Last night I was flipping through the channels and came across Stigmata, a movie about a raver chick who suddenly finds herself possessed by the spirit of Jesus. She experiences stigmata, the act of receiving the wounds that Jesus experienced during his crucifixion. She also writes passages from the Gospel of St. Thomas, a lesser known gospel that the church does not recognize. The movie paints the Catholic Church as an institution that guards its ways at all costs. Similar to the recent controversies that we see illustrated today in the news.
I have heard of the Gospel of St. Thomas before, but it wasn’t until last night that Brian and I looked it up on the internet to find out what it is about. For Brian, it was very enlightening to read the secret sayings of Jesus, but for me, much of what is said in the Gospel is something I have felt for a very long time.
As a child I felt confused about Christianity, I never understood why a religion was made in the name of Jesus. While I never doubted his existence or his message, it just didn’t make sense that a religion was made in his name. Jesus was brought here to challenge the church, and our opinions of what it means to live a spiritual life. While it is important to have a spiritual community, it is also important to think outside of the box when it comes to our faith. When we set rules and dictate beliefs, we lose the message that Jesus wanted to share with us.
In someways, I felt as though we haven’t grown as a society spirituality since the days of Christ. We still face many of the same challenges. But there is an undercurrent of change occurring. The pendulum is swinging as floods of people flock to paganism to answers. While there is much to learn with paganism, it can also be a dangerous undertaking.
I firmly believe that we can be in charge of our own destiny. But by doing so, you can also twist reality.
Whether you call it pray or a spell, they both can be powerful ways to transform your life. But everything has a cause and effect. And if you are not careful, your desires could effect someone in a negative way just so you can receive your wish.
Through my studies, I have not shut the door on any faith. They each have something important to say.
One of the teachings of Christianity that is an important lesson is to understand that none of us are perfect. We can never obtain or live the perfect life forever. There will be periods where everything clicks and we amaze ourselves, but with everything there is a time and a season. We can not experience pure joy without feeling the depths of pain.
There are some writers that say we are coming upon an age where faiths merge as one. If this is true, I would love to find a religious community that embraces a holistic spirituality. Maybe someday I will. In the meantime, I am blessed in the fact that I have Brian to share my faith with.
