Ideas that make you go

by Christian Piatt Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

For some, the central message of Christianity is about personal salvation. What it is exactly that we need saving from is debatable, depending on who you ask: from the fires of hell; from ourselves, from an apocalyptic end to the world as we know it. But I’ve been thinking about this quite a lot lately and I’m beginning to think that we’re going about the whole salvation thing the wrong way.

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Back to the idea of the human soul. I’ve always imagined souls like the question suggests. There’s some sort of warehouse somewhere that checks out souls as there are bodies to employ them. Perhaps they get re-used, or perhaps they’re as unique as fingerprints. But lately I’m beginning to think the very idea of the soul has fallen victim to the same sort of fierce individualism that our understanding of life, God and personal salvation suffer from.

What if we don’t each possess “a soul?” What if there is some greater Collective Soul (no, not the nineties garage band) in which we get to take part, but which we never own, so to speak?

And if we’re all participants in the same Collective Soul, what does this mean for the Christian message of salvation?

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This also re-frames the idea of the phrase “Thy Kingdom come” in the so-called Lord’s Prayer. Whereas some consider this a plea to God to bring some sort of yet-to-be experienced kingdom here to earth, what if it’s meant to be a pledge from us to God? What if it’s we who are responsible for invoking God’s kingdom, by living as if there truly is no man, woman, slave, free, Muslim, Jew, gay, straight, Republican or Democrat?’

The responsibility for “God’s Kingdom come” then is on us. Rather than waiting on God to act, we bear the burden for making real the perfectly complete love of which Jesus spoke. In doing so, it’s hard to imagine that I could sit back and consider my own personal salvation, however you interpret that, while others still suffer.

After all, their life is also my life.

Their soul is also my soul.

Their salvation is also my salvation.

To make any other distinction is to place “self” above “other” and thus take a step back from fully realizing the vision glimpsed in Jesus’ life and ministry. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about us.

Read more here: http://www.redletterchristians.org/none-is-saved-while-one-still-suffers/

WOW! That's right on, thanks for posting, Blue. I would also say "What a coincidence", if I believed in such a thing, which I don't. I was just coming here to try and find a place to put a quote which I like, and it fits perfectly right here! It's sort of the other side of the coin to what you posted above, which I agree with totally and wholeheartedly. We are all tied in inextricably to every other person, to every part of creation, and while one suffers we all suffer. But the path to doing something about that suffering of the other has to start within each one of us, and that is what the Dalai Lama addresses below:



A word which sums up both of the above is "solidarity". We stand at one with every person, receiving and giving at the same time. We don't do things "for" those not as well-off as we are; we act in union with, in support of those who need our love, our support, our inner peace, and find that as we give, we receive more than we give. Every missioner I know or have known invariably says that she or he went out to teach, to help, and found out that s/he was the one who was taught and helped to a new understanding of what it means to be truly human, in far greater measure than anything they could do or give or teach. For me to be saved, I need to reach out to those who suffer,for they are part of me, as I am part of each and every living being. First, however, as the Dalai Lama says, I have to attain the peace of heart, serenity of being, love toward all, before I can share that with others.

Amen, Ruts, amen and thanks for the Dali Lama quote. I just love him. He always hits the nail right on the head, doesn't he?

The best quote the DL ever put outhere - for me was: -

"Empty, Empty - Happy, Happy"