Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
The bible is a spiritual reference with God-inspired lessons and prophesies for our spiritual edification. The spiritual essence of it is masked and lost in carnal misunderstandings of spirituality itself. Agape love is the prime directive and spiritual essence of God. MUCH of Christianity is lacking in the pure agape love of Christ . . . but that is the result of the corrupting influence of fear and superstition. The unfortunate merger of the NT with ancient Judaic OT scriptures (prophesies designed to prepare humanity for the emergence of Christ and provide validations of Him) . . . has corrupted the NT Message and Example of the Living Word of GodJesus Christ with the primitive ignorance of our ancestors.
Mainstream Christian Fundamentalists have retained the OT descriptions and the veil of ignorance that covers reading them . . . rather than understand that Jesus came to FULFILL (= their main job was accomplished) those OT prophesies and reveal the true nature of God. They are still USEFUL (profitable) for instruction if the veil of ignorance is lifted from them. Only when Christians look to the "mind of Christ" and what God has "written in our hearts" under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can the veil of ignorance be lifted. Then they can obtain an understanding of the true Spirit of God and begin to express the true spirituality of Christ.
The bible is a spiritual reference with God-inspired lessons and prophesies for our spiritual edification. The spiritual essence of it is masked and lost in carnal misunderstandings of spirituality itself. Agape love is the prime directive and spiritual essence of God. MUCH of Christianity is lacking in the pure agape love of Christ . . . but that is the result of the corrupting influence of fear and superstition. The unfortunate merger of the NT with ancient Judaic OT scriptures (prophesies designed to prepare humanity for the emergence of Christ and provide validations of Him) . . . has corrupted the NT Message and Example of the Living Word of GodJesus Christ with the primitive ignorance of our ancestors.
Mainstream Christian Fundamentalists have retained the OT descriptions and the veil of ignorance that covers reading them . . . rather than understand that Jesus came to FULFILL (= their main job was accomplished) those OT prophesies and reveal the true nature of God. They are still USEFUL (profitable) for instruction if the veil of ignorance is lifted from them. Only when Christians look to the "mind of Christ" and what God has "written in our hearts" under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can the veil of ignorance be lifted. Then they can obtain an understanding of the true Spirit of God and begin to express the true spirituality of Christ.
So your saying Noah did NOT board 2 dinosaurs of every kind onto the ark approx. 4,000 years ago??
That creation seminar I went to was a waste of money then.
The bible is a spiritual reference with God-inspired lessons and prophesies for our spiritual edification. The spiritual essence of it is masked and lost in carnal misunderstandings of spirituality itself. Agape love is the prime directive and spiritual essence of God. MUCH of Christianity is lacking in the pure agape love of Christ . . . but that is the result of the corrupting influence of fear and superstition. The unfortunate merger of the NT with ancient Judaic OT scriptures (prophesies designed to prepare humanity for the emergence of Christ and provide validations of Him) . . . has corrupted the NT Message and Example of the Living Word of GodJesus Christ with the primitive ignorance of our ancestors.
Mainstream Christian Fundamentalists have retained the OT descriptions and the veil of ignorance that covers reading them . . . rather than understand that Jesus came to FULFILL (= their main job was accomplished) those OT prophesies and reveal the true nature of God. They are still USEFUL (profitable) for instruction if the veil of ignorance is lifted from them. Only when Christians look to the "mind of Christ" and what God has "written in our hearts" under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can the veil of ignorance be lifted. Then they can obtain an understanding of the true Spirit of God and begin to express the true spirituality of Christ.
Hi Mystic,
I am curious to ask you, now that you have made this thread:
do you think that there were any psychological/spiritual differences between man before Jesus came in His flesh, and man after His resurrection?
You mention the "primitive ignorance" of man in OT times. Do you see man as having evolved? If so, in what ways (apart from the new teachings of the NT with respect to the OT)? Was it a "planned" evolution?
Hi Mystic,
I am curious to ask you, now that you have made this thread:
do you think that there were any psychological/spiritual differences between man before Jesus came in His flesh, and man after His resurrection?
Yes . . . since Jesus' death and rebirth as Spirit . . . our human collective consciousness has His Holy Spirit to guide ALL of us.
Quote:
You mention the "primitive ignorance" of man in OT times. Do you see man as having evolved? If so, in what ways (apart from the new teachings of the NT with respect to the OT)?
Everything is evolving, brian. There are many forces at work . . . sociological, cultural, psychological, linguistic, etc. For example, most people do not realize that their perceptions and interpretations of reality do not come in a "standard model." We all tend to think everyone sees the world in standard ways. We do not. Our "learning" creates vast differences among us . . . even within the same culture and epoch.
Language most strongly determines how we see and intellectually understand the world. Less evolved languages combined with very little "learning" limited our ancestors' perception, communication AND understanding of God and reality. (Imagine what havoc the many translations across generations, cultures and languages have done to their already limited efforts.)
Our current English language is one of the most highly evolved and is capable of communicating very intricate and nuanced meanings and concepts. The early languages of our ancestors were not . . . but even they contained semantic concepts and understandings that are not necessarily transferable . . . even into our highly developed and nuanced language. Our sensibilities, values, mores, etc. back then were barbaric . . . even compared to some backward current civilized societies.
