by Linda Decker
A very intelligent and funny man called me the other day to ask me about the Avatar course. He is a veterinarian and has written a book. When I asked him how it was doing, he said, “Well, I’m hoping it will go wherever books go to achieve wide acclaim.” There’s an address a lot of people would like to have!! We had a good laugh about that.
Then he got down to business. He began by saying, “I am a born-again Christian.” He had many questions about whether Avatar conflicts with Christianity and asked me about my personal religious beliefs and habits. I quietly answered his questions and mentioned that the course is not about the Avatar Master. It’s about what is happening in the student’s life. Finally, when I had not offered a statement of agreement or disagreement with his beliefs, he said, “So, where does Avatar stand on Christianity?”
“Avatar does not have a position regarding Christianity, or any other belief system,” I told him. “A person may choose to use the Avatar tools to deepen their appreciation of any viewpoint that they are drawn to, but we would never presume to tell you what those beliefs should be. That is a very personal choice that only you can make.
“Avatar provides you with life-management skills. You’ll learn about how we believe– the structure of beliefs. The premise is that what we believe results in experience. We outfit you with procedures to create beliefs that will produce the experiences you wish to have and to remove those that you no longer wish to experience. You are free to use them in any area of your life that you would like to enhance.
“Since Avatar is concerned with managing beliefs and creating experiences,” I continued, “we use the words belief and creation a lot. In our culture, these terms are often associated with organized religion. But, although many Avatar students report deeply moving spiritual realizations on the course, Avatar is not a religious course. It treats beliefs as powerful, generic thought-forms, and lets you experience first hand how changing beliefs literally changes your life.
“A belief can be about anything. Like, um... ‘Brussels sprouts taste weird.’ A person with this belief will experience Brussels sprouts tasting weird. If this is something that you’d like to change, you can swap that for ‘Brussels sprouts are delicious,’ and experience that instead.”
The man laughed. “That’s grand, but Brussels sprouts are not exactly a show-stopper in my life.”
“Yes, but suppose you’re experiencing the consequences of holding the belief, ‘I’ll never be happy at work until I’m a vice-president, but that won’t happen before I’ve worked here at least 20 years.’ Then what? Avatar lets you alter the things that are really having a negative effect on your life – without struggle or confrontation. And it’s practical, not esoteric, mental chewing gum.”
“I see,” he said, “but what about my question? What is the official Avatar stance on Christianity?”
“Let me give you an analogy. Suppose you have drawn up a plan to enlarge and beautify your home. You walk into a hardware store. You select the best tools for the job you have planned, and you take them up to the register. You say to the clerk, ‘So. These tools are the finest quality available, and you even offer a money-back guarantee. I have two questions for you. One: will you assure me that the walls I construct with this hammer and saw will be straight and plumb? And two, where do these tools stand on Christianity?”
He chuckled. “Hmm, I see your point.”
I said, “Of course, your religious beliefs have great significance in your life. It’s just that as Avatars, we understand that choosing the right path is highly individual. The life lessons we need to learn are likely to be very different for different people. You can be a devoted Republican or a devout Buddhist if you’d like. Whatever it is that interests you, Avatar will give you the means to clean up the ambivalences, conflicts and doubts that stand between you and the full enjoyment of that viewpoint. And, it will give you the freedom to move on— if and when you decide you’re ready to explore the next experience.”
The caller relaxed. We enjoyed a comfortable moment of silence. Then, he said, ”You know, I half expected a confrontation when I called, but now I have some very interesting possibilities to consider. Would you mind sending me some more information about Avatar, please?”
“Right away. And, please feel welcome to call me when you’ve looked it over. I’d love to get to know you a bit better.”
“God bless you,” he said.
I felt a warm smile well up in me. “Thanks. The very same to you!”
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