me to all Creation in a joyous, silent symphony.
He said, "Within any religion, fundamentalist sects always calibrate lowest, often operating at the same level of consciousness as criminality; their hallmark is egocentric extremism and irrationality." I'd heard the first half of that quote several times from different authors and preachers; but it is great to find somebody to give credit for it. ;-) He continues, "The paradox of a puritanical society is that it encourages constant seduction but denies satisfaction, so a perpetual frustration of normal outlets eventually finds release in perverse ones." That made me wonder if that's one cause why pornography addiction is higher in conservative homes and churches than in liberal churches?
As I emerge from fundamentalist to liberal theology, my political thoughts have changed. One area I have been against for decades s capital punishment. While a fundamentalist, I was against the death penalty because a person might be killed prior to accepting Christ. Now my reasoning aligns more with this quote, "a society that condones capital punishment will always have a problem with murder. Both are products of the same level of perception. To the murderer, the killing of the victim is also a justifiable exception." Although I'm anti-abortion (but see the Old Testament Jews allowing it through the Mishnah), maybe the way to change that politically is to fight to stop capital punishment, next war and/or abortion? As people start to re-awaken to ALL killing is wrong, the vulnerable unborn will be included.
"Moralism, a by-product of duality, becomes insignificant as the consciousness level rises through the 500s, and becomes irrelevant at the level of 600." That fits with what I wrote previously in this blog entry. Why do I feel it become irrelevant? Because at the higher stages; a person is so focused on doing unto others and they want done to them that they are living their morals not trying to avoid immorality. Of course, only a few people reach that level. When I first came to Christ, a preacher use to say, "If you're so busy doing the DOs, you won't have time to do the DON'Ts."
I'd said I wanted to learn to summarize and not just make quote with comments; however, this book was fairly deep for me - so this blog entry is more a review of what I learned and how that can be helpful for me. Over 33% of the book is end notes, appendices, references and a glossary. It's been a while since I read something that scholarly and I'm glad I read it.
I'd recommend the book to anybody who wants to take the time to delve deep in their own response to the words and learn to know themselves better. For me, it wasn't a quick or easy read - but it was a formational read that challenged me on many levels.
I've read through the three parts of the book once and sections twice. Some is common sense, but most was revolutionary to my thinking. Although Hawkins is an atheist, I found nothing anti-God or anti-Biblical. Here's some of the new information I found helpful:
Objective and subjective are the same - therefore, it will change how I view myself and others. It lowers life's playing field to one level. Since quantum physics became a topic of interest through energy healing; Dawkins explained how quantum physics is part of the dynamics of reducing the objective and subjective into unity. From reading books by Christian mystics through the ages, they called the pluralism or dualism by the title, Me/Thee; but the unitive or non-dualistic way of thinking so it levels the playing field is called the Me/Thou.
Force vs Power. My understanding in my own words is since Cain killed Able, humanity has harboured a desire to dominate and to kill to prove he/she is right. That's using Force. Force is violent (like satan). Power is strong, yet non-violent (like Christ). I often write about pacifists or non-violence heroes of mine; but this book helped me see why they are my heroes. As Brian Zahnd said about Jesus, "[Jesus] would rather die than kill his enemies." That's the deepest phrase I've read about non-violence; because it doesn't invite me to learn pacifism, but to become proficient at that type of non-violence to all since Christ is the Lord of all. It fits perfectly into what Hawkins teaches on walking in power and rejecting force.
Interior vs Exterior. I can't control what happens to me; but I can control my response to it. As I let go of my unrealistic expectations, I can forgive more quickly, learn the lesson more quickly, and be back to peace sooner. He states all stress is internally generated. Thus the quicker I grieve a disappointment or loss and move back into the sunshine of my life - the more I attract positive things into my life. He says that every time a person with an incurable illness can shed the negative attitudes and embrace the positive attitudes (I think of Christ-like attitudes, especially of 1 Cor 13); they will heal much faster. If they hang onto the negative, they lessen their chances to heal and live long. He write, "Recovery from any disease process is dependent on willingness to explore new ways of looking at one’s self and life." That's where I find prayer and Bible-centered meditation helpful as it calms me so I can look at myself more realistically and see my life (hopefully) more through the eyes of Christ. That's where kineseology is a good check-up because I'm capable of self-deception and this technique helps me be more self-honest.
