Christian Meditation and Fantasy

One of the horrible tragedies of Christianity today is that so many Christians -- and so many pernicious, mean-spirited, smugly ignorant priests and preachers who are so proud to see everyone as "sinners" -- hold tight to a belief that mediation is some satanic or nonsensical Oriental practice, something rooted in Buddhism (What good could any other religion possibly offer to the Christian? Why, surely none. Everything not written in the bible, everything in the bible that's not taken literally, is all mind-poison, just another satanic trap. Right?).

But this is just a damned lie, a lie told by those Christians and those preachers and those bishops who want to see themselves as the biggest sinners. Being the biggest sinner makes them proud; and it makes it much, much easier to commit the cardinal sin, which is to see everyone else as sinners.

The bible, in what Christians call the Old Testament, says, "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide: and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, the camels were coming."

In the bible, in what Christians call the New Testament, the inventor of Christianity, the man who changed his name from Saul to Paul, wrote in Philippians chapter 4, verse 8, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."

Both meditation and fantasy are much, much neglected in Christianity today. Two of our most valuable spiritual tools, meditation and fantasy, are draped in cloaks of fear by the Christian establishment.

Fantasy is probably the much more neglected of the pair, because the vast majority of those Christians who believe that they understand meditation, don't. Meditation is meant to lead from thought to fantasy. Fantasy then informs the whole being, the soul, conjuring the most vivid images and feelings that cultivate spiritual seeds in the soil of the heart over time, until one day they have grown into spiritual actions in everyday life.

When the Christian meditates on a scene from Jesus' life, she must make herself be there. Not here, thinking on "back then", or "how it is in the bible".

Now, what's the ultimate purpose of this kind of meditation? It is to bring Jesus into the present -- into her life, by getting to fantasy. It could be her present life, or it could be a scene from her past life -- especially a disturbing or hurtful scene, one from which she needs healing or needs to take away understanding.

It might be the death of loved one. It might be a terrible fight for which amends have never really been made. It might have been a terrible physical accident, one that left a scar either physically or mentally. It might be something that causes gnawing guilt.

Whatever the situation is, recent past or distant past, this time Jesus is there with her, in all the frightening and painful details.

What is Jesus' role in this event or situation? Does he bring comfort? Is he uplifting? Or, is he the one who is causing her this pain, this loss? She interacts with him just as she did or does with the other person or people. In this fantasy, she seeks the answers to apply to reality.

This is the role that meditation and fantasy need to play in Christianity today.