The Christian Contradiction
An online version of my book, “The Christian Contradiction,” derived from blog posts on this site, and organized in a comprehensive work to address the problems with religion and Christianity in particular. For an audio version of the book, you can listen to the first 48 episodes of The Oneness of All Podcast.
Foreword – “Head and Heart”
Until very recently, my journey in seeking truth has essentially been a private one. The vast majority of my friends and family are strong or moderate Christian believers, and I have often felt uncomfortable sharing my questioning journey with most of them,…
Introduction
“When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner… then you will enter the Father’s domain.” saying of Jesus, Gospel of Thomas 22:4, 7 While I was…
1. The Christian Contradiction
I. Logical and Cosmological Problems of Christianity The Merriam-Webster dictionary partially defines the word “contradiction” as follows. “A proposition, statement, or phrase that asserts or implies both the truth and falsity of something… a logical incongruity… a situation in which inherent…
2. Contradictions and Double Standards
As I have worked through many realizations while writing on my blog, “The Mystical Voice,” there have been several personal “breakthroughs” in awareness I have made, in much the same way this happened for me back in the fall of…
3. Only One
In the last chapter on “Contradictions and Double Standards,” we learned that opposites are not separate realities, but different aspects of the same One. We learned this must be the case because under the belief in “separate,” opposite, “independent” realities,…
4. Being Reconciled
In the last two chapters, we discovered that opposites are not separate and independent realities, but rather different aspects of the same One. While it is relatively simple to understand the fact that in dealing with opposites, one cannot exist…
5. Sound Reasoning
I recently heard a recorded debate between the late Christopher Hitchens and Dinesh D’Souza about the existence of God. In this debate, D’Souza said he would not use authority, scripture, or other “transcendental” claims when making his arguments. I was…
6. Prove It
There are three simple steps we can take to uncover the truth about our traditional concepts of God and religion, particularly within Judeo-Christian, Islamic traditions. Recognize the fact that all contradictions and double standards are false. Recognize the fact that…
7. Having it “Both Ways”
It has become a famous slogan from the fast-food restaurant Burger King to “have it your way.” This is in the spirit of our self-centered mindset in which we would all prefer to have things “our way.” Who could honestly…
8. Who Made God?
II. Philosophical Problems of Christianity We live as forms of conscious energy which are aware of the limits of our forms, as well as the limits of other forms, which is ultimately responsible for our sense of “self” as separate…
9. Ego
For a good deal of my life, I have had a persistent and gnawing suspicion the ego is ultimately an illusion. The ego is the self-concept, the notion of “I,” or “me,” as separate and independent from “other.” It is the…
10. No Absolutes?
I have lately been finding myself exploring some thoughts which have been continually recurring in my mind with regards to both theists and atheists, and the essence of their views on reality. I have come to realize that on the whole,…
11. Why Belief?
Why do we believe? Why do we place so much emphasis on faith? It is a question many churchgoers take for granted, but it is a question which deserves the utmost attention, because if we are to keep from lying to ourselves…
12. The “Sacred” and the “Miraculous?”
It is an oft used phrase that “nothing is sacred” in this world. It is a phrase often used with a sigh by those who believe “the good old days” were better than what we have today, as if something…
13. Coexist
The pastor at the church where I work will on occasion mention in his sermons his annoyance with the “coexist” bumper stickers he often sees while driving, which spell out the word “coexist” using various religious symbols for the letters,…
14. The Emotional Factor
I have often pondered the fact that throughout history, many extremely intelligent people, even geniuses such as Bach, Mozart, and Michelangelo, believed in God. Not only did they believe in God, but they often reflected their faith in some of…
15. The “Creator” IS the “Created”
III. Scientific Problems of Christianity One of the problems people can run into when contemplating the mysteries of the cosmos and the universe, is in believing there must have been a “beginning” to it all. This comes from our perception of…
17. All Natural
We have discovered many things already in the previous chapters of this book. We have learned there is no such thing as “other realms of existence,” “other dimensions,” “immortal souls,” the “supernatural,” and other “magical” notions. The cosmos is, as…
18. What is Death?
And now we come to the great question, a question on a subject so thoroughly contemplated and pondered throughout the ages in all cultures and within all walks of life – the subject of death. What is death? So many of us…
19. Something “Special”
One of the things I find quite disturbing and arrogant about theologians, apologists, pastors, and many so-called “spiritual” and “religious” people, is their belief humanity is somehow, some way, something “special.” That is not to say we as individuals are not…
20. Something from Nothing?
As stated in a previous chapter in this book, “Contradictions and Double-Standards,” I heard a pastor once try to tell a clever story about a man who challenged God on who could make a better man. When the man reached…
21. Free Will?
The question of free will has been present in my mind for quite some time now, and while I have touched on this concept briefly in the past, only now have I felt compelled to actually investigate this question with any real…
22. The “Genesis” of an Illusion
IV. Theological Problems of Christianity We have discovered it time and again throughout this book – the fact that the ego, the self-concept, is an illusion, rendering all belief structures which assume the ultimate reality of the self to be fiction. …
