medic Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) Hello, my name is Jayson, I'm 22 and about to graduate with a bachelors in history. My path is only a few years short but I've transformed into something better than I was. I like Taoism because it helps me to see everything around me as the way forward, I am a Christian and I believe that without the story of Christ we are in danger of confusing good with evil, especially when we wander into the realm of metaphysics as reality. We know evil as evil only because there is good, or vis versa, but does that mean that true good and evil don't exist? I'm not sold.  I am not a Protestant. You may know Protestants as Christians. If those are the only Christians you know you might not actually know any Christians. You may know some Catholics, if those are the only Christians you know you might not actually know any Christians. Maybe you know some Orthodox Christians, technically, I'm not actually a Christian by their standards because I have not been baptized into the church, but I plan on it. You may be interested to know that the teaching of the afterlife in the orthodox church are different than both Catholic (c. 1054) and Protestant (c. 17th cen.) teachings.  And the view of the afterlife effects the way the entire faith is viewed.  Only a little faith is required to believe in God, there is evidence everywhere, just no proof. How much less faith did I need to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.  What one who follows the tao would be wise to know is that early Christians didn't have the word Christianity. Christianity was called the Way.  The Christ called himself the Way and the Truth and the Life  The Christian belief is that the whole world was created through Christ and that nothing was created not through Him....sounds like chapter 51 to me.  I'm not saying you should replaced 'the Tao' with 'the Christ' and that you'll better understand everything, because the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao. The Way that can be named is not the eternal Way. The way, is the SERVANT-KING, given by God to be a light for all men. His name just happened to be Jesus...which means 'God Saves'  I'm sure, as loyal lovers of the Tao, that servant-king makes sense to you. But I'll elaborate, The Christ was elevated to the highest place, he is the King of heaven and earth, but in his material life, he took the role of a servant. Today, protestants rush to tell you the Good News!!! They say that Christ died for you! Is this the good news that Christ preached? No. Plain and simple, he taught that the Kingdom of Heaven was here and that one day it would be revealed. You should forsake your life as you know it and live for the eternal Kingdom. Follow the Way.  The Tao is perfect, the highest form of truth that can be attained. It encourages you that everything, everything, everything, is the river that leads to the ocean. Don't fight it, be thankful for it because it's taking you. That sounds like perfect teaching to me. "Thou shalt not covet," you shall not want, don't desire what you don't have, everything is a gift from a good God and is for your teaching. Amen.  May we all lose our egos and shine like light in the darkness. Edited June 4, 2009 by medic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gendao Posted June 4, 2009 What one who follows the tao would be wise to know is that early Christians didn't have the word Christianity. Christianity was called the Way. The Christ called himself the Way and the Truth and the Life  The Christian belief is that the whole world was created through Christ and that nothing was created not through Him....sounds like chapter 51 to me.  I'm not saying you should replaced 'the Tao' with 'the Christ' and that you'll better understand everything, because the Tao that can be named is not the eternal Tao. The Way that can be named is not the eternal Way. The way, is the SERVANT-KING, given by God to be a light for all men. His name just happened to be Jesus...which means 'God Saves'  "Thou shalt not covet," you shall not want, don't desire what you don't have, everything is a gift from a good God and is for your teaching. Amen. Interesting, do you have sources for these linguistic claims? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 4, 2009 I don't think the Bible is meant to be interpretted literally. Like when Christ said "I am the Way the Truth and the Life" I don't think he was meaning He himself literally. My opinion only. Â Love, Carson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 5, 2009 Jesus is not the only "Christ". Â Love, Carson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 5, 2009 Jesus is not the only "Christ".  Love, Carson  You're seeing the material world as a complete illusion, but it's the attachment that is the illusion, the material world exists. If the material world doesn't exist, we can all be The Christ, but it does so we can be one in essence with Christ, but distinctly personal in our experience.  Familiar with the Hare Krshna movement? I wonder....  Christ, comes from Christos, which comes from Messiah, which means 'anointed one'. I know these are all words and have limited definitions, but the anointed one can not be more than one. He was the only one who could have done what he did, it was more than a state of being, it was a mission. Christ Jesus, the savior.  