The rise of science in the Renaissance and Enlightenment
freed people from religious authority. Science replaced God –
there was no need for the “God hypothesis”
to explain how things worked.
Today, theology and our everyday minds
continue to be challenged by a universe
in which every second millions of tons of matter
convert to light-energy, black holes
empty space bristles with dark matter and dark energy
about which we know nothing.
Meanwhile, Christianity back then and today
held that its Lord and Master, Jesus the Christ
is the focal point/key/goal of all human history
and even the history of the universe.
In early Christianity, mystical experience
was at the center of all theology –
prayer/theology/catechesis were all one.
But today people want spiritual experience
divorced from religion seen as dogma
because Christianity, challenged by science
focused on doctrine not on experience.
Unfortunately, Christianity throughout its history
has been far more interested in the Moral Self
as the measure of everything, and so has lost
the Absolute Measure of the True Self.
The False Self, the Ego, is happy
that believers in God usually deny
we all are already God’s beloved children
which gives the Ego nothing to strive for
and feel superior about
and so, even though God calls all of us
our Egos allow very few to be chosen.
A focus on the Moral Self means that
abnormal guilt has become a normal part of life –
fear of what others think drives us
we always want to be seen as pure – the good girl/boy
which is appropriate for childhood
but adults need to integrate their Shadow and stand against
their internalized shoulds/should nots as the voice of God
otherwise the True Self has no voice in our scientific age.
Intelligent Christian Spirituality 