World Peace is near (St. Malachi Prophecy)

[Apech]

...... Ecclesiastes Chapter 1 ... 17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

 

 

Yeah let's stay stupid! Thank you Mr. God.

[GrandmasterP]

Dunno.

I fancy the Coptic Pope lives after the manner of an Ottoman potentate.

Well I'd like to think so anyway.

No point being a Pope if ya can't 'pope' it up a bit is there?

This departing Pope Adolf was a great one for hand made shoes by all accounts.

New pair every day and blow the expense.

[GrandmasterP]

 

Yeah let's stay stupid! Thank you Mr. God.

....

'Are you happy?

Then you are thick!'

 

Best Regards...

 

God.

[Aetherous]

Yeah let's stay stupid! Thank you Mr. God.

 

Totally not the point of that verse...

[GrandmasterP]

It's great poetry, in the KJV anyhoo.

[Apech]

Totally not the point of that verse...

 

 

What is the point of it then?

[Aetherous]

Best to read the whole chapter. Or "book". Whatever it's called.

Edited February 12, 2013 by turtle shell

[Vmarco]

That's not correct. There is also a Pope of the Coptic Church of Alexandria that is separate from Roman Catholicism. There is also a Pope of the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Additionally, there have been many Popes of Discordia since the Principia Discordia was transmitted to Malaclypse the Younger and Lord Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst back in the Year of Our Lady of Discord 3125 (1959 CE). I take issue with claims of exclusivity to the title of Pope.

 

Suppose my dictionary is outdated. Although I did recognize that both Roman catholicism and Eastern Catholicism were included in that definition. Anyway,...I could never be a Pope,...not even an anti-pope.

[Apech]

Best to read the whole chapter. Or "book". Whatever it's called.

 

 

Ok will do ...

Edited February 12, 2013 by Apech

[Apech]

Ok will do ...

 

 

Ok I've read it now and it seems to mean the same to me. Can you explain an alternative interpretation?

[Vmarco]

My thoughts exactly. I'm a big fan of Jesus, but Christianity choked out the gospel right from the beginning.

 

But you see what happens ... if you pedestalize Jesus, you strangle the gospel at birth and it has been the tradition of both the Catholic Church and in Protestantism to pass off what I will call an emasculated gospel. Gospel means good news and I cannot for the life of me think what is the good news of the gospel as ordinarily handed down. Because look here .. here is the revelation of God in Christ ... in Jesus ... and we are supposed to follow his life and example without having the unqiue advantage of being the boss' son.

 

Now there is a much more subtle Christinity of the theologians, the mystics and the philosophers but it's not what gets preached from the pulpit, grant you. But the message of Billy Graham is approximately what I have given you and of all .. what I will call fundamentalist ... forms of Catholicism and Protestantism. What would the real gospel be? ... the real good news is not simply that Jesus of Nazareth was the son of God but that he was a powerful son of God who came to open everybody's eyes to the fact that you are too.

 

In Christianity, there are 4 Gospels:

 

The first canonical gospel, the Gospel According to Mark, began to appear in Rome after 95 CE; however, it was probably drafted following the First Jewish Revolt (70 CE). Contrary to allegations of Papias, as reported by Eusebius in the fourth century, this gospel is clearly Roman in origin and intention. Besides the use of Latin-rooted words not found in other canonical texts, it also does not refer to Jewish law. Authorship points to members of the aristocratic Piso family, who according to genealogists were descendants of Herod the Great and intermarried with the Flavians. These members of the Piso family were the forefathers of Marcus Aurelius, Constantine, and Charlemagne. The Pisos had strong ties to Syria in the first and second centuries, when anti-slavery sentiments began to grow from the First Jewish Revolt. They had firm reasons to introduce a new theo-ideology that encouraged passive servility, thereby suppressing another costly servile war similar to the Spartacus slave insurrection. The womb of the birth of Christianity was Rome, not Judea. The Gospel According to Mark was unknown before 95 CE apparently because of a contention between the Pisos and the Emperor Domitian, who ruled between 81 and 96 CE.

