The word "Shinto" derives from two Chinese words- shen, which means "deity," and dao, which means "way." In Japanese it reads as "Kami no michi," which means "the path of the "Kami," or "the way of the Gods." For centuries, Japanese people have acknowledged the sacred presence and power numinous beings called "kami" which is translated as "high or superior beings" (John Renard, The Handy Religion Answer Book (New York: Barnes and Noble, 2002), p. 479. Shinto is as old as Japan itself, in the same way that Hinduism is as old as India. At its core, the way of the Kami enshrines profound insights into the sacred character of all created nature. Shinto calls people to a deep awareness of the divine presence suffusing all things, to the challenge of personal and corporate responsibility for the stewardship of the world that is home, to unending gratitude for all that is good, and to a willingness to seek purification and forgiveness for humanly inevitable but avoidable lapses. (Renard, p. 479).
Unlike many other major religious traditions, Shinto had neither a founder nor a single foundational figure who represents concrete historical origins. Subsequently, it is difficult to say when Shinto began as an organized religion.
It appears that there are elements of Shinto dating back to at least the eighth century A.D. It appears to run concurrently with Hinduism in terms of chronological time.
There are two sacred texts in Shinto. They are The Records of Ancient Matters (Kojiki), dating back to 712 A.D. This text , composed by Yasumoro, deals with the events that begin with the creation of the Japanese islands and continuing down to 628 A.D. The other text is Chronicles of Japan, written about 720 A.D., also recounts the recounts the ancient cosmogonic myth, but in less detailed fashion. (Renard, p. 480). This book is called Nihongi and Nihon Shoki in Japanese.
There are no central creeds as such in Shinto, but their beliefs can be summarized as follows:
1. Belief that all sacredness surrounds us.
2. Sacredness pervades all things, including ourselves.
3. The all-suffusing divine presence is ultimately benevolent and meant to assure well-being and happiness for all who acknowledge it and strive to live in harmony with it.
Regarding the ultimate spiritual reality (God), Kami is the most important term in Shinto theology. Its general meaning is "high or superior being, and it can be applied to a host of spiritual presences and powers. Every kami is said to emanate its own distinctive divine energy or force. (Renard, p. 489).
There are other details about Shinto that I could touch on in this essay. But in order to avoid lengthy details, I will limit myself to the above mentioned beliefs. You the reader, are now invited to compare your own beliefs with those of Shinto as stated above. Tell us if there is anything in Shinto belief that reminds you of your own. Also, tell us if you think that anything in Shinto can be affirmed and embraced by Christians.
Grace and peace,
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
Friday, January 16, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
What does it mean to be a Christian?
We are informed in the book of Acts 11:26 that the followers of Jesus were called "Christians for the first time." Prior to that, they were referred to as "believers" or those of "the way." So now, I invite you, the reader to ponder on the meaning of the term "Christian."
Some have thrown this term around haphazardly, not even bothering to reflect on the reason why it came to be used in the first place. They also ignore the implication of the term, since it carries a lot of responsibility in terms of living out the life of a believer in Jesus the Christ.
Some have defined the term "Christian" in its most basic sense, i.e. one who believes in Christ. Others have defined it in terms of being affiliated with their particular church or brand of Christianity. So far example, one person would say that being a Christian means to be Protestant of a conservative or evangelical persuasion. Another person would use the term "Christian" to mean one who is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, or one of the Eastern Orthodox churches. I heard of a case in which a certain person was asked if she was a Christian, to which she responded "No, I'm Pentecostal." I've also heard ex-Catholics saying "I used to be Catholic, and now I'm Christian." For these persons, the term "Christian" is used to identify those are affiliated with their particular faith community, or at the very least, the doctrinal stance of that community.
In the church that I grew up in Staten Island, New York, a "Christian" was one who "accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior" of her/his life, and then subsequently began to refrain from certain things such as dancing, drinking, mixed bathing, and smoking. In addition to that, there were certain dress and personal appearance codes that the "Christian" was expected to adhere to. Examples of this would be that women were not to cut or trim their hair, wear slacks, or use excessive jewelry (anything other than a clock or a watch). Men were expected not to have a beard or long hair. Attendance at the theater was a "no-no," because it was considered "the seat of the ungodly." Mixed bathing and dancing were prohibited because it was believed that this type of blending would result in the arousal of sexual passions leading to sexual immorality. In retrospect, I tend to think that a lot these rules were really rooted in certain "hang ups' that people had regarding their own sexuality. It is very true that the Scriptures were used to support these codes and rules, but an honest and thorough examination of those Scripture passages will demonstrate and reveal that the writers of Scripture were not even thinking of these things when they wrote. It was really a case of reading those passages through the prism of the cultural baggage of the reader.
