...must have been one of the 5 or so Boson particles @CERN, as it could not have been God in Genesis, as I view that figuratively, not literally....(I feel compelled to disclose that the CERN remark is humor, so that it will not be taken literally.) This will be my last response to you. Your CERN remark was not in good faith, how ironic.
Random Religious Thoughts
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SlowUpTake
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"in Luke 17:21 "for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" in response to the Pharisees asking when the Kingdom of God will come.....The editors of the Jerusalem Bible suggest that "among you" is preferable to "within you" because "within you" does not furnish as direct an answer to the Pharisees' question."
But this notion of the subjective nature of the divine is a heavily gnostic one. Lumping gnosticism in with "Eastern Pagan idea", while convenient sophistically, is historically inaccurate. Most of the 1st and 2nd Century gnostics considered themselves Christians and the Gospel of Thomas, while considered heretical since the 4th century, is arguably a genuine source of reported sayings of Jesus.
"the Gospel of Thomas conveys that Jesus ridiculed those who thought of the Kingdom of God in literal terms, as if it were a specific place. ..... readers are to believe the "Kingdom" symbolizes a state of transformed consciousness."
just me
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To conclude the teachings of Jesus to be of only one thing of importance should be more thought about before anyone tries to put the Word in a box, saying it was for one thing. Knowing neither one of you guys could think that way, why place importance on one thing when all Jesus was said to have said was of great importance. It's like the whole armor of God: it's not just about wearing our armor, is it. It teaches us how to stand when being ridiculed, laughed at, thought crazy, and all else that goes with the territory. Ephesians 6 teaches us how important it is to stand with truth and righteousness. If we tell truth, we cannot get caught in a lie or be told we are wrong to be standing so in righteousness. It is easy to remember those verses because we read them so much. We remember those verses. I would say those things were taught by Jesus. Isn't it a great feeling when we just know something? He wants us to be happy in our daily lives, not worrying and such.
Gnostic thinking? Eastern Pagan idea? "Arguably" may be a great way to say it. Book of Thomas is not in the Bible. There is enough for me to deal with if it is not. They say there is a reason for everything, and I refuse to go down that rabbit hole. If I felt led of God to be fighting for those words, I would do so. I do not.
I think a "state of transformed consciousness" to be maybe a bad choice of words to say it is the Kingdom...only? I know I have read "transformed by the renewing of our minds" in Romans 12:2 to be close to the same. However we look at it, why should we not embrace what we have? Why leave something considered heretical in the Bible? The Kingdom of God consists of many things, I would suppose. Should we discuss placing it in a box?
Have you tried to be part of the Holy Spirit of God? Does the Spirit of God dwell in you and speak with you? Do you listen and ask questions? Do you talk to God, or do you talk with God? Does God speak to you?
just me
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These are questions to ponder, not answer or rebuke. We can ask ourselves all kinds of questions. Some say intuition comes from God. I say we come from God. We are all parts of the many miracles of God. Our brains form from tiny little things that happen to just go to the right places, as if they have brains of their own. We so fail to see we are in the image of God. Why?
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TomasM
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I agree @just me . If someone doesn’t want to believe then that is their choice (God has afforded them that option - with a caveat).
I believe and have faith because I choose to and because there is no possibility that the number of things I’ve witnessed could possibly be coincidence (and I’ve had far too many statistics classes for a single person).
I love science because it comforts me by making life a little easier. It is a beauty of that which was created and makes me smile.
Anyone that chooses not to believe should go find something they do believe in rather than engaging in what seems like a pointless conversation for them. Certainly they have plenty to do with their life - right?
I wish everyone prosperity, good fortune, and happiness. Perhaps they’ve thought it through internally, such that it is “good enough.”
On thing I’ve learned to be certain - people have to find their way on their beliefs because nobody can be told what to believe.
I believe and have faith because I choose to and because there is no possibility that the number of things I’ve witnessed could possibly be coincidence (and I’ve had far too many statistics classes for a single person).
I love science because it comforts me by making life a little easier. It is a beauty of that which was created and makes me smile.
Anyone that chooses not to believe should go find something they do believe in rather than engaging in what seems like a pointless conversation for them. Certainly they have plenty to do with their life - right?
I wish everyone prosperity, good fortune, and happiness. Perhaps they’ve thought it through internally, such that it is “good enough.”
On thing I’ve learned to be certain - people have to find their way on their beliefs because nobody can be told what to believe.
TomasM
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I was taught by word as a child. Many of those words influenced my family in a way that hurt me tremendously (in many ways). It pushed me away from religion for decades and I had to choose after a long inner journey. I believe that was Gods path for me and it couldn't have happened any other way - for that I am grateful and still alive. If I hadn’t gone through the pain of walking alone then I never would have found such a strong connection to God.
Some people are ministers - I’m not one of those people. I’m grateful for people who have that life purpose but my life is on a different path / journey - all shall be revealed in due time.
