Who am I? I am a loved spirit currently having a human experience

Who am I? I am a loved spirit currently having a human experience

What an extraordinary concept this is! What unbelievable alterations in perception this comprehension brings!

I am not a body that has a spirit/soul!

I am already an eternal spirit lovingly created from the love of a loving God – and I am currently having a human experience!

When I began to look at the world through the eyes, not of a human, but of a loved spirit, I experience the beginning of becoming a changed person. It is experiential, not rational. It is the reality that I experienced in AA, that gave me hope, that freed me to become sober. It is the awesome power of acceptance. At my first AA meeting I absolutely knew I belonged. And I knew I knew. That simple change of perception was unbelievably exhilarating! I saw myself through the eyes of an accepted man and it changed my life. The self-loathing and ever-present feelings of being less-than, which had dominated my life, immediately disappeared while I was in those smoke-filled rooms or damp church basements. Slowly, those feelings of self-loathing also began to dissipate outside of those rooms.

Understanding that you are an eternal spirit already loved by God is the experiential knowledge of the reality of the Now – the reality of the Kingdom of God or Heaven that most of Jesus' parables were about. This Kingdom is here and now and inside of us. It is all around us, if we will but open our eyes, ears and hearts and see, hear, and understand.

In short, we are already in this Kingdom. We already are lovingly created from the love of a loving God. We are already blessed as God's sons and daughters. Since love is all there is, "sin" in the sight of the Holy Spirit is a mistake to be corrected, rather than an evil to be punished.

What more can we possibly want? So….. what’s the problem?

The problem's rather simple, actually: We just do not believe we are in this Kingdom. In fact, many of us truly believe this Kingdom doesn't really exist – or, if it does, it exists in the future after we're dead. We believe the world we perceive is all there is. We believe this world we perceive is the "real deal." In fact, the world we perceive doesn't really exist. The world you perceive will not jibe with the world I perceive. So, whose world is the real world?

We have a difficult time truly acknowledging the power of love.  We do not feel at peace – we feel threatened, angry, fearful, on-edge, wary. We believe in the duality of our perceived world: good/evil, right/wrong, light/darkness, God/Devil, birth/death, strong/weak, beginning/ending, love/fear, peace/anger, win/lose, plenty/scarcity, oneness/separation.

How do we envision a God of love in a universe we perceive seems to be filled with fear and hate? Our concepts of God are formed by and restricted by our own human experiences – including those experiences of biblical characters who were as human and fragile as you and I.

And the kicker is – All this rings very true, IF you perceive yourself as a distinct human being with a spirit/soul.

However, if you are actually an eternal, loved spirit currently having a human experience, then our adventures here are opportunities for learning and loving. We are already loved and accepted by God just as we are – a pure, innocent, holy spirit. There is no "sin," only mistakes we, as humans, can make. There is no shame, blame, or damnation because there is no judgment from God. We are His creation, He pronounced it "Good," and He doesn't make junk.

As Paul said, "Nothing can separate us from the Love of God." Nothing means nothing! Nothing means I cannot "sin" enough to separate me from His love. Nothing means Adam & Eve can't "sin" enough to separate me from the Love of God. Nothing means the theological concept of Original Sin cannot separate me from His love.

The Introduction to A Course in Miracles (ACIM) ends with the following wonderful statement:

Nothing real can be threatened.

Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God.

So, what is the "real" that cannot be threatened??

Love! That's what's real – and that's from God and that's etermal. [Personally, I think we've overworked the word "love," so I like "acceptance" better.]

If the world I perceive is not really real, then all I need to do is begin understanding that and begin asking the Holy Spirit for a new way of perceiving the world. Just like what happened to me in AA almost 25 years ago.

My perceptions are still changing, still maturing.

Welcome to the journey.

Thanks for listening.

Don

November 7, 2011

Book reveals what the Bible is – and is not!

"Now is the time for our light to shine in a manner that is clear, correct, and balanced."
Don O'Dell

"I teach Bible courses at Unity Institute. I have placed your book…on the recommended reading list for all students of these courses."
Rev. EJ Niles, Unity Village, MO.

"How The Bible Became The Bible potentially forms a bridge of understanding between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It can break down barriers that need not exist and shed light on the source texts that bring peace, understanding, enlightenment, and freedom."
Dr. James J. DeFrancisco, PhD, Miltha Ministries (a ministry of Aramaic Studies), Mishawaka, IN

"Mr. O'Dell has done insightful research to explain simply the pure intent of this greatly misunderstood book and how it came to be….I highly endorse and recommend [his] exciting new work."
Dr. Tom Costa, Minister Emeritus and founder, Palm Desert, CA Church of Religious Science and author, Life: You Wanna Make Something of It?

