The Future Testament

Introduction - A Very Common Dialogue

“The Future Testament?” Is this a joke?

No, I assure you, this is not a joke.

You really expect me to believe this is the Future Testament? As in scripture? As in the Bible?

I don’t expect you to believe anything. Everything here is different. Everything. As to scripture, that’s up to you to decide.

I don’t understand a word of that.

Let’s start at the beginning. The Old Testament is not “old.” It is very much alive, and affects the lives of millions of people on the Earth today, both directly and indirectly. And the New Testament is not “new.” It is nearly 2000 years old, and much of it simply does not apply to today.

That’s blasphemy. I’ve always been taught that the Bible, all of it, is the complete, inspired, inerrant and perfect Word of God. To add one word,  change one word, or remove one word is a sin, and God will punish you with the fires of hell.

Let me ask you a question: Do you believe in slavery?

No, of course not. Slavery is wrong.

I’m glad to hear you say that. But do you even know that the Bible teaches slavery in both the Old and New Testaments? Openly, as an instrument of God. The New Testament actually admonishes:

“Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them, not to talk back to them, and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”[1]

Notice that slavery is not called an evil to be eliminated, nor an unfortunate part of society to be tolerated, but a tool that God uses in order to advance the Gospel. For the Bible, not only is slavery acceptable, but helpful in spreading the Gospel.

I’m sure you’ve taken that out of context.

I’m glad you said that.

You are?

Yes, of course. A disagreement is just fine. A question is wonderful. A doubt is beautiful. You need to check things out for yourself, and make up your own mind.

I find that so odd. I’ve been taught all my life that to doubt or question is wrong.

I’m sorry about that. People around you have mistreated you almost all of your life. In your family. In the church. In the government. Even when they are well-intended, the result has been the same: they try to get you to stop thinking for yourself, and accept whatever they tell you is true.

Yes, I can see that. Church tells me what I’m supposed to believe, rather than question for myself. I was kicked out of Sunday school for asking too many questions. Government tells me to sit back and let them fix my problems. And if I ever questioned my family’s traditions, they would disown me.

I am sorry for that, and that’s one of the things the Future Testament has come to help with: to encourage you and everyone else to think for themselves. The Bible even tells you to do this:

“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”[2]

You see, the Bible itself tells you to think, examine, and test.

So remember this: everything in this document might be wrong, or at least wrong for you!

But, I’m confused…one minute you are quoting something from the Bible as an example of where it is wrong, the next minute you are quoting something that you say is right. What’s going on here?

That’s a great question. You are paying attention! This is going to be fun.

Fun? I’m not used to thinking about religion as fun.

That’s part of what the Future Testament is here to address, my friend. We are made for joy. The Universe exists for the delight and love of all. Of course religion should be fun, just like discovering how chemistry, physics and biology work. Learning and discovery are exciting gifts of God, and should be celebrated. There’s been too much beating people over the head, forcing them to do, think and believe things they don’t want to.

So, speaking of forcing, we were talking about slavery. To repeat, is slavery good or bad?

Of course it’s bad.

I agree. Slavery is a horrible practice from when mankind was ignorant and relatively young. But do you realize that in America, literally countless sermons were preached supporting slavery on the basis of the Bible? Were you taught that those who fought against slavery did so against the Bible? Did your church ever inform you that those who fought slavery were called evil, because they were trying “add to” and “take away from” the Bible.

No, I didn’t really know that.

Well, it’s true. As always, look it up for yourself. Slavery was part of  society when the Bible was written, both the Old and New Testaments. Nowhere does the “perfect, inerrant word of God” say that slavery is bad, evil, or to be fought. To repeat, it’s just the opposite. The Old Testament people were instructed how to have slaves, and the New Testament slaves were taught to shut up and be good little slaves.

All right, there’s no reason to be crude. I don’t appreciate talk like that.

I know. It’s disgusting. My point is that the entire culture, economy and evil of slavery is supported and encouraged in the “holy” Bible, in context. Check it out for yourself.

I’ve never heard this. Not in school or church.

I know. The passages that teach slavery have been removed from the yearly liturgical reading cycles, so most good people never hear these things. And most people rarely read the Bible for themselves, so they don’t know.

