Of course you are absolutely right, there is no original sin, the kingdom of God is within us (as potential) and we can build the kingdom through love, compassion and forgiveness. It is a shame that standing up and arguing with the priest as they deliver their sermon is frowned upon, it would make churches a lot more dynamic (although I learnt early not to do so, my father was an Anglican Priest!). Thanks for the post, a good read and well argued it has helped me.
Thanks, Steve, that’s great. I have been thinking about this stuff for a long time. Jesus was profoundly ahead of his time, and I can only imagine how challenging it was to communicate his spiritual discoveries to those with minimal frames of reference. I don’t think he’d be happy with the way his message has been distorted.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have well summarized in this article much of what I have learned since I began my separation from Western evangelicalism. There were so many things that I had grown up believing that, upon reflection, didn't make much sense. Once I was free from the trap that "questioning God" was heresy, I embarked on a journey to question everything—why did I believe what I believed. Where did that belief come from? It turns out that, for me at least, this is a lifelong journey of self-evaluation.
I've always thought the idea of Original Sin is ridiculous. I've also always thought that many of the precepts of Christianity seem to stand in direct contrast to the teachings of Jesus. Thank you for validating these beliefs with facts, Ros.
Have you discovered Sophie Strand’s Substack - Make Me Good Soil - yet? She’s written a novel based on the rehabilitation of Mary Magdalene and I think you’d find it very interesting.
I haven’t, no, thanks for the recommendation. I have seen two other writers on Substack who write about the Gospel of Mary. I sense considerable interest in her perspectives. I must seek out that novel!
I appreciated this article so much!! I am feeling nudged by my intuiton to share a couple of books with you that I have read and brought a lot of insight regarding "religion" and the Bible. The two books are by Mauro Biglino and the titles are The Gods of the Bible and The Naked Bible. This man is an expert in ancient languages, histories, documents, cultures etc and he decided to read the Bible in the original languages and just let the words be what they were without adding an religious context to them. It is so very interesting, and I just felt to share them with you. You can get them on amazon.com. If you decided to get them, I would love to hear your take on them and what you got out of them.
Well, once again you've synthesized my thoughts in a logical and researched way. I've never believed in the concept of original sin, either, thinking it completely contradictory. The dissonance hurts.
Even though I crave a spiritual life I've avoided (re)joining the church for all the reasons you've outlined. Instead my cathedral lies in nature. My spiritual practice is my own private one developed through wide reading and a yoga practice that has gone on for over 20 years now.
No reason to join a church at all as far as I see it. They have so much backwards or wrong, not least worshipping the messenger. Nature is an excellent church. And everything we seek is inside us, in the stillness.
Isn’t it just. Direct access to divinity is our birthright. Intermediaries like the Church can provide, for some, considerable comfort (community, and if you’re lucky, a genuinely spiritual Minister) but in general, just get in the way of our understanding and access.
The Gospel of Mary is considered part of the Gnostic gospels. Gnosticism is based on experiential knowledge not obedience to dogma. An important book on the Gnostics is by John Lamb Lash called Not in His Image.
Yes I avoided saying the word Gnostic in this essay partly because of some complicated ways that word has been defined. But the way you define it here is absolutely my understanding of it - and to my mind a more accurate understanding of what Jesus was experiencing and communicating.
Lash does not go along w/ the pessimistic interpretation of Gnosticism that sees life on earth as a prison planet which was created by the false creator god, Jehovah. Rather he sees earth as the embodiment of Gaia/Sophia.
That looks wonderful, Billy, thanks. I am relatively new to the Gnostic gospels though my husband told me about them 25 years ago! It was something I knew I would have to follow up eventually. The historian in me can’t resist looking into how versions of ‘the truth’ are constructed. But how relevant this all is to modern (and future) spirituality is fascinating.
I remember going to a christening just before my son was born and being absolutely outraged by what was being said. My own children aren't christened as a result, it just made me so uncomfortable.
The insistence on God's "loving" threats and obedience were always designed to put asses in pews and coins in plates. Kind of ironic. This stuff is certainly the first appearance of fake news and political bullshit.
I’ve been investigating the possible connections between astrology and Jewish/Christian religion. I am also about two thirds of the way through The Madonna Secret, which another commenter mentioned is the book by Sophie Strand that pertains to Jesus and Mary Magdalene. I also have read some of Virgin Monk Boy’s post, which I really enjoy. I love learning about all these explorations that people are doing to make sense of this world. Here’s to bringing about something new and creative together!