"Donald O'Dell has woven an interesting tapestry of research, scholarship, and personal experience into this examination of the authenticity of biblical entries. While the references O'Dell uses are reliable and thorough, the beauty of this book is its readability.... This examination is really an open-minded exploration of whether morality is inextricably tied to biblical tenets that came directly from the the font of God."
New Age Retailer magazine, Gift 2007 Issue


Now, you may be wondering, “Why would I want to read a book about the Bible?” The book will help you think through the question: What do I believe about the Bible? In fact readers have commented that between Hezbollah, Islamic terrorists, conservative nationalistic Israelis, and fundamentalist Christians – all using their scriptures to proclaim themselves to be right – to understand what the Bible is – and isn't! – is a very relevant issue right now. Additionally, in light of the Discovery Channel's recent TV special on the Tomb of Jesus, the book's treatment (pp 141-143) of the empty grave is quite eye-opening.

If you think that God spiritually faxed the Bible to mankind and that’s what you’re reading when you pick up any of the many “versions” available around the world, you won’t like this book written by Donald L. O’Dell. HOW THE BIBLE BECAME THE BIBLE is a thoughtful, well-documented work written to invite the reader to discover the real story of how the books of the Bible were selected, who the realauthors were, and what their messages communicated. The reader will understand what the Bible is and – more importantly – what it isn’t.

O’Dell received his Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ after graduating high honors (history and psychology) from North Texas State University (now UNT) in Denton, TX.  After serving as a Presbyterian minister for some time he joined the business world for the remainder of his career. He is now semi-retired and lives in Florida.

The underlying message of the book is a call for honest spirituality rather than guilt-based religiosity based on Israel’s tribal concepts of purification and sacrifice. In short, that’s what the book is really all about – telling the story of how the religious and the spiritual have been at odds throughout the history of Bible-times, as well as in the selection of materials to include and exclude in the Bible. As O’Dell puts it, “The more people become aware of this story the more it will help offer an alternative to the growing religious polarization we currently see in our society.”

Like most powerful tools, the Bible can be used or misused. The Bible is a guide, not an instruction manual. It records men and women that struggled to put their very spiritual experiences into words and images that made sense to them in their times and places. “We need to understand that. It will help enable us to put our spiritual experiences in words that make sense to us in our time and place,” O’Dell states.

According to author O’Dell, “On matters of belief, we are seeing more books, radio or TV talk shows, letters to newspapers or magazine articles that seem to be saying, regardless of the topic, ‘I’m right!’ or ‘It’s my way or the highway!’ Every issue is a very big deal. Every issue is cast in terms of black or white, right or wrong, good or bad. The Bible is either wholly accurate in every way or it isn’t. There seems to be no middle. That’s an indication people are misreading the Bible.

HOW THE BIBLE BECAME THE BIBLE is a thoroughly researched book with impressive reviews.  Whether you are interested in discovering the truth behind the Bible or its meaning for you personally, this is one book you shouldn’t miss.

For more information on the book or the author, Donald O’Dell, contact Infinity Publishing: 1-877-BUY-BOOK (289-2665) or www.buybooksontheweb.com



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Review: New Age Retailer

Published (Edited) Review: New Age Retailer, Gift 2007 Issue, 08/2007

How the Bible Became the Bible: 

The Politics, Power Struggles, 

and Beliefs That Shaped the

Contents of the Bible

Donald L. O’Dell

$19.95 QP, 9780741429933, 

305 pages, 5.5" x 8.25", Infinity Publishing, 

877/289-2665, www.buybooksontheweb.com,

or the author's website: www.DonODell.com.

"Donald O’Dell has woven an interesting tapestry of research, scholarship, and personal experience into this examination of the authenticity of biblical entries. While the references O’Dell uses are reliable and thorough, the beauty of this book is its readability. Many exploratory books that lean heavily on academic biblical research can be so dense it takes a person wholly devoted to the subject—or making their salary from it—to decipher the author’s writing style.

Divided into two parts, one for the Old and one for the New Testament, there are cumulatively 12 chapters, two pages of bibliography, and three pages each of index and footnotes. O’Dell provides a historical context for the chapters and verses along with some strong doses of common sense about what social and political factors may have contributed to the characters, personalities, and their role in recording these powerfully consequential stories that have shaped Western, if not world, history.

This examination is really an open-minded exploration of whether morality is inextricably tied to biblical tenets that came directly from the font of God. As we gradually learn, issues of morality were well illuminated for many hundreds of years before such principles landed in either Testament. What we do come to understand is that many of the exquisitely complex moral questions of the right and wrong of human action have been seductively intertwined into the Bible so as to create a seemingly authoritative, absolute, and final comment on what ought to and should be."

Thomas Peter von Bahr, Pacific NorthWest Group, 

Lopez Island, Wash.

Text of the Complete Review

Donald O’Dell has woven an interesting tapestry of research, scholarship, and personal experience into this examination of the authenticity of biblical entries. While there are people that have developed beliefs that every word is the literal utterance of God (or Jesus as God), no one who understands centuries of transcription of text under conditions not often very favorable to the scribes will object to the common sense employed by the author in putting together this work.