This leads us back to the beginning of our chat. You said, “I’ve always been taught that the Bible, all of it, is the complete, inspired, inerrant and perfect Word of God. To add one word, change one word, or remove one word is a sin, and God will punish you with the fires of hell.” Well, that “inerrant and perfect” Bible teaches something that in the 21^st century we know is wrong and evil. Thousands of Christians gave their lives in America’s Civil War, and across the world, in direct opposition to the Bible.

So what are we supposed to do? This is all so confusing.

That’s another very good question. People do all kinds of things. Many people try to ignore the problem, saying that slavery back then was different from slavery now, that slavery wasn’t all that bad, and all kinds of other rationalizations. Many more go to the opposite extreme, saying that since the Bible supports slavery, it must be an evil (and therefore useless) book.

And what do you say?

I say we need a Future Testament.

Discounting the entire Bible because there are some errors in it is silly. Reputable news sources regularly acknowledge and correct their errors. Only a fool would say the entire news organization was worthless because of some mistakes.

So too, only a fool would say that just because there are problems in the Bible we should ignore the whole thing.

That still just makes me so nervous. “Problems in the Bible?” I’ve always been taught that was the voice of the devil.

I understand. That thinking comes from an assumption. An assumption is something that is taken for granted or accepted as true without proof. It’s a supposition. And the assumption that most of Christianity teaches is that the Bible is perfect, like it was dictated from God Himself.

But the Bible itself says that it is inspired and sent by God, doesn’t it?

Yes, there’s a passage that says,

“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”[3]

That passage was written by the same guy (Saint Paul) who said that slaves should be glad to be slaves because it helps spread the Gospel!

Just because something says it is true does not make it true.

But if the whole Bible cannot be counted on as “God-breathed,” then how can we tell the difference? How do we tell what is true from what is false? It seems like everyone will be making up their own version of the Bible, deciding their version of truth based on personal feelings.

Lots of excellent points there. We’ll take them one at a time.

First, there are already many different Bibles. There are many different translations, and while they agree for the most part, sometimes there are significant differences. The details do not matter now, and you can (and should) research them for yourself.

But much more importantly, there are many, many different interpretations of the Bible. From these different interpretations come Christianity’s hundreds of denominations. At the root of it, what separates the denominations are their interpretations of the Bible: what parts are right, what parts are wrong.

I’ve never heard of a church talk about the parts of the Bible that are wrong.

Usually it’s not said that way. How’s this instead - what parts are still right for today, and what parts are not?

OK, now that’s more familiar.

The Bible deals with the most challenging material we humans can face. The purpose of life, is there life after death, why is there suffering, how should we live, and so on. But every single word in the Bible was written down by a human being, within a particular time, at a particular place, and within a particular culture. So, some of what’s written is going to be eternally true, while other parts are culturally true. That is, they were true for those people there and then, but not necessarily true for us here and now.

That’s my point - like I said, I’ve always been told that everything in the Bible is eternally true. The “inspired, inerrant, eternal Word of God.”

Well, what do you make of slavery?

Ok, you have a point, but what else? Are there other examples?

Have you ever seen a woman in church praying?

Of course.

Did she have her head covered?

What do you mean?

Like a shawl, a scarf, a hat - did she have something on her head?

No, I can’t say I’ve ever seen that.

Well, did she have any hair?

Excuse me?

This lady praying in church with nothing on her head, did she have any hair?

Yes, of course. Are you playing games with me?

I assure you I am not. I am trying to make a point. The Bible says that a woman who prays without her head covered should have her head shaved[4].

You’re kidding.

No, it’s there in black and white. What’s more, if you read it in context, Saint Paul (the same guy who talks about slaves being quiet) says this is not a tradition, but is specifically an eternal truth.

So, here’s an example of something the Bible itself says is an eternal truth, yet today has been almost universally declared a cultural tradition.

That explains why there are churches where ladies must cover their heads.

That’s right. For those people, the passages about covering the head are a part of the eternal truth, not the cultural tradition.

That’s entirely the point. You could go through every verse in the Bible and place an “ET” (eternal truth) or “CT” (cultural tradition) by it. In fact, the various ETs and CTs are exactly what define the denominations. The more ETs, the more orthodox or conservative a group is, and the more CTs, the more reformed or liberal it is.

