The Cult of Paul

Conclusion: Returning to The Way of Christ …
(bringing Jesus' original New Beginning to its rightful End)
For starters, it is important for the reader to understand that this treatise is not meant to be
a criticism of Paul himself. Yes, his letters clearly show him to be a man deluded by an
incredibly potent psychological elixir – namely, being born into a life of unfair privilege while
simultaneously harboring a disturbingly low level of self-esteem. This combination tempted
him to commit atrocious acts of violent injustice upon the innocent and create a life which
engendered such intense levels of internal shame and guilt that he ultimately developed a
unique theology to compensate for the same – a theology that begins in an unwashable
“original sin” and ends in a faith-activated & grace-granted spiritual redemption that was
completely unearned by the “saved” and fully unjust towards the “unworthy.” And yet despite
the patent dysfunction with which he operated and the blatant injustices his religion
perpetrated (and still perpetrates to this day), it bears noting that I have immense respect for the
sincerity of Paul's zeal and the passion with which he enlivened the same, as well as an
enormous compassion for how obviously lost he felt during his obviously tortured life …
Secondly, it is just as important to note that this tome is not meant to be a denouncement
of Christianity, the modern-day religion founded upon and sustained by the teachings Paul.
Yes, it is true that Paulinist dogma does encourage its Christian adherents to bow down to
what amounts to nothing less than a celestial dictatorship 72 (no matter how “loving” or “kind” its
tyrant might well be) and to worship Jesus himself in a manner that is nothing short of
idolatry. 73 And yet that having been said, all those who have chosen to be “humble as a
toddler” (see Matthew 18:3-4) must admit that such conservative believers might very well be
correct in their assessment of the Divine. 74
72 Though some Christians like to claim that the condemned have every opportunity to bow down to Jesus before their
bodily death – and thus in effect choose their own damnation when they don't, this argument borders on the ludicrous.
Yes, it is true that anyone staunchly adhering to The Way of Christ (e.g. the true “saints” of all the world's religions –
including Christianity) would indeed choose Hell over Heaven – if for no other reason than they, as pure adherents of
Jesus' selfless Way, would want nothing more on their deathbed than to go to Hell and do whatever they could to ease
the suffering there – no other humans (other than clinically diagnosed sadomasochists, of course) would do so. Indeed,
almost every single human being longs to reside in Heaven after he or she dies, and yet according to Paul's “gospel”
(again, see Romans 10:9-10 & 1 Corinthians 15:1-4) almost all of them will be denied that halcyon reward, and this
simply because they didn't “come to Christ” in an appropriate fashion &/or at the appropriate time. Is this
benevolence? Is this anything even faintly resembling the “perfect Love” of which Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the
Mount (see Matthew 5)? Is this punishment even remotely just? Of course not! And I would humbly offer that any
human being at all in tune with his or her conscience (the “Advocate within” a la John 14:20-26) knows this to be true.
73 Again, this is a contention vehemently affirmed by Jesus himself throughout the Gospels (see Matthew 19:17, Mark
10:18, Luke 18:19, John 5:41, John 7:16, John 8:50-54, John 12:44, & John 14:28 et al).
74 Of course, if these “evangelical fundamentalists” are indeed correct, then their choice to abide in such a doctrine and
worship such a God ironically precludes them from entering the “Kingdom of Heaven” that Jesus himself announces in
the Gospels. Simply stated, as long as one is primarily concerned about his or her own salvation in the hereafter
(instead of reaching out selflessly to Care for others come what may) and as long as one arrogantly believes that he or
she has exclusive access to God's Will &/or the “correct” interpretation of Scripture, then – even though entrance into
Paul's believed-in postmortem Paradise might indeed be granted him or her -- there will be no entrance into the
“Kingdom of Heaven” that Jesus came to offer his true followers; a state of perfect bliss that exists in every present
moment of this current lifetime (see Matthew 10:7 & Luke 17:20-21 et al); a Kingdom that can only be accessed by
those who set aside their selfish arrogance (see Matthew 18:3-4 & Matthew 23:12) in favor of humbly & courageously
walking The Way of selfless LOVE – by those who choose to make their lives about caring for and serving others
instead of themselves (see John 13:15-17, John 14:15, & John 15:12 et al); especially the downtrodden in their
communities (a la Matthew 25:35-40) &/or the enemies in their midst (a la Matthew 5:44-48 & Luke 10:29-37).
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