CHRISTIANITY
AND THE NEW AGE RELIGION: A Bridge Toward
Mutual Understanding
THE
CHRISTIAN CONSPIRACY:
How the Teachings of Christ Have Been Altered By Christians
by
Dr. David Moore
If you work in my field, you’re going to run up against controversy.
Can’t be helped. Whether it’s my believing in the validity
of same-sex marriage, reincarnation as a verifiable fact, or the idea
that the Christ Consciousness is the ineffable energy of God that has
manifested on Earth as many great beings, one of which was known as
Jesus – my world view rubs some people’s own belief systems
the wrong way.
And very often,
fundamentalist / narrowly-educated Christians
cannot believe that I can believe in the
Christ Consciousness yet NOT believe that
Jesus is the One and Only Answer to Everything.
Even worse for them to understand is how
metaphysics, spiritualism, reincarnation,
and all the rest of the things in my little
black bag aren’t manifestations of
the Devil.
Enter Dr.
David Moore.
Dr. Moore
wasn’t, as a friend says, “born
into wicky-woo.” He was a top executive
for thirty years, with a traditional view
of Christianity inculcated since childhood.
He’d been a Lay Minister and Adult
Sunday School teacher. Being a successful
businessman, he was fortunate enough, upon
retirement, to be able to spend time determining
if the teaching presented by today's Church
was the same as the teaching presented by
Christ. His conclusion? Not even close.
His first
book, Christianity and the New
Age Religion, was an attempt
to create peace between church Christianity
and New Age Christianity. Moore is very thorough
in his explorations, with chapters on comparing
Christianity and New Age thought; belief
in God; an overview of the life and effect
of Jesus; the sacraments; Christian apologetics
and more. The major effect of this heartfelt
volume has been to teach those who were staying
in the church out of fear (that it was the
only way to the Christ) that they could leave
the church and feel even more of Christ's
love.
Many of the book’s readers have left the traditional church,
with its dogmas and restrictive teachings, to find the Christ in the
world. For many, the Christ they have found is closer, more personal,
more loving and more real to them.
Moore’s
second book, The Christian Conspiracy,
goes into why the early ecumenical councils
chose to shape the nature of Christianity,
the content of the Bible and “acceptable” interpretations
of the message of Jesus as they did. Moore
reviews the circumstances behind the councils
and their decisions, casting a bright light
onto some shadowy conclusions by those in
power at the time. Whether it’s the
definition of a Christian, souls and salvation,
the existence of reincarnation and Karma,
celibacy or sexuality or religious tolerance
vs. “conversion by the sword,” Moore
takes on all of these topics and shows clearly
how the original thoughts, beliefs and philosophies
as taught by the Man from Galilee were changed
and co-opted. This work will give you a concise,
condensed, easy-to-grasp overview.
An indispensable
tool for anyone who wants to go "behind" the
distorted theology of the fourth century
Church to a more authentic Christian message, The
Christian Conspiracy is a useful
companion to the work of the Jesus Seminar
and the contributions of those who, like
Bishop John Spong, are making their voices
heard today as the Christian belief system
falls into dysfunction, and likewise serves
the needs of students of A COURSE IN MIRACLES,
who are open to a less-traditional voice
of Jesus in our time.
If you want
to open your eyes to a different version
of the Christ, you couldn’t start in
a better place.
