| A personal, experiential awareness of the indwelling spirit of God, (the Christ within - God immanent) is sought. God transcendent (outside of ourselves) is considered, but not as emphasized. | Both God within and outside of ourselves (immanent and transcendent) are acknowledged, but there is usually less emphasis on the God-within. | |
| Jesus and the Christ are seen as two separate entities. The Christ refers to the living flame of love that guides all life and evolution on our planet. Jesus was a man who was able to perfect himself enough to hold the high energy of the Christ, and thus become Jesus, the Christ. Further, Jesus is seen as an initiate; one able to hold high consciousness and "master" (become Master of) the inner teachings. He modeled a pattern for humanity, showing that what he did, humanity is to do also. All can become sons / daughters of God through the process of initiation. All can, through initiation, become "Christed" by being vessels for the love of the Christ. |
Jesus Christ is seen as one person, the only son of God, born as a God-human. Jesus is seen more as a "personal savior" for the race than a pattern for the race. | |
| Jesus is believed to have traveled to Egypt, India, Persia, Greece, and various mystery schools, perfecting the inner teachings and initiations of those traditions. | Little is said or acknowledged of Jesus life between his approximate ages of 12 - 30. | |
| There is greater emphasis on resurrection rather than crucifixion, not just of the physical body, but of self to Self. Jesus didn't save us from our sins (die for our sins) because our sins are for us to deal with ourselves. He showed us how we can become our own saviors - by raising our consciousness through love and the path of initiation. All people have the capability to become fully human / fully divine | Greater emphasis is on crucifixion. God "gave his only son to die for us" - death being the measure of God's love for us. Jesus "died for our sins," and is thus our savior. | |
| Belief in reincarnation is accepted (not required) since the arduous path of initiation from human to God-hood would take more than one life-time. It is thought that Jesus likely reincarnated many times to be able to hold the Christ energy, and thus become Jesus, the Christ. | Usually reincarnation is not discussed, and often not accepted. Each of us lives one life which earns its reward (heaven) or punishment (hell). | |
| Meditation as a spiritual discipline (being in the silence) is practiced as a way to contact God-within, along with prayer (asking, telling, thanking). | Prayer is more commonly practiced than meditation among congregants. Meditation is accepted and practiced, more among those living in religious community. | |
| Any and all texts that contain wisdom are accepted and studied, including The Holy Bible and ageless wisdom teachings. | The Holy Bible, both Old and New Testament, is seen as the primary holy book and authoritative text. | |
| Conscience, the truth found in one's heart and mind ("thinketh in the heart") is favored above dogma as the final authority. | Wide variation. Church dogma is more often the primary authority, although conscience is considered important as well. | |
| The fundamental unity of all spiritual paths that express love is seen and honored. "No matter where they walk, it leads to Me." (Baghavad Gita) | Wide variation from "Christianity is the one true religion," to acceptance of varied paths. |
A Web-Based Bibliography on alternate and permanent Realities/Cosmologies
"There are many paths to the Divine... Picture...a huge field. At the center is the biggest tree you can imagine. There are perhaps a million or more ways to get to that tree. It all depends on where you are currently standing. There is no one right way to get to the center. Will not any path to the center of the field get you to the tree?... The tree is the Tree of Life. It is the source of all knowledge."