Does this stanza coincide with Christlike principles?

[AHIMSA]

I don't believe in the soul, I am inclined to the Buddhist idea of anatta (no self), meaning that we do not have a permanent indivual existence.

As for what Jesus said, as usual the scriptures can be read with various levels of depth and meaning in mind. Yes, Jesus was getting the Sadduccees to shut up by invoking the words of scripture, but I believe he was also hinting at something deeper, that is the experience of the Living God.

We have to ask ourselves, what does one mean by the term 'ressurection'? What did Jesus mean from it? If Abraham and Isaac are still 'alive' and not 'dead', what then does that mean?

I apply the ideas of death, life and ressurection to be beyond the physical. Jesus himself said that the kingdom is inside us, and so to, I interpret, is the ressurection. We live in a state of spiritual death, that is, a state of ignorance of God and our own true nature. Again, we must 'die' to ourselves, to our ways of ignorance so that we may rise from this 'grave' in which we have covered over the image of God within. When we have been raised, or 'born again' as John phrases it, we have come to know God and the power within us, we see the nature of reality and realize our own interconnectedness. With this knowledge then, physical death becomes nothing more than an aspect of life, and in no way will it ever hinder the Life that we have come to know through Him.

 

[Jane Doe]

So what you're insinuating that there is no real "heaven", but rather a "collective" of people turned into a huge unified thing?


Experiencing God is important. Very important. I wonder, if we have no individual existence, then shouldn't everyone know God the same, and have no personal relationship with Him, but rather a collective experience? I would be willing to accept that, were it based on Scripture. I challenge you thus, and I will also, if you're willing, to research this and find out if a collective experience of God is what He wants of us, rather than a personal relationship.

Couldn't there be, by looking "deeper" into the scriptures, the risk to twist them to fit what you want, or that you risk taking them out of context and actually causing people to sin? I think it's important to look for meaning in scripture, but to not take it out of context. We must not try and make it fit into our lives, but rather make our lives fit it.

Please pm me if you accept my offer, and we will discusss terms and such.

 

[Soma-Sight]

Having a relationship with God is not a mysticism, No human can have direct relationship with God because God is pure and holy !

LOL!

That is SO sad!

I wish I had a weekend alone with you.......

It would be an interesting time to "show" you the power of the Lord......

 

[Karma2Grace]

Having a relationship with God is not a mysticism, No human can have direct relationship with God because God is pure and holy !

LOL!

That is SO sad!

I wish I had a weekend alone with you.......

It would be an interesting time to "show" you the power of the Lord......

I am very well aware of the power :evil: you are talking about, It may be new to you but not to me, I can pick Soma's in every street of India! BTW who is the 'Lord' you mentioned?

 

[DivineNames]

Lynn A De Silva, in "The problem of the self in Buddhism and Christianity" argues that the Bible is even more radical than Buddhism in rejecting the notion of any permanent self.

 

[DivineNames]

Couldn't there be, by looking "deeper" into the scriptures, the risk to twist them to fit what you want, or that you risk taking them out of context and actually causing people to sin? I think it's important to look for meaning in scripture, but to not take it out of context. We must not try and make it fit into our lives, but rather make our lives fit it.

There are parts of the Bible, where it is highly questionable that they were ever written with the intention of being strictly historical, or 'scientific' descriptions, and yet some Christians are very dogmatic that they should be read that way.

 

[Soma-Sight]

I am very well aware of the power you are talking about, It may be new to you but not to me, I can pick Soma's in every street of India! BTW who is the 'Lord' you mentioned?

I AM THAT I AM

 

[Soma-Sight]

I am very well aware of the power you are talking about, It may be new to you but not to me, I can pick Soma's in every street of India! BTW who is the 'Lord' you mentioned?

I AM THAT I AM

Exodus 3:14 (King James Version)

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

 

[DivineNames]

Mystics are people that would rather have an emotional experience with a "higher power" or a drug induced esperience than find the true God that the scriptures reveal.

Mystics tend to go against 'emotionalism' in religion actually. It is forms of Protestant Christianity that go in for that.

 

[Karma2Grace]

I am very well aware of the power you are talking about, It may be new to you but not to me, I can pick Soma's in every street of India! BTW who is the 'Lord' you mentioned?

I AM THAT I AM

Exodus 3:14 (King James Version)

14And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

Do you think God mean God is within when He said this to Moses? Absolutely not! Moses is called by God to go to Egypt and be the leader to set the Israelites from their slavery. Moses says he does not even know God’s name and asks, “Who shall I say sent me?†God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’"

Notice how the quotation of this by a New Ager actually turns what God says upside down. Here is God, as a separate being communicating with Moses as a man. The New Age teacher says that God is inside of Moses and he needs to know this, and that “I am†teaches this. The truth is that when you look it up in context it means that God is simply saying to Moses that He is Godâ€â€God who is self-existent and uncreated; not merely the God of Israel, but God.

I think you will find that this simple technique of simply looking up what they say the Bible says to check them out will solve most of the troubles you may encounter. There are two kinds of people who quote the Bible in this way, those who simply haven’t read the Bible, and those who knowingly use it deceptively. I think many know very well that the Bible does not teach these things, but want to validate their own teaching so much that they make the Bible say something it does not say.
The best way to understand who Jesus is is to read the Gospels in the Bible. This assures that you are not taking someone else’s word for it, or someone’s interpretation. You will be able to read it in context and understand.

 

[DivineNames]

Websters Dictionary

Main Entry: 1 mys·tic

Pronunciation: 'mis-tik

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English mistik, from Latin mysticus of mysteries, from Greek mystikos, from mystEs initiate

1 : MYSTICAL 1a
2 : of or relating to mysteries or esoteric rites : OCCULT3 : of or relating to mysticism or mystics
4 a : MYSTERIOUS b : OBSCURE, ENIGMATIC c : inducing a feeling of awe or wonder d : having magical properties

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=mysticism

1(a) Immediate consciousness of the transcendent or ultimate reality or God.
1(b)The experience of such communion as described by mystics.


This is probably closer to the way the word is commonly used in religious discussion.

 

[Soma-Sight]

mys·ti·cism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (mst-szm)
n.

Immediate consciousness of the transcendent or ultimate reality or God.

The experience of such communion as described by mystics.

A belief in the existence of realities beyond perceptual or intellectual apprehension that are central to being and directly accessible by subjective experience.



EXACTLY!

 

[Jane Doe]

There are parts of the Bible, where it is highly questionable that they were ever written with the intention of being strictly historical, or 'scientific' descriptions, and yet some Christians are very dogmatic that they should be read that way.

true, there are parts of the bible that are written to be read as symbolism, not at law or decryption. Much of psalms is symbolic. I what I intended was to caution people to not take scripture out of context and twist it to fit their own desires, not to assert that all scripture should be taken completely literally.