I am a constant investigator. Like you, Ros, I knew when certain religions practices and beliefs didn’t ring true to me. Over time, these pings have lead me to dig deeper in order to better understand.
A number of years ago, I came across a system that potentially held meaning for me called Human Design. I was never knowledgeable about astrology, but this system includes two “sides” (Design/body and Personality/ego) that are essentially two separate astrology charts that can be viewed as a “map” of each person. It also relies on the IChing gates and other esoteric systems. Learning about this and pondering if there is truth hidden there for me, has made me try to do a deep dive into astrology. WOW! What a rabbit hole...
I am still not “won over” as to any one system of belief holding all the answers. I keep wanting to overlay all ways of knowing and understanding. Yet I am excited to have a way of looking at the entire world and beyond that is beginning to make some greater sense to me.
We accept scientists looking at the microscopic level, offering us clues to aid our health, and even the atomic and quantum levels. Yet nothing holds more distain, from what I can tell, than the worlds of magic, astrology and the largeness of what we see looking up at the night sky. Astrology and astronomy have the same root. Why have the names of newer found planets continued to be for Greek and Roman gods? The Bible too seems to hold symbols for numbers and animals found in astrology. The worship of the golden calf? A calf is a young bovine, AKA bull as is the (male) animal associated with the sign Taurus. Taurus best represents the Mother Earth and abundance. Also, buffalo are a type of bovine. The slaughter of the buffalo, the disregard for Mother Earth, and the utilization of children and women as a commodity, including the ritualistic altering of babies bodies in circumcision rites are all possibly linked to this area of the astrological wheel.
Also, In Sophie Strand’s book mentioned above, the name used for Jesus is Yeshua. The equivalent for the letter J apparently does not exist in Hebrew. I enjoy playing with words and sounds as part of what I research. This would mean the word “Jewish” could be spelled “Yewish” which sounds to me like “you wish”. You can also be spelled as ewe, which is a female sheep, usually a mother to at least one lamb. The astrological sign of Aires is the Ram, a male lamb. Therefore You/Ewe Wish could be interpreted as a mother’s wish. And if people so vehemently believe in the New Testament, doesn’t that mean all the Christians also have Jewish heritage? And if you believe Genesis, doesn’t that mean all people are Jews (yous)?
I think perhaps we are all God. If we are all imprinted somehow, not yet fully understood, by the planets and objects in the Universe, then we are all facets of the same energy. That is why it is futile hating any one person, even as we certainly can hate their actions. Their ACTIONS need to be stoped because in harming others, they (we) are harming an aspect of God, and perhaps sometimes that is the story our life is meant to fulfill, to wake us up? AND perhaps we are here collectively to be researchers for some collective cosmic escape room. We each likely hold pieces of the puzzle.
I could go on and on…. If anyone reads this, thank you for taking the time to try to unpack it. It is still a complex muddle in my brain and I am trying to do more to make it make sense.
My main takeaways from all my investigations can be encapsulated by the following: Everyone is designed and conditioned differently. We all have different limits and that is OK. Knowing this is how we create something that respects all people and life on this planet and beyond. The job is enjoyment. The work is to play. To play is to set feelings free. We are each our own king, never again bending and breaking to kiss another's ring. Once we all know this our lives will so sing. Now it's a matter of solving the problems and sharing in the bling.
This is a lot to take in, Jennifer, but wow, what a rabbit hole! I agree no one system holds all the answers (and seemingly the whole is too large to get a single head around) but all have aspects that we can synthesise to gain a deeper understanding.
Also, pertaining to “Human Design,” perhaps the notion of sin is represented by a sine wave, that is created by the two astrological markers in each person: the Design/body (acquired approximately 88 days before birth) and the Personality/ego (at the time of birth). Maybe there’s a way to map this out that would result in a sine wave, with the boundaries being different for each person, yet stemming from the same “whole”. I believe we are made to be a “peace” of the whole; a unique resonance of “god.” The boundaries of body below, as in earth, and personality, as in the heights of heaven. In the middle, is the line representing the current energies from which the former two spring, which we are all continually impacted by and which mark each human coming into existence on Earth. This would make a trinity of energies impacting each person. And the “sin” is not respecting your own “god given” energies, which is happening, likely in part, because our world was drastically affected by “Difficulty at the Beginning” as represented by IChing Gate number 3, among other factors.