While the references O’Dell uses are reliable and thorough, the beauty of this book is its readability. Many exploratory books that lean heavily on academic biblical research can be so dense it takes a person wholly devoted to the subject—or making their salary from it—to decipher the author’s writing style. This is almost akin to a book within a book. "How the Bible became the Bible" is more a handbook and a guide than an attempt at adding to the compendium of collected biblical scholarship. And a glance at the Table of Contents makes this very clear, indeed. Divided into two parts, one for the Old and one for the New Testament, there are cumulatively 12 chapters, two pages of bibliography, and three pages each of index and footnotes. What O'Dell is trying to do is to provide an historical context for the chapters and verses along with some strong doses of common sense about what social and political factors may have contributed to the characters, personalities, and their role in recording these powerfully consequential stories that have shaped Western, if not World history.

This highly readable book takes a conversational tone when, for instance, in Chapter 6 (The Time of Jesus), the author gently transitions us from the Old to the New Testament. The tenor focuses on the impact of Roman rule and the reactions to it and in the populace. Instead of dogmatic repetition of the chapter and verse based solely on moral directives from "above," we have "…the Romans did bring law and order…to Judea and Palestine…and roads were safer." This provides a context for understanding the times and conditions into which Jesus Christ was born and lived (assuming both). O'Dell goes on to provide yet more insight: "Homosexuality had been feared by the Israelites – not so much because it was a sin against God, but because it was a threat to their idea of eternal life through the ancestry of their loins." Likewise, divorce, the Roman Law, was frowned on because it could affect continuity (p. 107-8). The politics of sexual and marital and familial push-pull; how contemporary! Some things do not change…except that in 2007 we are stuck with irreconcilable head-butting without many on either side of these and other moral issues understanding the origins of the practices being contested. Often, out of ignorance, claims are made that "the word of God is that such-and-such behavior is forbidden" when in fact it was the pragmatic need to promote and continue the nuclear family structure. This work is full of such powerful clarifications.

One of the author's most important chapters is Twelve. The author makes five points, which really underpin his sensitivity and add elements of sane discourse to what often is emotionally charged. O'Dell does not really dispute that Jesus lived, so that is one battle that does not get fought is this summary. A person with good sense and an open mind will: 1) focus on the difference between general guidelines for moral living and literal instruction; 2) readers need to recognize and then acknowledge the danger of "bibliolatry" (idealizing and literalizing the Bible); 3) understanding how institutionalization can attract linear and closed-minded thinking; 4) understanding and analyzing how powerful the fear engendered by a god of retribution can be when promoted as that force is in BOTH Testaments; and 5) acknowledging who Jesus was and was not. These principles are what provide the reader with a sense of what the author is really up to; what he is trying to convey about the message of this powerful "Good Book."

It would be a mistake to just read the book for the History of the Jews in the first five chapters of the Old Testament just as much as it would be a waste of rational thought to rely on Jane Austen-like descriptions of the societies of the Mediterranean found in the New. This examination is really an open-minded exploration of whether morality is inextricably tied to biblical tenets that came directly from the font of God. As we gradually learn (Chapter 10, page 202), issues of morality were well illuminated for many hundreds of years before such principles landed in either Testament. They travel back through Roman times, even past the second half of the Millennium before Christ when the great Greek Philosophers were writing their Dialogues. What we do come to understand is that many of the exquisitely complex moral questions of the right and wrong of human action have been seductively intertwined into the Bible so as to create a seemingly authoritative, absolute, and final comment on what ought and should be. In fact, like a travel guide, the Bible is an aide to moral living, not THE unequivocal last word.

Finally, a short note about the author's personal annotations in several places, including his Afterword, which contains biographical information. Donald L. O'Dell was at one time an alcoholic. He has grown enormously since those days when his life was out of control. His insights about tolerance, biblical and otherwise, come with great authority: that of personal travails. He has earned this understanding and he seeks to share it with others. While strict biblical constructionists and Pentecostals may want absolute answers, which the author cannot give because of his open, inquiring mind, most readers will benefit from his clear writing style and will take away much from this work. Stock this in Religion, Ancient History, and Philosophy.

REVIEWED: March 20, 2007; Thomas Peter von Bahr, Pacific NorthWest Group, Lopez Island, Washington, 98261

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The Florida Writers Association (www.floridawriters.net) awarded this book, How the Bible became the Bible, the winner in the non-fiction category of the 2006 Royal Palm Literary Award contest. The announcement was made November 11, during the FWA 2006 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL.

 

This award represents recognition from professional writers. FWA encompasses all of Florida and is composed of professional and aspiring writers representing all genres and including novelists, poets, historians, journalists, educators, article-writers, editors, etc.

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