Christianity is losing popularity in the modern world as traditional beliefs no longer appeal to many. Jungian psychology teaches that societies need a central myth to psychologically unite members. While Christianity served this purpose for centuries, its focus on belonging to a flock conflicts with rising individualism. We must reinterpret Jesus's original teachings to create a new myth for today that stresses individuality as the Arthurian legends do. Understanding Jesus requires examining his enigmatic sayings with the lens of depth psychology, not just church doctrine, to find a solution for modern spirituality.

1. Is Christianity dying?

2. I believe that our objective in life is to be happy,
and that Spirituality and Jungian psychology,
my main areas of interest, can help us in this
search for happiness.
Roberto Lima Netto, Ph.D.
Stanford University

3. Nietzsche said: God is dead.
Does the Western world need a
new God?
A new religion?
Does Christianity truly reflects
Jesus original teaching?

4. Edward Edinger, a Jungian
psychologist, opens his book, "The
Creation of Consciousness", saying:
"History and anthropology teach us
that human society cannot long
survive unless its members are
psychologically contained in a central
living myth, Such myth provides the
individual with a reason for being."

5. Christianity was based on the ideas
of Saint Paul more than the ones of
Jesus Christ.
How can we explain this?

6. Christianity needed to appeal to a
large mass of the population.
A religion whose ideas could not
be understood by the masses
would be unlikely to get popular.
Ideas that are too advanced for an
age tend to be simplified or
forgotten, and that affected Jesus
ideas.

7. In the next four centuries after
Christ, several thinkers gave their
interpretations of the words and
teachings of Jesus.

8. In the year of 325 AD, the Christian
bishops convened in the Council of
Nicaea, under the patronage of the
Roman Emperor Constantine, to
define the dogmas of the Church.
The writings that did not fit the
official interpretation were
branded heretic and burned.

9. The so called Gnostics, were branded
heretics.
Thanks to the recent findings of old
manuscripts, we can know some of these
ideas.
One of the most important findings
occurred in 1945, in Nag Hammadi, Egypt.

10. In the present era, Christianity that
served well the Western civilization
for two thousand years is losing
ground.

11. The basic proposition that if you
belong to the flock of the church you
will be saved is not well accepted by
human beings of the XXI century.
With the rise of individualism, many
don't feel comfortable belonging to a
flock.

12. If the Christian myth is
getting old, human
beings need to find a
new myth.

13. In this new era we
are living, we need to
reform Christianity,
make it truly a
religion of Jesus.

14. The Arthurian myth, that can be
considered a new myth despite its
ancient Celtic roots, stresses
individuality. When the knights depart
in search of the grail, each one is
instructed to choose a path never used
before.

15. Never used before.
Choosing one already treaded path
was considered a shame.
This advice goes against the flock
concept of the Christian churches.

16. I’m not suggesting that the Arthurian myth
may be the myth to be embraced by
modern human beings, though it certainly
can teach us some lessons.
Jesus Christ was truly a very advanced
teacher. Only now, twenty centuries later,
we can understand some of his more
enigmatic sayings.
There is much to gain from understanding
Jesus sayings.

17. I think that Jesus teachings is our
solution, but we need to hear Him
differently from the preaching of
the Christian churches.

18. The development of deep psychology, notably Carl Jung
Analytical Psychology, can help us understand some of
Jesus enigmatic sayings.
How about Matthew 10:34-35?
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I
came not to send peace, but a sword. 35 For I am come
to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law
against her mother in law

19. Can you imagine that Jesus, the
prophet of love, is suggesting that
a son fights his father?

20. This is truly an enigmatic saying.
I discuss this saying in another
slide article here on SlideShare.
An Enigmatic Saying of Jesus: Man
Against Father
I invite you to read it.

21. I also invite you to visit my site for additional
information and to download a free eBook.
“Shortcuts to happiness”
www.HappinessAcademyOnline.org

22. I wish you HAPPINESS.
Thanks for your time and attention.
Roberto Lima Netto
www.HappinessAcademyOnline.org.