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Biography
of
Daniel Raphael
Education:
-
Bachelor of Science, with Distinction,
(Sociology), Arizona State University,
Tempe, Arizona.
- Master
of Science (Educationally and Culturally
Disadvantaged), Oregon State College of
Education, Monmouth, Oregon.
- Doctor
of Philosophy (Spiritual Metaphysics),
University of Metaphysics, Studio City,
California.
-
Dissertations: “A Loving-God Theology”
and “ A Pre-Creation Theology.”
Author/Publisher:
Spiritual Orientation:
* MYSTIC
WITH TAOIST-ZEN-BUDDHIST-CHRISTIAN
INFLUENCES
* Raised as a Christian Protestant
(Lutheran);
* Attended Pacific Lutheran Theological
Seminary for two terms. I found that this
experience did not improve or generate the
personal and intimate relationship I sought
with the Creator.
* I began studying Christian metaphysical
principles in 1970, as taught by Charles and
Myrtle Fillmore (Unity), and Ernest Holmes
(Science of Mind). Their principles and ones
I’ve developed since then continue to be of
great influence in my life and its
development.
* I began reading
The Urantia Book in 1972 for the
first time. This book has had a major impact
on my appreciation and understanding of the
universe, and continues to be a major
influence on my perspectives of the
universe.
* In 2003, I self-published
What Was
God Thinking?! In simple language,
this book describes a “pre-creation”
theology, and explains how it affects
traditional Christian theological beliefs.
The book further explains how this theology
can be used to theologically unify all
God-centered religions.
Ascetic:
Since 1990,
I have lived as an ascetic —a simple life.
Usually asceticism is associated with
self-denial of ordinary comforts of life,
but in my case, it was a matter of living
simply because of my injury, loss of income,
and lack of employment. So when life serves
you lemons, make lemonade! And that is what
I have done since 1990. In that time I have
written seven books, many dozens of poems,
numerous articles, and have had time to live
in meditation as a way of life. My
meditations have given me a robust
experience to understand my life’s
experiences and gain the wisdom that is
inherent in all of life’s experiences, if we
have time and curiosity to examine them.
Theologian:
Since my
early childhood (age five), I have wondered
about the “angry God” of the traditional
Christian religion and the incessant pangs
of guilt so closely associated with that
religion. Even as a child the dual,
antagonistic characters ascribed to that god
seemed irrational, and illogical. During
recovery from a serious accident (I crashed
headfirst down a six foot ladder onto my
head.) in 1990 I had the time to think this
knotty problem through and write about it. I
began that exercise in my very first book,
Developing A Loving-God Theology
(Out of Print)
which I self-published. The first printing
sold out!
In the
ensuing years, as I was becoming a mystic, I
continued to wrestle with the concepts of
that old, mean-tempered god of traditional
Christianity. What emerged was my book
What Was
God Thinking?! published in 2003. It
explains the reasons why God would create
the universe. As we were taught in
traditional Christian religions, God is
whole and complete unto Itself without need
for anything for its wholeness and
completion. If that is so, and we believe it
is, why did God create the universe?
Understanding this simple question … and its
answer fundamentally unravels the illogical
strands of reasoning in traditional
Christianity that support the doctrines of
Atonement and Sacrifice. Having said that, I
have exposed myself as a heretic of
traditional Christian theology. For those
who are more than a bit curious, I invite
you to examine in detail
The New Jerome Biblical Commentary,
which discusses these issues in detail.
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