Christianity is a polarizing subject so I approach this topic carefully but with a belief that it’s important to discuss these thing respectfully. I’ve always appreciate that churches try to develop communities of highly moral people trying to make the world a better place. I’ve alway gotten frustrated by the need to force Jesus as the son of God and the Bible as the word of God. These things are impossible to prove and create more anger and turmoil than peace and unity.

Vipassana taught me two new things that make me feel a whole lot better about supporting Jesus. First, that the quality of a mind is measured by the state of the mind at the time of death. While I can’t prove that this is true, it makes sense to me that the time of death would be the most tumultuous time in a person’s life, so if someone can maintain high values through that I’ll accept that s/he was a high quality person. Jesus was tortured had and nothing but love and compassion for the people who tortured him. That’s very impressive and something worth admiring. I don’t need to spend time arguing whether he was the son of god or not. I’ll respect and honor him for the life I know is true.

The second thing Vipassana has taught me is that to honor a holy person we should try to embody the qualities of that person. Acknowledging their title for my own benefit, whether greed for heaven or fear of hell, doesn’t make sense. Trying to live up to the standard that Jesus has set by practicing the values he taught and lived by seems like a wonderful way to worship someone.

I’m not trying to undermine any Christian’s religious beliefs. I’m just trying to find positive things we can agree upon so we can build a positive future together rather than wasting time arguing about things neither of us can prove that divide us. I’m happy that you’ve found a faith that helps you live a positive life. I’m happy that I can now relate to that faith in a supportive way.