Text: Subject: [acim-l] Re: File Drawers Date: 29 Sep 1998 21:49:55 -0000 From: Reply-To: A Course in Miracles List To: A Course in Miracles List In ACIM Jesus characterizes "insane religion" as that which teaches that sin is real. Shame, blame, guilt, sadness, suffering, sacrifice and sin, we are told are all illusions. God is Love and has no awareness of any of those - those are our ego's errors. Forgiveness is taught by ACIM and the meaning of forgiveness, ultimately, is to realize there never was anything to forgive because "sin" is not real and he who "sinned against you" actually didn't do that at all. Our notion of being attacking or having attacked someone is pure ego illusion and is itself an attack thought on God and on Love. So, BJ, if you are feeling guilty for lustful thoughts, the *good news* is that you don't have to :). And no bloody corpse executed on a cross is needed to release you from guilt. No "sacrifice" of any kind is needed. All that is needed is the awareness that guilt is an illusion. There is a song by a Catholic Monk which I love, it's called "Would You Cricify Him." The song asserts that all of us would and do "Crucify Him" almost every day with negative judgements of others and of ourselves. To those who actually did hang Him on the cross Jesus said "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Jesus also said that we are ALL sons of God and when we crucify or judge ourselves, we are crucifying and judging Him. "Whatsoever you do to the least of these my brethern, you do unto Me." So I say to you BJ, forgive yourself, for you know not what you do. Even if you count yourself the least of his brothers, as you persecute yourself, you persecute Him. So this little "guilt story" you have posted is interesting. My first reaction was to "judge" it as "wildly off-topic." It is that. As list operator I haven't figured out a way to avoid making *that* kind of judgement, it's my job. My "rule of thumb" on these matters is "you can say anything you want so long as you find some way to tie it into the Course. This time, I will tie it into the course for you. The kind of "salvation" from sin and guilt you describe is precisely identical in nature, if not in detail, to the kind of "salvation" the Pharisees, upon whom Jesus heaped so many scalding words in his lifetime, prescribed. It is a focus on sin and the expiation thereof. It is a religion of guilt, sin, shame, blame, judgement and condemnation. It is what ACIM calls "insane religion." Guilt is a powerful psychic force and most religions exploit it to the hilt in their spiritual abuse of their adherents. This is what ACIM calls "making the error [seem] real." It is faith in sin, not God. It is belief that mistakes are "real" and "hatred rules." It is the belief that a "transgression," being real, requires punishment. In Judaism the "punishment" is sacrifice of one sort or another. In most of Christianity the "punishment" of Jesus on the cross was payment for our sins. ACIM is clear that this thinking is insane. God does not punish and God's definition of justice is not punishment but rather His definition of justice is forgiveness. Jesus told us in his life and in ACIM that forgiveness is ours if we accept it because the "sin" was never "real" and God keeps no score. He sets our sin as far away from us as East is from West, according to Isaiah. Jesus didn't have to die on the cross to make that real. That simply IS REAL, before time, after time, and through time. If we think it is not real, we are in illusion. Or just insane. This is perhaps the central axis upon which Jesus differed in his theological outlook from the Pharisees, and earned their condemnation as a "sinner" since they were such big believers in sin and also where Jesus differs from mainstream and especially fundamentalist Christianity because they, like the Pharisees, are convinced that sin is real. ACIM is clear, it's not. Only love is real. :) Forgive us/them Father, for we/they know not what we/they do. Best regards, Doug +------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | A Course in Miracles List : 258 members (public) | http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/acim-l.html Archive-password: jesus | List-Operator: Doug Thompson

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