I believe the areas of corruption causing such difficulties can be profoundly seen in the third house of Cancer (emotions) and the tenth house of Capricorn (career). One could argue these are the areas of life most impacted by patriarchy and nonsensical gender ideology. This is a big part of the political fights we are witnessing and impacted by. Also, the second house of Taurus (material abundance) which we all NEED to live and thrive is in an existential crisis. We are each the center of the universe and the main character “hero” on a journey, and so is everyone else. We are Aires, the “fool”. We are the Ram, the sheep. We are all of everything! I think we are here to learn so much and help others on the way. Let’s not continue to allow for our own or anyone else’s powered over sacrifice.
I agree with your assessment we are all of everything, and that “sin” is not respecting your “god given” energies though I will confess your astrological framework is well beyond my knowledge. The world’s disturbsnce becomes our disturbance unless we can find ways to realign ourselves with the energy of our source. And it feels like the hypercrises of these accelerated times is pushing more and more people towards that, which can only be good for humanity.
Exactly , this is why I stepped away from the (catholic) Church. Mary Magdelene was clearly a disciple and it is a typical power move to smear her even now with false accusations. If she were fully acknowledged for her role imagine how different our histories would be. I'm curious about the gospel of Mary now.
Thank you Ros. This is another powerful piece. I’m no religious scholar (although initially raised Catholic) and feel wholly inadequate in entering such debates. However your explanation of god/goodness being within us makes a lot of sense and sits well with my study of meditation and other teachings. Interestingly my teacher is actually a Christian and although he does not make this part of his teaching he does allude to teachings of Jesus occasionally and this has also helped me to see where it fits within and alongside other religious teachings
Of course you are absolutely right, there is no original sin, the kingdom of God is within us (as potential) and we can build the kingdom through love, compassion and forgiveness. It is a shame that standing up and arguing with the priest as they deliver their sermon is frowned upon, it would make churches a lot more dynamic (although I learnt early not to do so, my father was an Anglican Priest!). Thanks for the post, a good read and well argued it has helped me.
Thanks, Steve, that’s great. I have been thinking about this stuff for a long time. Jesus was profoundly ahead of his time, and I can only imagine how challenging it was to communicate his spiritual discoveries to those with minimal frames of reference. I don’t think he’d be happy with the way his message has been distorted.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have well summarized in this article much of what I have learned since I began my separation from Western evangelicalism. There were so many things that I had grown up believing that, upon reflection, didn't make much sense. Once I was free from the trap that "questioning God" was heresy, I embarked on a journey to question everything—why did I believe what I believed. Where did that belief come from? It turns out that, for me at least, this is a lifelong journey of self-evaluation.
Thanks again!
Wonderful, thanks, Gerry!
I've always thought the idea of Original Sin is ridiculous. I've also always thought that many of the precepts of Christianity seem to stand in direct contrast to the teachings of Jesus. Thank you for validating these beliefs with facts, Ros.
Have you discovered Sophie Strand’s Substack - Make Me Good Soil - yet? She’s written a novel based on the rehabilitation of Mary Magdalene and I think you’d find it very interesting.
I haven’t, no, thanks for the recommendation. I have seen two other writers on Substack who write about the Gospel of Mary. I sense considerable interest in her perspectives. I must seek out that novel!
I appreciated this article so much!! I am feeling nudged by my intuiton to share a couple of books with you that I have read and brought a lot of insight regarding "religion" and the Bible. The two books are by Mauro Biglino and the titles are The Gods of the Bible and The Naked Bible. This man is an expert in ancient languages, histories, documents, cultures etc and he decided to read the Bible in the original languages and just let the words be what they were without adding an religious context to them. It is so very interesting, and I just felt to share them with you. You can get them on amazon.com. If you decided to get them, I would love to hear your take on them and what you got out of them.
Well, once again you've synthesized my thoughts in a logical and researched way. I've never believed in the concept of original sin, either, thinking it completely contradictory. The dissonance hurts.
Even though I crave a spiritual life I've avoided (re)joining the church for all the reasons you've outlined. Instead my cathedral lies in nature. My spiritual practice is my own private one developed through wide reading and a yoga practice that has gone on for over 20 years now.
No reason to join a church at all as far as I see it. They have so much backwards or wrong, not least worshipping the messenger. Nature is an excellent church. And everything we seek is inside us, in the stillness.
Agree. We are the divinity we seek. The whole of the cosmos is made divine this way.
Amen! This is a great sermon! Thanks!!
Reality and god are hell. We are our own divinity, without the need for a class of mystics to interrupt the divine.
Power and wealth, its always the same story.
Isn’t it just. Direct access to divinity is our birthright. Intermediaries like the Church can provide, for some, considerable comfort (community, and if you’re lucky, a genuinely spiritual Minister) but in general, just get in the way of our understanding and access.
