The World of Grandpa Don

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Becoming a Christian

"If you believe sitting in church will make you a Christian, you probably believe that sitting in your garage will make you a car."  For several years I thought that was a great comment on a lot of people who called themselves Catholics or Christians. Then I read "Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis and his statement:

"It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. 
We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad."

He, of course, was speaking of  the evolution of a man or woman into a Christian. Jesus was born, becoming a man in order to show us the way. He provided the example of what we can become. Lewis believed that it is as radical a transition from being an ordinary man to being a Christian man as is the transition from egg to bird. 

The goal is not just become Christ-like, which is difficult enough, but to be one with Christ. We can no more do that in our present state as an egg can fly. It is required that the shell be broken and we leave its comfort and security. It is required that we become different beings. The next step in evolution is only attained by the conscious consent and effort of each individual. 

Our evolution to our present state  of humanity was not a conscious effort on our part. It happened without our consent. We are now thinking, rational beings who are asked to take the next step and go beyond ourselves. Or, we can refuse and die as ordinary "decent" eggs.

We have the promise of the Kingdom of God on earth. It is possible to become one with Christ  in this life. A few have done it or at least come very close. This is what Jesus came to tell us. He showed us that it can be done. Yes, he was God. (Either that or the beigest fraud that ever lived.) We say that for God, anything is possible and even easy. But Jesus did it as a man, a mere human. You only need to look at his prayers in the garden of olives and on the cross to see he lived a fully human life. There is help for us mere humans. God will send His Spirit to aid us, ... if we give our consent. After all, He did give us free will. There would be no merit in it for us if we were created perfect. We must want it and work for it.

In his book, "Power Versus Force" David R. Hawkins speaks of bringing ourselves to a higher level of consciousness. The better person we are, the more 'selfless' we are, the more we raise ourselves to unity with God. And, the closer we get, the easier it becomes. 

Some say that they can be a good person without even believing in God. Others say they can be good and close to God without going to church. That is true to a certain extent. However, when we become one with Christ, it follows that we will be one with each other. So the state for which we strive is oneness with all. Being a community (of believers) is the natural state of our existence. It provides a common source of values and a common goal. It provides nourishment of spirit. 

There was a story about a person who said going to church was a waste of time because after years of doing so, he couldn't remember the details of any homily he had heard. Someone responded that after a lifetime of eating, he could not remember the details of any of the meals but he would have died without the nourishment derived from them. We are social creatures and the ideal is to contribute to the group and not try to drain the group for our own benefit. We gain nourishment by giving it.

Hawkins goes a step further in saying that as we become more selfless we begin to tap into a common consciousness, a vast pool of spirituality and awareness that is not in the grasp of those at lower levels. 

He gives as an example, the case of many geniuses, scientists and inventers, as well as spiritual leaders and statesmen who have made remarkable discoveries, inventions or contributions to our societies. The best among them are almost totally unconcerned for themselves and have the welfare of mankind as their objective. (For their names, read the book.)

This is, I think, exactly what is taught as the objective of Christianity. We all thought that the goal was for the individual to be good enough to get to Heaven. That is not the goal but is simply a by-product of reaching the goal. The goal is to join with God in the creation of the Kingdom and the Kingdom is created when humanity is one with Christ. This means that we are to be, as Christ was, totally selfless. 

Having said that, I admit that mankind has a long way to go toward that goal. I know because even though I firmly believe what I have written, I know I have a long way to go. But you can not get to a goal until you take the first steps. Because we have just started doesn't mean that we have failed or that God is not pleased with our efforts. Lewis gives a great example. The parents of a baby are overjoyed at the child's first steps even though they are unsteady and result in frequent falls. They know that the child will never have a firm steady gate or learn to run unless the first steps are attempted. So it is with God. This, I think, is an argument for Purgatory, a state of existence in which the imperfect man can evolve into the true Christian, one with Christ, ... a state of being that will present an opportunity for us to finish what has been started.

So, we humans take the first unsteady steps and try to be Christ-like. We are Christians in the sense of being followers of Christ. Selflessness is the key and the method. Selflessness is love. As we cast off the shell of greed and selfishness that part of us will die and gradually be forgotten. We can then learn to run to the goal. We CAN strive to be Christian with God's help.

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Footnote:

Maybe, (just maybe) in one or two hundred thousands (or billions) of years, our decedents will evolve into real Christians right here on earth. At that point, being one with Christ, the material universe will no longer be needed and will cease to exist as we know it. What will be left is the Kingdom of God. The "final Judgment" will sort out those who have refused to evolve.

Don Plefka
03/11/03

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