 

Following Mark came the Gospel According to Matthew, which was probably compiled by Ignatius, a Pauline bishop of Antioch, a town in Syria, about 102 CE. Ignatius appears to have harmonized his gospel using some six hundred of Mark’s 661 verses. Considering the numerous references to money, he may have also used the Ebionites’ Hebrew Gospel of Matthew as a source, the writer of which was said to have been a tax collector. Other players in Ignatius’ story include the Gospel of Thomas, the Gnostic text of sayings, which may have been a source for the Hebrew Matthew. Like the Gospel of Thomas, the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew is purported not to have contained a virgin birth or resurrection story. Then, along with oral traditions, the copyist of the canonized Matthew comported his story with the Old Covenant, contriving citations that verified scriptural prophecy to address various questions of the times. To me, his genealogy is more amusing than reconciling. For instance, of the four women mentioned, Ruth was repurchased, Tamar was a prostitute, Rahab was a harlot, and Bath-Sheba was an adulteress. I recall pondering whether the Biblical Jesus/Yeshua was a bastard like me. Matthew’s encouragement of sexlessness is also amusing; for example Mt. 19:12 suggests that blessed is the man who has been castrated, but even more blessed is he who cuts it off himself.

 

In the 1980s, as mentioned earlier, a biennial gathering of Biblical scholars concluded that only the word father could be traced to Matthew’s so-called Sermon on the Mount. The greater part of the sermon consisted of words placed in Jesus’ mouth by others long after he was dead. During that same period in the 1980s, over a hundred Bible scholars at another seminar agreed that Jesus never promised to return and that he never had any intention of starting a religion. Commenting on these scholars’ conclusions, the Jesuit Rev. Edward Beutner said, "These are not maverick scholars; they take a very careful approach to how sayings were transmitted and evolved in the Bible texts."

 

Unlike the Epistles of Paul or the Gospel According to Mark, which say nothing about Jesus/Yeshua’s birth, the Gospel According to Matthew and the Gospel According to Luke, which followed Matthew, constructed the virgin birth in their attempt to corroborate that their Jesus/Yeshua fulfilled Jewish prophecies about a messiah, for example Isaiah 7:14, Hosea 11:1, Micah 5:2, and Luke 24:24.

 

The third of the synoptic gospels is my favorite. The Lucan discourses, that is, Luke and Acts, were probably authored by a well-educated, effeminate physician from Greece during the second century. These books, having the most extensive vocabulary of any in the New Testament, were obviously written through a healer’s eyes, but also from the point of view of an effeminate or homosexual life. Luke is a girl’s gospel; Luke is the only Biblical author to describe women’s inner life. There are women everywhere in Luke—Elizabeth, Herodias, Anna, Mary, Joanna, Susanna, Jairus’ daughter, the Queen of the South, the Widow of Nain, Simon’s mother-in-law, the crippled woman, a hemorrhaging woman, the widow of Zarephath, women who prepare spices, women in parables, a wailing woman, women grinding grain, and at least five women at the tomb.

 

Although Luke and Matthew both use Mark as a source, and the author of Luke probably read Matthew’s compilation while in Antioch, these two evangelists’ accounts contradict each other in many ways. To name an example:

 

Matthew 1:16 Joseph’s father was Jacob.

Luke 3:23 Joseph’s father was Heli.

 

According to the theory of the virgin birth, Joseph was not the father of Jesus, so who cares whether Joseph was a descendant of King David? Some Christian priests would have their faithful believe that the Luke genealogy was of Mary, that Heli was Mary’s father; however, Luke 3:23–24 actually negates such a claim.

 

Matthew 1:20 An angel appears to Joseph.

Luke 1:38 An angel appears to Mary.

 

Matthew 2:11 Jesus was born in a house.

Luke 2:7 Jesus was born in a manger.

 

Matthew 2:14 Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Egypt.

Luke 2:22 Mary and Joseph took Jesus to Jerusalem.

 

Most Christmas season reenactments use Luke’s manger, but Matthew’s escape to Egypt.

Matthew 28:2 An angel

Luke 24:4 Two men in dazzling garments

 

　

John was the last of the canonical gospels. Theophilus of Antioch appears to be the first person to mention its existence as a gospel (during the later half of the second century). However, the Rylands Papyrus, which could be part of a copy of John, has been paleographically dated to 150 CE, fifteen years after the Bar Cochba revolt. John’s gospel resonates more with the Jesus of the Talmud than the Jesus in the synoptic gospels. For example, John has his Jesus dying on the eve of Passover, as the slaughtered lamb, not following the Passover meal as the Jesus of Matthew and Luke.

 

So, who was Jesus? The most important figure in what Westerners understand as Christianity was the mass murderer, Saul/Paul of Tarsus. According to eminent theologians, such as Robert Eisenman, the Essenes called this self-ordained apostle of the Gentiles "the Spouter of Lies." Among scholars, the Biblical Jesus/Yeshua usually appears in about the fourteenth place in importance. Was he an actual historical figure? Even Paul did not appear to believe that Jesus was an historical figure; for example, see Hebrews 8:4. That is to say, Paul never identified Jesus apart from an entirely mystical setting. Without Paul and several other Church fathers and aristocrats, Christianity, as known today, would not exist. Note: some question Paul’s authorship of Hebrew’s, however, that does not necessarily alter the message.

