The Heart of Christianity

This is a view of Christianity as I see it, what I regard as the basics. I think that as Christians it is vital for us to define this for ourselves and work from there. Only then can we be honest in our dealings with those of other religions. Only then can we see the path ahead and judge the various developments within our religion and how to react to them. So:

Christianity is a WAY, not a set of doctrinal beliefs. The defining element is the way or practice that we take up as a Christian.  Jesus says “Come, follow me,”, not “These are the things you need to believe that are true.” It is stressed in Mathew and Luke that not all who call Jesus “Lord, Lord” will be saved, but only those who DO what he asks. The way is set out very clearly. It is not articles of faith but admonitions of practice. The beatitudes and the bulk of the “sermon on the mount” are about actions, about overcoming one's own ego and treating others with love and compassion.  Forgiveness and service to others are constantly stressed.  Jesus' own practice seems to be one of mainly trying to help others – care for the sick, care for the hungry, care for those troubled and lost in their actions toward others. When John the Baptist asks if he is the “expected one”, the answer is a list of actions of helping others.

The life of Jesus as recorded seems to me to be a story of someone who attained real enlightenment and understood and felt deep compassion for those around him.  He strove to do the will of his “Father,” “Abba,” his loving image of the One, the creator of all.  He taught care, especially for the disenfranchised. He faced death accepting the fate brought about by his choice to teach his way in the face of opposition.  Throughout the ordeal of that death, he continued to show peace and compassion and forgiveness. The story of the resurrection is an affirmation that this life is not the end of us, that there is much more, that divinity is part of us all.  It is also a message of karma, that the love we practice has an effect beyond our small existences.

In the first letter to the Corinthians, it is very forcibly stated that if I have “faith to move mountains” or any other great gift, but have not love, have not compassion, then I have nothing. Without the practice of love of God (love of the One), and love (compassion) towards all others (love of the Many), our Christianity is meaningless.  Proclaim Jesus as our savior all we want, insist on all our tenets of belief or creed, without compassion it is wasted effort.  The gospel depiction of the “last judgment” is a question of compassion. With all we met on our life journey, why did we not see the presence of God in them and why did we not treat them with compassion, why did we not aid them when they were in need or distress?

The heart of Christianity then, as I see it, is compassion. “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples..” (Jn 13:34) It is stated in many ways. In other places when asked “What is the greatest commandment?” (Mt 22:34-40, Mk 12:26-34) or “What must I do?” (Lk 10:25-28) the answer is to love God, the One, with your whole heart and soul, your whole being and that the second one (actually the same) is to love your neighbor, the Many, all those you meet, even your enemies. The way is to grow in love, in compassion. The practice is to do things that will bring this about.

To love the One is to “pray in secret to the One who answers in secret”, to meditate and pray with not just words. Fr. Keating has explained this wonderfully. We come to know and love the One through practices like meditation and through self understanding, the transcending of our egos, going through a death to oneself to a new life of unselfish love and compassion. Doing compassionate work, actively caring for others in some real way, is also part of the practice, that we might learn again to transcend ourselves in all that we do. To grow in wisdom, justice, kindness, understanding, generosity, greatness of spirit, joy, peace – all are the work of love of the One and the Many, the way.

In Christian and Jewish scripture, the relationship to God, the love of the One, is often cast in images of an intimate relationship – parent/child, marriage, or friendship. Many Christians want to keep a distance or separation, there is an avoidance of equating ourselves or positing some type of oneness with God. To my understanding, however, that very oneness would be the goal of this intimate relationship. This way is different from some others, perhaps in that it is more an indirect approach instead of seeking realization or direct “enlightenment” of oneness, of “I AM”.  I have no argument against a Zen type of realization of oneness.  Indeed, I regard it very highly and would happily encourage anyone attracted to it to go for it.  I am attracted to this relationship approach, to a more I-Thou type of realization, which I feel in the end can arrive at the same basic point of enlightenment, of oneness. The relationship becomes a complete union, a realization that we are really one with the Ground of Being and with each other, the Many.  I am lately, however, experimenting in my meditation with a three person perspective (I, Thou, It) approach like that put forward in the integral community.

Faith has to do with that relationship to God and to others. The word is from the Latin “fides”, meaning “trust”. Faith is a relationship of trust and communion. It is acting towards each other with trust and care. It is acting with justice and compassion, with “righteousness”. The word "Faith" today, gets tangled up with dogma and conceptualizations of belief. “Having faith” or “faithfulness” has come more to mean allegiance to a group or a set of dogmas, than to have a relationship of care or trust in the persons of others. However, It is not certainty in conceptual ideas and dogmas that get us through the hard parts of loving the One and each other, it is a trust that it is worth it whatever the consequences. It is the desire for justice toward all. We continue our meditations, our practices of self-understanding and compassion, even though the outcomes may be unpredictable, or if terrible things happen. There is sense, a deep intuition, that love and compassion is our only hope, our way, and that we should hang in there in our practice.  Indeed, practice increases faith and vice-versa.

