God Gave Adam The Finger (a critique of Christianity) part 4
If you came to this page first, it may beneficial to read part 1 first for the sake of context.
35)Other Spiritual (or Religious) Alternatives to Christianity - The author William Bramley (in his book "The Gods of Eden") made an interesting distinction when he categorized religions as being either "Custodial" or "Maverick". The custodial religions are usually theistic, they're run by "gatekeepers" that are usually hierarchical, and they usually involve fear or punishment as doctrine and motivation. The maverick paths allow freedom, spiritual recovery, or "salvation" to be self maintained or self determined. Below are listed quite a few maverick or *quasi-maverick* alternatives to Christianity. These alternatives are listed with my suggestions of recommended reading material. Granted there are other ways to learn besides consulting a book. You can dive in head first if you please, however, it is wise (and it may save you some unnecessary bumps and bruises) if you do some research and reading before you attempt first hand experience. Books and head knowledge are a start or a "gate" but they are not the destination. Keep in mind the wise words from the book entitled "The Sword and The Mind":
"To reach a house, you must first enter the gate. The gate is a pathway leading to the house. After passing through the gate, you enter the house and meet its master. Learning is the gate to reaching the Way. After passing through this gate, you reach the Way. Learing is the gate, not the house. Don't mistake the gate for the house. The house is located farther inside, after the gate is passed. Because learning is the gate, don't think the books you read are the Way. Books are a gate for reaching the Way."
Once again, below are listed numerous "maverick" or *"quasi-maverick"* alternatives to Chrisitanity:
*Gnosticism* - Start with The Elements of Gnosticism by Stuart Holroyd; there's also The Gnostic Religion by Hans Jonas, Gnosis by Kurt Rudolph, A Separate God by Simone Petrement, The Gnostic Scriptures by Bentley Layton, and the Nag Hammadi Library.
Native American Spirituality - I prefer working with the Lakota Sioux Medicine Wheel. Good books are The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter, Native American Spirutality by Ed McGaa, Wisdom of the Native Americans edited by Kent Nerburn, Medicine of the Cherokee by J.T. & Michael Garrett, The Sacred Pipe by Joseph Brown; and Thorson's Principles of Native American Spirituality by Dennis Renault.
*Ancient Egyptian Religion* - Read Rebel in the Soul by Bika Reed, Egyptian Mysteries by Lucie Lamy, Serpent in the Sky by John Anthony West, Temple of Man by R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz, and Temple in Man by R.A. Schwaller de Lubicz.
Atheism - I can't let go of my silly God feelings and esoteric obsessions, however, atheism is an option and there are many places to start like Here.
Agnosticism - The state of modern man? Hmm. Anyway, don't get me started *g*. Check out agnosticism HERE.
Buddhism - Any book by Thich Nhat Hahn is highly recommended.
*Tibetan Buddhism* - The Tibetan Book of the Dead (just about any translation will do) or The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama or The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying by Sogyal Rinpoche are good starting places.
*Hinduism* - I usually don't recommend any of the organized religions. Hinduism's caste system and their idols seem to be very circumspect. However, there are some very compelling things about Hinduism. Starting points would be The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda (stay away from his organization though, unfortunately, it has become corrupt after his demise). There's also Advaita Vedanta, the Vedas, Upanishads, and the Mahabharata. And, of course, one of the most powerful disciplines given to man...Yoga! I'm not an adept yet but Yoga by Erich Schiffman is an excellent starting point (Hatha Yoga).
Chi Kung - An excellent form of meditation/exercise from China. Start with The Way of Energy by Lam Kam Chuen or Chi Kung by Wong Kiew Kit.
Mudras - Start with the book Healing Mudras: Yoga for Your Hands by Sabrina Mesko.
*Emmanuel Swedenborg* - You can start with any of his writing. Swedenborg was an excellent, seminal Christian mystic. You can check it out Here.
Soul work - Do you really know your Soul? Read Thomas Moore's "Care of the Soul". Also Charlotte Berney's Fundamentals of Hawaiian Mysticism highlights some interesting thoughts about aspects of your self/soul based on Huna (Hawaiian spirituality). Richard Restak's book "The Brain" also highlights some interesting points about the self/soul.
Taoism - Try Stehen Mitchell's excellent translation of the Tao Te Ching and Lillian Too's Chinese Secrets for an excellent concise introduction.
Numerology/Number as Archetype/Sacred Geometry - "A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe" by Michael Schneider and then read Dan Millman's "The Life You're Meant To Live".
Chakras - "The Book of Chakra Healing" by Liz Simpson and "Chakras for Beginners" by David Pond are good starting points.
Personal Mythology - Mythology is crucial to understanding ourselves and our world. Of course, there is Joseph Campbell -- any of his books are great. If you're a man read Jean Bolen's "Gods in Everyman"; if you're a woman read Jean Bolen's "Goddesses in Everywoman".
Existentialism - IMO, a very cool brach of philosophy with many personal and spiritual implications. Here's a good LINK for you to explore.
Discordianism - Read "Prinicpia Discordia" by Omar Ravenhurst. Strike a blow for chaos. You'll never be the same *g*.
New Age - Be careful with the New Age stuff because there are a lot of "muffinheads" or money whores within it. However, take a utilitarian approach, use whatever works -- "eat the meat and spit out the bones". You can start with Dan Millman's book "Way of the Peaceful Warrior".
Sacred Stones (Gems and Crystals) - Working with gems or crystals can be very powerful. Some basic intro material can be found in J.T. and Michael Garrett's book "Medicine of the Cherokee" and Liz Simpson's "The Book of Chakra Healing". To go into great depth read "Love Is In The Earth" by Melody.
