Mystical Christianity: lesson 5 (assignment)

1.    What is Truth for you? For me, Truth is different from fact. As I adhere to an esoteric interpretation of religion, historical events are not particularly important as far as spirituality is concerned. The resurrection of Christ, for example, represents a spiritual truth whether or not it is historical objective fact. 2.    How do you respond to the possibility that what we know about the history of Christianity may be at the very least incomplete, if not outright wrong? I felt this to be the case already, so it is not only not a shock for me, but rather a relief.  The traditional message of original sin, substitutionary redemption, heaven/hell, physical resurrection, etc., was one I had difficulty accepting.  Knowing that what has come down to us as "orthodoxy" is not in fact the only truth, but the version of Christianity that won out politically in the late Roman period, allows me to rediscover a more balanced, mystical view of the Christ myth. 3.    Do you believe our thoughts can affect our lives and our world as Gregg Braden theorizes in The Isaiah Effect? How can you make a difference? Absolutely. "Thoughts are things".  Thought is the source of all creation, all action – both good and bad. Therefore we must practice "thought hygiene" – being careful to avoid negative, critical and destructive thoughts, and focus on positive, benevolent and creative thoughts. J.P. Amis