I understand that attaining Christ-consciencenous/detachment from ego/oneness with the Spirit is the goal, and that if one were to attain that, they may become one with Father/Son/Spirit, but being one with them doesn't mean you went on the mission and unlocked the prison gates for generations from now until the ages of ages.  I accept the teachings of non-christians, I sift them for truth, I came here because the Tao Te Ching is full of truth, little did I know that "taoism" is just as diluted as christianity.  This is me, and the way I understand it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) Namaste Medic..... You're seeing the material world as a complete illusion, but it's the attachment that is the illusion, the material world exists. Â You can't know how I see things. I don't see the world as a complete illusion. What Is, is. That's it. I don't try to make it be anything it is not. I choose not to fight with reality. Â If the material world doesn't exist, we can all be The Christ, but it does so we can be one in essence with Christ, but distinctly personal in our experience. Â You can't know this either. This is your belief. All ideas and beliefs must be tossed before you can truly Know. Although, I do understand what you are trying to get at here. Yes, ego/personal experience exists. It isn't who we ARE, but it exists. And I don't believe in THE Christ. I believe in Jesus, I believe he was Realized and I believe he preached Truth. But I don't think very many people are capable of understanding what that Truth really is though. Too much literal interpretation and misrepresentation. If Jesus were in the flesh today he would be ripping apart the Church from the inside IMO. Also the Bible can be read in MANY different ways. And if you know anything about how the Bible came into it's current state of being you will know that there was too much human control involved for it to be THE divine doctrine. There are great Truths inside the Bible, but few who can actually understand what these are IMO. Â Familiar with the Hare Krshna movement? I wonder.... Â No sorry I am not very familiar with the HK movement. Â Christ, comes from Christos, which comes from Messiah, which means 'anointed one'. I know these are all words and have limited definitions, but the anointed one can not be more than one. Â I disagree 100%. We are all anointed ones. We are all brothers and sisters of Christ. We are all One. Â He was the only one who could have done what he did, it was more than a state of being, it was a mission. Christ Jesus, the savior. Â Savior of what? Savior FROM what? Jesus' story is not an original. There were MANY "Christs" who went through the exact same procedure Jesus supposedly did, LONG before Jesus was on Earth. The story of the crucifixtion and the resurrection was around long before Jesus' time. He is the most recent one, but not the first by any means. Do a little research and you will see this is true. Â I understand that attaining Christ-consciencenous/detachment from ego/oneness with the Spirit is the goal, and that if one were to attain that, they may become one with Father/Son/Spirit, but being one with them doesn't mean you went on the mission and unlocked the prison gates for generations from now until the ages of ages. Â You sure make a lot of assumptions! You will only know any of this to be Truth once you have personal experience with it. That is the only way you will Know. Right now all you are doing is reiterating someone else words. Doesn't mean anything unless there is personal experience involved. No offence. Â I accept the teachings of non-christians, I sift them for truth, I came here because the Tao Te Ching is full of truth, little did I know that "taoism" is just as diluted as christianity. Â I am the same. I find many deep truths in Christianity, but there are tons of flaws I see as well. It's the same with ANY organized religion. Spirituality is individual and there are as many paths as there are practitioners. And no two paths will be identical...what works for one will not necessarily work for another. Â Love, Carson Edited June 5, 2009 by CarsonZi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 5, 2009 My experience with Christ is real, all I can put into words are things that other people have said because he is eternal and unchanging, so I can see how it would sound like I'm just repeating things I've heard before. My relationship with God is not something I can express to you or anyone else. Â But it is real. Â There are many paths, I believe that, I also believe that the Perfect King can only be perfect if you choose to follow Him, otherwise He could not make you happy. That doesn't make him any less the Perfect King. Â Savior of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness, FROM those who are rich, full, and laughing. Â The wise student hears of the Tao and practices it diligently. The average student hears of the Tao and gives it thought now and again. The foolish student hears of the Tao and laughs aloud. If there were no laughter, the Tao would not be what it is. Â The Christ is the Tao, is bigger than heaven and earth and yet balances heaven and earth and brings peace to those who seek him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 5, 2009 Hello again medic.... Â My experience with Christ is real, all I can put into words are things