We are One

The problems with Christianity stem from the philosophy of St. Augustine. He came up with the idea of "original sin." Original sin, the sin of Adam in eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, is not reality, it is a metaphor. Simply put, if we try to out-think God, we lose. From the concept of original sin, we are led naturally to the concept of salvation. The problem with salvation is one of exclusiveness. If my focus is on saving myself, I will be less motivated to saving others. This is why Christians are constantly telling other people that they must believe in the idea that Jesus saves us from original sin. To fail to do so, means either death or hellfire, or both. The Gnostic believes that the road to understanding God is a long and hard road. It may take many lifetimes, and a significant transformation for a soul to achieve union with God. It is not because we, through Adam, ate an apple. It is because we must both learn to approach God, and learn how to approach God at the same time. Once we learn that the responsibility to approach God rests with us individually, we must then learn how to do so collectively. This is inclusive as God is inclusive. No one ultimately will be left behind. We may arrive at the Kingdom of God at different times, but we will always get there. God will greet the last to arrive with the same passion as the first to arrive. Re-read the parable of the Prodigal Son with this in mind. It will tell you how you will be received by God when you get there, and you will get there. In God's world, we are all winners.