In a world and society that is built upon fear, I have been drenched in beliefs and teachings that have left me void and filled with chaos, running "to and fro" searching for knowledge and seeking the chosen special one or ones that could help me find the door to exit this hell. Having grown up in the bible belt, Christianity had the major influences in my search for relief but what I was met with was more chaos and teachings telling me to react and add to the fears I was drowning in. Sure, some of it did throw me a life preserver I could cling to but swimming was my goal.
So accepting what was given to me to work with while I cling to the presever, sandwiched between the fear filled world and the fear filled guidance of Christianity, I had the bible, God and Satan, and a bunch of fearful woe is me must do's and must not do's. After collapsing under that pressure my opinion and truth came pouring out, "God you gave me a crap load of .."dysfunctional" (aahum!) that does not work and does not help!"
To make a long story short, that slip of "truth" opened a door within me and has since taught and shown me that we are each "the door" that can open to the "the way" of light shining in darkness, giving each of us our own knowledge and skills of understanding how to use whatever it is that has been given to us, to take the dysfunctional and turn it into functional, rather than being stuck and helpless in choas.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
Jesus is not going to knock on someone else's door to speak with you, so get a grip and stop running around trying to find others and their doors to receive Him through, you are your own and only door!
I have new goals besides just swimming now, some want ancient signs and wonders as proof of God with "part these waters so I can walk on dry ground!" but I will say "nay" give me understanding and skills to walk on water and on dry ground!
Steve McSwain wrote in his article "Finding God After Leaving Religion",
"If you went to church looking for relief from the stress and burdens of living, you might have found more of the same, only dressed as beliefs and dogmas, rules and expectations Then, there's the debating, disagreement, and division that goes on between churches, as well as between people in the same church. I call it the "We're right! You're Wrong!" syndrome: each group insisting that their beliefs are right, which by implication means that everyone else's beliefs are wrong. "We're in; you're out!" "We're the chosen ones; you're not!" Maybe those who came looking for some sanity in life are leaving the church to preserve what little remains."
I spent hours trying to decide what words would best describe "Overcomers to New Beginnings", a title that was chosen by a small group of people a few years ago, we never defined or really considered the words that we chose for this small group other than it described our departure and split from a larger group, religious people trying not to be religious. Like a drop that hits the surface of the water the waves have rippled and moved out into the distance. We unknowingly described our paths with that title, "moving onward" for neither group is together today. But of course not the idea and understanding was built upon what Mr. McSwain shared in his article, "We're in; you're out!"
Having provided the space for this group (private on-line forum) I'm left with the title and the space, I can not delete the forum but I can shut it down...or I can give it new meanings with new beginnings. When I stopped trying so hard to figure out the new meaning to place on that title "Finding God after Religion" poured out the ends of my typing fingers into the google search engine! I had never heard of Steve McSwain before "Mr. All Knowing Google" pointed the way to his article.
"Among the many realizations to which I awakened was this: "You don't have to go to church to know God." For reasons too obvious to mention, this isn't the kind of message the church, or any religion, wants spread around. But it's true nonetheless. There is no religion, not even the Christian religion, holding the title deed to God. God's grace is not limited to a select few. The moment any religion believes it is, you can be sure that religion knows nothing of God."
When I consider Mr. McSwain's statement above I would be hard pressed to not point out that when we say "religion" we are talking about people, individual people and I suspect all people know God rather they realize it or not, even the ones that build upon "We're in; you're out!" For I'm sure Mr. McSwain didn't pay close attention to his words in this paragraph and see how he basically implied what he had already stated to be the down fall of so many religious organizations, by saying "some could know nothing of God" some are "wrong"....I would say these people simply do not realize nor do they pay attention to the "knowing" that we all have God and the reason for this distraction is because there are so many "searching" for what they think and believe they do not have. If we believe we do not have it that must be so for others also..what happens when we believe and know we have God...it must be so for others too.
Even the title to this article, "Finding God After Religion," seems to imply that there's something you must "do" to know God. But the real truth is this: there is nothing you need to do to know God. You know God already.
In all my years of reading, studying, discussing, contemplating and listening to others about what the bible says and teaches, very few have ever wanted to talk about an end result, a goal to the teachings..
1Cr 15:28 "That God may be all in all"
Steve McSwain's article was a breath of fresh air and all I had to do was stand still and "know" to feel the wind stirring in it.
To hear more from Steve McSwain:
http://www.stevemcswain.com/publications/the-enoch-factor/
