Saved from what?

I recently got into a Facebook discussion with someone about my decision to leave the Catholic Church. As I navigate this choice and spiritual journey I’ve come to realize the biggest stumbling block to having an open dialogue with my Christian friends is their salvation ideology.  How can both sides be heard if one side’s founding belief is based on the premise that you must accept Jesus Christ, the savior, to be saved?  Saved from what?

Right from the start, I’m “less than”.  Their belief system excludes me if I don’t believe what they choose to believe.  In fact, it not only excludes me, it damns me.  My belief, that the spirit is in each of us, here on earth, and that every being begins “in love”, projects nothing onto them but love, it even allows me to celebrate what brings them joy and comfort. It is obviously not a mutual admiration society.

I admit it, I googled the words “saved catholic”. One article stated, “According to the Catholic understanding of salvation, rooted in Scripture, we aren’t just saved from sin. We’re saved for eternal life with God.”   What about my life with God in the now, on earth?

My journey of leaving organized religion was gradual.  Certain prayers began to rub me the wrong way.  I stopped saying the Apostles Creed because of the phrase, “Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.”  I bristled at the words, Almighty and judge.  My spiritualism lies within me.  What frightens christian denominations about having an intimate one on one relationship with God? I love the phrase, “what God has written on your soul the day you were born”. That space is where I need to spend more time.   The image brings to mind ‘oneness’ solely by ones existence, without judgment or qualification.

Uncovering what I believe, or what my spirit already knows, has not only been emotional, it has also been an academic journey. My hope is to uncover Jesus’s words without the salvation message. I have a stack of books sitting by my bedside, mostly gathering dust.

A couple of weeks ago I ventured to the Chicago Institute of Art.  I have a favorite painting of Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist.  It’s not the usual ethereal painting, in fact, baby Jesus looks like a character out of Mad Magazine.  But it always makes me smile.  I sat in front of the painting and started to read Bishop John Shelby Sprong’s book, Jesus For the Non Religious.

Let the journey continue…