Bottom line . . . we would not understand or be able to relate very well to our primitive ancestors, brian . . . especially those from 4000+ years or more ago (the OT times).
Quote:
Was it a "planned" evolution?
Going to bed soon, so I'll check in tomorrow!
Blessings,
brian
I prefer the term "guided evolution," brian. God is not static . . . He is infinitely becoming. The accelerating expansion of the universe (the portion of God we can see and measure) substantiates that. His "laws"(physical and spiritual) guide or circumscribe everything that He is . . . i.e., all of existence (including us). Our limited intellectual ability to understand or see the "guidance" does NOT make it "random" or "chaotic" . . . it just makes it beyond our abilities, period.
Yes . . . since Jesus' death and rebirth as Spirit . . . our human collective consciousness has His Holy Spirit to guide ALL of us.Everything is evolving, brian. There are many forces at work . . . sociological, cultural, psychological, linguistic, etc. For example, most people do not realize that their perceptions and interpretations of reality do not come in a "standard model." We all tend to think everyone sees the world in standard ways. We do not. Our "learning" creates vast differences among us . . . even within the same culture and epoch.
Language most strongly determines how we see and intellectually understand the world. Less evolved languages combined with very little "learning" limited our ancestors' perception, communication AND understanding of God and reality. (Imagine what havoc the many translations across generations, cultures and languages have done to their already limited efforts.)
Our current English language is one of the most highly evolved and is capable of communicating very intricate and nuanced meanings and concepts. The early languages of our ancestors were not . . . but even they contained semantic concepts and understandings that are not necessarily transferable . . . even into our highly developed and nuanced language. Our sensibilities, values, mores, etc. back then were barbaric . . . even compared to some backward current civilized societies.
Bottom line . . . we would not understand or be able to relate very well to our primitive ancestors, brian . . . especially those from 4000+ years or more ago (the OT times).I prefer the term "guided evolution," brian. God is not static . . . He is infinitely becoming. The accelerating expansion of the universe (the portion of God we can see and measure) substantiates that. His "laws"(physical and spiritual) guide or circumscribe everything that He is . . . i.e., all of existence (including us). Our limited intellectual ability to understand or see the "guidance" does NOT make it "random" or "chaotic" . . . it just makes it beyond our abilities, period.
Hi Mystic,
Thanks for your response. I won't hide from you that the part I'm most interested in is the first line: "since Jesus' death and rebirth as Spirit . . . our human collective consciousness has His Holy Spirit to guide ALL of us."
My thinking is that Christ actually "replaced" Adam when He died and rose again. That would mean that whatever was "dirtied" in Adam, either has been or will be "cleansed" by Christ, whether now or in the future.
To me, that is truly a work of salvation!
I also agree with you regarding the evolution of man and language. The account of the early church on Pentecost tells us that people were hearing them preach "in their own language." Kind of like we have simultaneous translators today, but not as perfect as on Pentecost.
So I think something truly "evolutionary" occurred with the early church, and was enough to shake the entire region. Not just a new religion, but something "supernatural" was happening.
But then it was lost again, and we have no traces of it at the moment...
So I agree that we evolve. But I also think that God gave us a big "push" 2,000 years ago, and then it got "put under lock and key" very quickly.
The bible is a spiritual reference with God-inspired lessons and prophesies for our spiritual edification. The spiritual essence of it is masked and lost in carnal misunderstandings of spirituality itself. Agape love is the prime directive and spiritual essence of God. MUCH of Christianity is lacking in the pure agape love of Christ . . . but that is the result of the corrupting influence of fear and superstition. The unfortunate merger of the NT with ancient Judaic OT scriptures (prophesies designed to prepare humanity for the emergence of Christ and provide validations of Him) . . . has corrupted the NT Message and Example of the Living Word of GodJesus Christ with the primitive ignorance of our ancestors.
Mainstream Christian Fundamentalists have retained the OT descriptions and the veil of ignorance that covers reading them . . . rather than understand that Jesus came to FULFILL (= their main job was accomplished) those OT prophesies and reveal the true nature of God. They are still USEFUL (profitable) for instruction if the veil of ignorance is lifted from them. Only when Christians look to the "mind of Christ" and what God has "written in our hearts" under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can the veil of ignorance be lifted. Then they can obtain an understanding of the true Spirit of God and begin to express the true spirituality of Christ.
I share your premise. However, I have found many who still cling to scripture with a simple, yet profound faith, which seems to bear the "fruit" of the spirit.
Rather than classify them as primitive or ignorant, I tend view their faith as one of simple childlike purity.
I share your premise. However, I have found many who still cling to scripture with a simple, yet profound faith, which seems to bear the "fruit" of the spirit.
Rather than classify them as primitive or ignorant, I tend view their faith as one of simple childlike purity.
The phrase pointing out this veil of ignorance from reading the OT is . . . "their minds were blinded" . . . a blind mind = an ignorant one. But I agree with you that those who cling to the literal OT but still have faith and bear the "fruit" of following Jesus' commands to truly "love God and each other" . . . have nothing to be concerned about.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
