January 16, 2024 – A

Everyone who knows
knows theology is opinion
based on hearsay
and misconceptions.

The misconceptions center around
sin and redemption 
being the foundation of True Religion.

The hearsay has to do
with the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Both come together beautifully
to provide the Roman Catholic Church
with the necessary invisible foundation
to take on Roman emperors
in the struggle for control of the Empire.

The Roman Catholic Church decided
what was to be in the Bible,
and then said, "The Bible says..."
in becoming the most powerful force on earth.

The men who put it together were brilliant,
unscrupulous, and without conscience,
but evil is just that way.

The Eastern Orthodox,
Greek Orthodox
and Russian Orthodox Churches
arose at the same time 
the Roman Catholic Church did 
and survived without
the doctrine of original sin,
but they cannot rival the Roman church
for wealth and power.

Celtic Christianity,
being on the far edge 
of the Roman Church's reach
also makes little use of original sin.

The Protestant Reformation
had no trouble with it,
leaving Roman Catholic theologians alone
responsible for the structure
of Modern Christianity,
even that of the Pentecostals
and Evangelicals.

To reclaim the banner of True Religion,
we will have to throw away
everything that is false,
and start over with the right kind
of emptiness, stillness and silence,
balance and harmony,
original nature (which is not sinful in the least)
and innate virtues/attributes,
integrity,
sincerity
and spontaneity,
borrowing heavily from Classic Taoism,
Native American/Indigenous Peoples' spirituality,
Celtic spirituality,
and Japan's Shinto spirituality
to create religion without theology,
based on our personal/corporate experience of life--
and bringing ourselves back to life
after all these years.

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