So we go back then to the question of what does it mean to be a Christian? The early followers of Jesus were referred to as "Christians" not only because they had put their trust in Jesus, but also because they followed and promoted His teachings. Early Christianity was not an organized religion. It was more of a movement of people who had experienced God's liberating act through Jesus of Nazareth, and who in turn promoted and spread the movement. There is no indication whatsoever in the New Testament that their Christianity was defined by the codes that have been described above. As a matter of fact, we have no indication whatsoever in the New Testament that these codes even existed in the early Church. The first followers of Jesus were called "Christians" because they followed Jesus's example of meeting the needs of the community in which they lived.
One cannot claim to be a "Christian" if he/she is not committed to the task of God's liberating, redemptive, and salvific activity in the world. We cannot isolate or shelter ourselves from the world of pain and suffering and still consider ourselves "Christians." We cannot see Jesus if we do not seem him in the eyes of the homeless, the hungry, the poor, the unemployed, the underemployed, the person who in financial desperation resorts to committing crime, the alcoholic, the drug addict, the derelict, the undocumented immigrants, etc. Have we seen Jesus today? If we have not been in solidarity with this sector of humanity, we have not seen Jesus and cannot afford to in all good conscience bear the name "Christian." We might refrain as many non-Christians do from cursing,drinking, and smoking, but if we have not seen Jesus in the eyes of broken humanity we've missed the boat.
In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rev. Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
Please feel free to comment
Sunday, January 11, 2015
A Christian View of World Religions- Buddhism
Buddhism started in the sixth century B. C. and like its parent religion Hinduism, emerged and developed in the soil of India. While many people tend to associate it with countries like China, Japan, the Koreas and other Asian nations, this is due to its widespread acceptance and growth in these countries. Gautama Siddhartha, later on to be known as the Budhha (the Enlightened one) was born around 563 B.C. He was born into affluence and opulency, but later on in his life, he rejected all the royalty that he was born into, abandoned his wife and son, all for the sake of his spiritual journey, pursuing the ultimate meaning of life and the destiny of humans. ( John Renard, the Handy Religion Answer Book. Visible Ink Press, 2002, p. 305)
The sacred text of the Buddhist religion is known as the Pali Canon, which was a collection of other texts known as the Tripitaka (the three baskets). The three sub-texts were the following: The Vinaya Pitaka which contained the rules of monastic discipline, the Sutra Pitaka which gathered Buddha's speeches, the Abhidarma Pitaka which included seven lengthy theoretical interpretations of the Buddha's teachings. (Renard, p. 309)
The three major strands of Buddhism are the following:
1. Therevada Buddhism- This brand of Buddhism is built around the notion that the Buddha was a human being who taught by example. The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was the last of many non-human reincarnations of he Buddha-to-be.
2. Mahayana Buddhism- This brand of Buddhism emphasizes that Gautama Siddhartha was one of many manifestations of enlightment capable of saving those who ask for help.
3. Vajrayana Buddhism- This brand of Buddhism consists of a number of schools and lineages that blended Mahayana concepts with the esoteric interpretations of Hinduism's Tantric schools. It has also blended with popular traditions. (Renard, p. 309-310)
There is another aspect of Buddhism which is not as dogmatic as the other three branches of the Buddhist faith known as Zen Buddhism. Some consider this as a philosophical type of Buddhism which is practiced by adherents of other religions, including the Christian faith.
The major doctrines of Buddhism are:
1. The Four Noble Truths-
a. Life is difficult
b. All hardship and suffering comes from inappropriate attachment or grasping.