that other people have said because he is eternal and unchanging, so I can see how it would sound like I'm just repeating things I've heard before. My relationship with God is not something I can express to you or anyone else. But it is real. Â I know that your experience with Christ is real....so is my experience with the Divine. I am not trying to belittle your experience in any way. All I am saying is that what you are calling "Christ" is just a concept you are attached to. It is not the only Truth. And Jesus is not the only "Christ" Â There are many paths, I believe that, I also believe that the Perfect King can only be perfect if you choose to follow Him, otherwise He could not make you happy. That doesn't make him any less the Perfect King. Â Noone can make you happy. Happiness comes from within. Happiness comes when you stop fighting with reality and learn to enjoy life as it Is. I can speak this Truth from personal experience. And by the way, Perfect/Perfection is just another concept that is holding you back from being That. Â Savior of the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the gentle, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those who are persecuted for righteousness, FROM those who are rich, full, and laughing. Â Haha. Sorry but this is funny to me. Salvation is another concept used to keep you in seperation from the Divine. You are your own salvation. You are the only one who can save yourself. Â The wise student hears of the Tao and practices it diligently. The average student hears of the Tao and gives it thought now and again. The foolish student hears of the Tao and laughs aloud. If there were no laughter, the Tao would not be what it is. Â What is, is. And everyone is where they need to be right NOW in order to eventually realize their True Nature. There are no "wise" "average" or "foolish".....we are all what we are, and labelling is counterproductive to realization. Let go of the labels and just abide in the Tao/Source/Love/God. Â The Christ is the Tao, is bigger than heaven and earth and yet balances heaven and earth and brings peace to those who seek him. Â Words do no justice to describing Tao. What Is is. That's it that's all. Â Practice dilgently and all will be realized. Â Love, Carson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 6, 2009 (edited) Practice what? Â All I know how to do is follow Christ. Â Everything else is too complicated. Practice what? Breathing? Staring at the sun? emptying my mind? filling it with prayer? collecting chi? throwing chi? Â all these things, all these practices, empty your mind, get rid of the ego. All this stuff is complicated and confusing and when it comes down to it all I know I can really do is fall down trying and sit at the feet of Christ who tells me "Love God, Love others" and everything makes sense again, he's like a rock. Â oh, and I love you too, Carson Edited June 6, 2009 by medic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 6, 2009 Practice what?  Sitting in silence.  Love, Carson  P.S. I really do mean "Love, Carson " Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 6, 2009 ok, silence no talking, or silence of the mind? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erdweir Posted June 6, 2009 Practice what? Â All I know how to do is follow Christ. Â Everything else is too complicated. Practice what? Breathing? Staring at the sun? emptying my mind? filling it with prayer? collecting chi? throwing chi? Â all these things, all these practices, empty your mind, get rid of the ego. All this stuff is complicated and confusing and when it comes down to it all I know I can really do is fall down trying and sit at the feet of Christ who tells me "Love God, Love others" and everything makes sense again, he's like a rock. Â Most of us here are practicing something, there are allot of different things to practice. they fall into different groups which all overlap. Â Chi Kung and Nei kung are methods of cultivating chi or internal power, and no i dont mean we are all power hungry, i mean we are gathering chi for various reasons. When you do this, you become aware of all of these problems in you body/mind, and start seeing the world a bit differently. It has made me more peaceful, less stuck in my head, less judgmental, etc. One finds stresses in the body and dissolve them, etc. Chi king and Nei kung are also called standing meditation methods. Â Internal martial arts (ones which are based on cultivating chi) are also popular here. The main chinese ones are Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang, and Xing Yi Quan. They are not just fighting arts, but deeply spiritual and are meditation systems and Chi Kung methods in their own right. Â Then there are Taoist Yoga methods like Dao Yin, and very advanced things like Nei Dan, or internal alchemy. In Nei Dan, one converts the lower levels of chi into higher ones. Also stillness meditation is very imprtant in Taoism, as mentioned above. Â There is allot of information here about these things, as well as other systems, like Tantra, Tibetan Buddhism, and Kundalini Yoga. Â Most of this stuff deals with life energy or chi in some way and body practices are also bigger in taoism than in the west. Â but maybe you should also look at esoteric western practices, like kabballah or something? there is allot more tot he western tradition than the devotional methods. Â As far as taoism being diluted, unfortunately there is truth to this, but there are also allot of really serious practitioners and teachers out there and you can find them if you look. Of course, there is allot of bullshitting on this site, it is the internet after all, but some people will point you in the right direction of you ask the right questions. I would recommend searching through some of the vast number of posts on this site to look for what you are interested in. This will take some patience, but it can be worth it if you are serious about taking up some taoist practices. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 7, 2009 erdweir, I appreciate your input, though I highly doubt I'll be taking up any taoist practices. I have practiced meditation and mantras for a few years now. I read the Tao Te Ching and thought it would be a good community of people to talk to, because the Way described in the Tao seems to echo the ideas of letting go of the ego. I personally work on this because when I don't want to let myself get in the way of what God can do through me. In essence, I want to step down from the throne of my life and offer it to God. Â I still want to talk about that, maybe it's more Buddhist than Taoist, I don't necassacerily want to destroy all my concepts of reality as much as I want to be free from my desire and my personal judgments. Because I am find a lot of stuff on here that I definitely don't agree with. And although I believe you don't have to be a Christian to follow Christ, I also believe that there are some practices people are doing that can not be helping to accomplish anything good. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
erdweir Posted June 7, 2009 ... I want to be free from my desire and my personal judgments. Because I am find a lot of stuff on here that I definitely don't agree with. And although I believe you don't have to be a Christian to follow Christ, I also believe that there are some practices people are doing that can not be helping to accomplish anything good. Â Â This is a total contradiction. You are passing judgement on something you dont understand and saying you want to be free of your personal judgments. You are expressing prejudice, and that will get you nowhere. Good luck with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 7, 2009 There is a difference between judgement as prejudice and judgement as discernment.  These two are not in contradiction with each other.  Also, the individual things I "definitely don't agree with" are things I understand. I was referring to some posts I've seen about masturbating to release chi, you may be accomplishing spiritual growth with that, but it is not in the right direction. Growth ≠Maturity Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 7, 2009 Namaste Medic.....  There is a difference between judgement as prejudice and judgement as discernment.  The difference is that one comes from a place of inner silence and the other comes from a place of ego. In order to use "judgement as discernment" you must have a basis in/core of inner silence (Yogani describes this a "relational self-inquiry"). In order to have that basis in inner silence some culitivation and meditation is necessary. Straight "devotional/bhakti yoga" (basically this is what I see Christianity as) will work for some, but it is a long ardous road that many become lazy and complacent on I think. So one must be cut from just the right cloth to reach Realization in this way. For most it is much easier to approach Realization through practices. Things you can actually DO. Singing worship songs, reading the Bible and praying will take some all the way, but very few IMO. There are much more effecient ways to Realization out in the open now.  These two are not in contradiction with each other.  ???? In your first sentence you said "There is a difference between....." but now you say "they are not in contradiction?" Is THAT not a contradiction?  Also, the individual things I "definitely don't agree with" are things I understand.  Can you ever "understand" anything? Is there not ALWAYS more to learn? I don't think you understand nearly as much as you think you do. No offence.  I was referring to some posts I've seen about masturbating to release chi, you may be accomplishing spiritual growth with that, but it is not in the right direction. Growth != Maturity  Everyone is different and there may be reasons why someone needs to use masturbation as a chi release. Personally I have had to release my seed a couple times in the past month or so simply because the internal energies were raging strong and I was having problems being "normal" in everyday life due to this. I spent many hours grounding by walking/running/taking Jujitsu and MMA classes/eating heavy foods etc recently, but the only thing that helped me get back to "level ground" again was to release my seed during sex with my wife. Before this month I had gone several months without ejaculation. This is one of my cultivation practices....to transmute my sexual energy into divine energy. But on occasion there can be excessive energy buildup and the best wway to stabalize is to realease some ejaculate. You can't know everyone's situations, so you can't say what is right and wrong for them. In fact right and wrong don't even exist. What Is, is, and everything happens for a reason. All things work together for good. Even the stuff you think is "bad/wrong".  