Mystical Christianity: lesson 15 (assignment)

1. Do you believe it's possible to "throw out the dirty bathwater in Christianity and still keep the baby"? How would you define the "baby" and what needs to change? Yes, I do believe it is possible, especially on an individual level or through small spiritual groups – although the task is more daunting on an institutional and cultural level. This is mostly because the majority of people can no longer distinguish the baby from the bathwater. The "baby" for me is the esoteric core of Christianity – which essentially continues the ancient mystery traditions. This esoteric core teaches the mysteries of the soul and its reintegration with the Divine. The myths of incarnation, resurrection and ascension illustrate various aspects of the soul's journey. The "bathwater", however, is the literalistic interpretation of these myths as factual history and viewing them through the Old Testament lens of blood sacrifice and redemption from sin. This view causes people to rely on outside forces (Jesus dying for us), rather than look inward to the Christ within us. 2.Who is Jesus for you today in your life? For me, Jesus is a very powerful symbol of the Christ energy. I say "symbol" because I do not believe Jesus and the Christ are identical, even if, due to his highly evolved state, Jesus was a perfect vessel for the Christ. For me, Jesus is more idea than person. I don't deny the existence of a historical Jesus – nor am I 100% convinced of it (at least that such a historical Jesus was necessarily a single individual and not a composite of more than one mystical teacher). But it doesn't ultimately matter, because the idea of Jesus and the teachings conveyed through the character of Jesus are what is most important in my view. J.P.A.