Typically, I attempt to provide some chewing material on Fridays. However, I ran across the phrase below on a blog and wanted to get your thoughts. The context is in regards to Christianity and healthcare; more specifically, "How would God want us to deal with healthcare?". The post was written by Neale Donald Walsch. You can find it here.
Now here's the quote. The question is asked (bold type) and then Walsch's response.
What does God will in this question?
God's Will is our will. God wills for us what we will for ourselves. God is not some being separate from us, "willing" something that He cannot make us do, but wishes that He could. God is the Life that is flowing through us. We are God, physicalized. We are the physical manifestation of the Divine. And because we are Divine, we can create life any way that we want it on this earth. We have the collective power to do so. We can solve any problem that we face -- including the problem of health care. It is simply a matter of Will.
Any objections to what Walsch says? Any applause? Other thoughts?
“Bible reading as struggle”
18 hours ago
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9 comments:
That is clearly not Christian or orthodox, I would take it. And in a fallen world only God in Christ can bring in true Shalom.
Good words Ted. Would Walsch's statements be considered New Age or might they have roots in something else? Any ideas?
Mike
Mike,
It does sound like something in the category of New Age and definitely sounds pantheistic.
One manifestation of the devil's lie in the garden: "you'll become like God", or much related to that, surely.
I just came back from vacation and read this. I agree with Ted, this is way beyond the bounds of what the bible speaks. This seems a very man centered, as if all hope was somehow in us. If that's the case we are in real trouble.
Ted and Mike,
Thanks for the input guys! I agree with Mike in that "we are in real trouble." How much influence does Walsch have over his readership? I am discouraged to say more than he should.
I know of people in the church that follow blogs but choose not to filter out the "stuff". If one googles "spiritual blogs", they're likely to run across Walsch or blogs like his.
That's what concerns me the most. Thanks again.
Hello Mike! I think a good question for us is "What does God want ME to do in this situation?" It is a global issue, but I think as disciples of Christ, I think we should make it personal. Start small, what about the people on your block that are sick or whose children need shots? I've heard of Christians pooling their resources together so that people can visit a doctor or get the medicine they need. I have absolutely no idea how to fix our health care system, but I do know that there are some small, yet significant things I can do for and with my neighbors.
Exactly right Cheryl. What would God have me do?
The thing that concerned me the most was Walsch's existential thought o mankind being able to fix anything. It seems to me that our world is broken and won't be restored until Christ returns. It's scary to think people can fix everything. The evidence surely doesn't add up.
Blessings! and I hope the friends we prayed for are well
Mike
Hi! Popped in from "she who reads." I disagree with the comment because our will is our will and God's will is God's will. Because God is spiritual and we are worldly, the two are in opposition with each other. However, when we make an attempt to place our wills in line with God's will glorious things begin to happen because it is at that point that we lean toward the spiritual. On our own, we are able to solve problems and have the power to do so but without God's will in the equation the end result is not as fruitful.
Hey Sojouner,
Welcome aboard! Being intentional about aligning our wills with God's will is so important.
"On our own, we are able to solve problems and have the power to do so ..."
What I hear you saying is man has a limited amount of power to do good. Maybe I misunderstand, but my experience has been much like Romans 7 and struggling to do good.
Blessings,
Mike
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