Have Your Say
New Faith throws out the Ten Commandments
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Michael Cich
18th June, 2009
6:57pmCongratuations to you Dr Macnab and the people of St Michael's. I was just driving home along Nepean hwy and saw the sign and visited your website.
As a young person interested in religion (especialy the aspects of religion that deal with human behaviour and love).
Like many of my generation,I am not part of any dominational practice, and approach the concept of G-d more as mystery - the source of all meaning - rather than a physical entity we can pin point.
I suggest your 10 new commands are heading in the right direction and point to more modern emerging faith thats not dogmatic and comfortable to dwell in boubt and mystery, whilst not compromising a human ethic that is grounded in love, forgiveness and reconciliation.
I wish you well and hope your the New Faith message becomes widely known and considered by Christians of all denominations
blessings !! Shalom !! -
Belle
6th June, 2009
12:38pmI am grateful and admire Dr Macnab for putting himself on the line trying to connect to every day intelligent people and encouraging them to live better lives, to question and analyse, to engage the human spirit and in doing so pursue world harmony and peace for all that share this earth.
Is this not the true objective of original ten commandments, however they were veiled? It is refreshing to see someone trying to move people to live virtuous, spiritually meaningful lives without resorting to the outmoded bible bashing
methods of an increasingly alienating and defunct religious order which has driven a whole generation away from the church and its true role to assist us to embrace our humanity and maximise our potential to do good whilst on this earth.
That's my opinion anyway and all you bible weilding, stone throwers damning and praying for Macnab's redemption - don't bother.
He's OK. Done more for the enlightenment and wellbeing of his fellow beings than most of us will in our lifetime?
What have you done to enlighten, encourage and assist your fellow beings lately?
Thank you Macnab for having the courage to progress. God loves you for it.
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Emma Catherine
8th May, 2009
2:23pmDr Macnab has highlighted many aspects of Christian living that in decades past have been ignored, such as looking after creation and encouraging dignity. These aspects which focus on improving quality of life for people is homogeneous with God's overall redemptive plan to restore humanity and creation.
However, Dr Macnab's address on 5 October 2008 refers to Jesus' command to "Love your God. Love your fellows. Love yourself", but in his 'New Commandments' he seems to had forgotten that we are to love God - not a "Good Presence" or a "Source of all the positive transforming energies of life".
The "God" Jesus refers to is his Father. I do not have to "search to be at one with the 'spirit of the good, the tender and the beautiful'" because I already know the Living God. And if we profess to be Christians - don't we all know the one and only Living God?
It could be said that the "Good Presence" and "God" are the same thing. However Jesus was God made flesh to testify about the Father. We don't live in darkness about what this "source" or "presence" may be. He has revealed himself to us.
Finally, the New Commandments are based upon the life and actions of Jesus Christ, but why isn't there anything about Glorifying God? At the end of the day I want to do the will of God for his divine purposes that look at the whole picture, not "search for my best happiness".
P.S. In reading some of these posts I have come to the conclusion that many Christians are really really rude! Your snide remarks are so fixated on you "being right" that your message is completely lost because you insult the reader. It is fine to speak your mind - just calm down and be careful not to demonise anyone who thinks differently to you.
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robert van der hope
3rd May, 2009
12:34pmI certainly agree that there is an element of mythology in the Bible, but the essential reality of Christ is that He "represented" God (but was not God). Jesus helped to dispel the Old Testament mythology. Muhammad went even further. The Baha'i Faith explains the true relationship of The Creator with His Creation, specifically with Humankind. This is no myth, but reality. -
Jim van Ommen
12th April, 2009
12:46pmr. Macnab, on whose authority have you developed a " New Faith " a faith that is not the faith of the Uniting Curch of Australia and is not the faith on which you pledged your allegiance to Christ at your ordination. Does that not make you an imposter a heritic and a false prophet ?
