Mystical Christianity: lesson 1 (assignment)

Mystical Christianity: lesson 1 1.    Having come from a conservative, more literalist view of the Bible growing up, I have come to view the Bible as profound allegory containing powerful archetypes and deep mystical truths. This understanding came about through study of mysticism/esotericism and has enabled me to mediate between the fundamentalist (i.e. the Bible is 100% literal, historical truth) and rationalist/positivist (i.e. the Bible is, for the most part, unenlightened superstition and fairy tales) views. For me, many of the Biblical stories are "true" without being "factual". 2.    I think the myth of resurrection (Christ being the prime example, but also many other resurrection mythologies in other religions/cultures) is a very important one for me. It reminds me of perennity of life (rebirth of Nature every spring after the "death" of winter) and the promise of reincarnation and eternal progress. 3.    The first chapters of the Book of Genesis still fill me with awe, even though my understanding and interpretation of the words have changed. From my mystical perspective, the words "let there be light" take on a much more profound meaning than they would in any literalist interpretation. 4.    As a child, I felt great animosity towards Adam and Eve for having disobeyed such simple instructions – instructions which would have repercussions for all humanity to come. For me, the esoteric interpretation is liberating: instead of being punished for our quest for knowledge, we are actually taking a necessary step toward maturity. Yet many people persist in clinging to the literalist idea that we would be better off had we not "sinned" – as they say, "ignorance is bliss". J.P. Amis