That’s what makes the world go around, as the saying goes.

But that’s also the problem - all these different groups with their personal interpretations. Christianity is fractured, all the groups arguing and fighting. That’s why I’ve always been taught that the only way for us to find peace is for everyone to accept everything as the Word of God, as literal truth. To use your terms, every verse should have an ET by it.

Very well stated. But first, those who say they accept the “whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible,” no matter how ultra–orthodox, are lying to themselves.

Excuse me?

There is not one person on the Earth, not a single person, who accepts every single verse of the Bible as true, and lives by it.

Oh really?

Yes, really. Most of the time they cannot even see this themselves. They will teach and preach that the Bible is perfect in every word, and that every word must be followed; they will express disdain, even hatred, for those who do not believe as they do. Yet those people always ignore parts of the Bible.

Like what?

Like loving your enemies and praying for those who persecute you. Like not borrowing anything and owing nothing to anyone, and so on. There are literally thousands of church buildings housing Biblical literalist groups, with hundreds of thousands of dollars on the mortgage. Yet Saint Paul clearly says that we must “owe nothing to anyone except the debt of love.”[5] This is just one example of how people do not see that they themselves are guilty of the very thing they condemn others for. I could give many other examples.

The central point is this: Those who say we should accept the entire Bible, every word of it, don’t. No one does. Not one single person, anywhere.

So, either by teaching or practice, everyone has some cultural traditions invisibly indicated in their Bible’s liner notes.

That’s why they say the church is full of hypocrites.

I do not see it that way. Most of the time people are just not aware of what they are doing, or everything the Bible says, or both.

You see, most people do not even work as hard on their religion as we have worked here in this little chat. By “work on religion” I mean to think, use logic, search their hearts, consider, get all the facts, make decisions. Almost everyone on the Earth has exactly the same religion. There are about a billion Christians, about a billion Muslims, about a billion Hindus and so on, but the overwhelming majority of people (estimates world-wide are as high as 95%) have exactly the same religion. Care to take a guess what that religion is?

Deism? Humanism? I have no idea.

The answer is: whatever Mommy and Daddy tell me is true. Christians give birth to Christians. Muslims give birth to Muslims. Hindus give birth to Hindus, on and on, through all the sections of the symphony that is the human race.

So, you see, most people are not so much hypocrites as they are unaware. Their religion is something that was given to them, inherited through birth, just like their language, the country they live in, or hair color. There are many reasons for this. For the most part, children are born to parents who inherited their religion from their parents. So, questioning that religion is tantamount to doubting one’s entire social support system. This can be a risky thing. Thus is born blind acceptance, obedience, and from it, prejudice: people may not have examined their own inherited religion much (if at all), but they “know” theirs is true, and everyone else’s is wrong.

And that’s what we call “religion” for most of the planet in the 21^st century. Another reason for the Future Testament is to call people to examine their own religions.

It is time to get serious about the planet, the totality of humanity, and therefore our individual religions.

Again, most people are simply unaware of the details of the texts they consider holy and perfect. Likewise, most people are unaware of the ways their own lives are out of touch with said text. It’s not so much hypocrisy as ignorance.

OK, I can see that, but it really doesn’t help. I mean, if the Bible is not completely perfect and cannot be trusted, how can we tell the parts that are true from false? How can we separate the eternal truths from the cultural traditions?

Once again, most people never ask, let alone answer this question. The fact that you are reading this makes you a special person. Almost everyone accepts their eternal truths and cultural traditions by default, as a part of the religion they inherit from their parents.

All right, I can see that. But that doesn’t answer the question. Assuming that I want to separate the ETs from the CTs (I can’t believe I’m talking like this!) what do I do?

Welcome to the Future Testament.

I don’t understand. Could you help a bit?

The challenge of a genuine, aware, religious life, is to distinguish eternal truth from cultural tradition within scriptures and denominations. Then, with the eternal truths firmly identified, determine the best way to express those timeless realities today, here and now, within this time, place, language, and culture, to create a new tradition.

The Future Testament is here to help do that. Just like Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament but to fulfill it, (to re-establish its eternal truths in the different world of his day) the Future Testament has not come to abolish the New Testament but to fulfill it.[6]

Part of the Future Testament examines the Old and New Testaments in the light of the 21^st century. Inside the castle of faith, things are not very much different from where they were in the Dark Ages. Meanwhile, outside the castle we are splitting atoms, performing laser eye surgery, doing genetic DNA manipulation, and categorizing dark holes in the center of billions of galaxies. Certainly, we are way overdue for a serious reexamination of the eternal truths and cultural traditions of scripture.

This process need not be painful, though it is challenging. Consider all the blood that was shed over changing slavery from an eternal truth to a cultural tradition. Ideas do not change quickly, especially those that are the least examined. In other words, the more a religious idea is a part of one’s subconscious inheritance, the harder it is to examine objectively, and thus change. In point of fact, it was easier for humanity to split the atom than it was to say the Bible was wrong about slavery.

Why the “Future” Testament?

We do not delude ourselves that the Future Testament will be widely accepted at this point in time. Hatred flows deep, prejudice runs wide, and religious ignorance and bigotry have advanced little from the Crusades and witch burnings of centuries gone by. So, the “Future” part of the Future Testament is a note of hope that the view of eternal truths embodied in this scripture will be accepted ever more widely as time goes forth.

“Scripture” has always meant the Word of God. So you are saying this is now the Word of God?

Maybe, maybe not.

You’re not helping.

I’m trying to. Whether the Future Testament,  written at the dawn of the 21^st century A.D., is scripture or not is up to you.

You see, everything is different. Everything. The Old Testament was written on sheepskin. The New Testament was written on papyrus. The Future Testament was written with a word processing program on a personal computer running on electricity.

The Old and New Testaments have literally been forced down peoples throats, demanding they be accepted on pain of death. The Future Testament states, very clearly and up front, that truth or falsehood can be determined by you, the individual reader, and you alone. Physically forcing someone to do anything is a part of humanity’s animalistic past. True love, the end goal of humanity’s pathway, requires each person to be endowed with complete freedom. That includes making up your own mind about religion, and in particular the Old, New and Future Testaments.

Yes, the Future Testament presents ideas; many of them. It also offers a  significant reevaluation of ETs and CTs, in the light of a post–nuclear world.

But much more than that, it provides a new method, a new way of approaching religion, and thus your very soul.

In days of old, people were (and are) forced to accept things as true that could not be explained or justified, but nevertheless must be accepted. The Future Testament is different. Instead of demanding blind allegiance to creeds that cannot be explained, let alone justified, the Future Testament invites you to escape your cultural prejudices and think for yourself.

Is the Future Testament “scripture?” That’s for you to decide.

You are born on the Earth, and Yahweh says (though this message is often drowned out by the noise of society) “You are free. Free to go where you will, seek and find what you will.”[7] Of course there are dangers[8], but our free will is not an illusion. It is a Divine Gift.

So, in the ways of old, when people were (are) forced into any belief system, that in and of itself violates Yahweh’s Heart. You are free. Really, truly, infinitely free, more free than you can presently imagine. That freedom extends to the Future Testament: you are free to seek it, free to ignore it, and free to find Yahweh’s Word here. The Future Testament honors your mind, your heart, and all the gifts of God that are yours not by cultural, but Divine birthright.

So, what, is this channeling God?

No, absolutely not.

Everything here is different. Everything. The Future Testament was written by people, just people. (So were the Old and New Testaments, but your culture does not want you to know that.) We have parents, our own history, and are very much human. We are even prone to misunderstanding, and will admit that up front.

There is no “Thus says the Lord” here. You are free to find the eternal Word of God here, or not. How you respond to the Future Testament is your choice.

The Future Testament is no “channeling” of God. That’s a cute idea, but it just does not work that way. Throughout time, people seek for and  reach out to God. God answers the questions the best way the seeker can understand. But the Infinite is always, at best, filtered through our finite understanding, or lack of it.

Don’t be shocked that there are new ideas here. You do not have to accept any of them, you do not have to be afraid. No one can now, nor will ever be, forced to accept anything here as true.

But there are new ideas here. As such, the Future Testament is a part of a long tradition of religious wisdom. Different parts of the Old Testament correct other parts of the Old Testament[9]. Jesus corrects parts of the Old Testament[10]. Different writers in the New Testament disagree with each other[11]. That’s ok, too. The Future Testament tries to add its voice to that dialogue.