True faith means that we learn as we live and grow, that we grow in our practice and understanding of it along the way. It means that our understanding and how we conceive our beliefs actually must change. Our concepts must evolve, because we evolve in our perspectives and understanding. Our compassion becomes more inclusive, our realization of the Ground of Being, of God, becomes broader and more cognizant of the depth of that mystery. Our sense of the presence of God in our own being and in all beings becomes firmer. Our perspectives are always limited. The contexts of those beliefs come to be seen in a different light or with a different emphasis. Even the meanings of words change or take on different nuances of understanding. We are finite beings with finite understanding. Can any human expression ever really or in any final way grasp the great mysteries of life, love, existence, and the Ground of all-being?

Today, in Christianity there is a cacophony of interpretations, of sects and divisions. The only answer I can see to this is to return to the basic practice and to seek what furthers and deepens that practice. What deepens, and expands our love and understanding of the One and the Many? What limits it or mislead us in someway? This is often a difficult question and probably needs to be answered differently at times by different people, but the question to my mind, needs to be paramount. If the answer closes off our dialogue with or respect of others, then I would be very suspicious of it.

The future of Christianity, I believe, depends on keeping the practice alive, on expanding it and deepening it, and on updating its methodology. It means living and teaching the practice. It means growing in love, respect, compassion, justice and forgiveness toward all. The mission of Christianity can not be seen has a conversion to this religion or to any set of beliefs, but as the building of the “kingdom of God”. This is a Christian term, but should be understood in a much broader way. What it should mean is establishing ever deeper relationships with the One and with the many. This means rejoicing in variety and all its beauty, which the One obviously enjoys. It means respect for the multitude of life in all its forms. It means deep respect for the religions, revelations, realizations, art, music, language, stories, etc. of all others. It means establishing relationships which promote justice and mercy, which highlight mutual compassion for all, which bring greater peace and love to all. It means deeper understanding, greater wisdom, more complex bonds, and love of an ever greater depth. It means evolving in relationship with the One, the ground of all-being.

Some sort of structure or structures would be very helpful, but none of the current ones in Christianity seem very viable. I am a member of the Roman Catholic structure, and active mainly as singer and musician. I was once a member of a missionary order and a student for the priesthood, and received a fairly good philosophy/theology background. The theology and biblical studies were more open to scientific and modern influence then it seems they are today. I have taught “religion”(Catholic) and overview courses on other religions on the high school level. Now days in church, I stick to music, and feel outside the structure. It is a place to ply my chosen vocation, and improve my level of accomplishment, even if I do find some of the music not to my liking. It also keeps me related to some community structures, and gives me first hand observation of the state of something I still feel is important.

Form what I see, the state of that Catholic structure is not well. There is a retreat to fundamentalist positions and simplicities. The leadership seems moribund and really incapable of meeting the challenges that have arisen and are arising. The top down structure needs desperately to change. Amber is ascendant, Orange, Green, and above are drifting away or being consigned to the fringes or even being driven out. There is oblivion and/or denial about much of the riches (spiritual practices, spiritual and theological insights) and the atrocities of the past. Emphasis is more on dogma and literalistic belief, than on practice. Love of neighbor, though mentioned often, seems to have a lot of restrictions. Prayer is mostly multiplying words. Introspection, knowing oneself, not judging others, meditation, even any real spirituality, are passed over or even unacceptable, in the face of demands for piety and conceptual conformance.

A more enlightened structure needs to be developed, one that can allow the various stages of religious and spiritual growth to have their proper place, but in a manner pointing to and encouraging development and enlightened growth. To me this means placing the way, the practice, at its heart throughout the process. In looking back at my own life, it is this practice which I feel has brought me through those levels that I believe I have transcended, to some level of greater understanding, realization, and even enlightenment. Not that I have always practiced well or consistently, nor with much clarity of understanding, nor even knowledge of how to proceed. But it has kept me on a path, returning often to the practice of meditation, seeking to understand my feelings and motivations, seeking to love and respect and forgive others and myself, growing evermore in a faith in a divine presence and love that is with us all. I've got a ways to go and am thankful for the guidance, help, and deeper understanding the integral community and its effort has given me through my membership and exposure to it.