Overview
This session launched the Jesus Way Philosophy series with a focus on the ontology of Christ, emphasizing the necessity of grounding theology in an accurate understanding of God's nature. The presentation explored philosophical foundations from Neoplatonism, Aristotle, and Thomas Aquinas, connecting these to the teachings of Jesus and exposing fallacies in traditional Pauline theology.
Introduction and Purpose
- Emphasized that ontology (nature of being, especially God's nature) must underlie theology for correct spiritual understanding.
- Critiqued traditional Christian approaches that allow theology to dictate ontology, resulting in contradictions and denominational divides.
- Set the stage for a multi-part series covering major philosophical systems relevant to Christian spirituality.
Philosophical Foundations
- Outlined influences: Plato, Neoplatonism (Plotinus), Aristotle, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas.
- Defined ontology, cosmology, soteriology, and theology as the four pillars for the upcoming course.
- Stated that Neoplatonism and Aquinas' philosophy provide a logical, metaphysically coherent view of God aligned with Jesus' teachings.
Key Philosophical Concepts
- Hyomorphism: Distinction between essence (eternal, immaterial) and existence (temporal, material); applied to understanding the soul and the body.
- First Mover Principle: God as the unmoved mover, the original cause of all things, who is not affected or changed by creation.
- Proportionate Causality: A cause cannot give to its effect what it does not possess; God, being perfect, cannot create imperfection or need anything.
- Privation Theory: Evil is not a substance but the absence or corruption of good; God allows evil only as a catalyst for greater good and free will development.
Scriptural Parallels and Teachings of Jesus
- Jesus' teachings reflect essence/existence distinctions (soul above body), proportionate causality (God as source), and probation theory (evil as absence of good).
- Provided multiple biblical and extra-biblical references supporting the five O's of ontology: Oneness, Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnibenevolence.
Critiques of Pauline Theology and Traditional Christian Doctrine
- Identified major fallacies: duality of good vs evil, blood atonement, angry/wrathful God, real separation from God, eternal conscious torment, original sin/sin nature, and salvation by faith alone.
- Clarified these beliefs violate core philosophical and ontological principles about God's perfection, oneness, and immutability.
- Argued that doctrines like blood atonement and eternal torment are not only philosophically incoherent but also contradict Jesus’ own teachings.
Upcoming Course Topics & Next Steps
- Announced future sessions on cosmology, soteriology, and comprehensive theology, with a targeted course launch in April.
- Encouraged participants to review and contemplate the discussed concepts and prepare for further learning.
Questions / Follow-Ups
- Participants raised questions about distinctions between mind and soul, the law of one, the process of evolving consciousness, and aligning personal will with divine will, which were addressed in relation to the presented philosophy.