Myrtle’s views on regeneration have not
affected my views of her theology. So, on a scale of 1-10, I am at the lower end of the scale - 1. Her theology
is rooted in an omnipresent, omnipotent God with Jesus Christ as Teacher and
Wayshower. Her views on regeneration are
unwavering and in line with her theology.
She believed in an indwelling God, and the fixing of one’s undivided
attention upon the life of God within as essential in attaining eternal life
and the redemption of the body. Further,
she believed that those who follow Jesus in the regeneration are going through
a transformation; they are unfolding the Truth consciousness; they are letting
the Christ Mind express in, and through them.
According
to Myrtle, Jesus Christ was able to raise the body
consciousness through His realization of the Absolute and identified it with
the spiritual body, the character of which is so transcendent as to be beyond
human concept. This is the body in which
Jesus now lives and in which we shall all enter when we have lifted up the body
idea and set free the forces that enter into it. The emergence of the life of Christ in every
man is regeneration.
Myrtle references Paul who said, “Do all things unto
the Lord,” and, according to Myrtle, “we should submit every thought and every
act to the Divine Law. By doing this, a ‘holy
intercourse’ will ensue and the ‘immaculate conception’ takes place”… [i] Myrtle saw submission to Divine Law as a
means of being in communion with God ultimately resulting in the quickening of
Christ within each of us.
So, what does this mean for my theology and the
Unity Movement? Although I was a practicing Anglican, I have
never ascribed to the notion of a judgmental God out there somewhere in heaven,
nor did I believe in burning in hell for all eternity. Consequently, I drifted away from the Anglican
faith which was not fulfilling my spiritual needs. I eventually found Unity and was baptized in
a Unity church; my spiritual needs were being fed. While I have embraced Unity’s teachings, I am
finding it difficult to embrace the concept of regeneration. Myrtle states, “As far as we know, Jesus is
the only one who has overcome the ‘last enemy’ ” [ii]
The key therefore to overcoming death is to follow Jesus’ example by finding
the in-dwelling Christ. The foundation
of Unity, Myrtle’s theology has a lot to offer those who are seeking
Truth. Incorporating the best of all
religions, Unity’s teachings are based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Myrtle admits that regeneration is not for
the faint of heart and offers reincarnation as an alternative.
There is no doubt that the Unity Movement has made
and continues to make an impact on millions of people. Unity has a lot to offer those who are
seekers of Truth and its teachings have found a niche in the consciousness of
Truth seekers. While the concept of
regeneration seems central to Myrtle, it is not without problems. As a Unity theologian, I would offer the
following suggestions to the Unity Movement going forward into the 21st
century:
Ø Build
on the strong foundation of Unity’s Principles; that is paramount.
Ø Build
on the concept of having a body that is being continually refined, renewed and
spiritualized.
Ø Build
on the importance of consecrating one’s life to the Jesus Christ teachings and
practicing his principles.
Ø Emphasize
that reincarnation is an alternative to regeneration.
Ø Emphasize
that Unity does not force Christ principles on anyone; people are free to
choose their own destiny.
Hi Leah, what I find most interesting is the varied responses in Dr. Tom's "change-meter" values in our blogs for this assignment.
ReplyDeleteIn your comments you said, "Myrtle states, “As far as we know, Jesus is the only one who has overcome the ‘last enemy’ ” [ii] The key therefore to overcoming death is to follow Jesus’ example by finding the in-dwelling Christ." I understand that the Christian view is that Jesus did overcome death. However, I've always found that idea difficult to buy into. Perhaps he did for a few days but where's the evidence this experience lasted longer than that? Is there any? Now, I'm not really schooled in traditional Christianity; maybe I've just not looked deeply enough at the evidence. I ask it of anyone who would care to educate me. -Doug
Wow Leah. At last another student who is close to me on the Dr Tom Index Number Scale :)))
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leah, for your post. We are challenged with discovering and deciphering Myrtle's teachings and so I am curious about your statement, "Myrtle admits that regeneration is not for the faint of heart and offers reincarnation as an alternative." I did not get that clarity myself, so I thank you for that differentiation. The key, in my understanding, is the idea of brining ourselves into Christ Consciousness, thereby regenerating our spiritual selves and improving (if not regenerating) our physical selves. I suppose that would be included in your first suggestion on the building on the strong foundation of Unity Principles. Change our thoughts, change our experience of our world.
ReplyDeleteReincarnation or regeneration? And, if regeneration, what do we mean? Did Jesus regenerate his "body" only temporarily or is Myrtle not talking about the body as we know it? Is she talking about his spiritual regeneration, which results in him knowing Eternal Life (but not necessarily in this particular form)? What we haven't really gotten into here--and I'm afraid to even mention it because we have enough on our hands--is the question of personal identity. When I studied philosophy as a n undergrad, before we could really talk about Eternal Life, in any sense, we had to ask the question: Who/what is it that comprises the self? What makes me me? I mean, it's clear my body transitions into ashes so usually when people talk about living eternally, they're talking about something more than surviving in a different physical form. If that's the case, what does it even mean that "I" reincarnate? Knowing what the "I" is is important to our discussion about regeneration too. What made that thing that appeared the same Jesus, if he appeared in different form? Is it only our egoic selves that even cares whether we live on as we are? After all, SOMETHING always does live on--the entire Universe, in fact--just not necessarily in the form of us. Are Myrtle's claims about regeneration of body attempting to claim something altogether different?
ReplyDeleteLeah-
ReplyDeleteI’m going to think hard on your idea that Myrtle is proposing reincarnation as an easier-to-accept way to the promise of eternal life to those who would find working on regeneration more than they can deal with. To date I’ve understood the two ideas as independent of each other and not related. When it comes to eternal life, my thinking is more aligned with Nhien’s (above) in that we are talking about life of the spirit as proved thru Jesus’ overcoming death on the cross--meaning that the truth of eternal life being non-physical, that what is seen through physical eyes is not the truth of our nature since we are spiritual beings having a physical experience and not the reverse. I’m reading that Myrtle gives us a choice about whether to believe in reincarnation or not (something I do NOT have an opinion on either way). Regeneration, she tells us, does indeed take commitment and focus on spiritual principles. It is not easy. Yet it is available to each of us by the power of the Christ that we were created as.
Blessings,
Lesley