Beaching the Boundary

When I was young,

the nuns at Catholic school

taught me 
that I would go to hell

after I die

should I commit the mortal sin 
of failing to go to church on Sunday,
and failing to go to confession,

to confess my sins,

and failing to do the assigned penance.

When I left home 
I with great trepidation explored

beyond the religiously boundaries of Catholicism

into Protestant domains.

where I was told

that if I did not

“accept Jesus Christ

into my life as my personal savior.”
I would spend eternity in hell
after I die.

After accepting Him as savior, 
I was told

that believing in Him
was not sufficient;

I also had to believe in the Trinity, 
that the Bible is the inerrant

Word of God;

that Jesus was born of a virgin;

and that Jesus is God.

I was taught to fear "cults,"
and other belief systems

that did not adopt the

foregoing.

Defying the strict warnings
but again not without great trepidation,
I continued my exploration

beyond the boundaries of acceptable Christianity

and discovered some who taught that

failure to be baptized

in Jesus' name only, Acts 2.38,

would result in an eternity in hell;

and that if I did not

 “speak in tongues,”

I had not received 

the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Is it any wonder
with all this inconsistency
among Bible believing denominations,
with all their inconsistent doctrines,
and iconologies,

that there is a falling away from

Christian institutions?

In light of the above,

to whom do we attribute these:

“Not every one that saith unto me,

‘Lord, Lord,’

shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;

but he that doeth

the will of my Father

which is in heaven. 

Many will say to me in that day,

‘Lord, Lord,

have we not prophesied in thy name?

and in thy name have cast out devils?

and in thy name done many wonderful works?’

And then will I profess unto them,

‘I never knew you:

depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’”

Matthew 7.21-7.23

And the world passes away,

and the lust thereof:

but he that does the will of God

abides for ever. 
1John 2:17

When you pray, 
say, 
"Father in Heaven
hallowed be thy name, 
Thy Kingdom come
Thy will be done,
as in heaven, so in earth."
Luke 11.2


The more I consider the Bible
the more I am convinced
that it is a history book
about the people of Israel
 and particularly, their government,
written in metaphorical language
revealing the knowledge
of immortality.
It reveals who
the children of the Creator are, 
and what we are capable of accomplishing
as heirs
to the universe
should we acknowledge
the source of our 
incarnation
and align our
will accordingly.