Zeitgeist
- Thread starter bronks
- Start date
Indeed.
Stories and themes were borrowed from various sources/cultures and overlayed on top of, or woven into my message...leaving it nearly unrecognizable.
It should indeed raise questions that the four Gospels that were valued and saved by a popular vote in the fourth century were assembled so long after many others were written.
Where are the earliest manuscripts?
Where are the manuscripts written in Aramaic?
Where are the manuscripts written first generation?
Why is there not a contribution from all 12 of my Apostles?
Why is more of the New Testament devoted to the actions and ideas of a second generational teacher than to my own words, or those of any of my 12?
Why did that teacher part from his teaching companion Barnabas, or why did Barnabas depart from him?
Why, when I sent my apostles out to teach two by two, why was Paul teaching alone?
Why was Paul interested in "bearing more fruit" for Heaven's sake?
Anyone who has read early manuscripts can see that there was an intense battle for mind-share as to what my message meant.
Zeitgiest would incorrectly conclude that because stories were borrowed and included with my message, there must be no messenger.
Evidence points to a catalyst.
Whether that catalyst was understood or not does not matter.
To dismiss a catalyst because it has been made to look mythical is not reasonable.
Dictionary.com
cat·a·lyst
2. something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected.
3. a person or thing that precipitates an event or change: His imprisonment by the government served as the catalyst that helped transform social unrest into revolution.
4. a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic.
Jesus
I see there is no disagreement that I died.
Actually, the "resurrection" occurred long before before I seemed to die.
Everything else was just a demonstration as a way of teaching.
What is catastrophic for a misunderstanding is not a loss.
Your understanding of what Christianity is based on, is what, what Paul heard about it? You recall Saul, yes? The one who held the coats of those who stoned one of God's teachers - Stephen? The one who changed his name from Saul to Paul to become a "bondservant" of Christ?
Good news! Christ does not have any bondservants!
As I taught it, Christianity is based on the fact that all have a shared Identity that eclipses the different and separate states of personhood-nationhood we thought we were.
Separate we sleep, and fight.
As one, we awake and love.
The awakening mind is the "resurrection".
Salvation comes from the shared Identity.
The Identity is not outside or apart from us in any way.
Nothing is outside our Identity.
Outside is "hell", which is nothing.
The Identity is obscured by mistaken perceptions about ourselves.
Our Identity is the truth...is Life itself.
I showed the way back to Self.
The mind begins to awaken as Identity is given willingness to replace what we thought before...what we thought we were.
Like the smallest of seeds, ie a mustard seed, a little willingness is cultivated into one of the largest of trees, providing shelter for all kinds of birds.
Likewise, a little willingness is gradually transformed into the strong Will of our shared Identity.
At that point the body is given over to our Identity that the mind may learn it's final lessons, freeing it forever from the bondage of servitude to time.
That's it in a nutshell.
The version that passes for Christianity has you seeking outside yourself for an event, concept, person, or God to save you.
I said that you are saved by what is within you: The Kingdom of God.
This means that the Kingdom is within, and God is within...so power must be within...so holiness must be within...etc.
It also means that the sleeping pills are within also.
Paul rejected the idea that resurrection is of the mind...and made an event salvation. So he made something other than Christ within his source of salvation.
In so teaching, he perpetuated the error of a split mind which looks for salvation outside and apart.
Saved by my death? Saved by the resurrection of my body? Which is it? A split mind does not know.
Saved by eating some bread? Saved by a prayer? Saved by some behaviors? A split mind does not know.
A split mind will give rise to division.
You will know them by their fruits.
Jesus