St Michael's Uniting Church in Australia - Have Your Say

Have Your Say

New Faith throws out the Ten Commandments

• Julieanne B.
  1st February, 2009
  6:18pm

  I 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.
  
  
  
  

• Adam
  15th January, 2009
  2:50pm

  Many people saw the billboard, press ad and other communications conveying the Ten Commandment message.
  
  Many of them were quick to react without actually 'understanding' the message.
  
  It is a literal fact that the Ten Commandments are frased in a negative way, this cannot be argued. "thou shal not' is a negative directive. It seems that those who were quick to jump the gun were just looking for an arguement to 'defend' what they hold so dear. But what exactly are they defending? A book? A scripture, written long after the events were proposed to have happened?
  
  Surely a bit more intteligence would help these individuals see that Dr McNabb is trying to cut back to the essence of morality, the true meaning behind the layers of rules and dogma that have covered over what was intended to be a guide to better living.
  
  The billboard was a great conversation stater, as it was intended to be. If nothing else, it has strenghtened, closed minded traditional believers resolve and reminded them of why they believe what they believe. But, more importantly it has opened a new path of exploration for those on the search for something more insightful, rewarding and ultimately a more satisfying life experience.
  
  

• John
  8th January, 2009
  5:26pm

  >"With no God and no heaven and no hell, there is no Judge of my actions, and there are no ultimate sanctions for the things that I may please and choose to do, and so, I am able to do whatsoever I may please without any restraint."
  
  I would remind Lance that there is plenty of judgement and restraint meted out on Earth, and only a sociopath considers themselves exempt from the rule of law, the social contract, natural human empathy, and respect for neighbour. But if it is true that the only thing preventing him from acting on his murderous impulses is the Ten Commandments, then I sincerely hope he keeps his faith strong.

• Lance
  5th January, 2009
  4:44am

  Dr McNab, if what you propose, that there is no God, no heaven and no hell, and that the 10 Commandments are not true, then you have liberated me and all such as I, no end. With no God and no heaven and no hell, there is no Judge of my actions, and there are no ultimate sanctions for the things that I may please and choose to do, and so, I am able to do whatsoever I may please without any restraint. If what you posit is true, then there is no ultimate constraint. Dr McNab, thank you. If "You shall have no other gods besides me" is not true, then I can worship: "hate," "darkness," "death," "evil," and every other thing that is the oppositeof what the Biblical God has declared Himeself to be. I am free to hate you, Dr McNab, to kill you as I please, to defile you, to live without constraint in reference to you, Dr McNab, because there is no heaven to reward God-like behaviour, and no Hell to frighten me away from doing anything soever as I please, and no God to judge in this life or in the life to come.
  
  Dr McNab, I can push each of the opposites to the10 Commandments to the same logical conclusions, and I get a life that is filled with murder, rape, rebellion against all authorities, theft, coveteous rage and destruction, restlessness and absence of peace, and you have given me permission to live such a life without any fear or constraint or threat of reprisal. What if I proposed to live such a life in your church, in your home, amongst your family? Dr McNab, this is where your preaching and teaching is leading? There are people, Dr McNab, who will take what you have to say seriously, and who will atempt to live out the implications of the conclusions of what you are proposing.
  
  Do not fear, Dr McNab, I do happen to believe that there is a heaven above, and a hell below, and a God who will apply sanctions at the end of my life according to how I have lived in the light of His 10 Commandments. As such, I will love my God with all my heart, and my neighbour as my self, because I choose to be like Him. I will respect your property and not steal from you. I will respect your life and not kill you. I will respect your family and not rape or defile them. Dr McNab, I fear God and tremble at His Word, and because I do, you are safe from any harm from me. But, Dr McNab, are you now safe from others who will take your words seriously? Is the community you live in safe from others who take you seriously? Is anyone safe from those who have the constraints of God, heaven and hell removed from their actions? No, Dr McNab. You have unleashed a Hellish demon. God have mercy on your soul.

