The Christian message of love has been misinterpreted. Today, it is
defined as Christian charity, according to which the poor people of
the world must be sustained at all costs. For example, I found this
interpretation on the net: "Christian love is giving to others those
things that you would want them to give you if you were in their
situation - and it's doing so even if they can't pay you back."
Obviously, then, it revolves around money and material assets. The
message has developed into an ideology centering on materialism and
global welfare, thus turning the spiritual content of the message into
its very opposite.
But what does Christian love really mean? Around the first century a
modern way of sustaining the ego and psychological wholeness began to
surface, that is, the new psychic economy of the individual. A new
source for psychic energy (libido), symbolized by the Christ, appeared
in the earthly realm. In that era, the ancient economy of
'scapegoatism' was challenged by a modern relation, termed 'agape',
defined as the self-sacrificing love of God for humanity. Prior to
this, in pre-Christian cultures, scapegoating was the ruling
principle. It was institutionalized in different forms, often
involving sacrifice, when "sin" was transferred to the sacrificial
victim. Sin is what causes devitalization, loss of ego wholeness and
health. It was regarded as wholesome to wash away this malignant
metaphysical substance, and it had an immediate therapeutical effect.
Among the Maya, an old woman was selected. People whispered their sins
to stones, whereupon they threw the stones on the woman until she
died. Still today, the principle of 'sin transference' is what
underlies mobbing and many forms of victimization.
Following the Christian paradigm shift, the sins of humanity are
carried by the Christ ("Jesus gave his life for our sins" - Galatians
1:4)). A modern psychic economy took over that draws on a different
energy source ("I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me" - Philippians 4:13)). It is the inner life-flame, the spiritual
principle of love, which Paul identifies with the Christ ("Christ
liveth in me" - Galatians 2). However, the archaic psychic economy of
maintaining "ego wholeness" still persists in the modern world. It
obtains in morally inferior individuals, immature individuals, and in
ethnic groups that lack a Christian phase in their history,
corresponding to the European Middle Ages. Mass-immigration of ethnic
groups belonging to the 'phallic-narcissistic' cultural sphere,
together with the ongoing secularization process, contribute to the
resurgence of pre-Christian scapegoatism. A phallic-narcissistic
economy implies that the ego territory must ever be expanded, its
borders always defended, and personal shortcomings must be blamed on
others, by way of transfer of sin.
The Christian message of love refers to a psychic capacity of living
in sympathy with the surrounding, drawing on an inner spiritual flame,
a sense of wholeness that goes beyond the ego. Therefore, today's
naive and vulgar notion of Christian love as "helping the poor" fails
its purpose, as it merely contributes to materialism and welfarism.
Helping the poor people of the world is worthwhile when it originates
in the heart, but if it derives from an abstract moral principle, then
it will in the end have destructive and evil consequences. Has good
living circumstances ever helped people to find God? No, it's the
other way round, and that's why poverty and a frugal lifestyle has
always been an ideal in Christianity.
When modern Christians forget about the real meaning of Christian
love, the spiritual flame in the soul of the individual will
eventually die down, resulting in a regress. Christian love was
originally defined as the love of God, a spiritual awareness that
keeps the inner flame burning. Thus, an energy source is maintained
which makes the individual wholly independent of the narcissistic
strategy of ego wholeness and scapegoatism. This, in itself, has a
salutary effect on the surrounding, while the individual has lost the
impetus of egotism, and instead radiates 'grace', albeit wholly
unconsciously. This is the proper Christian way of "doing good" - to
avoid being destructive, and unknowingly to radiate grace. It must not
be replaced with the simplistic and vulgar notion of giving material
assets to people in need, thus transforming a living spirit into a
dead automatic principle of welfarism. If material charity is not
rooted in the heart, then it is false and hypocritical. In such case
there is no essential difference between the Christian person and the
Socialist or Communist politician.
A central tenet in esoteric Christianity is that the mystic does good
inadvertently and unconsciously by following the path of
contemplation. Divine sanction emits from him where he walks. I
believe it is true. Introspective Christians do much more good than
the "Communist" welfare workers. The worldly allure is today stronger
than ever. In the middle of this widespread profaneness the "welfare
Christians" appear and, as if it wasn't enough, they add yet another
worldly allure, namely to devote your life to the increase of material
welfare among the needy. This modern innovation is the worst of all
because it is harder to see through than a lifestyle of opulence. It
is a clever trick of the devil.
It is true that the personality that has transcended the stage of
ego-wholeness, pertaining to the narcissistic economy, has no longer
any need to control his/her environment in defense of the frail ego.
Central to this notion is that Christ resides within us. This
generates a completely different psychological dynamic, and the
transfer of sin to the environment is closed out. The following lines
are fetched from my essay
http://home7.swipnet.se/~w-73784/terror.htm :
"One can discuss this phenomenon drawing on the following dream,
recounted by a smallholder's wife who lived a strenuous life. In the
dream, she was on her way to her usual burdensome work in the field
when she suddenly became aware that Jesus walked by her side in
ankle-length garment. She was not able to turn her head and look at
Him, but Jesus worked with her all day in the field, and she felt
quite happy and at peace. The woman recounted that this dream had
helped her many times during all days of hard toil under the hot sun
(Cf. Hillerdal, 1983, p. 74).
The strenuous life of this small farmer was taking its toll and she
began having feelings of discontent. This is the sin that is poisoning
the wholeness of her life, and gradually causes psychological death
("The sting of death is sin"). Had it been a typical modern marriage
she would have transferred this quota of sin to her spouse, ultimately
leading to the "expulsion" of her husband. Of course, if her training,
or her cultural context, had sustained some form of institutionalised
scapegoating principle, she could have transferred sin to 'the Jews,'
or 'the Patriarchate,' or whatever. But here appears a different
unconscious motif, which cancels out the traditional 'transfer of sin'
motif. Jesus appears and takes the yoke upon himself..."
Mats Winther