Love, Carson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 7, 2009 Well about the contradiction thing, I was responding to erdweir. He said I contradicted myself because I wanted to not be prejudicial yet be discerning. Using judge for both cases he said that produced a contradiction, being that they can not both be true at the same time. Like saying I want to be happy and not happy at the same time. However, the two do not produce a contradiction. One can be discerning while not being prejudiced. Â Anyways, according to Christ, we are all made/born in the perfect image of God. So we are all already there, you're already enlightened, you're already at the finish line. But if you don't accept him as God, you deny who God really is. If you don't know him, you'll miss out on the relationship with him. Â So tell me, how can you be trusted? How can I trust a single thing you say? I'm certainly not doing the best job following Christ as I could, but I come in the name of Christ, not in my own name. So if I fail, I fail, but if I succeed, it was because of Christ. All Good comes from God. Â And "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord." Romans 8:28 Â I guess, what's the point? If you don't believe in evil and you don't believe in God (at least a God that believes in good and evil). What's all the work for? Are all your spiritual practices in vain? I can all but guarantee that no one, not a soul that posts on this board is going to reach Moksha/Freedom/Sainthood before they die. So what's the point? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) Hi medic..... Â Anyways, according to Christ, we are all made/born in the perfect image of God. Â We (humans) made "God" in our image not the other way around. God is not external. God is internal. Luke 17:21 - Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Â So we are all already there, you're already enlightened, you're already at the finish line. But if you don't accept him as God, you deny who God really is. If you don't know him, you'll miss out on the relationship with him. Â "if you don't accept him as God".....you mean if I don't accept your CONCEPT of God...... God is everything and nothing. God is the energy that enlivens all. God is within every atom of existence. As above so below. Macrocosm in the microcosm. But the journey never ends my friend. We are not at the finish line for there is no finish line. Â So tell me, how can you be trusted? How can I trust a single thing you say? Â I can't be. Take everything I say with a grain of salt. Sift it for Truth and leave the rest. Do that with everything. INCLUDING Christianity, Tao and any other religion. Â I'm certainly not doing the best job following Christ as I could, but I come in the name of Christ, not in my own name. So if I fail, I fail, but if I succeed, it was because of Christ. All Good comes from God. Â I don't claim to come from any lineage, or in any "name". But there is no such thing as failure. Failure is another concept that keeps you from being the divine light you are. Â And "All things work together for good for those who love the Lord." Romans 8:28 Â Absolutely. And your definition of "the Lord" is not the end all be all of definitions. I do love the "Lord". But I consider God/Source/Love/Tao "The Lord" not just Jesus Christ. Jesus was a manifestation of "The Lord" on Earth. But there have been many such manifestations of God on Earth and Jesus was no better nor any worse then the others. They were what they needed to be in order for us to be where we are today. Â I guess, what's the point? If you don't believe in evil and you don't believe in God (at least a God that believes in good and evil). What's all the work for? Â Good and Evil are concepts you are attached to. The enlightened do not see things in terms of good and bad. Both must be fully embraced before there can be no discrimination and no attachment. The point is to Realize your True Nature. What may seem "bad" to one may be what is necessary for another to reach Realization. Â Are all your spiritual practices in vain? Â Absolutely not! Â I can all but guarantee that no one, not a soul that posts on this board is going to reach Moksha/Freedom/Sainthood before they die. So what's the point? Â Haha. You sure seem to know everything about everyone! Are you sure YOU aren't enlightened? Â Love, Carson Edited June 7, 2009 by CarsonZi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 7, 2009 I don't believe you understand 'my concept' of God. The whole reason I'm here is because the Tao reminds me of Christ.  Also, maybe I am enlightened, I hadn't considered that  The writers of the Bible had a specific reason to write a specific phrase carrying a specific message to a specific person/group of people. Don't take it out of context to make it say what you wish. You're only fooling yourself. Jesus never says, anyway is fine and up and down, inside and out are the same things only different. He said, "follow me." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 7, 2009 (edited) Namaste Medic.....  I don't believe you understand 'my concept' of God. The whole reason I'm here is because the Tao reminds me of Christ.  