The Gospel of Mary is considered part of the Gnostic gospels. Gnosticism is based on experiential knowledge not obedience to dogma. An important book on the Gnostics is by John Lamb Lash called Not in His Image.
Yes I avoided saying the word Gnostic in this essay partly because of some complicated ways that word has been defined. But the way you define it here is absolutely my understanding of it - and to my mind a more accurate understanding of what Jesus was experiencing and communicating.
Lash does not go along w/ the pessimistic interpretation of Gnosticism that sees life on earth as a prison planet which was created by the false creator god, Jehovah. Rather he sees earth as the embodiment of Gaia/Sophia.
Yes, and nor do I. But it was the readon I avoided the word. I felt what I was saying might be taken the wrong way enough as it is.
https://www.amazon.com/Not-His-Image-15th-Anniversary/dp/164502136X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=20STUFRFVQ9LJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.AFezpd9Z5O457PZxFdFkimuxLGlSRHuLieUAWSrD3wsc1LHP8ZFxczz7B4eNEn098UAPwANnoDgoOEriRj5-8FTNtGS247YAVfl9pxhXI1f6CqeeB8WSAxQpAZ5zYxdoPU19TncCJxl_W9b7xK-JNdbzJMNcUn2nubzq3pf-mfvZuBO6HBZqVSh5LwWx2whpPFdxsG490EwyuYNCBk-oYWpGg7U8b9VNkfcYqTELXOw.fzkwow_SqNGvk0LF9xZdVSIv2FhkmYq1BnpfM8IISf4&dib_tag=se&keywords=john+lamb+lash&qid=1751064054&s=books&sprefix=john+lash%2Cstripbooks%2C88&sr=1-1
That looks wonderful, Billy, thanks. I am relatively new to the Gnostic gospels though my husband told me about them 25 years ago! It was something I knew I would have to follow up eventually. The historian in me can’t resist looking into how versions of ‘the truth’ are constructed. But how relevant this all is to modern (and future) spirituality is fascinating.
I remember going to a christening just before my son was born and being absolutely outraged by what was being said. My own children aren't christened as a result, it just made me so uncomfortable.
Just so wrong. I didn’t get my last two Christened.
The insistence on God's "loving" threats and obedience were always designed to put asses in pews and coins in plates. Kind of ironic. This stuff is certainly the first appearance of fake news and political bullshit.
For sure.
I’ve been investigating the possible connections between astrology and Jewish/Christian religion. I am also about two thirds of the way through The Madonna Secret, which another commenter mentioned is the book by Sophie Strand that pertains to Jesus and Mary Magdalene. I also have read some of Virgin Monk Boy’s post, which I really enjoy. I love learning about all these explorations that people are doing to make sense of this world. Here’s to bringing about something new and creative together!
I am a constant investigator. Like you, Ros, I knew when certain religions practices and beliefs didn’t ring true to me. Over time, these pings have lead me to dig deeper in order to better understand.
A number of years ago, I came across a system that potentially held meaning for me called Human Design. I was never knowledgeable about astrology, but this system includes two “sides” (Design/body and Personality/ego) that are essentially two separate astrology charts that can be viewed as a “map” of each person. It also relies on the IChing gates and other esoteric systems. Learning about this and pondering if there is truth hidden there for me, has made me try to do a deep dive into astrology. WOW! What a rabbit hole...
I am still not “won over” as to any one system of belief holding all the answers. I keep wanting to overlay all ways of knowing and understanding. Yet I am excited to have a way of looking at the entire world and beyond that is beginning to make some greater sense to me.
We accept scientists looking at the microscopic level, offering us clues to aid our health, and even the atomic and quantum levels. Yet nothing holds more distain, from what I can tell, than the worlds of magic, astrology and the largeness of what we see looking up at the night sky. Astrology and astronomy have the same root. Why have the names of newer found planets continued to be for Greek and Roman gods? The Bible too seems to hold symbols for numbers and animals found in astrology. The worship of the golden calf? A calf is a young bovine, AKA bull as is the (male) animal associated with the sign Taurus. Taurus best represents the Mother Earth and abundance. Also, buffalo are a type of bovine. The slaughter of the buffalo, the disregard for Mother Earth, and the utilization of children and women as a commodity, including the ritualistic altering of babies bodies in circumcision rites are all possibly linked to this area of the astrological wheel.
