More on rethinking the “spiritual/metaphysical“, Wendell Krossa. Yes, its “speculation”. But some offers better alternatives than what we have inherited from religious traditions. Historical Jesus felt the same.
This site exists to communicate one critical insight/discovery, i.e. the stunning new alternative theology that was given to us two millennia ago that there is a profoundly unconditional Love behind all reality and all life. That Love is closer than our own breath or atoms, it is in us all as inseparable from our human spirit and self. It defines the nature of our core self or spirit, the real us. And that is a liberating boost to human self-image after we have been beaten down with “fallen, sinful humanity” mythology from our beginnings.
The new theology of God as unconditional love defines the nature of the core of all reality- i.e. the Creator- and hence, the basis from which I can affirm that “Its going to be alright, ultimately, for everyone”. This truth exists as ultimate reality despite the sometimes hellish experiences that we endure on this planet.
Among all that is commented on here, this is the background theme of all themes, the basic insight that I want to repeatedly affirm to all who read any material here.
I give the nod to Joseph Campbell’s “Hero’s Quest” as a useful framework for our life stories. That we go out into life on a journey, an adventure. And during our adventure we encounter monsters that we have to fight and conquer, monsters that may be physical disabilities and challenges, or mental/emotional problems, or social issues that we struggle with, etc.
And through our struggle with our monsters, we learn lessons and gain insights that we can then offer to benefit others in their battles. Further, we are wounded from our struggles with our monsters, wounded in ways that leave us scarred for the rest of our lives, walking with limps like Jacob after he had wrestled with “God” (I refer to that incident loosely as metaphorical).
Insert- AI Overview: “In Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob wrestles with a mysterious ‘man’ (identified as God or an angel) at the Jabbok River before meeting his brother Esau. Jacob refuses to release the figure until he receives a blessing, resulting in his renaming to ‘Israel’ (“one who struggles with God”) and receiving a permanent, symbolic limp.”
My monster was presented to me, initially at 3 years of age, by my Evangelical Dad who told me that God was going to get me, that he was angry with me and would punish me in hell if I was bad and did not “get right with God” by joining his Evangelical religion. He repeated that Threat theology over subsequent years as he pressed his beliefs on my sisters and me.
It took me several decades to discover that Carl Jung was right- i.e. that there was no such wrathful deity frowning down on us, threatening apocalypse and hellfire. Jung stated bluntly that religions had God all wrong. But Jung was not clear on the alternative nature of God as no conditions love.
It took me more years to discover the core theme of the entirely non-religious Historical Jesus whose profound discovery of an unconditionally loving God was buried in the “Christ-ianity” of Paul. Not entirely buried as the “Search for Historical Jesus” and “Q Wisdom Sayings” research opened up the way to glimpse the buried “diamonds” of Jesus (Thomas Jefferson, Leo Tolstoy).
Unfortunately, even the Q scholars were not clear on exactly what they were uncovering, with James Robinson getting closest with his statement that the “single greatest contribution of Jesus to the history of human ideas” was his insight on the “stunning new theology of a non-retaliatory God”. That was stating the new theology negatively.
That negative element was taken from Jesus’ statements that there should be “no more eye for eye retaliation against offenders/enemies but instead we should ‘Love our enemies’.” Robinson stopped there though he was right that the God of Jesus did not vengefully and punitively retaliate against human failure.
Historical Jesus then continued to state the positive side of his stunning new theology. How were we to “love our enemies”? He referenced the natural world to illustrate the unconditional love that was the central element in his theological discovery/insight. He said, “God gives sun and rain- the two critical elements to survival in agrarian society- to both good and bad people alike.”
He used the behavior based on belief coupling to conclude- “We should then be unconditionally merciful just as God is unconditionally merciful”.
His point? God included all without discrimination, both good and bad people. None were excluded from that generous and merciful love of deity.
Jesus went on to add further insights to his stunning new theology that should profoundly transform human narratives, human thought, feeling, motivation, and consequent action or behavior.
He added that God was a non-dominating reality, a serving reality. True greatness, he said, was to not lord over others but to serve all. To treat all others as equals. And “God is great”.
After re-affirming the “no eye for eye” basis of his stunning new theology, the alternative was obviously then “restorative justice”, but not the extremist response of pacifism in the face of evil. Any common-sense love will restrain the violent in order to protect the innocent. Authentic love will hold offenders accountable. Because responsibility for behavior and its consequences is fundamental to all healthy human development and growth.