Quite frankly it doesn't matter WHAT you believe. But FWIW I do know what your concept of "God" is, since you align yourself with "Christianity". I was brought up from an infant to the age of 12 to be a Christian and I bought into it hook line and sinker. But at the age of 12 I started to see the flaws in the religion and all the similarities between Christianity and all the other religions so I began to do serious research and starting trying different spiritual practices seeing what resonated with me. But just so we can be clear on what we are discussing, how about you define "God" according to your view for me. Then we can directly discuss your concept of God. And Tao SHOULD remind you of Christ! They are one and the same. Just not in the way you think.  Also, maybe I am enlightened, I hadn't considered that  Maybe you are! Maybe I am too though. Really doesn't mean anything. Enlightenment is just another concept that needs to be dropped.  The writers of the Bible had a specific reason to write a specific phrase carrying a specific message to a specific person/group of people.  I'm sorry medic, but I will not debate the origins of the Bible with a professed Christian. I have been down that road a hundred too many times with Christian family and friends. People who call themselves Christians are not open to any evidence that shows the corruption involved in the compilation of the "Holy Bible". Too much blind faith. There is no possibility for dialectic conversation with someone who has blind faith.  Don't take it out of context to make it say what you wish.  Likewise don't take everything written in the Bible literally. It is not meant to be read literally. And I didn't take anything out of context.  You're only fooling yourself. Jesus never says, anyway is fine and up and down, inside and out are the same things only different. He said, "follow me."  And what he meant by "me" was "the inner guru". The Christ within, not the Christ without....the inner silent awareness that underlies all. And exactly how do YOU "follow Jesus"? You mean you follow his EXAMPLE? Obviously you aren't foll0wing his example in finding your own religion like He did. Jesus didn't call himself a Christian. And he didn't follow the writings of any book....you should follow him in his example. Find your own way. Take what works and leave the rest.  Love, Carson  editted for spelling Edited June 7, 2009 by CarsonZi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 8, 2009 Carson, I love you, in order to follow Christ I attempt to obey his commands. Matthew 5-7 lays down the foundation of that. (But if you're reading the KJV disregard the point about "vain repetitions" in prayer because that is an aweful translation of the greek). Â And I'm open to Biblical scholarship, textual critisism, but the Holy Tradition of the church fathers patches that hole. I understand that only 6 or 7 of the epistles attributed to Paul are actually guarunteed to be his. But if the fathers of the church recognized them as canonical then they are. That's tradition you can't break. The Eastern Orthodox church actually uses the entire Septuagint for the old testament, which includes books the Catholics and the Protestants don't. I don't need to argue about it because there is no argument. We could even get into the scientific realm, but my reasons there for trusting scripture are well thought out. Â I love you, Carson, but YOU have decided to read historical texts without textual criticism, Christ never meant what you say he did. He was a Jew, believed in the Jewish God, and claimed to be the Messiah. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CarsonZi Posted June 8, 2009 (edited) Hi medic.... Â But if the fathers of the church recognized them as canonical then they are. . Â This statement is why I said I won't debate with you over the historic validity of the Holy Bible. You can't debate with people who live by Blind Faith. I've tried and all that is accomplished is frustration. For both parties. Good luck. Â Love, Carson Edited June 8, 2009 by CarsonZi Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
medic Posted June 8, 2009 (edited) I'm a history student, so it makes sense for me to trust the people who knew Jesus to write about him  and for the people who knew the people who knew Jesus to read about him.  And the people who knew the people who knew the people who knew Jesus to Canonize the books to avoid confusion with writings by people who don't know what they are talking about.  At this point a faith is already established, so if the books that got in aren't always written by who they said they were they ARE at least Orthodox teaching. And that's what is important. What is illogical about this?<edit question mark>  Either way we don't have to debate that, but where exactly do you get your authority to say Jesus was a realized Taoist who meant something else besides being the prophesied Jewish Messiah?  Psalm 22 depicts the crucifixion (notice verse 16 especially) and was written 500-800 years before the practice was ever invented. If you don't examine Jesus as a Jew, you lose the concept of the True God, not my concept. Christ's concept.  I think I understand the Tao as well. We're apart of the all, so you can forget believing that you are an individual, forget thinking you have free will, and forget thinking that moral as well as physical good and evil exist. Realization at last? Edited June 8, 2009 by medic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites