tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post8759800238218082658..comments2024-03-28T21:32:26.550+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: The Fall - what does it mean?Bruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-23966896282850128022016-07-25T14:20:10.545+01:002016-07-25T14:20:10.545+01:00@Alex - I have blogged many times on my thoughts a...@Alex - I have blogged many times on my thoughts about the necessity of Christ. I think that Christ was necessary is basic to Mere Christianity - but in what sense he was necessary is a matter of disagreement. <br /><br />My view is that Christ was part of the plan all along. What he did included making possible the resurrection (eternal incarnate life) of all the children of God, as well as himself. <br /><br />That seems straightforward to me - the more difficult thing to explain is that he 'took away the sins of the world' - since I think the idea Original Sin is untrue, a misunderstanding based on using Classical Greek Philosophy as the metaphysical framework for Christianity (at least OS is untrue in the way most people have asserted it). <br /><br />So my understanding of Christ's work is related to making salvation a 'default' state, a gift - on the basis of repentance and acceptance of the gift. (Before Christ there was an era when all dead spirits had to wait for Christ's resurrection (although unaware of the fact they were waiting), before they could themselves be resurrected - this was the era of Hades/ Sheol - the dark afterlife of disembodied, demented, unaware souls.) <br /><br />Christ's work was once, and for all - so there is no sense in anybody else being or becoming Christ. The point in history he came was not fixed (e.g. Mary might have declined to be his mother and some other person would then have had to agree to the arrangement). <br /><br />I think reincarnation is not a necessary part of God's plan. I believe it does happen - but only to specific people, for specific purposes, and probably rarely. On the other hand, I think tha we can say that some people were reincarnates (with a high degree of probability)- for example Rudolf Steiner and William Arkle, who probably volunteered to return as spiritual teachers.Bruce Charltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-11137894782035490562016-07-25T12:59:19.224+01:002016-07-25T12:59:19.224+01:00Bruce,
I am wondering if you have any thoughts ab...Bruce,<br /><br />I am wondering if you have any thoughts about why Christ was necessary? Do you see the situation being that God was experimenting and did not foresee just how many souls he would lose and thus needed to adjust? Or that Christ was in the plan all along? Or that we all have the potential to be Christ and so Christ could have come at any point in our history? <br /><br />Further, do you think it possible that once Christ came it opened up the door for reincarnation to allow all those before Christ to have a second opportunity to choose to have the relationship with God?<br /><br />Thanks.Richhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14131427883067501547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-55675488858613689852016-07-13T20:48:57.042+01:002016-07-13T20:48:57.042+01:00It is a very interesting and beautiful explanation...It is a very interesting and beautiful explanation. It answers both the innate feeling of imperfection in this world, the fall, and why we know that things could or should be better - but without falling into the view that everything in this life is essentially wrong, or broken, until after death.<br /><br />Part of me definitely wants to believe what you write (in this and other matters), but because it contradicts orthodoxy in many regards, I fear giving it intellectual assent. Trying to be a traditional orthodox Christian feels perhaps especially difficult now - the leadership is apparently embracing secular liberalism, but most of the traditional literature is extremely pessimistic and, perhaps, demotivating about life itself!Thomasnoreply@blogger.com