Could the logos of Christianity be used to construct a community that provides an ideal life? Could we remove all the misinformation, and prejudices we have added to the Christian message, and then take the most direct path to improve the human lot.
The Christian Community, was the fundamental and practical object of the work of Jesus Christ, for Christ an actual change in the material world was an expected outcome. It is unfortunate that the message which Churches, Pastors, and Preachers emphasize, is the eternal life and heavenly aspects. This is understandable since many followers fear death, and to a simple mind, the promise of eternity is certainly appealing, and is also an excellent marketing pitch. These metaphysical and eternal aspects have no value in the design of a community and application of truth. The Logos by definition is a method of persuading someone by using reason and logic, a universal divine reason, immanent in nature, yet transcending all oppositions and imperfections in the cosmos and humanity. An eternal and unchanging truth present from the time of creation, available to every individual who seeks it. Yes a truth, for the logos to be the Logos it must be true, and since afterlife is not a Jewish concept nor is it verifiable, it can not be part of the dialectic for a practical community and its social structure. .
Yet, we are all free to believe what we choose, therefore if you are looking for eternal salvation, careful what you wish for. Eternity is a consideration for metaphysics, a reality which which needs only your belief and faith in order to achieve your desired results. I would say this is not a practical objective for a community which seeks truth, and a honest agreeable life in the real world.
With some disregard for the metaphysical aspects of the Christian message, and given all the modern tools at our disposal, we could build something practical that would become an economic phenomena for good and spiritual well being.
What I suggest is a model based on a modification of the St Benedict Rule, applied to a small communities. Historically monastic orders had great success, the United States was founded upon a variety of Millenarian movements, Masons, Quakers, Shakers, and Amish are only a few examples of Utopian religious communities which attempted to build New Worlds in the New World.
The evolution of the Christian community is a very close approximation to the path that Christ has directed us to.
The Ekklesia, or what we call Church, is a Greek word that denotes the democratic administrative body of the Greek Democracy. Since community was the central theme of Christianity, why do we not apply this principal in earnest? People working together building sound economic, ascetic communities dedicated to compassion for our fellow man. A well educated advanced social system loosely patterned by the Rule of St Benedict.
"The new testament declares law to have failed, frees man from its dominion and in its stead preaches the kingdom of grace to be won by faith, love of neighbor and entire sacrifice of self. This is the path or redemption from the evil of the world the spirit of the new testament is undoubtedly asceticism... " Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)