Our primary impulse for meaning and purpose has stirred humanity across history to understand the nature of Ultimate Reality because that shapes our ultimate Ideal, that which informs us why we exist and how we should live. The stunning new theology of Jesus overturned that central reality entirely, a reality that had from the beginning been defined by features of Zoroastrian cosmic tribalism, deity as dominating “Lord/King”, and deity as vengefully punitive, as ultimate Destroyer through apocalypse and hell.
And though it may upset many- Jesus new theology is profoundly non-religious, even anti-religion, in that all religious traditions have been highly conditional and none have never communicated the unconditional nature of God to humanity.
One more thought: We (humanity) have arrived at liberal democracy/Classic Liberalism as the best system for expressing the basic themes of the Jesus discovery- i.e. the universal inclusion of all as equals with equal rights and freedoms, laws and institutions that restrain elite domination and orient state leaders and bureaucrats to serve citizens not lord over them, and justice systems oriented to restorative not punitive justice.
Anyway, just this reminder that among all the comment here on this and that going on in our world, we have been given this profoundly liberating discovery from a wisdom sage of two millennia ago, an insight on theology that transforms everything, that is liberating at the most basic levels of the human psyche- i.e. how we think and feel, and how we are then motivated and behave, how we treat others.
The discovery of Historical Jesus that deity is unconditional responds to our primal impulse for meaning and purpose like nothing else in human history. It is “his greatest contribution to the history of human ideas.” And unfortunately, it has too long been buried by the Christology of Paul that dominates the New Testament and highly conditional Christian religion.
So, once again– Yes, “It is going to be alright ultimately for everyone”. Just to vent again the Daddy thing in me.
Non-domination in ultimate Reality, Wendell Krossa
Something I read recently sparked this thought on the non-dominating God of Jesus. Where did Jesus teach that? When he told some disciples that true greatness was not lording over others but serving others (Matthew 20).
(Note- I do not affirm all that AI says)
AI Overview
“Jesus redefined greatness as humble service rather than exercising authority over others, highlighting that true leadership involves sacrificial service rather than self-promotion. As a “Facebook” post notes, true greatness is not in power, but in serving. He modeled this by stating he came to serve, not to be served…
Key Aspects of Jesus’ Teaching on Greatness:
• Servant Leadership: Jesus directly contrasted kingdom leadership with worldly leadership, where rulers “lord it over” others. True leaders are to be servants of all.
• The Ultimate Example: Jesus demonstrated this by washing his disciples’ feet, a task for the lowest servants.
• Actionable Service: True greatness is defined by humble service and sacrifice, not power or position.
• Not a Path to Self-Promotion: It is a call to serve others regardless of how they treat us.
(End of AI Overview)
And in relation to the non-dominating feature/element in deity, Jung offered this insight (and I may be reading him differently from what he intended). Jung spoke of “synchronicity” as similar to mysterious “coincidences” that could be viewed as some sort of divine intervention in our lives.
But these surprising “chance” occurrences cannot then be taken as affirmation of traditional religious views of deity as controlling all elements of this world and constantly intervening in human lives and affairs (e.g. Puritan “sovereignty of God” beliefs). The religious view of God as constantly intervening to control all of life was illustrated in Charles Spurgeon’s sermon on divine sovereignty where he stated that every grain of dust spinning off the turning wheels of a passing stagecoach was “following its divinely pre-ordained path.”
Any “divine intervention” does not override free human choice to, for example, choose badly and make stupid mistakes, including some real bad mistakes that harm others. We can’t blame deity but must maturely take full personal responsibility for the outcomes and consequences of our free choices.
As Bob Brinsmead argues- If God is love then authentic love by its very nature is inseparable from respect for the freedom of all others, so God cannot overrule the freedom of people or God would not be love. Love and freedom are two sides of one coin. This goes some way to explaining the presence of evil in life, in this realm of dualism (good and evil). As Bob also says, “Where there is no authentic freedom, there is no authentic love.”
It helps to think of any divine influence as “gentle persuasion”- i.e. the still small voice or inner urge to do the right thing, and to caution against bad choices. What some call “conscience”.
The gentle persuasion can be illustrated, for example, in the Elijah in the cave incident where God was not in the storm and thunder (i.e. not in fierce threat and overwhelming power) but manifested in a still, quiet voice. The gentle persuasion whisper we all feel at times.
(Note again: I do not affirm all AI Overview says below)
AI Overview
“Elijah, fleeing from Queen Jezebel, hid in a cave on Mount Horeb, where God revealed himself not through powerful wind, an earthquake, or fire, but in a “still small voice” or “gentle whisper”. This profound moment of comfort and instruction, found in 1 Kings 19:11-13, taught Elijah that God often works through subtle, quiet power rather than dramatic spectacle, restoring the discouraged prophet.