If you have lost this faith and consider it your responsibilty to drag the people under your care away from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ I think you ought to hand in your resignation to the UCA and vacate the House of the Lord at St. Michaels. -
Herb Kersten
6th April, 2009
3:21pmII the Book of Revelation that John describes those Christians waiting for Christ's return as "commanment keepers". (see Rev 12: 17 and Rev 14: 12). The last chapter in the last book of the Bible says similarly - see Rev 22: 14. I present convincing new evidence that in these verses John describes the Ten Commandments and only the Ten Commandments. Please take the time to go to http://www.hkea.org.au and click on the link under "Should We Keep The Ten Commandments?" . Your feedback is welcome. -
Stephen H
16th March, 2009
11:54pmAs a Uniting Chirch member I read St Michael\\\'s New Faith 10 commandments with interest. \\r\\nThey are encouraging of good stewardship, positive thought and action and respect for a divine presence. \\r\\n\\r\\nHowever, I have seen similar affirmative principles and statements in corporate vision statements, environmental group literature and peace movement material. Its all quite pleasant and while containing elements of truth - obviously misses Jesus. \\r\\n\\r\\nIf this New Faith misses or downplays Jesus - how is it any different to any other positive thought/action focused and vaguely religious group? \\r\\n\\r\\nWhile,perhaps most of the new faith 10 commandments are not expressly anti Christian it sems to me that they will only make sense as Christian commandments when they are expressed as flowing from a love for, and worship of Christ Jesus.\\r\\n -
Sue Macfarlane
11th March, 2009
11:22pmI have been fortunate enough to gain access to the DVD of Dr Francis MacNab's lecture on the New Faith. I have been highly inspired by this lecture and amazingly seem to have found a new feeling within and increased positive outlook on life. Very keen to learn more. I thank you. -
Paul Johnson
2nd March, 2009
11:17pmThere is much, so very much, in your February lecture that appeals, a wisdom won at much personal sacrifice for which I am most grateful. And yet. Yes,we do need to reach into ourselves as individuals and comunities, but we need to reach out too to that which we call God. The need is there, but where are the means? Prayer? You present it as wholesome in its consequences for our human integrity, but as to the authenticity of it employment as a means of relating to God, you are silent. Is God so unutterably 'other' that we can do no more than reassure ourselves in hope that what he is is what we so earnestly desire he might be? Aquinas put his finger on it when arguing to an uncaused cause, an unmoved mover. There is no logic in it being so but a deeper necessity demands it. It is in that deeper necessity that some possibility of relationship ought to lie but how it is to be realised I need, as a matter of personal urgency, significant help in identifying. Might I add this to your burdens and in prayer take up some part of that burden which most weighs on you? -
Julieanne B.
1st February, 2009
6:18pmI read this article when it came out in The Age and my interest was deeply piqued.
I could not attend then because I have choir rehearsals at this time most weeks.
Since then both my teenaged sons have asked me for more formal spiritual contact than that which our family has had over the years. I took my sons to different places but the only one that has spoken to them is this church and Francis Mcnab's addresses. We discuss them after church while we eat lunch.
What Francis Mcnab shows us is a new perception of the teachings of Christ, outside of the dogma, and it seems more in tune with the spirit of my reading of the bible over my lifetime.
Much of the dogma of christian teaching seems distinctly anti-christian to me.
Christ taught love of your fellow man, the seeking of ethical clarity in yourself and your actions, and a deep personal relationship with God, the divine ground of being, the one mind, or the many other names that the sacred has in this world.
When I leave church I find inspiration. Rather than a new faith, i believe what Francis Mcnab shows us is the old faith with a New Perception.
I do not go every week, because I have choir rehearsal but I go when I can, and my husband and one of my teenaged sons goes almost every week.
If a minister can inspire a 14 year old teenaged boy and a fifty year old man to go to church when they never have before, I believe that Fancis Mcnab is doing what much of christiandom needs to do, look at the teachings anew and find the essence of them. Find the truth of the message and find inspiration for all that Christ taught, to enable us to live more connected, loving, joyous, present lives with each other and ourselves, and God.
What Christ taught when he taught it was true then and is true now.
All the dogma has been added since and has disguised the message wiith, at times, terrible consequences for humanity.
I am grateful to Francis Mcnab for his courage, his clarity and the inspiration he brings to people to live more loving , compassionate, spiritually rich lives.
Thankyou Francis Mcnab.
Please do not ever stop what you are doing. We are with you all the way.
Julieanne B.
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