For 2000 years, - including previous prophecies several thousand years more people have vouched for their manifold and direct experiences with Jesus Christ again and again. In spite of their varying characters and various religious, philosophical and scientific contexts, they show some mutual perceptions, independently from each other. They also speak about the possibility for others to prepare themselves for similar experiences. New abilities for people and the world can also be seen through Jesus Christ, far exceeding mere cultural and historical bounds. Here these steps of growth are explored in a new way. Along the steps which Jesus himself went through, their significance for different fields of life shows itself.
In the 12th century the Abbot Joachim di Fiore prophesied an "Era of the
Holy Spirit", in which such individual relationships to God, independent of
institutions, would become common property. Today, several endeavours
arespreading worldwide that not only search for Christ taking shape in the
individual, but also see the individual as a cell more and more consciously in
the "body of Christ".
In this context the awaited "Second Coming" and our
"apocalyptic" time cannot be understood as a simple reincarnation with
its circumstances, but as a much more comprehensive scenario. Nevertheless one
can suspect some similarities in the development 2000 years ago and this present
time scenario - which must not lead to a catastrophe.
This work tries to answer the question of the new specific
possibilities of development in the various areas of life, since Jesus lived
2000 years ago. This contribution is composed as an impulse.
Especially these days,
when the phenomenon Jesus Christ is claimed by many different theologies
(see extra window) and dogmas, by linguistic, historically-critical,
archaeological and palaeographical, religious-sociological and psychological,
scientific, political ways of looking at it,
when, as in the time of early christianity, a manifold spiritual scene rose
in society beside an old materialistic mainstream that created both bridges
and frontiers between them and christianity,
when the most confusing situations occur,e.g. several reputedly incarnated
"Jesus Christs"; and when problematic and negative incidents occur in
the name of Christ,
it can be interesting, to investigate, what the real contribution of Christ might be:
This project starts with some of our own inner experiences and other mystic sources, etc. The viewpoints used are interdisciplinary ones, from many areas of knowledge and experience - not only theological ones. From this spiritual point of view, no attempt is made to distract people from social and political consciousness with some kind of pseudo-inwardness. Of course the dogmas of the mechanistic scientific thought of the 19th century cannot be accepted as limitations of view; neither can the eastern considerations, that there is nothing, which has not already been described in the ancient Indian vedic scriptures and that Jesus is nothing but a - probably third class teacher of them, cannot be accepted as a limitation of thought. These realizations are not derived from the books compared in the text or in a list of other books for more theologically interested persons; reading "Ways of Christ" does not require knowing these books or having previous theological knowledge. Nothing is meant as a dogma or as an opinion of any religious organisation in the world. Nothing is directed against any church, religious or spiritual group, or against the Apostles' Creed. People who relate themselves to another religious or ideological background, but who are positively interested in new insights of a Christian approach , neither trivial nor superficial, can find this here too. It also points out the relationship between a Christian Path and other inclinations. Just as John's Gospel portrays the specific Christian way in a language understandable for the seekers of wisdom of that time, this work makes Christianity similarly accessible from various sides. The style of this document also lets the mind of the reader be free. Research & exploration are different to missionary work. Nevertheless, also Christians who prefer a simple belief to profound considerations may learn from this text, e.g. how to communicate with the people of other beliefs without constant misunderstandings.
The text should speak for itself.
"I still have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of the truth comes, he will guide you into all truth" (John 16:12-13). Ways of Christ draws inspiration from this spirit.
*A (deeper)
understanding of these pages requires noting
its conception
- see the
Introduction above -; and of additional methods used (see above,
methodical tips). Others look at such an attitude - during study of texts - as a general guideline for serious work,
in philosophy too ("principle of charity", Donald Davidson,
"On the Very Idea of having a Conceptual Scheme", in
"Proceedings and Adresses of the American Philosophical
Association", Vol.47, 1973-1974, S. 19).
.
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Reference to a complete version for print, and to the Copyright, Project Ways of Christ