Jesus for the Non-Religious by John Shelby Spong

I am currently reading a fascinating book by John Shelby Spong called Jesus for the Non-Religious.  Don't let its name decieve you though as it is also a book that the religious would get a lot out of.  It doesn't tear apart christianity as such but it does set out to destroy dogma, myth and the literal interpretation of the bible.  It attempts to reframe our understanding of Jesus by helping us to see how he would have been comprehended by his Jewish followers during and after his untimely death and how this comprehension shaped how he was written and preached about subsequently.  

Now I am no biblical scholar but a lot of what Spong writes about seems to add up.  For instance, I have always known that the whole Bethlehem thing with the three kings, guiding star and traveling for days on a donkey with a pregnant woman about to burst was nonsense, that Joseph and Judas were works of fiction and that the literal interpretation of Jesus' miracles was a stretch but Spong puts it in a way that enables me to still believe in all that Jesus stands for without having to buy into all the misinterpretation that has resulted from non-jews with no background in jewish culture trying to understand Jesus through heavily coded jewish symbolism.  It has allowed me to really open myself to His teachings and accept the reality of the story, which is one of overwhelming hope, love, forgiveness and, ultimately, humanity.  It is still incredibly powerful stuff without all the phony mythology that has been forced down our throats for centuries. 

According to Spong, If christianity is to survive the information age, it must change.  It must strip itself of all the aforementioned nonsense which post-modern people can no longer believe in (unless we switch our minds off completely and blindly following centuries of misinterpretation) to reveal its true heart.  Because as Spong says "a God that the mind cannot accept will never be accepted by the heart".  This has been my struggle ever since Christianity was forced upon me in boarding school.  I could not accept the literal interpretation of the mythology and symbolism that the church promoted and therefore I rejected christianity.  However, I never rejected Jesus.  His words, deeds and inner beauty still shone through all of the crud that surrounded him.  If only I had read this book years ago!

By the by, a funny little fact which literal interpreters will probably love to get their teeth into...the call number on the spine of the book ends in 66.....ooooooh....maybe Spong is preaching the word of Satan!  

Love to you all...Satan worshipers included!