Jesus doesn't gather slaves; he sets them free
I find it very encouraging that visitors to this little blog have taken the time to explore the listing of links provided on the left side column. The links are provided to spur the reader’s thoughts. My intention in making the sites accessible from this blog is not to certify every word on the respective sites as absolute cosmic truth. They are what they are…the beliefs and ideas of others who are on their particular journey of life. The ideas presented in the blogs listed, in my opinion, are beautiful and inspiring.
I wish to post a few thoughts in response to some questions I have received concerning why I have chosen the particular sites listed. (The list changes periodically)
I have posted links on the blog to open up the readers to the many possible paths to God and to encourage the reader to research for himself the ideas presented. (Especially the site relating to physics and cosmology) They are not meant as a definitive statement of my absolute belief. There are ideas on some sites that I would not adopt for my own belief system, but the purpose is to show people that being opened to the Spirit of God is a very important step to becoming one with God. Each person reaches God in his own way according to God's will and in the time determined by the Spirit.
Some of my Christian friends have provided the most thoughtful feedback to some of the sites. I've even had at least one letter from a fellow bishop since posting the links. I am perplexed at how after two thousand years of development fellow Christians so often seek out apparent differences from other believers rather than celebrate our connectedness and communion. Sometimes people perceive a conflict of belief when in fact they are stating the same truth but using different words. Let's take the idea of Jesus for example. The word "Jesus" was meant to bring us together. Jesus was meant to show us that each person can attain to the divine and eternal life in God. Jesus is the fulfillment of the plan of creation in that he represents the ideal man/woman...the godly person on earth.
Christians identify this "Jesus" as a man---both of human and divine stock---who walked the Earth in first century Palestine and taught the truths of God. Christians can easily accept the fact that the Creator God took material human form and spoke face-to-face with his human creation in order to speak the keys of eternal life to them and show them a path to peace and to God through love and mercy, etc... However, it seems that some Christians still do not actually believe the words of Jesus. "If you do not believe me when I speak of earthly things, how will you believe me when I speak of the things of Heaven?" ...asks Jesus in the Gospel of John.
Many other faiths have the same core beliefs of Christianity but they communicate those beliefs in a different
way. There is no danger in this. I'll comment from the scripture to help you... Jesus tells us that he has "other flocks" that he must also bring to the Father. Wherever these other flocks may be, he tells us that he will do the same work that he does for the Christian community, in them too. Now, unless Jesus is a liar, we can assume that the essence of what Jesus is has worked as a teacher in other places and for other peoples. Since Jesus himself proclaims this fact through the Gospel account, I believe it is safe to assume that Jesus (God's own Word materialized in human form) has taught other communities under a different identity from that of the "Jesus" of first-century Palestine.
way. There is no danger in this. I'll comment from the scripture to help you... Jesus tells us that he has "other flocks" that he must also bring to the Father. Wherever these other flocks may be, he tells us that he will do the same work that he does for the Christian community, in them too. Now, unless Jesus is a liar, we can assume that the essence of what Jesus is has worked as a teacher in other places and for other peoples. Since Jesus himself proclaims this fact through the Gospel account, I believe it is safe to assume that Jesus (God's own Word materialized in human form) has taught other communities under a different identity from that of the "Jesus" of first-century Palestine.
No matter how you slice it, if you believe the preacher of Nazareth to be true in his words, Christians should not only accept that Jesus personally (in the same form of a man as recorded in the Gospels) preached to groups other than those mentioned in scripture, but should affirm this fact as a matter of Gospel truth. The Gospel itself speaks quite clearly that the accounts of the four Gospels are in no way exhaustive accounts of the action and preaching of Jesus. Why have the major Christian denominations so vehemently affirmed that the four Gospel accounts are the only actions and teachings of Jesus? The very act of denying that Jesus has other flocks and therefore other audiences who recieved the same divine authority from his words as did the root Christian and Catholic communities stemming from the four gospels is an act denying the truth spoken by Jesus as Christ.
The very fact that the Pauline tradition (which is certainly accepted by the Christian communty as having divine authority) stems from an authority independent of the twelve but originating in the same Source of Jesus' authority should be enough to show the world community that Jesus did not intend for God's divine font to be limited to only the communities stemming from the preaching of the twelve apostles noted in the Gospel accounts.
Who are these other groups or other peoples who work the same mighty works of the Gospel Jesus? Certainly this little blog won't answer that question. The very core of Jesus' preaching tells us that God's choice is not dependent upon belonging to any earthly group or particular biological family. God's own are all those who hear his call and respond in love. No particular denomination should claim to be the sole possessor of divine truth or authority. Certainly no group should claim any universal divine authority over others based on the claim that Jesus of Nazareth gave them that authority. He did not give any absolute authority to any one human or group. In fact the Gospels provide for us his words to the contrary. Read the four canonical Gospel accounts fully and you will see that for yourself. Jesus reminds us that divine authority is given to all those who are chosen of the Father.
