After forty years of indoctrination, I ended my relationship with religious establishments and sought my own path to find my connection that already existed with my Creator. That connection was not based on rules or tradition. As I moved away from the system of religion, and put aside the "to-do" list of the Church, I began to trust my intuition and heed the inner voice I had been ignoring for years. I began to take personal responsibility for my choices and regained my power as I exercised my own free will. I stopped allowing people to walk all over me or tell me what I should believe and what I could and could not do. I researched and studied all types of religion and found both truth and myths in each one. I found that the Bible has been altered many times to serve the agendas of politicians and leaders of the early Church and Roman government. In fact, Christianity has gone through many transformations over the years and the religion people in the U.S. practice today is not at all like it was in the beginning.

True Christianity has Jesus Christ as its focal point, not rules and regulation; not dogma or doctrine. Christianity began with the gentle, non-violent teachings of Jesus Christ for whom the religion is named. Jesus' teachings were in alignment with Buddhist, Tibetan and Eastern thought that did not adhere to religious or political authority but rather supported an anti-materialist, non-political lifestyle. Jews who followed the teachings of Christ were just beginning to adapt the principles into their culture when non-Jews (Greeks and Romans) began to adopt the religion as their own. The Gospels which give account of the life of Christ were written between 30 and 70 years after the death of Jesus. Paul of Tarsus is one of the earliest founders of the Greek/Roman version of Christianity who penned parts of the New Testament. Paul's writings which espouse subjection of women and paying homage to pastors and church leaders actually oppose the early teachings of Jesus.

The compassionate and tender principles contained in the early history of true Christianity, started to fade as the Orthodox Church of Rome continued to develop a doctrine that would enable political rulers to enslave citizens and force the congregation to materially support pastors and obey them without question. Arius was a major opponent of a new doctrine which taught that humans are sinners as a result of the fall of Adam and Eve. This doctrine of "original sin" has been carried over to neoconservative, ultra right-wing religions today who teach that people are destined to hell if they do not believe a certain way or become submit to their church leaders. These pastors, bishops and elders were said to be the only ones who could forgive sin and save people from hell. They required people to do service for the church, give a tithe to support the pastors and even take up arms against the enemies of the church.

Another ruling of the emerging Christian religion declared the human body sinful and prohibited a couple to have sexual relations without permission from the Church. This is where belief in the virgin birth (that Mary the mother of Jesus conceived and gave birth without losing her virginity) was manufactured. Children who were conceived and born without the Church's permission were not eligible for Baptism or forgiveness of sins-of course unless the parents paid penance or gave money to the bishop. This is also when the belief began that Jesus is the only son of God. And, that really doesn't make sense to me. The peace-loving Jesus himself stated that we are all sons and daughters of God; equal to Him-joint heirs with full rights and responsibilities as co-creators of our lives and our circumstances. The teaching of separateness from God is strange. How can anything exist if the Creative Source is not in it?

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