Some people are ministers - I’m not one of those people. I’m grateful for people who have that life purpose but my life is on a different path / journey - all shall be revealed in due time.
just me
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There are many types of ministering. I think of the verb administer. Our paths can differ so greatly, yet we all revolve around the Son. Something pushed me away from church. Maybe it was several things. I feel one day I will walk back into a church. Thought about the vision of a golden piece of DNA way up above one day or night, as I sleep very little and get times confused when something happens like that. Someone told me it was a ladder, and those were steps I had taken. There was a form stopping me near the last step. I looked at them and said: Sorry, but you are not what I am looking for here. I walked around them and kept going upward until I was sitting, and the figure was back where I had encountered it sitting down way beneath me. There were no steps or there was no place to go farther. I thought it showed me I was part of God's DNA: maybe we all are.
just me
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Scars can be difficult to deal with. Being late in life and having an old scar removed instills much thought. Being shown it has no purpose to scar any longer is redeeming. We carry burdens sometimes for lifetimes we need not carry. I recently had a burden removed I have carried many, many moons. It feels wonderful. It does not surprise me it happened as I was praying for forgiveness for it. I would like to say it was what I was shown and what I heard. To me, that makes more sense.
To say someone had a vision has always bothered me. It, to me, is more like they were shown something. Calling them visions I can understand.
I always heard the best fruit was hard to reach, and sometimes required going out on a limb to get to it. No, I'm not talking about a pear or an apple; I am speaking of spiritual matters. No, they do not always require that; but, some do. Do we want a beautiful pear because it should be enjoyed by someone, or do we want to get it unbruised from the fall? Maybe neither, but maybe both and much more. Should we have to see it to know it is there? Maybe some of us understand it is there, but feel it must be for someone else. Maybe it is for someone else, but how can they get it if we do not share it with them? Maybe it is for God's family?
A dog falls into a ditch and makes the news when someone rescues it. Is that because the dog was alive? I pass the dead on the roadside all the time, depending on what area we are from and what resides there. Late one Saturday afternoon, a deer was hit and wrapped around a stop sign right in front of a small church. With a small rope and my truck, I dragged it to where it would be no problem for the buzzards to eat without causing traffic problems. When I went back, the leaves and such from its stomach mixed with blood was disgusting. Went and bought several bottles of bleach and a bottle of Lysol, then cleaned the area and scented it. Why? I had watched men from the church cutting the grass, sweeping, and women going inside the church most of the day for preparation. This happened after they had all left.
That was my job, and I don't even go to that church. Nobody from the church would know I did it. There was no hesitation, either. It was trying to get dark. Everything they had done for preparation had been marred. I hunt and eat venison, so am used to seeing that kind of death. I neck shoot, but have seen what other deer have looked like. How would the service had gone had I not done what I did? Did God use me to do that? No!! God taught me to do that, no questions asked. The world has racial and religious problems. It was a church of those of a different color than my own, not even my denomination of belief. Why place that sight in children's minds? The elderlies' minds. That smell the next day? Did it cost me anything? Consider it a tithe. My time is a gift to me. We know. Sometimes we just know what needs to be done and do it. Why watch others suffer when we could suffer in such a small, unrecognized manner? I felt blessed, not like I was suffering. Maybe it was almost like watching them cut the grass and clean the sidewalks. Please do not commend me for this. I have received my reward. Why bring it up, though? To share the pear.
To say someone had a vision has always bothered me. It, to me, is more like they were shown something. Calling them visions I can understand.
I always heard the best fruit was hard to reach, and sometimes required going out on a limb to get to it. No, I'm not talking about a pear or an apple; I am speaking of spiritual matters. No, they do not always require that; but, some do. Do we want a beautiful pear because it should be enjoyed by someone, or do we want to get it unbruised from the fall? Maybe neither, but maybe both and much more. Should we have to see it to know it is there? Maybe some of us understand it is there, but feel it must be for someone else. Maybe it is for someone else, but how can they get it if we do not share it with them? Maybe it is for God's family?
A dog falls into a ditch and makes the news when someone rescues it. Is that because the dog was alive? I pass the dead on the roadside all the time, depending on what area we are from and what resides there. Late one Saturday afternoon, a deer was hit and wrapped around a stop sign right in front of a small church. With a small rope and my truck, I dragged it to where it would be no problem for the buzzards to eat without causing traffic problems. When I went back, the leaves and such from its stomach mixed with blood was disgusting. Went and bought several bottles of bleach and a bottle of Lysol, then cleaned the area and scented it. Why? I had watched men from the church cutting the grass, sweeping, and women going inside the church most of the day for preparation. This happened after they had all left.
That was my job, and I don't even go to that church. Nobody from the church would know I did it. There was no hesitation, either. It was trying to get dark. Everything they had done for preparation had been marred. I hunt and eat venison, so am used to seeing that kind of death. I neck shoot, but have seen what other deer have looked like. How would the service had gone had I not done what I did? Did God use me to do that? No!! God taught me to do that, no questions asked. The world has racial and religious problems. It was a church of those of a different color than my own, not even my denomination of belief. Why place that sight in children's minds? The elderlies' minds. That smell the next day? Did it cost me anything? Consider it a tithe. My time is a gift to me. We know. Sometimes we just know what needs to be done and do it. Why watch others suffer when we could suffer in such a small, unrecognized manner? I felt blessed, not like I was suffering. Maybe it was almost like watching them cut the grass and clean the sidewalks. Please do not commend me for this. I have received my reward. Why bring it up, though? To share the pear.
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