c. To avoid suffering, avoid inappropriate craving
d. To stop inappropriate craving, follow the Eightfold Noble Path (Renard, p. 317)
2. The Eightful Noble Path is: Eat what you need and use whatever is necessary for a modest style of living. The eight elements in the classical formulation of the standards for such a life are divided into three large categories: wisdom, ethics, and concentration. Achieving wisdom requires proper belief in the form of deep understanding of the Four Noble Truths and proper intent, which means that one performs all acts out of compassion rather than out of self motives. The next three steps on the Path involve ethics. Proper speech means avoiding all evils of the tongue. Proper action, expressed negatively, means refraining from inappropriate sexual relationships, killing and stealing. And proper livelihood calls for the avoidance of occupations that cause harm such dealing in slavery or weapons. Training in concentration also has a triple foundation. Proper effort means perfect balance in one's attitude toward work. Proper attentiveness flows from deep reflection on the Four Noble Truths. And proper absorption, a lofty goal, means the ability to be genuinely content in equilibrium between pursuing goals and running from fears. Everything depends on carefully measured responses. That does not necessarily mean the death of spontaneity. It also means a habit of discipline and keen awareness of one's personal motivations. (Renard, p. 317)
I invite you, the reader to review the teachings of Buddhism, and to determine which, if any of these teachings can be both affirmed and embraced by Christian believers. Do you see Jesus (the Cosmic Christ) present in any of these beliefs and teachings? Do you see the Buddha as a Christ-like figure, and maybe another Christophany (manifestation of Christ)? Your comments and input into this discussion are very valuable and will be appreciated.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
The sacred text of the Buddhist religion is known as the Pali Canon, which was a collection of other texts known as the Tripitaka (the three baskets). The three sub-texts were the following: The Vinaya Pitaka which contained the rules of monastic discipline, the Sutra Pitaka which gathered Buddha's speeches, the Abhidarma Pitaka which included seven lengthy theoretical interpretations of the Buddha's teachings. (Renard, p. 309)
The three major strands of Buddhism are the following:
1. Therevada Buddhism- This brand of Buddhism is built around the notion that the Buddha was a human being who taught by example. The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was the last of many non-human reincarnations of he Buddha-to-be.
2. Mahayana Buddhism- This brand of Buddhism emphasizes that Gautama Siddhartha was one of many manifestations of enlightment capable of saving those who ask for help.
3. Vajrayana Buddhism- This brand of Buddhism consists of a number of schools and lineages that blended Mahayana concepts with the esoteric interpretations of Hinduism's Tantric schools. It has also blended with popular traditions. (Renard, p. 309-310)
There is another aspect of Buddhism which is not as dogmatic as the other three branches of the Buddhist faith known as Zen Buddhism. Some consider this as a philosophical type of Buddhism which is practiced by adherents of other religions, including the Christian faith.
The major doctrines of Buddhism are:
1. The Four Noble Truths-
a. Life is difficult
b. All hardship and suffering comes from inappropriate attachment or grasping.
c. To avoid suffering, avoid inappropriate craving
d. To stop inappropriate craving, follow the Eightfold Noble Path (Renard, p. 317)
2. The Eightful Noble Path is: Eat what you need and use whatever is necessary for a modest style of living. The eight elements in the classical formulation of the standards for such a life are divided into three large categories: wisdom, ethics, and concentration. Achieving wisdom requires proper belief in the form of deep understanding of the Four Noble Truths and proper intent, which means that one performs all acts out of compassion rather than out of self motives. The next three steps on the Path involve ethics. Proper speech means avoiding all evils of the tongue. Proper action, expressed negatively, means refraining from inappropriate sexual relationships, killing and stealing. And proper livelihood calls for the avoidance of occupations that cause harm such dealing in slavery or weapons. Training in concentration also has a triple foundation. Proper effort means perfect balance in one's attitude toward work. Proper attentiveness flows from deep reflection on the Four Noble Truths. And proper absorption, a lofty goal, means the ability to be genuinely content in equilibrium between pursuing goals and running from fears. Everything depends on carefully measured responses. That does not necessarily mean the death of spontaneity. It also means a habit of discipline and keen awareness of one's personal motivations. (Renard, p. 317)
I invite you, the reader to review the teachings of Buddhism, and to determine which, if any of these teachings can be both affirmed and embraced by Christian believers. Do you see Jesus (the Cosmic Christ) present in any of these beliefs and teachings? Do you see the Buddha as a Christ-like figure, and maybe another Christophany (manifestation of Christ)? Your comments and input into this discussion are very valuable and will be appreciated.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
Monday, January 5, 2015
A Christian View of World Religions- Hinduism
As I mentioned in my last essay, these next several essays will focus on the great religions of the world. My approach to this subject will be the following:
1. Antiquity- I will begin with the world's most ancient organized religions.
2. Founders- I will, where applicable, talk about the "key players" in the emergence of the particular belief systems.
3. History- I will make mention of the approximate time period in which these communities of faith emerged, and developed.
