I've mentioned before the bible study group with the retired ministers. I finally finished up my time with them. (not really, it's taken me a few weeks to finish this up)
What did I learn at the bible study?
Jesus can do good things in peoples lives. I heard a lot about Jesus in the time spent with the wise men. They love that guy! All of them seem to really believe that Christ was driving the ship, so to speak, and playing a significant role in their lives. And to be honest, I admired that about them. Their job has been to essentially help other people with their problems in life through the teachings of Jesus, God, and the Bible. Ministers don't have all the answers, and these guys made it known often they knew less than most. But they all seemed to really believe what they were saying, and what they were saying was if you have a problem, Jesus is the answer out.
I believe them too, for the most part. I've said this before, but if you have a positive outlook on life and use the teachings for the better, you will absolutely be happy as ten dudes. And I believe that as long as you can muster up the strength to keep the belief alive (faith as the wise men called it) the happiness will continue. Not feeling generous? Jesus has an answer for that. Wanting to punch your neighbor out? Jesus has an answer for that. Can't get naked images of the neighbor with the majestic beard out of your head?(ladies, I'm happily married) Jesus has an answer for that too.
A good amount of our discussions were about the difference between living like a good Christian and being a follower of Christ. My point of view comes from the idea that calling yourself a Christian is nothing more than that...words. Christianity, in a broad sense, is still an evolving set of beliefs, and for good reason. As times change, attitudes change, technology changes, interactions change (we Buddhists call it impermanence) and therefore, the teachings need to be changed. I believe its a good thing, and it's happened a lot in America. Some religious views needed to be changed, from interracial marriage, to same sex marriage, and todays craziness with mega-money hungry churches. But I digress...
So what is a good Christian? Saying you are a follower of Christ (or you have a personal relationship with him), or living like a good Christian? Or does it have to be both? We all have the same life problems. Missing lost loved ones, stresses of work and family life, low self esteem, whatever it may be we all deal with them in our own personal way. Jesus, and the other teachings, can give help and hope to people dealing life's problems. But it seems at times what you want becomes the message. When you want to make a lot of money, you might have to skew some teachings to still feel good about yourself, but look at the mega churches, it can be done...Praise Jesus! So clearly JUST saying you have a relationship can't be enough right?
Most of the wise men agreed you have to believe Jesus died for your sins to get to heaven. I challenged them by asking (I've heard this many times before) if one could still get to heaven if they never heard of Jesus. Most agreed if you lived a good life, were searching for the truth, but never knew of Jesus that God would still let you in. So living like a good Christian is all you need!? Not exactly. I heard Desmond Tutu say it was "silly" to think that the Dalai Lama would get to heaven and God would express his gratitude for all of his good deeds but would ultimately be shunned from heaven for not acknowledging Jesus as the son of god and the one true way to heaven. I couldn't agree more.
But they didn't see it that way. Until I expressed my belief that you don't have to ever say his name, if you use him as an example in your daily life. Look at Thich Nhat Hahn and how he has contributed to Gods people. I can't help but think the Dalai Lama completely understands the good in Jesus and his teachings. I'm sure he has used the power of the holy spirit (most likely calls it by another name) with his fellow Christians to do good deeds. Maybe he doesn't call it "being Christian" (although many monks consider being a good Buddhist the same as being a good Christian), maybe he doesn't claim Jesus to be his lord and savior, but he is probably one of the few people on earth today that is even close to living like Jesus asks you to. So how do you see it?
The group discussed people as individuals within the Christian community, and what we all understood is that a good Christian isn't good 100% of the time. This was another issue I couldn't get past in my young and know-it-all phase (trust me: the know-it-all phase isn't gone yet, to the chagrin of my wife). I feel like the bible study helped me realize the middle ground of Christianity. On one hand, no one can live up to the expectations of Jesus. On the other hand, you don't have to...he is very forgiving. This promised forgiveness is great, if not used as a blinder to avoid thinking about selfish actions. But, If you try to live just like Jesus, society is going to kick your ass and call you a crazy person. Turning the other cheek, loving your neighbor as yourself, helping the poor, sticking it to the man...that stuff doesn't fly today (and it will likely get you voted out of congress) This is America son. Land of money loving, freedom forcing, civilian suppressing/killing ...we aint got time for that. But its OK! All you have to do is "have a relationship with Jesus". Ask for forgiveness and you shall receive it. (But I digress...again) It's difficult to find your way in todays society with its constant barrage of distractions.
The moral of the story: find your own truth. Teachers are excellent resources (even bad teachers), but no teacher can show you the truth...just what direction to look.
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