Church membership has been on the decline in the United States since 1985. According to the Gallup polls: "Over the past two decades, the percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religion has grown from 8% in 1998-2000 to 13% in 2008-2010 and 21% over the past three years." I believe there are many reasons for this, but I think one reason is that many people are realizing that the theologies of most religions are too exclusive and do not support our new understanding that all people are One, and all are divine children of God. Many people who believe in a divine universe will not use the term "God" because it evokes images of a wrathful and vengeful being who threatens to punish us for eternity if we stray from the path of righteousness.
I personally do not think that church membership is as important as attaining a better understanding of God and our relationship with our divine parent: our Father- Mother God. That relationship is based on Love, and I do believe that Jesus (among many others) came to earth to teach humanity how to be more loving, and to show us how to save ourselves from guilt, fear, envy, illness, and all the other negative experiences of an ego-driven life.
Ten years ago I read a book called Who Am I? Why Am I Here? written by Patricia Cota-Robles. I am re-reading this book now and finding many wonderful reminders about the reasons we earthlings find ourselves in the predicament we are in, and how we can get out of it. I would like to share an excerpt from this book (pages 104-105):
Jesus agreed to be crucified in order to prove to the world that there is nothing the fallen human ego can do that will destroy the Divinity within us. His crucifixion and resurrection proved that even if one's physical body is abused, tortured, and crucified, the Christ within is eternal and lives on in our Light Body.
Even though Jesus did not save us in the way many are saying, he did forgive the sins of the world in a very different way. When Jesus was hanging on the cross a Centurion pierced his side with a sword. His intent was to accelerate Jesus' death, and to put him out of his misery. As Jesus' blood and Lifeforce flowed onto the Earth Jesus said, "Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do." In that instant, our Father-Mother God allowed the Law of Forgiveness to be initiated as the order of the New Day on Planet Earth.
Prior to that moment, the Children of God were subject solely to the Law of Karma, or the Law of Cause and Effect. After the Law of Forgiveness was established on Earth, we had another option. Humanity could ask for forgiveness for the misuse of our precious gift of Life and be forgiven. We are still subject to the Law of Cause and Effect, but now when we recognize the error of our ways we can ask forgiveness. Forgiveness transmutes our misqualified energy back into Light before it returns to us as a difficult challenge through the Law of the Circle.
It is important for us to understand that we are not forgiven just because Jesus was here, as some believe. We are forgiven if we recognize our mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and change our behavior patterns.
If this explanation makes sense to you and you'd like to know more, I recommend that you read this book. If you'd like me to share more excerpts on this blog, just let me know in the comments.
