It’s Good Friday (observed). This means it’s time for religion to trot out “The Great Lie” — that Jesus (Yeshua) did something to remove the sins of humanity.
Blah, blah, blah.
Before I continue, let me say that, going forward, I will refer to “Jesus” by his proper name, “Yeshua.” One of the big problems with christianity is its western interpretation, including the names of the major characters of the bible.
Just had to get that off my chest. Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Mainstream christianity operates from the premise that Yeshua was the foretold messiah —born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, fulfilled the law, died on the cross as the “perfect sacrifice,” and risen from the dead.
I used to believe this but I no longer do — for a myriad of reasons that I may or may not discuss in a later article.
I don’t believe that Yeshua was the Son of God any more than I believe that you and I are sons and daughters of god. What if when Yeshua said “I am the way, the truth, and the life…”, he was actually saying “I am (self-realization) is the way to truth and life. What if when he said “I am sent me to you”, he was actually saying that “Your desire for self-realization and self-affirmation drew me to you.”
What if Yeshua was speaking and teaching the law of attraction.
I do not believe he was born of a virgin. All of the gospels were written well after Yeshua’s death. None of the authors were present when he was born. His genealogies were oral history. Not only that, but “virgin birth” tales were present in Egyptian and Babylonian religious systems that preceded judaism and christianity by centuries. The virgin birth theory, in my opinion, simply exists to remind the faithful that they can never truly be like Yeshua.
I do not believe he led a “sinless” life. The first question demanding an answer here is, what is “sin?” Is “sin” what you read in a book or were taught by a religious tradition? I believe that which is not of love is “sin.” How can you identify this?
What is of love causes no harm.
Side note, the United States was not founded in love because its very founding was rooted in the deliberate harm of African and Native American people. If it were truly rooted in love, all people would have had the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Yeshua insulted the Syrophoenician woman — fun fact: he called a female a dog. I’m told I shouldn’t use “profanity” here but you can use your imagination. He insulted the scribes and pharisees on a regular basis. Your bible says he was “tempted in all ways” which bears the question, how did Yeshua deal with sexuality? Did he lust after women? Did he masturbate? Was he gay…or bi? We also know Yeshua liked to “get his drink on” from his first miracle — at a wedding! And whose wedding was it?
Did I go there? Yep! Back to your regularly scheduled blog post.
Back to this “sinless life” for a moment. I believe that the editors and canonizers setup this perfect person as an unobtainable goal. I also believe that Yeshua was a dude who simply had his natural and spiritual act together. His message was not one of salvation from sin but a message of salvation from the harmful effects of religion.
I also proffer that the cross holds no real significance. It was a tool of torture and Calvary was a crime scene. So many people believe that the cross ant the blood shed upon it have some supernatural power but — truly — the bible doesn’t even affirm this. Granted, I do believe that Yeshua allowed himself to be killed, but not as some noble sacrifice. The cross represents the attempt of the marriage of religion and empire to overcome the christ consciousness; that is, the divine human.
I’ve often thought that, instead of crosses as an emblem of faith, it should be a depiction of an empty tomb.
Lastly, I submit that the resurrection (and, yes, I do believe in this) has nothing to do with “overcoming death, hell, and the grave.” If you look at the resurrection from a divine human perspective, it represents the failure of death to conquer the christ consciousness.
Easter is a favorite holiday of religion because it is a reminder of how lowly and undeserving humanity is. It is a reminder of how desperately humanity needs a savior and that “Jesus” is the only answer.
There are a couple of problems, though — humanity doesn’t need to be saved from “sin.” Humanity doesn’t need to be rescued from eternal damnation. If humanity is created in the image and likeness of God, we are created to be as good and as divine as she is.
What humanity needs is to be awakened from the slumber induced by religion. Humanity needs to awaken to its divinity. Humanity needs to embrace the example of Yeshua — that it is as divine as it is natural.
This awakening is the only thing that will lay the big lie to rest. Yeshua didn’t come to “save;” he came to reveal. The only “sin” there is is the resistance to the power of love.
Happy Easter!
Derrick Day is the author of Deconstructing Religion. He is also one of the co-hosts of the Heretic Happy Hour Podcast and the host of The Forward Podcast.
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