In our OMpinion

By William Bezanson

A project that I have wanted to undertake for more than thirty years has been a systematic documentation of what I believe with respect to the theology of Christianity.  I finally made a significant start on that project recently, by writing a critique of the Nicene Creed, the central dogmatic statement of the Church, and identifying what I truly believe for each phrase of that creed.

I believe, first of all, that being a Christian means following the teachings of Jesus the Christ.  It does not necessarily mean being a member of a Christian church, or “Going to Church”, or following the teachings of Paul, Peter, and the other writers of New Testament books.  It does not necessarily mean complying with the dogma of a Christian church.

Following the teachings of Jesus means studying those teachings, understanding them, and modeling one’s thinking and behaviour on what he taught.  But it is essential to follow the right teachings;  by this I mean his esoteric teachings, not the commonly understood, exoteric, and preached-about teachings.

For example, consider the incident in which Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:22-33).  He is reported to have walked across a stormy sea and to have comforted his nervous disciples.  But what he was really teaching esoterically is much more profound.  Water symbolizes the unconscious; walking on it symbolizes rising above the unconscious, to the level of consciousness.  Jesus is teaching us not to dwell in the unconscious (i.e., living by instinct alone, neglecting our intellects and rational minds), but to rise up to the conscious level (i.e., to become conscious, to use our brains, to analyze and think and use our rational minds).  When Peter tries to walk on the water and falters through fear, Jesus reaches out and saves him.  This incident symbolizes that when we try being conscious, if we stumble, then the teachings of Jesus can help us recover our composure and show us how to thrive.

This example, walking on water, is only one of the great many secret, hidden teachings of Jesus that we should strive to understand and emulate, by digging deeper than the external, mundane view of those teachings.

So, my belief is that following the esoteric teachings of Jesus is the key point of being a Christian.  But, since we are typically presented not with his inner teachings, but with a more mundane view of them, the diligent Christian must work hard to dig in and ferret out the spiritual truths that Jesus was trying to convey to us.  The work is difficult, it does not come naturally, and we receive virtually no help from the organized Christian religion as practiced in its churches.  Furthermore, the world keeps interfering with that work.

But nothing valuable comes easily.  The work has its rewards for those who persevere.  If the Church will not teach what Jesus really meant, then the true seeker must look elsewhere.  In my own case, I have found many answers, and much guidance, in the Rosicrucian and other Orders, by studying Jungian psychology, through reading many books, and through meditation. Other paths may be valid for other seekers.

Examples of my restatement of phrases of the Nicene Creed include:

• Where the creed states “I believe in one God”, I restate that phrase as “I believe in the One, the God of my Heart.”
• For the statement “And in one Lord, Jesus Christ”, my version is “And I believe in Jesus, who became the Christ.”
• For “And he shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead”, I restate is as, “The Law of Karma governs our ongoing compensation for the way we conduct our lives.”
• And for “[The Holy Ghost,] who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified”, my version is “I acknowledge and honour Spirit as part of God.”

What I have done is to bring out into the open what has been living inside me for a very long time. And I now realize that I do not believe hardly anything of the Creed as it stands.  Or, another way of looking at it is that I do believe every word and phrase of the creed, but following my own interpretation for each of them.

The prime conclusion that I have reached in undertaking this work is that the Nicene Creed presents a reality for most church members, but it is not actuality … unless it is interpreted properly.  (Reality means one’s truth;  Actuality means The Truth.)

I think that most church members find comfort in believing in the Reality that the Creed documents.  They simply repeat the words, likely not thinking deeply about them, simply accepting them at face value, not striving to understand Actuality.  Perhaps they think that it would be heretical to think deeply and to challenge such a revered tome as the Nicene Creed.  Maybe they even worry about burning in Hell.

But my belief now is that the Nicene Creed truly does document the actuality of the cosmic divinity, if interpreted correctly.  The key for me was in following my intuition to apply the mystery school teachings to each phrase of the creed, and to restate each phrase into a form that presented a broader, bigger picture, that is, Actuality.

I don’t expect even one, single person who reads this article suddenly to change his or her beliefs in the words of the Nicene Creed over to line up with my beliefs, as sketched out here.  But what I would like to see is that each reader think deeply about his or her own belief in the details of the Nicene Creed (or about any other official dogma of whatever institution they may belong to).  They may reach other conclusions than mine.  But, rise above the water of the unconscious and think they must do.