4. Central beliefs- I will cover in summary, the major theological contents of each faith community.
5. Comparative Religions- I will focus on the major differences and major similarities between the Christian faith and the other major world religions.
I invite you the reader to:
1. Avoid to the highest degree possible, the tendency to evaluate these religions on the basis of your own. For example, don't invalidate the contents of Hinduism or any other religion on the basis of a difference or discrepancy with your own sacred book, i.e. the Bible. As I had mentioned earlier, each community of faith has its own sacred text. The truths or untruths of the religious claims of other faith communities are not contingent on "what the Bible says," anymore than the truths and untruths of "what the Bible says" being contingent on "what the Qu'aran or any other sacred book says."
2. Share with us what in the contents of these religions may or may not be affirmed and embraced from a Christian standpoint. Also, tell us how you think some of these beliefs and practices may be incorporated into Christian belief and practice.
While there are a great many books that cover the topic of comparative religions, for the purposes of these essays, I will be using the book "The Handy Religion Answer Book by Dr. John Renard. Dr. Renard is a Christian who has a Ph.D. in Islamic studies, and has taught courses on Islam and other non-Christian religions
Hinduism is one of the oldest (perhaps the oldest) existing organized religions of humankind. It can be traced back to at least 4000 B.C.E. or B.C. depending on the historical approach one prefers. Dr. Renard informs us that some scholars push the origins back as much as three or four thousand years before that, which would take us to 8000 or 7000 B.C. Hinduism does not trace its origin to a specific individual teacher or foundational figure.
The major texts of Hinduism are the Vedas, and the Upanishads, which like the Bible and other sacred texts, developed over a period of many centuries. These two texts provide insight into the major beliefs and practices of Hinduism.
Hinduism does not have a central creed per se, but a thread of major themes runs through the fabric of the greater Hinduism.
Hinduism believes in a cosmic law known as Dharma. That law manifests itself on the level of individual beings as a potentially endless cycle of birth and rebirth. Hindus also believe in Karma, the notion that all actions have spiritual consequences. They all believe in the concept of Moksha (liberation). Hinduism emphasizes that there are ways of ridding one's action of all ulterior motive and progressing toward the ultimate goal of liberation from the endless cycle of rebirths.
Doctrines and dogmas are not that important for Hindus. As Dr. Renard points out, most Hindus have a great flexibility with respect to the content of their faith.
On the surface, Hinduism appears to be a polytheistic religion, i.e. one which stresses a belief in many gods. However, many Hindus will affirm that they believe in one God, one transcendent spiritual reality, who is manifested in a variety of ways. This position is not a far cry from that of Christian theology which claims that there is only one God who is manifested in the triune relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or in the doctrine that some Christians in the early centuries adhered to about God being one entity who played three different roles at different times in human history.
Hindus believe that there are many names for God including Vishnu and Shiva. They also believe that these various names conform to the various existing forms of God.
The above-mentioned beliefs are not an exhaustive list of Hindu belief and practice. They give us a general idea of what Hinduism is about. I now invite you to comment on this system of beliefs, keeping in mind, that we are to judge each system of belief on its own merits, and not on the basis of the contents of our faith. Have fun and we look forward to hearing from you. Your contributions will be considered important and valuable.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
1. Antiquity- I will begin with the world's most ancient organized religions.
2. Founders- I will, where applicable, talk about the "key players" in the emergence of the particular belief systems.
3. History- I will make mention of the approximate time period in which these communities of faith emerged, and developed.
4. Central beliefs- I will cover in summary, the major theological contents of each faith community.
5. Comparative Religions- I will focus on the major differences and major similarities between the Christian faith and the other major world religions.
I invite you the reader to:
1. Avoid to the highest degree possible, the tendency to evaluate these religions on the basis of your own. For example, don't invalidate the contents of Hinduism or any other religion on the basis of a difference or discrepancy with your own sacred book, i.e. the Bible. As I had mentioned earlier, each community of faith has its own sacred text. The truths or untruths of the religious claims of other faith communities are not contingent on "what the Bible says," anymore than the truths and untruths of "what the Bible says" being contingent on "what the Qu'aran or any other sacred book says."
2. Share with us what in the contents of these religions may or may not be affirmed and embraced from a Christian standpoint. Also, tell us how you think some of these beliefs and practices may be incorporated into Christian belief and practice.
