My sourece? Intuition. Try it sometime, rather than basing your 'facts' on books written by people who attempted to account for the life of an illumined soul when they themselves were ordinary men.
I am a christian ( catholic ) and I ve never heard that Jesus thought on reincarnation...I guess theres a first time for everything. I shall ask someone who knows this stuff, like a priest or something.
A preist? No offense, but preists go to college for scripture, and dogma would be completley against any idea that the scripture may be open to interpretation. Open your eyes and look for yourself. Does it make sense to you? If not, then leave it be. But dont rely on the opinions of men, because they are human beings just like you and are just as lost, confused, and unfit to answer questions about the unknown as any one else.
Now that you've mentioned reincarnation, Jesus and Christianity, there is sth in the Bible that could be sort of interpreted as reincarnation ( not completely , but in a way...). Anyway, there is a part in the Revelation about the 'new life' after death and 'the New Kingdom'. It's actually resurrection, but if a person dies and its soul 'gets' a new life , isnt that also reincarnation ? I guess all religions are actually saying the same or similar things,but in many different ways.
Very interesting thread and I have to state my opinions: 1. Repentance is a lot more tha feeling sorry. Feeling sorry is just the first step. To repent one must confess the transgression--not to a priest-- but to God and the whomever the transgression affected. One must do whatever necessary to forsake the harming actions. This may only be achieved through earnest prayer. To me earnest prayer is composed of meditation and communication with God. Finally, to fully repent one must restore whatever was transgressed. 2. How can anyone believe that the Bible was translated accurately? One only has to read the many versions available (NIV, God Speaks Today, King James) to see how translation can differ. No document translated by the imperfect knowledge of man can be perfect. 3. Regardless of whether one belongs to organized religion or not, it is our individual's responsability to create a relationship with God and to learn what He wants us to do. If we do belong to organize religion, there is nothing wrong with discussing questions with our leaders but ultimatelly is our responsability to find out for ourselves. Now, I'll conclude with my belief statement. I believe in a Heavenly Father that loves us and wants us to return to his presence. I don't believe in an eternal hell with Satan as its ruler. I belive that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the redeemer of the world. I believe that through His attonement we can all be immortal and perfect; however, our actions added to His attonment will determine our grade of glory. I believe that we can talk/communicate with God and that he can talk/communiate with us. I believe many will differe with me but that's ok if all agreed this boad would be very boring.
Thank you for your input APR, because it came from your heart purely and honestly, rather than being regurtitated from a scripture. I agree with all that you said, however I would add that I believe we are all children of God universally, and Jesus was just one of the few who attained God-realization, enlightenment, illumination, whatever before it becomes the norm for human conciousness evolution (which is still, apparently, a LONG time away!)
I agree completelly! That is whay I believe in following Jesus example so that we too may reach that level that few have attained. Many people will think that it is blasphemy to aspire to be like Jesus; however, I believe thatis exactly what our purpose here on Earth is. I don't call it reincarnation instead I call it exaltation but it is concept of our bodies being restored to our souls in eternal perfection.
Exactly. theres nothin wrong with asking the priest sth, even though he went to college. he should know these things better than us and therefor guide us.
I would like to point out, that not all Christian religious leaders have to go to college/seminary to become church leaders. In some religions they just have to be willing to serve--I emphasized "serve" because in some religions these leaders do not get payed for their time and effort. There is no collection basket going around for the members to support the leader and his/her family.
Yous should see my priest...he is just so funny and cute when he talks...a lot of people dont like him cause he is a huge nationalist. But I dont think he means all the things he says in a bad way. anyway, I really thought all catholic priests had to go to college and seminary. and they do get paid by the Church.and even so, local people always give them money and help them cause its custom to treat ur priest like a part of your family.
