Jesus' teachhings have been so badly misunderstood. It really makes me sad how people have given up on following His advice to meditate and better yourself through direct God-Communication. The entire concept of what He was getting at with repentance, is highly misunderstood and lacking half of the original meaning behind His words. The English word repent, which is deriven from the Latin word paenitere meaning "to be sorry", is actually about giving up attachment to material things, a yoga lifestyle, considering the fact that the word is used tp translate from the original Greek in which this New Testament was written, and the Greek word being metanoein, meaning "to turn ones mind in the opposite direction, to change ones mind by adopting a new view". From meta-"to change, to be in opposition to", and nous- "mind". Obviously this does not mean to directly feel sorry for our sins and beg for God's forgiveness, like that one sacrament practiced in churches, confession or whatever. It means that we should turn our mind away from selfish ego desires and attachment to material possesions, and instead directly concentrate on the temple of God within us using meditation, or yoga. Simply saying your sorry for your sins, doing some rounds on holy beads, and telling a preist of your wrong doings, does not give you an exucse to go right back out into the world, forget your connection to God, and live an un-Godly lifestly. Learn the real meaning behind the Book and the Christ's teachings before you go ahead and assume you are a follower of that which you may not really even understand.-
If that is the biggest load of crap that you've ever read Waking Life, I imagine that you must have read very little in your time. Im not patting myself on the back, but I am saying that there is much worse you could be reading. Like, the White Pride Bible, for example.
I hardly think yoga is a solution to being in a state of mortal sin! The Sacrament is not open to such interpretations. It is the very ordinary means for the remission of sin as appointed by Christ. While man is free to sin, he must seek the grace of God to have the eternal consequences of sin removed. Those who understand the Sacrament know that they must have sincere sorrow of, and sincere desire never to commit the sin again. In following the advice of the poster, the Christian would find themselves in a state of Venial or Mortal Sin at death and run the risk of eternal damnation.
According to who, Waking Life? Did Jesus Himself set this up in a court of authoritive law in order to determine the authority of what you just said? I realize much of what Christianity is based off of was laid down by Constatine, especially the Christian mind state that reincarnation is fantasy since it was omitted from the church system. Jesus did, however, teach about reincarnation, and the interpretation I just laid out above runs right in line along side reincarnation and karma. As does most of what Jesus said. -
Ok, nevermind, I see what your perception on the Bible is now. Mortal Sin? Because a God of love is definitley going to send lost souls to hell for eternity. Maybe dead corpses will rise out of graves and souls of those equally good and bad will finally be liberated? Scared straight sounds like it. I highly doubt a God of Love would approve of such attributes.
Fortunately for Christians, this really isn't a subject open to debate. Christ Himself gave His Church the power to forgive sin on the condition that the sinner was sorry and ready to change. You can bring up reincarnation and karma which (and yoga for that matter) have no bearing. We can discuss to no end the omissions of the numerous religious leaders and councils. Here we must stay focused on your superior understanding of a Church Sacrament. For the Christian's sake.
Do you see what I'm getting at here. Even your concept of God is a little bit skewed. While I share some of your sentiment. I don't share your confusion.
Waking Life, being sorry for something is not enough to make it go away. You can be sorry all you want, and 'repent' and beg God for forgiveness, but what really does that do? Make you sleep easier at night? In order to really have the love that Jesus had for life and everything in it, you need to improve yourself, meditation and yoga are 2 wonderful ways of doing so. Begging on your knees doesnt do anything except silence your own guilty conciounce. It's an escape from feeling the pain of your own mistakes.
The only inlkling as to my concept of God that is on this page is the word Love. Where is my confusion?
Precisely. Which is why I made it perfectly clear that the Christian CANNOT recieve the Sacrament of Confession unless he satisfies two conditions. The first is actually being sorry for committing the sin. The second is admitting that he aspires to not commit the sin again. The second condition satisfies what you see as lacking. A person that seeks the Sacrament is already prepared to change. They don't need yoga and meditation, unless their back hurts in the morning.
Well your lack of any real understanding of yoga is apparent, but I will leave that alone. Simply saying that you are aspiring to not commit a sin again, even if you truly feel in your heart that you are very sorry and wish to change, means nothing. Desire, which maybe not the Bible defines Satan as, but the Quar'an does, as do many other religions, arises constantly and unless one is in tune with God at all times, is very likely to make more mistakes. Thus, yoga exists. Yoga means God-Union, not exercize, btw.
Most definitley not frustrated, though I admit there is a tinge of confusion. The confusion caused by my inability to understand how Christians can beleive in such simple minded concepts when there is so little sense contained in that belief.
Yeah I dont give a shit about yoga. You're right. Simply saying that one isn't aspiring to sin again doesn't make it so. In fact, the Christian Church teaches that the person who does not satisfy the two coditions of the Sacrament, yet still recieves it, puts themself into a state of greater sin. We're going on good faith that someone who says they desire the good life actually do desire it. Now, as an approach to the good life. We must remember one thing. This is the Christianity forum. To suggest yoga and meditation are good and all, but they, by themselves, are fairly meaningless to the Christian. In fact, for many Christians, thinking that they can be in tune with God at all times is lunacy or heresy. I think seeking happiness, not contentment (imperative that those not be mixed) is a better way to the good life for the Christian. Perhaps your yoga suggestion might go over better with the pantheists.
I don't know. Ask a Christian. With the simplicity of the Faith, I cannot agree. I can agree that it SEEMS very simple. But if we had the opportunity to ask Aquinas how simple it was to piece together the Summa Theologica, I reckon he'd tell us that the Faith is anything but simple. Luckily there have been thousand of years of dedicated and brilliant members of the Faith that have made such COMPLETE references so to make the articles of Faith SEEM simple. Perhaps I've missed the mark. To which simple minded concepts are you are referring?
