Dogma: The Tomb of Jesus and The Secret

Any time you shake the "dogma" tree the hackles go up and the accusations begin to fly. Several recent events come to mind that illustrate that if what you say doesn't fit into the accepted and established box, it must be wrong and highly suspect. This issue has arisen around the film, "The Tomb of Jesus" and the film and book, "The Secret."

The recent film, "The Tomb of Jesus" is one example where the response has been, "We don't like what you have shown us, therefore what you have shown us must be false." The compelling docu-drama gave ample scientific proof that the tomb uncovered in Talpiot around 1980 was that of Jesus and his family. The science presented was real and the methods of analysis were convincing. The tomb is not a hoax, the dating is accurate and the names on the ossuaries have been verified. How anyone can doubt that a family crypt that contained the names and remains of Jeshua bar Joseph, Joseph, Maria Mattiah, Mar Marimne and Juda had no connection to the family of the Nazarene is beyond my comprehension. And yet, when dogma is questioned the science is called trash or, as one of Ted Koppel's guest called it, "archio-porn".

The only stone that was cast at the film was by those who profess that it is not in keeping with scripture. These beliefs hold that since Jesus was reported to have been seen in the flesh after he died, then the flesh must also ascend to heaven. Therefore, there could be no bone remains of Jeshua. The reasoning and evidence to back this assertion must be suspect. It relies upon faith only and it relies upon the notion that some "higher moral authority" knows more than what can be proven. It was this same "moral authority" that put people to death when they claimed that the earth was round, it revolved around the sun, and anyone who did not follow its dictates was an agent of evil.

One could not help but chuckle at the criticisms lodged against the use of dramatizations. Where are these voices when movies like The Greatest Story Ever Told are released? It seems that as long as the drama supports the dogma it is acceptable. As long as Jesus is portrayed with light hair, blue eyes and light skin that is also acceptable. But portray Jesus as a true Jew of Middle Eastern descent and it is either bad science or an attempt to unduly influence the audience.

Since the dawn of the scientific revolution there has been constant conflict between science and established religion. It is interesting to note that such conflict is rare between those of a more spiritual leaning, or those who are more liberal and esoteric in their interpretations of sacred scriptures. Perhaps they have a better understanding of the "parables" than those who insist on taking all things literally or at face value. In my opinion, there is little if any conflict between scriptures, of any religion, and science. In fact, science is reaching the point where it will soon conclude that we are all one and that intelligence is the guiding force of the Universe.

The next example of rattling the proverbial religious status quo is the book and film, THE SECRET. A basic precept of The Secret is that thoughts control physical reality and the mind can and does alter physical reality. To the dogmatists this is absurd. But on a very basic level, it is absolutely true. Our thoughts alter physical reality every day. Religion aside, there is nothing that exists that is not a thought made manifest. The car you drive, the house you live in, the chair you sit on, the keyboard on which I am typing are all thoghts that have been turned into a physical reality. The electric energy in the brain is converted to physical energy and objects, which are made of energy, are arranged and thus a car is made manifest. It is all about energy changing form and taking the shape of the thinker. This is basic high school physics.

Critics say that it is ridiculous to say that a woman asks to be raped or that those in Darfur have asked to be starved and killed. Yes, that is absurd. Critics always take things to the level of the absurd to try to prove their point. One must take a second look and closely examine the facts and the laws in effect to come to some kind of reconciliation to an apparent conflict in the Law of Attraction. Those who hold to a literal view of things must have heard the notion that, "what ye sow, ye reap." Conversely, what you reap, you have sown. What has been sown in places like Darfur is hatred, ethnic bigotry and no concern for the value of life. This attitude and belief or mindset has created the reality of that region. Hatred can take many forms, including rape and genocide. While the crop reaped may have not been specifically asked for by the people in the region, the Universe has manifested the consequences of such thoughts-genocide. Those who say this is absurd are also saying that we take no responsibility for our actions. They are saying that generations of hatred and apathy will have no consequences-this is not true and human history is replete with examples of what both action and inaction can do.

We attract what we fear the most. This is true merely because we put so much energy into our fears that they are bound to manifest. Those who live in constant fear of being robbed, beaten or raped are often the victims of such acts. Those who go through life with complete confidence escape such consequences and they are often called "lucky." Luck has nothing to do with it. A person who is filled with confidence and without fear of taking risks is those who lead happy, healthy and prosperous lives. The argument then arises as to why the nice young boy down the road who seemed to have it all was killed in a tragic car accident when struck by a drunk driver? That is a hard question.

We do not know all of the ways energy connects to others nor do we know what the young man was really doing or what has been in his mind for an extended period of time that may have manifested the accident. It is okay to accept the murder of a Jesus in order to save you from your sins and to teach lessons to others but we find that notion unacceptable when that lesson strikes home. Perhaps that is why there is an admonishment not to make judgments. By definition, a judgment is a final decision about something and unless you are all knowing it would be wise not to make final judgments about too many things. Everyone has experienced the concept of a "blessing in disguise."

I also find it highly interesting that those who scoff at the idea that we attract both positive and negative events into our lives are willing to attribute such actions to "the will or god" or some equally absurd notion like "god wanted your son in heaven with him." It would be appropriate to stop giving deity personal or human like attributes. God does not have desires or wants-if it did it would not be God. Further, if such a being existed that permitted things like genocide, rape and deformities then I would assert that you can have that god because it sounds a little too sadistic and dictatorial for my liking.
On the other hand, a Universe that is imbued with free will that expresses itself in an infinite variety way, including humans, makes more sense. We are free to choose our path and our reality and we evolve accordingly. In this case the widely accepted notion of reincarnation begins to make sense. No, you do not come back as a butterfly! A human spirit is a human spirit that seeks knowledge and wisdom through the process of experience in the physical world. But, I digress.

The revealers of The Secret are condemned as a money making scheme. It is important to remind people that the Catholic Church has over $100 billion in assets. Further, televangelists are notorious for their limos and mansions. Remember, that there was a time in church history when you could "pay" to have your sins forgiven and to get to heaven. It should also be noted that forgetting or avoiding the plate as it passes through the pews is frowned upon. It is interesting that those with money have no religious problem with the concept of wealth. Those without complain about those with and those with try to hold onto what they have. This only arises because we operate under the false notion that there are limits in the Universe. Last I checked there is no shortage of energy and that is all money is a form of energy. To get, you do not have to take, you merely need to receive.

There are many more issues and concerns that could and must be addressed but these are just a sampling of how the established system attempt to maintain the status quo which is they are right and any concept to the contrary must be wrong.