The problem here is that we take all of ourselves and all of our "isms" as actually pertinent in the absolute state of reality. Repent simply means to attempt to get and maintain an attitude that places ones ego or sense of self in a re-positioned sense of re-approaching service to God. This of course implies realizing that previous action was inappropriate, "sin', and furthering that awareness so that allowing that sin to happen again is prevented. The whole Biblical structure that impliments these ideals was created and evolved over time by various men who may or may have not been completely divine aware, and only what would be called spiritually inspired. Divine ideologues that can be handed down over time, although assumed to come from God, may only be backed up by a type of alloofness of something that can't be questioned, simply because the fear factor is in there. If you look at how lives didn't reflect even the basics of spiritual awareness in them, such as the Spanish inquisition, and legions of war mongerers, where is their awareness of Christ? Then of course someone can say, it is not about awareness, it is about faith and believing in the scripture. The trouble here is, bingo, personal ego interpretation of these scriptures has been the norm for how long? The ego of Biblical interpreters, and I have been one myself, can not discern what is the final truth because it is not readily apparent. Look at the prosperity message that has come out of evangelicals throwout of the Gospel. Jesus did not teach monetary prosperity, he taught blatant material renunciation. 'Set not thy treasures upon which moths eat, rusts corrupts, and theives break in and steal". The Yoga Relayer refers to that Christ may have taught would have been Bhakti or Jnana yoga, and in fact was actually. You see, our Biblical discussion is about religion, and religion morphs, changes, and is open to various views. Yoga is a science, that must be practically applied. Speaking of Yoga, we will define it here as per its origins. Yoga is technically called Yoga Tantra, meaning the spiritual science by which Yoga, "ones connection to the divine mind", is achieved through methods that expand that already inherent divine mind that animates the finite self, "Tantra". Notice in the burning bush incident whereas Moses asks the buring bush to identify itself, the bush's reply was not "oh yeah, I'm Jesus, or I'm Jehovah",or whoever. Instead it said, "I am, that I am". Well the words "I am" designate being. Simply being. But not just any being, but divine being. Now, one step further. The sanskrit phrase Sat-Cit Ananda, is the actual qualitive definition of God, whether it is Shiva or Krsna. Sat-means absolute truth. Cit-means being, absolute being. Ananda means bliss, the bliss of the absolute being of truth. Sat-Cit-Ananda is an absolute, it is within you and underscores you spiritual being totally regardless of your ego religious views, beliefs, whatever dogmatic exclusivity you consider as yours depending upon what you think your God has for you. Just as all men have the same physiological attributes, they have a heart that pushes their blood through their body, they have DNA and a whole host of systems that all do the same stuff in each and every one of us, so too do we have identical spiritual infrastuctures, which is comprised of the breath essence called Prana, the consciousness reducing modalities called the cakras, all held in place by Kundalini Devi. And as I have said in previous posts, regardless of whether you call your spiritual mind set Catholic, Pentacostal, Buddhist, or whatever, the beforementioned Cakra/Prana paradigm is what is being affected when a spiritual experience is had. The tongue of flame over the heads of the people at the time of Pentacost is where the Sahasrara Cakra is. I speak from a myriad of spiritual experiences, with and without Christ,over a forty year, period, not from books. The truth of God, the absolute truth, is totally relative at all levels of reality. To think not is Medieval, and the deepest darkness. To repent is to turn from your karma life, karma, which are ego self compulsions, is the same as sin. The difference is that karma is a spiritual state of consciousness, and sin is an ego viewing if that same state. Namaste, Yogin Bhairava Atmabhoda Sarasvati
Roman speaks of what the laws purpose was to achieve. Law produces wrath, condemnation, stimulates you to be bad. Widens our consciousness. And if a person insists on being under the law, he must keep it! Christs symbolic message was he was to fulfill the law, so that we could be free and obtain the much needed condition of no longer being a sinner, in order for us to be with God. Christ is the end of the law so that may be righteous and worthy! Romans ch.10. I believe now that I am no longer a sinner and all are lessons to be thankful for. I no longer repent.
Well Miss J.I, maybe you should read it, you might learn something. I don't just sling something out there, I speak from spiritual awareness, of Christ as well as His source.