While there are a great many books that cover the topic of comparative religions, for the purposes of these essays, I will be using the book "The Handy Religion Answer Book by Dr. John Renard. Dr. Renard is a Christian who has a Ph.D. in Islamic studies, and has taught courses on Islam and other non-Christian religions
Hinduism is one of the oldest (perhaps the oldest) existing organized religions of humankind. It can be traced back to at least 4000 B.C.E. or B.C. depending on the historical approach one prefers. Dr. Renard informs us that some scholars push the origins back as much as three or four thousand years before that, which would take us to 8000 or 7000 B.C. Hinduism does not trace its origin to a specific individual teacher or foundational figure.
The major texts of Hinduism are the Vedas, and the Upanishads, which like the Bible and other sacred texts, developed over a period of many centuries. These two texts provide insight into the major beliefs and practices of Hinduism.
Hinduism does not have a central creed per se, but a thread of major themes runs through the fabric of the greater Hinduism.
Hinduism believes in a cosmic law known as Dharma. That law manifests itself on the level of individual beings as a potentially endless cycle of birth and rebirth. Hindus also believe in Karma, the notion that all actions have spiritual consequences. They all believe in the concept of Moksha (liberation). Hinduism emphasizes that there are ways of ridding one's action of all ulterior motive and progressing toward the ultimate goal of liberation from the endless cycle of rebirths.
Doctrines and dogmas are not that important for Hindus. As Dr. Renard points out, most Hindus have a great flexibility with respect to the content of their faith.
On the surface, Hinduism appears to be a polytheistic religion, i.e. one which stresses a belief in many gods. However, many Hindus will affirm that they believe in one God, one transcendent spiritual reality, who is manifested in a variety of ways. This position is not a far cry from that of Christian theology which claims that there is only one God who is manifested in the triune relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, or in the doctrine that some Christians in the early centuries adhered to about God being one entity who played three different roles at different times in human history.
Hindus believe that there are many names for God including Vishnu and Shiva. They also believe that these various names conform to the various existing forms of God.
The above-mentioned beliefs are not an exhaustive list of Hindu belief and practice. They give us a general idea of what Hinduism is about. I now invite you to comment on this system of beliefs, keeping in mind, that we are to judge each system of belief on its own merits, and not on the basis of the contents of our faith. Have fun and we look forward to hearing from you. Your contributions will be considered important and valuable.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
Friday, January 2, 2015
On Christian Bias
One of the many divisive issues that exist in the world is that of religious bias. The contents of belief in every faith community reflect bias. We cannot escape bias, because in our limited human condition, we all have assumptions and presuppositions which in turn generate the set of beliefs that we adhere to. Regardless of our religious affiliation or lack thereof, we are all a product of our environment, and therefore, think and act according the way in which our cultural and social environment has influenced us. Furthermore, we are finite and limited in our thinking, and incapable of mastering the totality of truth.
The Christian faith is no exception to the above-mentioned rule. As Christians we have our own view of other world religions as well as that of groups other than our own who claim to be Christian. Not only do we tend to assume that non-Christian religions are false, but we also tend to operate on the assumption that faith communities other than our own are preaching either a half-baked Gospel at best or are totally false at worst.
The mere fact that we Christians, to a large extent have the attitude that "everybody believes they're right, but I know they're wrong," in itself reflects how biased and prejudiced we are. We absolutize our beliefs by thinking that those who do not believe as we do, are doomed to eternal condemnation and separation from God. In the process of doing this, we arrogantly elevate ourselves to the position of God, and get so entrenched in our mental boxes that we find it hard to extricate ourselves from those boxes, and we believe that if we abandon that box, that we are in effect, abandoning God. We equate our mindset with the mindset of God, and tend to think that the way we see things is exactly the way that God sees things.
A perfect example of Christian bias is our insistence that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to God except through Him. That belief, of course, is based on a literal and verbatim interpretation of His own words "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." Well, Jesus did say those words according to the Gospel writers, but then we are faced with the question of what was the meaning of those words? We find a reference in the book of Acts that there is no other name under Heaven given unto humans whereby we must be saved. Then we find statements that Jesus is the only mediator between God and humankind. We interpret those statements literally without bothering to ask if there are other possible meanings to those passages.
