Archive for June, 2008
Tension between Dualism and Holism
The tension between dualism and holism
A significant chunk of my psychological and spiritual development deals with resolving and subsequently integrating the tension between my need for personal affirmation and my need to rebel. The need for personal affirmation came as quite a surprise to me for I have spent a significant portion of my [...]
Hierarchy of Sin
Fleshing out the Divine Spark: Part III
Because the divine spark inherently exists in all things organic, and the divine spark renders all of God’s creation equal,* then no hierarchy of sin exists. The lack of a hierarchy renders judgment of specific lifestyles or behaviors such as those practiced by homosexuals moot and irrelevant. [...]
Jesus and Sin
Did Jesus ever sin?
Most commentaries on the subject insist that Jesus never sinned, based on a definition of sin as acts or transgressions. Using such a definition, however, runs into problems. For example, does Jesus sin if he loses his temper as he did when tossing out vendors in the Temple in Jerusalem? [...]
The Lost Years of Jesus
The above graphic is an interesting depiction of the divine spark. Check out this website. The brief narrative is taken from the book The Lost Years of Jesus that contains Gnostic themes. These themes are controversial, suggesting that the divine spark transcends the exclusivity of Jesus as the Son of God. Beyond Gnosticism are the [...]
God’s Relationship with Human Beings
I thought I would take a break from the tenants of the Divine Spark and discuss the relationship between God and human beings. This relationship is a curiosity, largely in terms of power. If you believe in a deity, then that deity has power; that is, the power to create, to destroy, to [...]