He says, "Beware the humorless, whether in a person, institution, or belief system; it is always accompanied by an impulse to control and dominate, even if its proclaimed objective is to create prosperity or peace." then follows that with, "Peace is the natural state of affairs when that which prevents it is removed. Relatively few people are genuinely committed to peace as a realistic goal. In their private lives, people prefer being “right” at whatever cost to their relationships or themselves." I still struggle with wanting to be "right." But I'm also learning that others deserve the dignity to have their own sense of "right" - even when their opinion is 180 degrees different from mine. I am old enough to trust God and to not live in the tension of the dichotomy. I'm not called to judge others - I'll leave that to God who has the power to change them. I'm called to love others.
Having been studying non-dualism through Richard Rohr and my parish priest, I liked this following comment even while I realize I only see the shadow of it and not the reality and depth of it: "to claim that the comprehension of the non-duality of existence is superior to its realization as dual is again to fall into another illusion. There is, ultimately, neither duality nor non-duality; there is only awareness."
This quote was intriguing, "To transcend the limitations of the mind, it is necessary to dethrone it from its tyranny as sole arbiter of reality." Oh, my. But a part of me feels safest when "I" get to make that choice; yet, when I see the lumps, bumps and bruises of life; I realize that is a self-deception. The first couple of years after the brain injury when my working memory dropped 25% of my pre-morbid score; I realized the mind needs dethroned because it's not reliable but is very co-dependent on the ego's selfishness. 'nuff said. He said, "Eventually, we may arrive at the insight that all our thoughts are merely borrowed from the great database of consciousness and were never really our own to begin with." If all good and perfect things come from God, then the times my thoughts are good and perfect they are His thoughts; but when I have stinky thinking, they are my thoughts rattling around in the wide open spaces of my gray matter.
He says, "When circumscribed self-identifications have been surmounted so that the sense of self is identified as consciousness itself, the condition is called “enlightened.”" I call that the "mind of Christ" as 1 Cor. 2:16 says. That is my goal; to become so forgetful of self that I can no longer distinguish where I end and Christ begins. It seems when this happens that I'll no longer wonder what I like, what I want, or try to dig up a scripture to hopefully be obedient to Christ - but I will be such a part of Him (Acts 17:28) and He'll be such a a part of me (Galatians 2:20) that my gut (belly of living water) will lead. The times I experience this for short periods; I feel that freedom the Lord promises me. My mind is at rest and my spirit in peace because I'm in awareness and not in selfishness. It is those rare times that I know who I really am and yet knowing who I am shows me who He is in deeper ways and connects me to all Creation in a joyous, silent symphony.
He said, "Within any religion, fundamentalist sects always calibrate lowest, often operating at the same level of consciousness as criminality; their hallmark is egocentric extremism and irrationality." I'd heard the first half of that quote several times from different authors and preachers; but it is great to find somebody to give credit for it. ;-) He continues, "The paradox of a puritanical society is that it encourages constant seduction but denies satisfaction, so a perpetual frustration of normal outlets eventually finds release in perverse ones." That made me wonder if that's one cause why pornography addiction is higher in conservative homes and churches than in liberal churches?
As I emerge from fundamentalist to liberal theology, my political thoughts have changed. One area I have been against for decades s capital punishment. While a fundamentalist, I was against the death penalty because a person might be killed prior to accepting Christ. Now my reasoning aligns more with this quote, "a society that condones capital punishment will always have a problem with murder. Both are products of the same level of perception. To the murderer, the killing of the victim is also a justifiable exception." Although I'm anti-abortion (but see the Old Testament Jews allowing it through the Mishnah), maybe the way to change that politically is to fight to stop capital punishment, next war and/or abortion? As people start to re-awaken to ALL killing is wrong, the vulnerable unborn will be included.
"Moralism, a by-product of duality, becomes insignificant as the consciousness level rises through the 500s, and becomes irrelevant at the level of 600." That fits with what I wrote previously in this blog entry. Why do I feel it become irrelevant? Because at the higher stages; a person is so focused on doing unto others and they want done to them that they are living their morals not trying to avoid immorality. Of course, only a few people reach that level. When I first came to Christ, a preacher use to say, "If you're so busy doing the DOs, you won't have time to do the DON'Ts."
I'd said I wanted to learn to summarize and not just make quote with comments; however, this book was fairly deep for me - so this blog entry is more a review of what I learned and how that can be helpful for me. Over 33% of the book is end notes, appendices, references and a glossary. It's been a while since I read something that scholarly and I'm glad I read it.
I'd recommend the book to anybody who wants to take the time to delve deep in their own response to the words and learn to know themselves better. For me, it wasn't a quick or easy read - but it was a formational read that challenged me on many levels.
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