“Key Aspects of the Narrative
• The Context (1 Kings 19): After a great spiritual victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah became fearful and despondent due to threats from Jezebel, leading him to flee to Horeb, the mount of God.
• The Display of Power: God told Elijah to stand on the mountain. A massive wind, an earthquake, and a fire occurred, yet Scripture notes that the Lord was not in these.
• The Still Small Voice: After the fire, a gentle, quiet sound (described as a “low whisper” or “sheer silence”) appeared.
• Elijah’s Reaction: Upon hearing this, Elijah wrapped his face in his cloak and stood at the entrance of the cave to hear God’s message, indicating his recognition of the divine presence.
• The Message: God asked, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” to which the prophet replied that he felt alone in his zeal. God then revealed there were still 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed to Baal, reinforcing that his work was not done.
“Significance of the Event
• Gentle Restoration: Instead of rebuking Elijah, highlights that God provided comfort and a new mission for the exhausted prophet.
• God’s Method: The event contrasts with previous dramatic miracles, teaching that God is often present in quiet moments and that spiritual power often works in silence.
• The Voice in Different Translations: The Hebrew phrase (qol demamah daqqah) is translated differently across versions, including a “gentle whisper” (NIV), “sound of sheer silence” (NRSV), and “still small voice” (KJV).
“For further study, offers a perspective on the, “What does it mean that God speaks in a still small voice?” query, while provides an in-depth analysis from The Spurgeon Library on this profound moment.”
(End of AI Overview)
Also, none of us quite understands this, but we see the sometimes amazing coincidences that Jung spoke of as we look back on our lives. Joseph Campbell says that our lives unfold like a novel being written. We all live unique life adventures with all the parts fitting as they should, even though things often appear to occur randomly or accidentally. And yes, even our bad choices can sometimes be turned to useful learning occurrences (though this is not to excuse the outright evil done by some).
Again, if we choose stupid then that is stupid and its all on us for the outcomes or consequences. We can’t blame anyone else. As the wise sage Forest Gump said, “Stupid is as stupid does”. Couldn’t have said it better.
Anyway, something more from our AI friends…
AI Overview
“Carl Jung described coincidences as “meaningful coincidences” (synchronicity), defining them as acausal, non-random, and significant events that link internal mental states to external reality. He viewed these experiences not as mere chance, but as revelations of a deeper cosmic order and connected, symbolic patterns.
“Key Aspects of Jung’s View on Coincidence
• Definition of Synchronicity: Jung defined it as an “acausal connecting principle”— a “falling together in time” (from Greek syn together, chronos time) of internal thoughts and external events that lack a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
• Symbolic Meaning: These coincidences often carry profound personal significance, functioning like dreams to provide guidance or insight into life challenges, as discussed on ‘This Jungian Life’.
• The “Scarab” Example: A key example of a synchronistic event was when a patient, during a therapy session, was describing a dream about a golden scarab. At that exact moment, a beetle (a scarab-like insect) tapped on the window. The coincidence broke the patient’s rational, rigid mindset, allowing for therapeutic progress.
• Not Random Chance: Unlike, for example, simple “meaningless” coincidences that can be explained by probability, a synchronistic event is characterized by its high improbability, emotional intensity, and connection to archetypal situations, such as birth, death, or major relationships, according to ‘Psychology Today’.
• Universal Connectedness: Jung believed these events suggest that the human psyche and the external world are interconnected, points that he further explores in his writings, and which are also explained on Reddit.
“Purpose of Synchronicity
“According to Arts of Thought and Wikipedia, for Jung, these events act as:
• Affirming mechanisms: They serve to validate or highlight a particular, often challenging, psychological state.
• Guidance tools: They often occur at moments of profound personal change or during significant psychological crises.
• Catalysts for Growth: They can break a person out of a rigid, purely rational mindset.
“These “meaningful coincidences” are often linked with archetypal or unconscious energy, providing moments of insight or a feeling of connection to a larger whole, according to ‘This Jungian Life’.”
(End of AI Overview)
Note: I find the NDE movement, as the latest phase in the history of human “spirituality”, offers some interesting insight into all that happens during our “Hero’s quest” adventures here on Earth. That we may even have some “pre-incarnation in a human body” involvement in what happens to us during our lives. That we choose the varied things, both good and bad, that happen to us during our life stories. Sure, this is “speculative” and based on the testimonies of the NDE people who claim to have entered the surrounding realms during their “out of body” death experiences. But it is another interesting insight to toy with in our search for meaning and purpose. Especially the insight that we may be more responsible for all that happens in our lives, more responsible than we imagine.