23. What is God?
While all words are ultimately inadequate to express what God truly is, perhaps the best way to describe God is the Oneness of All. God is the One, the Uncreated All. God is that which is never born and never…
24. What is Jesus Christ?
The name “Jesus Christ” is an expression of the experience of a dual nature, both human and “divine.” To be clear, when I speak of “spirit” or of the “divine,” I am speaking metaphorically, and am not referring to the concept of “substance…
25. True Salvation
The common view of salvation within traditional Christianity is to view the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the purchase of the souls of those who believe Jesus is the Son of God who offered himself as a necessary…
26. Life Without God?
In a previous chapter entitled “The Principles of Oneness” in this book, we learned there are two fundamental principles of oneness – stasis and change. We also learned the principle of change is what is responsible for “creating” energy, or the “stuff” we…
27. The Illusion of “Sin”
When I look back on the trajectory of my life, I can see how the creation of this book was in many ways inevitable. My desire to understand all of the things which were drilled into my head in CCD…
28. The Authority-Driven Life
As I watched the pastor at the church where I work proceed with the Communion ceremony one day, it dawned on me the essence of the entire problem with religious faith. It all centers on the concept of authority. In…
29. Dollars for Dogma
Whenever a salesperson attempts to sell us something, they will always state the benefits of why we need what it is they are selling, and with that, will often include numerous reasons why we would be fools to decline their offer. Each “religious” person…
30. Doubting Thomas
I admit to being a “doubting Thomas,” which I do not consider to be a “bad” thing. The expression “doubting Thomas” was coined from the famous scripture passage after Jesus’ resurrection in which his apostle Thomas is quoted in John…
31. God’s Plan?
V. Moral Problems of Christianity It has become a trend for those of a “religious,” “spiritual,” or “New-Age” bent to use the oft-quoted phrase, “there are no coincidences.” They say this with the implication that all things happen “for a…
32. Without Sin?
What is sin? Dictionary.com defines sin as follows. “Transgression of divine law… any act regarded as such a transgression, especially a willful or deliberate violation of some religious or moral principle… any reprehensible or regrettable action, behavior, lapse, etc.; great…
33. Excuses for God
I admit I lose patience with those who try to make a “moral point” by quoting the Bible. While there are many wonderful and truthful passages in the Bible which can serve as good advice and words of wisdom, such…
34. True Faith, True Love
Throughout the chapters in this book and in other writings, I speak very critically of faith, because it is the acceptance as true that for which we have neither evidence, or at least good evidence, nor sound reasoning, which is the essence of laziness,…
35. We Are All Atheists
What is an atheist? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines an atheist as follows. “A person who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods.” Because this definition does not define which god one must reject to be a “true…
36. Morality?
I just recently watched a fascinating debate between Sam Harris and William Lane Craig, dated back to April of 2011 at the University of Notre Dame, which formally addressed the question of whether the foundations of moral values are natural or…
37. The Blame Game
Not too long ago, my counselor gave me something to think about I have found incredibly enlightening ever since. What we discussed was the “Drama Triangle Game,” which is a seductive, high-energy blame-game which attempts to redirect the focus of attention, energy,…
38. Scapegoat for God
VI. Scriptural Problems of Christianity I recently heard a radio debate between the author of “Caesar’s Messiah,” Joseph Atwill, and Pastor Eli James. In this debate, while there was certainly some disagreement between the two, the one thing they did…
39. What Does the Lord Require?
It can be quite perplexing to clearly understand all of the things the Lord God requires, especially within the context of Christian scripture and theology. On the one hand, it seems we have to be “perfectly holy” in our words,…
40. God’s Word?
Whenever we try to justify our actions or rationalize a position on an issue by saying we “love” and are trying to obey “God’s Word,” our hypocrisy can become immediately apparent to anyone who has even a general knowledge of…
41. The Opium of the People
When a doctor prescribes pain medication to us when our pain is unmanageable, we are grateful to be given relief from that pain. Often, we are in so much pain that all we know is our desire to be rid…
42. Our Slavery Addiction
In the United States of America especially, we continually hear about “freedom.” It is the one value we claim to cherish, perhaps above all others, especially within our secular Western culture. It is therefore quite hypocritical that in the United States…
43. The Christ Myth
VII. Mythical and Historical Problems of Christianity There is an aversion in our society to the word “myth” because we believe this means a story is untrue. That is not necessarily the case. Myths, from Ancient Greece such as the “Iliad” and…
44. The Christmas Myth
During the Christmas season, we hear many stories. We hear stories of a jolly old white bearded man named Santa Claus who brings gifts to little children all over the world in one night while flying through the air on…
45. Caesar’s Messiah
“All religions are equally sublime to the ignorant, useful to the politician, and ridiculous to the philosopher.” – Lucretius (Roman Philosopher 99 B.C.E. – 55 B.C.E.) I have recently discovered a fascinating book and documentary entitled “Caesar’s Messiah,” by Joseph Atwill,…
Afterword “Letting Go”
I have recently been reminded of an excellent song by the band Kansas entitled, “Dust in the Wind.” It is a song I remember hearing and enjoying as a child, as it came out in January of 1978 when I…