I Ching - The book of Oracles. I've started with "I Ching for Beginners" by Brandon Toropov and the Wilhelm/Baynes translation. There are many excellent I Ching translations out there. I've heard many good things about Alfred Huang's translation.
Philosophy - You can make yourself drunk with philosophy. The challenge is to find what empowers you :). "Philosophy for Beginners" by Richard Osborne is a good basic intro as are the books by Donald Palmer.
*Paganism* - I've been able to trace my ancestry to the Celts so naturally I'm interested in paganism. However, a great intro is "The Pagan Path" by Janet Farrar and a great summation of Paganism can be found Here. As with any discipline, be careful because paganism has traps, too.
Huna - Huna is a very powerful, empowering spiritual path. Read the "Fundamentals of Hawaiian Mysticism" by Charlotte Berney, then check out this informative LINK.
Wicca - Now recognized as a religion, it is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. A good introductory link can be found Here
Sufi(s) or Sufism - I've been absolutely delighted by any books by or about the Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi -- check him out.
Shamanism/Totem Animal work - "Shamanism" by Joan Halifax seems to be a good intro. Some basic info about your totem animal(s) can be found in "Medicine of the Cherokee" by J.T. & Michael Garret, then move on to "Animal Speak" by Ted Andrews. For certain aspects of Psycheldelic Shamanism read "Food of the Gods" by Terence McKenna, "Mankind and Mushrooms" by James Arthur, and "Breaking Open the Head" by Daniel Pinchbeck.
The Occult - Don't be brainwashed by the media, movies, or the church, the occult isn't necessarily bad, evil, or dangerous if you're careful. Here is a good, informative article. However, like anything else, be aware there are traps in the occult, too. Manly Hall's book "The Secret Teachings of All Ages" is considered by many to be the magnum opus concerning western esotericism.
Astrology - A good introductory text that combines "occidental" (western) astrology and chinese astrology is Suzanne White's book "The New Astrology" (don't go with the new versions, get her 1986 edition -- the other editions are subpar).
The Martial Arts - Start with the books "Martial Arts for Beginners", "Aikido in Everyday Life" by Terry Dobson, and "The Tao of Jeet Kun Do" by Bruce Lee. Then go Here for some great instructional VHS tapes.
Fung Shui - Start with the book "Move Your Stuff Change Your Life" by Karen Carter.
Secular Humanism - A good link can be found HERE.
Urantia - Check them out HERE.
36) The Garden of Eden -- truth, fable, farce, or metaphor? - Even school children can figure out how the whole Fall of Man scenario could've been avoided. For example, don't put the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden. Why couldn't the "omniscient" god figure it out? Also, if you prohibit or forbid something, it immediately causes a desire to seek out and try that very thing which is forbidden. What did this supposed god really think when he forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge? I mean, come on. In other words, the entire Garden of Eden thing collapses as an amateur set up for failure.
37) Christians unfairly "pooh-pooh" or denigrate other people's esoteric, spiritual, or religious experiences - There have been millions of people that have had authentic religious, philosophical, intellectual, or spiritual experiences outside of the Christian paradigm. Therefore, Mr. or Ms. Christian, don't criticise, denigrate, or pooh-pooh the occult, other religions, other philosophies, or others spiritual paths UNTIL YOU HAVE TRIED THEM. The information you've been handed about other faiths or other paths, Mr. or Ms. Christian, is second-hand information (brainwashing and/or propaganda). It is not direct experiential knowledge. Try things first then you can judge. Do not judge first without having experience.
37) Physical Resurrection for What? - Oh, I realise that Christian theology teaches, "if Christ isn't raised, you are still dead in your sins." However, that being said, if the whole Christian thing about the resurrection is wrong or a myth or even a metaphor then the necessity of physical resurrection collapses. Physical Resurrection for what?
38) Old Testament theophanies (appearances of God) and some New Testament visions resemble UFO and Alien phenomenon - For example, objectively read Ezk 1:1-28; Ex. 19:16-19; and Rev. 1:12-17, then compare these biblical passages with descriptions of Alien or UFO encounters. The similarities are apparent. Like I've said before, the Christian god is an ALIEN.
39)Reincarnation - Did the early church teach reincarnation? I've read just a few snippets of information that mentioned the early Christian church taught reincarnation up until the church fathers and the (in)famous church councils censored the doctrine of reincarnation. From the Christian perspective, when a person dies they either go to Heaven or Hell (depending on whether or not their sins have been forgiven). However, if there is such a thing as reincarnation one doesn't have to worry about it. You'll have numerous chances before you get it right. Christians are big on the word and theme of "grace." Therefore, I ask you what consists of more grace -- Only one life and a 50/50 chance of an eternal Heaven or Hell or reincarnation with numerous chances to get it right?
40) The Gospel covers a very limited space (Drake's analogy) - The Gospel is, of course, very narrow and exclusive. In fact, according to old St. Peter, god's divine power encompasses "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Pet. chapter 1:4). Everything!? I don't think so. Someone I once knew named Drake (hence Drake's analogy) brought up an interesting point about the narrowness of the Gospel? "Imagine a giant hand. The church teaches that all there is consist of the space between God's index finger and thumb? What about the space between the other fingers? What about the space between god's index finger and thumb on the other hand? What about the space between the other fingers on the other hand?"
41)Where's the Humor? - Christianity would be more appealing if it didn't take itself so seriously. I mean relax guys, breathe a little laugh a little.
42)Imagination - Albert Einstein said something to the effect that "Imagination is more important than knowledge". The fact that just about anyone can imagine other possibilities beyond Christianity or a higher more gracious God than Christianity's deity...well, it makes you wonder. Imagine. Just Imagine.
43)What about other Universes? - The Bible offers no information about this. This is a huge flaw. What about other universes? Other realities? Other life forms?
Who Am I?
Was Elvis Presley, Jesus Christ Reincarnated?
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