Class Notes: Chapter 3 Section 3

          photo: Grandma Rita 99 years young!

The crucifixion didn’t establish the Atonement, the resurrection did.

          Many sincere Christians misunderstand this. It causes fear. No one free of the scarcity principle would make this mistake. If seen from an upside down point of view it seems like God allowed one of his sons to suffer because he was good. Many devoted ministers preach this daily. This is really an unfortunate interpretation, it’s projection of would be followers and has led to a real fear of God. It is neither by chance or coincidence that this antireligious concept has entered many religions. A real Christian should ask himself: How could this be? When God’s own words have stated otherwise. 

The best defense is not to attack another’s position, but to defend the truth.

           You really have to jump through hoops to attempt to explain a loving God sending his own Son up for slaughter. This is a really tragic perspective that punishment can be redemptive or this hurts me more than it hurts you. It can be painful in small applications and tragic in larger ones along the lines of mass persecution. Then the persecution is justified in God, which makes absolutely no sense. 

          No mistake is harder to give up than another, but some errors hang on because of the escape value. We feel justified in our attacks. It is so essential that all thinking like this, of a punishing God is uprooted. The lesson of the Atonement is about rising above the world of suffering. Its message gets lost if it’s tainted. “Vengance is mine sayeth the Lord,” has to do with karma. You assign your past evil deeds to God. God did not create the evil conscious from the past, he does not maintain it. He does not believe in karmic retribution at all. His mind does not work that way. He does not hold misdeeds against a person himself. Why would he hold your  sins against Jesus? Uproot this toxic thinking. A punishing God is impossible and pure projection. This is responsible for a host of other errors, including the belief that God rejected man from the garden of Eden or that Jesus himself is misdirecting you. Humans can be very inventive about twisting symbols around. 

          God is not a symbol, he is a fact. He exists only in light. The world’s attempts to cloak God in darkness make God inaccessible to the unwilling, ambiguous, and partially willing. The atonement is nothing but truth and sheds only blessings. Innocence is the perfect lesson, you are released from all errors if you believe this. This generalization is always true. Except the generalization first- applicable to all single instances. 

Nothing can prevail against the SOG (Son of God) who gives his spirit to God’s hands. Your mind awakens from sleep and remembers God. Separation disappears and level confusion vanishes. The SOG is part of the Holy Trinity, the Trinity is one, one mind and will. This single purpose establishes the reign of the peace of God. This vision can be perceived by the innocent, their hearts are pure. They defend true perception without defending against it. They lack the desire to attack and see truly. 

          A good teacher never terrorizes students. To terrorize is to attack. If you reject what the teacher offers, you have learning failure. Sacrificing others is a violation of God’s will, you should be merciful even as your Father in Heaven is merciful. It’s hard for many Christians to realize that this applies to themselves, to be merciful.

          There is no need for sacrifice, it’s a misperception. The body is neutral, only the mind knows anything. An innocent mind can’t project, it lays down its arms. It can be yourself that you attack.

          If you seek illusions, you only join with yourself. You seek the peace of God, so does everyone who seems to seek illusions. You join with their own true intent. You have been uncertain in your purpose, not sure what you wanted or where to look for it or where to go to for help. You have received help. By sharing it you keep it in truth. 

         If you really want the peace of God you’ll find it. It is God’s eternal gift. No gift from God can be unshared, this sets God’s gifts apart from worldly gifts. If you request a gift from God, no one loses, everyone gains. God gives to unite. To take away is meaningless to God, it should become meaningless to you. Value only the eternal. Today we seek to unite what the ‘brotherhood of hate would severe’. 

Every mind that God created wants to unite in truth. This helps us reach the peace of God, this united will.