The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
Swami Kriyananda discusses the distinctions between Christianity and Churchianity. Institutional urgencies and control are prioritized by Churchianity, and it tends to place convenience over Truth. Christianity stresses the significance of truth, the divine, and God’s omnipresence. You cannot confine truth to an edifice or church structure and institutionalization in itself ought not be the central reality of a religious organization.
Kriyananda shares the importance of forming small decentralized communities to avoid creating a formalized hierarchy, so that a sense of freedom can be maintained where everyone has a say.
Kriyananda says that his guru (Paramhansa Yogananda) spoke of the growing magnetism of people who gather to meditate together that cannot be created by the individual alone. ‘Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ Kriyananda urges those who seek the spiritual life to come together to think of God and serve others.
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Swami Kriyananda shares esoteric teachings of Christianity that Paramhansa Yogananda brought to the West.
Much of modern Christianity is outward, with an emphasis on religious organizations and their priorities — but the original Christianity, according to Paramhansa Yogananda, had as a priority inner communion with God.
Questions include:
- Paramhansa Yogananda often spoke about Christianity vs. "Churchianity" — would you like to talk about the difference?
- In the early days of Christianity becoming a religion, there were small communities. Did Jesus recommended that way of life?
- Does bringing a group of people together for a spiritual purpose automatically begin to calcify the group?
- Can you explain the teaching of Christ, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them"?
- How do we become more attuned to Christ's consciousness?
- What is God's "name"?
- The Holy Spirit is often referred to as "the Comforter" — why is that?