Sorry, but that still reeks of blasphemy to me.

Just what part?

I don’t know exactly. Just the idea of scripture, being written by a person, correcting the Bible, I mean, who are you? Who appointed you to do this?

We are just people. No one appointed us to do this. We have sought for God with all our hearts and minds, for decades. We have pondered the deepest questions, and sought how we should practically live. The results, our answers, we have written for all the world to see.

Some have found our observations to be blasphemy. That is entirely understandable. Others have found, well, it’s hard to put into words. Let’s put it like this: they have found perspectives and ideas that have answered questions they have wondered about their entire lives, with more clarity than they have found anywhere else.

It is for those people that we write. That is the “testament” part of the Future Testament. As citizens of the 21^st century, this is our testament to the truths of the Universe as we understand them.

The “future” part of the Future Testament is a prayer of hope, that the ideas here might grow, organically, voluntarily, and without violence, to be an ever-greater part of human consciousness.

Ideas like what? Can you summarize?

The Future Testament can be summarized in five little words:

Our ideas are too small.

What ideas?

ALL our ideas, my friend. Our ideas about the size of the Universe, until just a few years ago, were like comparing a pea to a mountain. Our ideas about the complexity of matter, likewise, were (are) nowhere near the full truth. So too our ideas about God are way too small. Likewise, our ideas about ourselves, life after death, Jesus, the Gospel, salvation, and scripture (just to name a few) are all too small. The truth, the real truth, (as much as we are able to understand at the beginning of the 21^st century) is vast, glorious, and mind-bogglingly transcendent, literally beyond our wildest comprehension.

Most of our current popular religions, compared to the vision of the Future Testament, are like counting on your fingers compared to the fastest super computer.

That’s a pretty bold statement. So you think you know all this? Why should we trust you?

Thank you, I love you, and I love that question! The answer is, you should not, MUST NOT, trust us. Everything here is different. Everything. In days of old, you were forced to accept what you were told, just because the person had authority or power. The Future Testament is entirely different. You are not expected to accept or believe any of it. In fact, this document demands that you do NOT accept or believe any of it without testing it for yourself.

Do not trust us. Do not mindlessly believe a single word of the Future Testament. Accept nothing here. Read it, consider it, examine it. Accepting something, anything, someone else tells you just because you think they have some form of authority, is one of the worst things you can do for your soul. The only thing worse is never looking or asking at all.

But here is an admonition: if you are looking through the Future Testament just to see if it matches what you already think is true, we suggest you not waste your time. Assume (it’s a good bet) that very little here will match your current views. So let’s just say this is blasphemy and pointless delusion, okay?

So let’s see if I understand your position.

Please.

The Bible is not a mathematically perfect book. We need to separate the eternal truths from cultural traditions, like slavery. The Future Testament is one such reexamination, though it is not a “channeling” or any other “New Age” mumbo-jumbo. As Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament, the Future Testament has come to fulfill the New Testament. And the Future Testament itself demands that we not accept or believe any of this?

That’s exactly right! You have it!

So you are going to tell us what we really should believe?

No, absolutely not.

Let me rephrase that. You are going to give us newer, better beliefs?

No, absolutely not. The Future Testament is not a different system of beliefs. Everything is different here. Everything.

The Future Testament offers religion beyond beliefs.

You’re kidding.

Again, I assure you I am not. In the 21^st century we are ready to move into the next stage of religious thought, and that means going beyond arguing about different beliefs, until we enter the realm of knowledge.

That will take quite some explanation.

I realize that. That’s what we’re here for.

The Future Testament is not just a collection of new ideas. New ideas are indeed a part, but a much more essential aspect of the Future Testament is that it provides you with a brand new way of approaching religion.

 

Remember, everything here is different. Everything:

The ways of old demand unquestioning

acceptance of antiquated ideas.

The Future Testament demands that you question

everything, including itself.

The ways of old stop at mindless belief,

except for threats of punishment for non-conformity.

The Future Testament presents an

entirely different way of approaching religion:

Religion beyond belief.

This new approach is as radical and revolutionary

as any specific idea presented.

We hope you will join us.