When various soteriologies and eschatologies are compared and contrasted, lauded or criticized, one of the issues concerns if the vision is "exclusive" versus "inclusive."
Richard, I wonder if there is a miscommunication between the exclusive and inclusive sides? I often hear the exclusivity claims being made about our need to choose Jesus. While inclusive claims announce that God has already chosen us.
Could our social-psychology be at play? As humans we want to find belonging which is most salient in smaller and well defined groups. So we reduce the circle to diffentiate our family, tribe, political party, or denomination. In so doing, we expect others to find God with our tribe's language? Whereas God does not do that, but sees all humanity as made in God's image as the main identifier of belonging.
God is pretty hidden now, at least from most people. Various religious traditions have a lot of great stuff to say and teach (and some awful stuff!). Buddhism strikes me as particularly wise, its wisest stuff as wise as the best stuff in Christianity (from my POV). Presumably some time after death, if there is an afterlife, God and Jesus will be less hidden, and the truth will be evident to every being. Let's assume that it becomes clear to anyone that Jesus is the Son figure in a Trinitarian God, and is totally loving and wanting to love and be loved by everyone. Well who is going to resist that, even those who were committed Buddhists on earth? So in the end, totally inclusive. And in the meantime, when God and Christ are largely hidden, good Buddhists add tremendous value to the world. So it could be true both that all paths up the mountain lead to the summit, and Christ is perched on that summit.
Buddhism has become more and more popular in the west for sure. I have a nephew who is trying to become a Buddhist monk. Where Buddhism falls down for me, however, if I understand correctly, is the teaching that the path to happiness is basically to cut off your desires. If you do not desire anything, you can’t be disappointed, and thus, one can lead a quiet, happy life. However, not only does this cut across Dr. Beck’s Shape of Joy, but I also believe it works against the full life Jesus would want for us. Jesus was certainly full of all kinds of passions and desires, He just didn’t allow them to rule Him. And of course, the Psalmists could never have been very good Buddhists! The challenge of cutting out desires is that our hearts won’t allow us to squash some parts of it. You can cut out desires and passions, but you’ll also cut out love, empathy, and justice. Jesus doesn’t want “dull hearts”, but rather full, transformed hearts that “pant for God like a deer pants for water”. This seems to be the better path from my perspective.
I love that you begin with an awareness of Buddhism. An acquaintance of mine who is now a Baptist minister was "met by Jesus" while on a week-long Buddhist retreat. Inclusivity wrapped around exclusivity?
I have still been pondering about what a redeemed demon looks like following previous posts about this idea. I had never even considered how demons might be redeemed, reversed to what they originally were intended to be. If God made and is going to redeem EVERYTHING then, of course this means the demons too!
Richard, I wonder if there is a miscommunication between the exclusive and inclusive sides? I often hear the exclusivity claims being made about our need to choose Jesus. While inclusive claims announce that God has already chosen us.
Could our social-psychology be at play? As humans we want to find belonging which is most salient in smaller and well defined groups. So we reduce the circle to diffentiate our family, tribe, political party, or denomination. In so doing, we expect others to find God with our tribe's language? Whereas God does not do that, but sees all humanity as made in God's image as the main identifier of belonging.
God is pretty hidden now, at least from most people. Various religious traditions have a lot of great stuff to say and teach (and some awful stuff!). Buddhism strikes me as particularly wise, its wisest stuff as wise as the best stuff in Christianity (from my POV). Presumably some time after death, if there is an afterlife, God and Jesus will be less hidden, and the truth will be evident to every being. Let's assume that it becomes clear to anyone that Jesus is the Son figure in a Trinitarian God, and is totally loving and wanting to love and be loved by everyone. Well who is going to resist that, even those who were committed Buddhists on earth? So in the end, totally inclusive. And in the meantime, when God and Christ are largely hidden, good Buddhists add tremendous value to the world. So it could be true both that all paths up the mountain lead to the summit, and Christ is perched on that summit.
Buddhism has become more and more popular in the west for sure. I have a nephew who is trying to become a Buddhist monk. Where Buddhism falls down for me, however, if I understand correctly, is the teaching that the path to happiness is basically to cut off your desires. If you do not desire anything, you can’t be disappointed, and thus, one can lead a quiet, happy life. However, not only does this cut across Dr. Beck’s Shape of Joy, but I also believe it works against the full life Jesus would want for us. Jesus was certainly full of all kinds of passions and desires, He just didn’t allow them to rule Him. And of course, the Psalmists could never have been very good Buddhists! The challenge of cutting out desires is that our hearts won’t allow us to squash some parts of it. You can cut out desires and passions, but you’ll also cut out love, empathy, and justice. Jesus doesn’t want “dull hearts”, but rather full, transformed hearts that “pant for God like a deer pants for water”. This seems to be the better path from my perspective.
I love that you begin with an awareness of Buddhism. An acquaintance of mine who is now a Baptist minister was "met by Jesus" while on a week-long Buddhist retreat. Inclusivity wrapped around exclusivity?
Interesting to clarify.
I get this.
I have still been pondering about what a redeemed demon looks like following previous posts about this idea. I had never even considered how demons might be redeemed, reversed to what they originally were intended to be. If God made and is going to redeem EVERYTHING then, of course this means the demons too!