These next several essays are written with the purpose of stimulating analytical and critical thinking about the way we might on the one hand maintain our Christ-centered approach to God, and on the other hand, allow our thinking to be broad enough to be open to a more "Cosmic" Christ who is not only the Christ of Christian believers, but also the Christ who is manifested in the different human belief systems of the world.
This writer (yours truly) is a Christian believer, minister, and theologian who believes strongly in the sovereignty of God, who reveals Godself the way in which God wants. Naturally, my own bias will lead me to understand God through the framework of the Christian faith which operates on God's self-disclosure to humankind through Jesus of Nazareth. However, I believe that God's self-disclosure and other actions go over and beyond my biased understanding of that divine revelation.
These essays will focus on the major religions of the world. I will compare both the differences and the similarities between them and our own Christian faith. In the meantime, in preparation for these essays, I invite you the reader to share with us your views concerning the possibility or non-possibility that Jesus the Christ might be present in belief systems other than our own.
As a word of caution, I would like to exhort you not to fall into the temptation of validating or invalidating the claims of other faith groups on the basis of our sacred book, the Bible. Each faith has its own sacred text and therefore a more impartial evaluation of these faith groups can be possible only to the extent that we allow the other claims and the other sacred texts to speak for themselves. In other words, we are to judge the truth or non-truths of other religious belief systems on their own merits, and not on our own biased presupposition that the Bible as a literary text, is the ultimate source of truth. I invite you to adventure, I invite you to open-mindedness, and I invite you to the quest for objectivity. Please tell us, in advance, where you stand on these possibilities.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
The Christian faith is no exception to the above-mentioned rule. As Christians we have our own view of other world religions as well as that of groups other than our own who claim to be Christian. Not only do we tend to assume that non-Christian religions are false, but we also tend to operate on the assumption that faith communities other than our own are preaching either a half-baked Gospel at best or are totally false at worst.
The mere fact that we Christians, to a large extent have the attitude that "everybody believes they're right, but I know they're wrong," in itself reflects how biased and prejudiced we are. We absolutize our beliefs by thinking that those who do not believe as we do, are doomed to eternal condemnation and separation from God. In the process of doing this, we arrogantly elevate ourselves to the position of God, and get so entrenched in our mental boxes that we find it hard to extricate ourselves from those boxes, and we believe that if we abandon that box, that we are in effect, abandoning God. We equate our mindset with the mindset of God, and tend to think that the way we see things is exactly the way that God sees things.
A perfect example of Christian bias is our insistence that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to God except through Him. That belief, of course, is based on a literal and verbatim interpretation of His own words "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me." Well, Jesus did say those words according to the Gospel writers, but then we are faced with the question of what was the meaning of those words? We find a reference in the book of Acts that there is no other name under Heaven given unto humans whereby we must be saved. Then we find statements that Jesus is the only mediator between God and humankind. We interpret those statements literally without bothering to ask if there are other possible meanings to those passages.
These next several essays are written with the purpose of stimulating analytical and critical thinking about the way we might on the one hand maintain our Christ-centered approach to God, and on the other hand, allow our thinking to be broad enough to be open to a more "Cosmic" Christ who is not only the Christ of Christian believers, but also the Christ who is manifested in the different human belief systems of the world.
This writer (yours truly) is a Christian believer, minister, and theologian who believes strongly in the sovereignty of God, who reveals Godself the way in which God wants. Naturally, my own bias will lead me to understand God through the framework of the Christian faith which operates on God's self-disclosure to humankind through Jesus of Nazareth. However, I believe that God's self-disclosure and other actions go over and beyond my biased understanding of that divine revelation.
These essays will focus on the major religions of the world. I will compare both the differences and the similarities between them and our own Christian faith. In the meantime, in preparation for these essays, I invite you the reader to share with us your views concerning the possibility or non-possibility that Jesus the Christ might be present in belief systems other than our own.
As a word of caution, I would like to exhort you not to fall into the temptation of validating or invalidating the claims of other faith groups on the basis of our sacred book, the Bible. Each faith has its own sacred text and therefore a more impartial evaluation of these faith groups can be possible only to the extent that we allow the other claims and the other sacred texts to speak for themselves. In other words, we are to judge the truth or non-truths of other religious belief systems on their own merits, and not on our own biased presupposition that the Bible as a literary text, is the ultimate source of truth. I invite you to adventure, I invite you to open-mindedness, and I invite you to the quest for objectivity. Please tell us, in advance, where you stand on these possibilities.
Grace and peace,
Dr. Juan A. Ayala-Carmona
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