Also, In Sophie Strand’s book mentioned above, the name used for Jesus is Yeshua. The equivalent for the letter J apparently does not exist in Hebrew. I enjoy playing with words and sounds as part of what I research. This would mean the word “Jewish” could be spelled “Yewish” which sounds to me like “you wish”. You can also be spelled as ewe, which is a female sheep, usually a mother to at least one lamb. The astrological sign of Aires is the Ram, a male lamb. Therefore You/Ewe Wish could be interpreted as a mother’s wish. And if people so vehemently believe in the New Testament, doesn’t that mean all the Christians also have Jewish heritage? And if you believe Genesis, doesn’t that mean all people are Jews (yous)?
I think perhaps we are all God. If we are all imprinted somehow, not yet fully understood, by the planets and objects in the Universe, then we are all facets of the same energy. That is why it is futile hating any one person, even as we certainly can hate their actions. Their ACTIONS need to be stoped because in harming others, they (we) are harming an aspect of God, and perhaps sometimes that is the story our life is meant to fulfill, to wake us up? AND perhaps we are here collectively to be researchers for some collective cosmic escape room. We each likely hold pieces of the puzzle.
I could go on and on…. If anyone reads this, thank you for taking the time to try to unpack it. It is still a complex muddle in my brain and I am trying to do more to make it make sense.
My main takeaways from all my investigations can be encapsulated by the following: Everyone is designed and conditioned differently. We all have different limits and that is OK. Knowing this is how we create something that respects all people and life on this planet and beyond. The job is enjoyment. The work is to play. To play is to set feelings free. We are each our own king, never again bending and breaking to kiss another's ring. Once we all know this our lives will so sing. Now it's a matter of solving the problems and sharing in the bling.
This is a lot to take in, Jennifer, but wow, what a rabbit hole! I agree no one system holds all the answers (and seemingly the whole is too large to get a single head around) but all have aspects that we can synthesise to gain a deeper understanding.
Also, pertaining to “Human Design,” perhaps the notion of sin is represented by a sine wave, that is created by the two astrological markers in each person: the Design/body (acquired approximately 88 days before birth) and the Personality/ego (at the time of birth). Maybe there’s a way to map this out that would result in a sine wave, with the boundaries being different for each person, yet stemming from the same “whole”. I believe we are made to be a “peace” of the whole; a unique resonance of “god.” The boundaries of body below, as in earth, and personality, as in the heights of heaven. In the middle, is the line representing the current energies from which the former two spring, which we are all continually impacted by and which mark each human coming into existence on Earth. This would make a trinity of energies impacting each person. And the “sin” is not respecting your own “god given” energies, which is happening, likely in part, because our world was drastically affected by “Difficulty at the Beginning” as represented by IChing Gate number 3, among other factors.
I believe the areas of corruption causing such difficulties can be profoundly seen in the third house of Cancer (emotions) and the tenth house of Capricorn (career). One could argue these are the areas of life most impacted by patriarchy and nonsensical gender ideology. This is a big part of the political fights we are witnessing and impacted by. Also, the second house of Taurus (material abundance) which we all NEED to live and thrive is in an existential crisis. We are each the center of the universe and the main character “hero” on a journey, and so is everyone else. We are Aires, the “fool”. We are the Ram, the sheep. We are all of everything! I think we are here to learn so much and help others on the way. Let’s not continue to allow for our own or anyone else’s powered over sacrifice.
💫🙏🏽💕
I agree with your assessment we are all of everything, and that “sin” is not respecting your “god given” energies though I will confess your astrological framework is well beyond my knowledge. The world’s disturbsnce becomes our disturbance unless we can find ways to realign ourselves with the energy of our source. And it feels like the hypercrises of these accelerated times is pushing more and more people towards that, which can only be good for humanity.
Exactly , this is why I stepped away from the (catholic) Church. Mary Magdelene was clearly a disciple and it is a typical power move to smear her even now with false accusations. If she were fully acknowledged for her role imagine how different our histories would be. I'm curious about the gospel of Mary now.
So different! It gives a whole different perspective. I’ve found some great writing on Substack on Mary Magdalene. Including this Substack devoted to her teachings; you might like this recent post: https://www.virginmonkboy.com/p/jesus-wasnt-starting-a-religion-he-was-starting-a-fire and
Thank you Ros. This is another powerful piece. I’m no religious scholar (although initially raised Catholic) and feel wholly inadequate in entering such debates. However your explanation of god/goodness being within us makes a lot of sense and sits well with my study of meditation and other teachings. Interestingly my teacher is actually a Christian and although he does not make this part of his teaching he does allude to teachings of Jesus occasionally and this has also helped me to see where it fits within and alongside other religious teachings
Really interesting. Knew very little about this.
I love you! Thank you!
Thank you, Michelle! Very glad you appreciated it 😁