• LoneWolfe
  9th December, 2008
  1:54am

  I'm all for ditching the cruel and revolting bits from the Bible but I don't understand how you can do that and remain a Christian. The Hebrew deity was a hideous monster but reject it and you reject the "God" that Jesus worshiped and referred to as his "Father". And manipulating "God" and reshaping it until it fits your model is a bit presumptious, don'tcha think?
  
  As for Jesus, once you've stripped him of virgin birth, miracles and resurrection you're left with just a bloke, not a "christ", and so why call yourself a Christian?
  
  Dr Francis McNab, Lloyd Geering and John Shelby Spong all strike me as being very confused people. Kindly and New Age but hardly Christian.

• Hugo Neumann
  29th November, 2008
  12:58pm

  The Ten Commandments apart from The Sermon On The Mount are the most positive instructions ever given
  to Mankind and read by an honest heart will lead the soul straight into the arms of Christ, they are Christs
  Commandments and by suffering and dying for us
  established for ever our security and the value of the
  of His Commandments, no man however good his
  intentions may be has the right to alter Gods Word.

• Mal Collings
  28th November, 2008
  7:50am

  Dr. Macnab
  
  I just feel so sorry for you.

• Lisbeth Kronfeld
  15th November, 2008
  5:39am

  How delighted i was to break into an interview regarding the 'new faith' on a television Channel this past week, however, disappointed I only caught half the discussion. Fortunately, having caught sight of the address, I was able to follow the story on the website which was kindly offered for all to view.
  Interesting, as this came right at the time I had just completed editing my latest book,'Words of Love' which contains a poem, 'Looking for 'God' & another, 'Forgotten Children'. However, the old fashioned religious training (how we must respect all these religions) did not allow me to remove myself from the pages without noting,*'with respect to all believers'. That wasn't really what I was doing though, within my own thoughts and beliefs, I was saying to everyone, 'please accept the fact that I don't have any desire to offend you but I have to call it as I truly see it'. From a young child brought up in a culture (get it? 'cult'-ure) steeped in man made religion of 'thou shalts and shall nots', I was one of thousands (or was it millions) who had been abused by these so-called believers in 'God' & found myself getting more and more beltings with a razor strop for forthrightly proclaiming my own 'gospel', saying, I do not believe in your 'God', the only god I know & believe in is, 'my conscience is my Guide', not 'God', you make it sound as though it is a person. It is nothing but dictatorship through the use of certain tactics, causing fear and trembling. Do I ever remember the beltings because I was being irreverant & cheeky!
  How amazing I have had to wait 70 or more years to hear some one actually honest enough to
  utter the words of a child's analysis of 10 commandments (i.e. threats) which should have been recognized by intellectuals as 'scare mongering' . Congratulations to Dr. McNab for his honesty. What a change from what he would have been told in the 1930's , i.e. 'evil thinkers evil doers'. Here's hoping the multitudes who have been 'hiding under a bushel' will crawl out and become one with what is not really a 'new faith' but, indeed, all who dare to be realistic by using logic & reason rather than continually supporting a myth whose history speaks nothing of love, compassion and understanding but one of torture, fear and suffering.
  Would be delighted to form a group with others who would care to continue with this interesting discussion & quite happy for this forum to pass on my email address for this purpose. Thank you ABC for the opportunity to share my thoughts.
  Lisbeth Kronfeld
  Adelaide, South Australia

• enosh craig
  14th November, 2008
  2:37pm

  dr. macnab, do you think non christians will be saved or will go to heaven? and you as preacher, who gave you the authority to preach?where can you find in the bible that your religion or organization was build by christ, where? when? why do you promise good life on earth when the world is about to end, offer salvation! but who will be saved?

• Mandy
  12th November, 2008
  12:42pm

  I absolutely think that Dr Macnab is on the right track. The Ten Commandments need to be updated to relate to the world we now live in - and I agree that they are negative. I wholeheartedly support the 'new faith' idea, I think it will bring people back to the church. People need to be uplifted by faith, not down-trodden by it. We need to honor the earth and ourselves - hopefully this will help!
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