Christian Mysticism Essay

The word “Christian” in Colorado Christian University is more than just a belief shared amongst the Faculty and Student Body. It is the foundation on which all aspects of the educational experience are built. Beginning with a strong Statement of Faith, which aligns with core beliefs of the National Association of Evangelicals, the University proclaims its belief “in the Bible as being the only authoritative Word of God, that God exists in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as belief in the salvation and resurrection that is only found in Christ Jesus” (Statement of Faith at Colorado Christian University, n.d.).

Prior to understanding and describing religious experiences, it’s important to define the terms and typology of religious experiences. A point of contention for theologians is whether or not mystical or out-of-body experiences are religious in nature. To understand what the role religion plays in these experiences, for this context, you must define and understand what religion is and the major components that make it up. James states that religion “cannot stand for any single principle or essence, but is rather a collective name” (35). If you were to ask someone about the essence of an object or a concept, different people would provide various components or parts of it. You would end up of with a list ranging from objective and subjective responses, but it would provide a better understanding of it because, like religion, no one thing or person can be summed up in a sentence or a word.

Spirituality is about seeking a meaningful connection with something bigger than you, which can result in positive emotions. Such emotions can be peace, awe, contentment, gratitude, and acceptance. Emotional health is about cultivating a positive state of mind. This can broaden your outlook to recognize and incorporate a connection to something larger than you. Basically, do not get stuck on negative emotions. It can be difficult to cultivate positive emotions, such as gratitude and compassion. Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. It includes a sense of connection to something

With the mystical unions in both Christianity and Judaism, there are many similarities. One of these similarities is the celebration of a wedding. In the Christian tradition, the wedding is between Christ and his people. When a person gets ready to take communion, they wear their Sunday best and they have prepared themselves to receive the Lord and be united with Him. In the Jewish tradition, the wedding that is being celebrated is that of the Shekinah and the Tiferet. This union brings the cosmos and the Sefirot in balance, which causes a rejoicing because God becomes one. This is done by the lower worlds are reunited with the upper worlds, which allows God graces to shine down. This wedding also returns the Jews to their homeland and return the Shekinah from exile (Sherwin). The wedding is a big aspect in both Christianity and Judaism.

The purpose of this project is to demonstrate how the Sacramental Life or Incarnational Tradition help me focus on my life as a harmonious unit and to illustrate how my life is impacted by my view of worship. In addition, I will give a theological analysis on how focusing on life as a harmonious unit is essential to the myself, the individuals I administer spiritual counseling to and my ministry constituents.

Jewish mysticism is set in the perspective or attitude of reality, seen as a way to enrich Jewish life. Like other theologies, mysticism contains explanations to the creation of the world, descriptions of what God is and what He embodies, and the purpose of life and what must be done to achieve our purpose. Due to the complexity and devotion required to become a mystic, it is not seen as a practice that can be conducted outside or in attribution to Judaism, but a continuation. To be a mystic, one must not limit themselves to seeing, doing or knowing what God does, but they must be a manifestation of God himself. Breaking down the theology, Jewish mysticism goes further than the traditional belief that God is everywhere, but that everywhere is the manifestation of the Divine himself. Within this mindset, mystics see the power of the Creator residing in each and everything that He has created.Mystics tend to find some thing within

As for Buddhism the mysticism is based on Buddha’s achievement of nirvana. Which all Buddhist try to follow in his footsteps. The greatness of his eternal peace and understanding of the mystic is one that most practicing Buddhist wish to attain.

     Christianity is one of the major religions of mankind. It has been the dominant religion in Europe and America, Christianity has also spread throughout the world and has a greater number of adherents then any other religion.

“The Varieties of Religious Experience” by William James is the first record of the use of the term religious experience/ mysticism. In his book he defined religious experience in four parts: they cannot be accurately described (ineffable), you cannot will them to occur (passive), they only occur for a short period of time (transitive) and they convey insights into deep truths (noetic). We could say that, religious experiences are unexpected experiences with a “ divine” (the Christian God, the Islamic god (Allah), Judaism god etc.) that are caused by the divine. They can be in the form of seeing or hearing experiences, which are not brought about by the ordinary human senses.

The Jewish mysticism is the aspect that can be understand depending on who and what one believes. Mysticism is a spiritual and experiential trying to see God in the world. To some, it is a form of evil that brings catastrophes to the lives of others. Some believe it is a distortion of what the Bible and God provide for the believers. It is perceived as a form of witchcraft whose practices are the opposite of what is godly. Jewish mysticism also known as Kabbalah is making a comeback in the current society with some communities still practicing.

What is Christian Science? Who is Mary Baker Eddy? Where does Christian Science come from? Is Christian Science like Scientology? What are Christian Science beliefs? Why are we here and where do we go when we die? These question may be raised when you hear Christian Science. Christian Science is unique in its own way, it may not seem all that amazing like other religions but Christian Science is truly amazing over all. Some people refer to Christian Science as non-Christian or an a cult, but that’s not true. Christian Science is a religion that formed more slowly than other religions but is still a good religion.

Engaging in spiritual practices is part of our Christian story, practices are “those cooperative human activities through which we, as individuals and as communities, grow and develop in moral character and substance.”[footnoteRef:1] Through these various practices, we grow in our faith and understanding of God in the world, in community and our lives. At the crossroads of our Christian practices, we see that "God is the agency who makes the story and who is revealed through the story…God is revealed to its hearers as a present reality in the contemporary telling and hearing.”[footnoteRef:2] Over the course of several weeks, a group of three met on a weekly basis to discern how God was speaking into our lives through

I believe that yes, a person’s religious views should effect the way they treat others. In Christianity, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ, whom never sinned. He is still the Holiest person below God, but as God. Jesus knew that his purpose on earth was to do the will of his father and in doing so he was humble and compassionate to those that he healed, and at the same time he was also to the point and direct when he needed to be. He knew everything about everyone then just as he does now.

the power of God. The term mysticism can be defined as the consciousness of the

Within the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Sacred Mystery of Marriage recognises, under the church, the union of the couple; however God's union of the couple has been in progress throughout the relationship. The married couple's unity represents the unity between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the joy, sadness and suffering that the couple experiences throughout their marriage emulates Jesus' own life, death and resurrection.