Traditional/Conservative Christianity has always persecuted, despised, even murdered its Iconoclasts. The Iconoclasts challenge is not squared at a wrong orthodoxy but more the reasons that this same orthodoxy is embraced, they hold to it because it makes them right and, therefore, others wrong. Any belief system that only requires mental assent alone will always appeal to the ego or false-self it will embrace those things that do not demand change- the Pharisees made this into an “art-from”. It’s possible to say the right things and hold to the right beliefs but for the wrong reasons.Reasons are never considered in the equation, because reasons are never considered important why? because truth has been co-modified. One need look no further than Jesus who challenged the religion of the day and they responded by murdering him. All religions have Iconoclasts and more often than not it is found within the mystical traditions.
The Islamic religion has Sufism, Judaism has Hasidism and the Kabbala, Hinduism has Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism has Zen. The one thing they all have in common is they did away with layers upon layers of deadening concepts and or absolutes and mental belief structures. The basis from which they respond is that belief systems have serious limitations they almost always appeal to the ego-because it is something that the ego can do without having to change or be different.
In one voice they declare Information does not lead to transformation. Jesus was not the first Iconoclast but by far the most effective. There are those who claim to “love Jesus ” if he lived today he might not be crucified but would most certainly be murdered, Why? he might challenge ALL we hold “true, absolute and untouchable” and may very much challenge all our ”sacred belief systems”. If your life is not founded on something much grander much more spacious than “systems of beliefs” you will defend it as if your very life depends on it.
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