It is Written.

We think that because something is written in the Bible it must be true.

But the evidence of modern scholarship would suggest that this is not the case.

Words have been put into the mouth of Jesus and even into the mouth of God.

The Gospel of John contains long passages attributed to Jesus which do not appear in the other Gospels.

This has led scholars to assert that the Gospel of John is not historical but developed theology about Jesus.

The short aphoristic sayings and parables in the Synoptic Gospels are much more in keeping with the oral tradition of teachers at that time.

But the habit of Old Testament writers of putting their messages into the mouth of God is much more problematical.

Violent, judgemental, and legalistic passages in the Old Testament are unlikely to be literally the words of God.

Ancient authors could only write according to the understanding and worldview that existed at the time.

This is where tradition breaks down.

These primitive attitudes to God have been passed down from generation to generation.

But humankinds' image of God evolves as the Bible progresses.

There are passages which contradict earlier passages in the text.

The God of Jesus bears no resemblance to the harsh God of the Old Testament.

So now, 2000 years later, humanity is ready for a new image of God.

A God who is transcendent.

Beyond our human expectations of punishment and judgement.
   
A God who is wholly good.

The God whom Jesus of Nazareth knew.


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At Work.

God is at work in the world.

He answers prayers.

And He acts through people.

But there are less people available to Him because so few people worship Him or call on Him in prayer.

The rest of us are busy enjoying ourselves or following rock stars and celebrities of dubious virtue.

But God is available to us.

It is up to us to call on His Love.

And see that God is at work in the world.


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The Universal Field.

Science is looking for a Universal Field.

This Universal Field would explain how light and matter form in the universe.

It would also explain gravity and the Big Bang.

My theory is that the Universal Field is God's Love.

Stephen Hawking said that science was investigating the Mind of God.

But I say that the Unfathomable Mystery is God's Love.


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Evil.

Evil = Fear²

Evil is a rebellion against the harsh God of vengeance and judgement.

But this false image of God is itself based on fear.

Fear that God will reject us and punish us.

But this punitive, petty God is not the Reality.

In fact God loves us and cares for us.

He is our loving Father.

So take the fear away.

And where is evil?


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One.

There is no dualism.

There is only one supernatural being.

And that is God.

Everything exists in God.

The universe is a masterpiece of recycling.

Nothing ever dies.

It is just transformed.

There is no devil, no dark powers.

Evil in our world is a product of fear.

We have free will.

And we make mistakes.

This is how we learn.

But help is always available.

God's Love is there for us if we ask.

There is nothing to fear from God.

God is Love.

And God is One.


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(The image has been slightly modified.)

Stable.

What seems to us to be inanimate matter is in fact full of energy.

And the solid and firm is in fact a form of stability.

It is energy bound into solid form.

Without the solid forms of matter that surround us we would not be able to function.

We need stability to live.

And this stability is a manifestation of God's Love.

God has made for us a beautiful garden in which to live.

Thanks be to God.


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Death is Not.

Rather than thinking in dualistic terms of life and death we should be thinking of inanimate objects as undergoing transformation.

For example: a dead branch on a tree is not really dead.
It is transformed as fuel for a fire into heat, or as wood for a table, or it decomposes as humus to help trees and plants grow and flower and produce fruit.

When the soul or spirit leaves the human body it lives on in the Life of God.  The body decomposes as fuel or humus in the same way.

So nothing ever dies.

It is just transformed.

And science verifies this.

E = MC²

Matter is not dead it is full of energy.

So God, as the Life of the universe, grows, flowers, and transforms but never dies. 


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