Enlightened Christianity

IMO, what we need is a new economic theory, one based on, and resurrects that most ancient of principles, the Golden Rule AKA The Ethic of Reciprocity. We need to reframe this whole debate about of economics in these old but universal terms.

I draw upon my own understandings and Frank Cocozelli's research, the wisdom of one of the best known persons of my parents generation, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR, as he was known, in 1944, presented to the world an Economic Bill of Rights. Briefly summarized, FDR, said we should all have; remunerative employment, food, clothing and recreation, a decent income for farmers, business free from unfair competition, a decent home, adequate health care, freedom from the fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment and a good education. To him all of these spelled security.

Going beyond FDR, I believe we should provide all members of the global human family guarantees of the basic four needs; physical, emotional, mental and spriritual. Being by divine edict first spiritual beings, if we get the spritual right the other three will be assured.

From this I see the economics of reciprocity providing:

.Food, an adequate daily caloric intake for every human being.
.Clean water, safe to drink and sufficient in supply to irrigate crops,
.Clear air, free from pollutants that endanger health.

CHALLENGE: I post this article, hoping it will create much discussion on Crossleft---pro or con! We need to air out all the cobwebs and assist Christians in learning to think for themselves ... to seek Truth on their own ... to discern Truth that feels intuitively right to them ... to know that my Truth may not be your Truth ... and that is okay!

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NOTE: For the purposes of this article, I use the term “Source of our being” to refer to the omnipresent energy of Divine Love in which we live and move and have our being—-the Ultimate Source of all creation.
I use the term “Awakened Christian” to mean the one who follows Jesus as A Wayshower on the pathway to individual ascension. Jesus, as a Wayshower, reveals the way; He cannot walk the path for us. The awakened Christian recognizes this fact and strives to tread his/her own pathway to ascension. See the article entitled “Ascension” and the 16 Lessons on the Book of Job on www.pathwaytoascension.com.

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In today’s Washington Post, Religious Right Michael Gerson is at it again in his selective use of the facts. This time, in employing the legacy of William Wilberforce , he effectively credits religious conservatism with ending slavery.

The historical revisionism never stops.

Once more Michael Gerson demonstrates the Right’s endless need to take credit for liberal accomplishments.

Wilberforce was not a conservative at all. Instead, he was more like an Evangelical with quite a bit of what historian Garry Wills defines as Enlightened faith—combining reason with faith. Today there are similar examples of individuals such as Wilberforce in the persons of Jimmy Carter and Tony Campolo.

Still, Michael Gerson feels the need to twist the truth by not telling the whole story.

This was originally posted at Talk to Action.

Regular readers have no doubt noticed that I have recently been citing Garry Wills' new book, Head and Heart: American Christianities, a lot.  Well, there is good reason. Even at five hundred-plus pages -- I cannot recommend it enough as essential reading for readers of this site.