聽神談【對「你們所認知的神」提出挑戰的勇氣】
將我在此給予你們的《新啟示》,當成一個起始點。
不是敷衍它,也不必推崇它,而是深入檢驗這些啟示,
看看其中是否有值得你們探究的真理,去判定對人類有沒有任何價值。
數千年以來,從沒有任何新的神學架構曾經慎重認真地呈現給人類。
上百個世代自今,你們的神學都沒有再擴充過。
你們已經很久沒有對你們的神提出挑戰了。
時候已經到來,讓你們懷抱更大的勇氣,
這勇氣超過任何戰爭對你們的召喚、任何困境曾對你們有過的苛求,
以及任何苦難曾有過的需求。
人類已演化到「需在信念的層面去面對自己」的時候了。
因爲信念是形成「你認為你是誰」的基礎。
你們必須向自己挑戰。
你們必須向社會挑戰。
你們必須向世界挑戰。
你們必須集體地發問:
這就是我們所能成為的嗎?這就是我們所能選擇的嗎?這是我們能夠生活的唯一方式嗎?這是我們所知道的唯一行動方式嗎?是否還有別種方式的可能?
摘自《與神對話之新啟示》第26章
You may wish, as a starting point, to consider the New Revelations I have given to you here. Neither dismiss them out of hand, nor praise them to the sky, but, rather, look into them deeply.
See if there could be any truth in them for you; determine if there could be any value in them for the human race.
You owe yourself that. That much, you owe yourself.
There has not been a serious new theological construct presented to the human race in millennia.
There has not been an expansion of your theologies in a hundred generations. You have not challenged your God in a very long time.
The time has come for you to have more courage than any war has ever called upon you for, than any hardship has ever demanded, than any suffering has ever required.
The time has come for you to confront yourself at the level of belief.
The reason this will require so much courage is that your beliefs form the basis of who you think you are.
You must challenge yourself.
You must challenge your society.
You must challenge your world.
You must collectively ask:
Is this who we are? Is this who we choose to be? Is this the only way we can live? Is this the only way we know how to behave? Is it possible that there might be another way?