Jesus was also quick to divorce himself from any claim of absolute earthly authority connected to political or religious systems. He didn't want to be made a king. He didn't lord his power over others and warned his followers not to lord their power over anyone. He came to be our example of what a divine person should be. He did not come to be used as a puppet for all those who would claim power over others in his name. Their can be no such claim in Jesus' name. Jesus does not gather slaves; he sets them free.
The great teachers and sages of many other earthly faiths have taught the message of the Gospel using different words and different stories. I believe as long as a faith is spreading the message of love, peace, mercy, truth...and that the message is one that affirms the gift of life by calling all people to work together for the common good of creation…then one should not interfere in the preaching of that message because it is the same mighty work of God found in the Christian Gospel. Now, that's not to say you should go and join every group that comes along (unless you want to!) but you should be careful not to denounce any great faith that is bringing peace and love to God's people and at the same time leading God’s children home to a place of peace and joy. This of course presupposes that a particular group is not enslaving or harming any other in spreading their message.
It has been said that God is like a great shining diamond with many facets. His beauty is visible from many angles. What a shame it would be to paint every facet dark except for the one right in front of you. Sure, the facet right in front of you is how you see God from your particular perspective, but if you darken the rest of the diamond so that the light cannot shine through, even the beauty of your facet fades into a blurry darkness.
We should begin to appreciate the ideas that other Faiths share about God so that we can let more light shine through God's diamond and out into creation. The purpose of the links on the blog is just that. We should be careful not to paint over God's light with darkness, even if that light shines in someone else's garden. 
Consider what the earth was like before Christianity knew of Jesus. What if you were born a thousand years before the dawn of the Christian era? Would you still know the Spirit of the Creator? Yes you would. How? The same way you do now, by hearing God's words in your heart. THAT IS JESUS. "Jesus" is the way through which God comes directly to his children. "Jesus" was there in the beginning---working and speaking---and he is here now the same way. To someone (like the Hindu or Buddhist or Taoist) who may never have heard the Gospel of Christianity or the name "Jesus," when that person experiences God's closeness (like you do in whatever way you experience God’s peace) he needs words to describe that experience and so he makes words like Tao or he names the voice he hears and calls it another word or if he experiences a great teacher who he knows is from God he calls him Vishnu or some name other than "Jesus." That is okay, because the word we call something is not as important as is the meaning behind it. Here is something from Taoist thought to consider:
"The rabbit snare is for the rabbit. When you have the rabbit the snare is not needed.
The fish trap is for the fish. When you have the fish the trap is not needed.
The word is for the meaning. When you have the meaning the word is not needed."
If you are a Christian, you have the meaning of "Jesus" don't you? If you do the word is not important. That doesn't mean I want you to throw away the name Jesus or tell others to do that. No! I do, however, want you to remember the words of Jesus when he said to the Apostles: "To some I speak in parables (stories) but to you I speak directly." Haven't you reached a point where you no longer need the "stories" about God but instead are able to hear the truth of God? I wish to remind you of something that the words of Jesus speak in the last supper discourses of John's Gospel: Jesus says to them, "Unless I go, you cannot receive the Spirit."
If you continue to hold onto the surface (the words) you will not experience the depth of the Spirit of Truth.
I am not saying that denominational practice or traditions and devotions are bad. Certainly not. These are a means to truth and peace for many. So, embrace whatever religious tradition makes you feel at peace, even if you know it is just a tradition and has little to do with the highest God, but don't miss the forest for the trees. When you reach a certain level, the denominational practices of other Christians or other Faiths should mean very little as compared to your own journey to the Spirit of God. If those things (denominational beliefs or devotional practices) eventually pass away and one is left with only God, then you should not be worried about "apparent" disagreements between Christian doctrine and the doctrine of other belief systems or even of the theories of science. Do not judge by appearance but judge justly. See past earthly words, devotional practices, and scientific endeavor and find the true Source of all things.
If God appears to one man as a bird and to another as an atom, and to yet another as a human...which man really saw God? The answer: Whichever man saw past the appearance and recognized the great Spirit of the Universe, the Father of All.
I hope those who read this little blog and the links mentioned are reading for meaning and not with any doctrine of man in view. I can be reached at dominicanvocations@hotmail.com if you have any comments.
With Love and Peace always,
+Tomas Martin, OPD
Bishop of the Ecumenical OPD Community