 

Interestingly, American Founding Fathers have chimmed in these ways:

 

"All this [Paul's writing] is nothing better than the jargon of a conjurer who picks up phrases he does not understand to confound the credulous people who come to have their fortune told." Thomas Paine

 

"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man. ...Rogueries, absurdities and untruths were perpetrated upon the teachings of Jesus by a large band of dupes and importers led by Paul..." Thomas Jefferson

[Vmarco]

"Everything is meaningless."

- The Bible

 

"prove all things" 1 Thess 5:21.

 

So give Christians a chance. Let them PROVE that they are not False Christians. Let them accept Jesus’ litmus test for determining the true christian faithful, as published in the canonized text,…Mark 16:16-18. A true Christian, "the man who accepts baptism,…will be able to drink deadly poison without harm".

[Apech]

"prove all things" 1 Thess 5:21.

 

So give Christians a chance. Let them PROVE that they are not False Christians. Let them accept Jesus’ litmus test for determining the true christian faithful, as published in the canonized text,…Mark 16:16-18. A true Christian, "the man who accepts baptism,…will be able to drink deadly poison without harm".

 

 

V ... I have a feeling you have posted this before.

[三江源]

"prove all things" 1 Thess 5:21.

 

So give Christians a chance. Let them PROVE that they are not False Christians. Let them accept Jesus’ litmus test for determining the true christian faithful, as published in the canonized text,…Mark 16:16-18. A true Christian, "the man who accepts baptism,…will be able to drink deadly poison without harm".

What could the deadly poison actually be?

[Marblehead]

Get some of those halogen lights

 

The Pope's resignation means nothing to you ... I would suggest ... to the millions of Catholics it means a lot, to the Pope himself it means even more and to the candidates as much. To the rest of the world the impact of institutions such as this makes some difference ... even though it may be minimal to you. So I don't see why we shouldn't discuss it. Do you?

No, I won't get the lights. I'm trying to conserve electricity.

 

Yes, others have opinions about this that differ from mine. True, it is of concern to them (although I fail to understand why).

 

So yes, for those who are interested it is a subject worthy of discussion.

 

But we all do know (I would hope we all know) that regardless of how we feel about it and what we think and what we feel should happen, the institution is going to do whatever it wants to do and that will be whatever it needs to do to preserve the institution.

[Apech]

No, I won't get the lights. I'm trying to conserve electricity.

 

Yes, others have opinions about this that differ from mine. True, it is of concern to them (although I fail to understand why).

 

So yes, for those who are interested it is a subject worthy of discussion.

 

But we all do know (I would hope we all know) that regardless of how we feel about it and what we think and what we feel should happen, the institution is going to do whatever it wants to do and that will be whatever it needs to do to preserve the institution.

 

This is a thousand times true.

[eye_of_the_storm]

Ok I've read it now and it seems to mean the same to me. Can you explain an alternative interpretation?

 

I guess.

 

One could say that knowing God (Absolute reality) is the only true happiness.

 

Very similar to eastern thought really, Buddhism etc.

 

 

Edited February 12, 2013 by White Wolf Running On Air

[ॐDominicusॐ]

...it is the END of ROME as having authority of, or stepping between sentient beings and their direct experience, thus the End of Christianity.

It will not end Christianity, if anything it will end Catholicism, which only makes up a certain percentage of Christians. There is a large percentage of Westernized Evangelical and various other denominations that exist outside of Catholicism, of which, if Catholicism ends, those denominations will continue.

 

With the End of the Christian meme,...Islam, which is a forced by-product of Christianity, will fall to,...and Shambhala will be on the horizon.

Unfortunately for you, it will not be the end of the Christian Meme and you will not witness it in your lifetime. I would gladly bet you all the money in my savings account, my truck, and everything I own that you won't see it.

 

It's amazing,...the end of the Abrahamic memes will be in my lifetime,...soon, their god will be removed from my money,...their crosses of suffering removed from my vision,...the hideous vibrations of Christianity unwound, to let fresh air permeate the world. What great day to know that this day is at hand.

 

Like I said, you're not gonna see it in your life time. I'll be more than happy to see Catholicism and the repressed sexual urges that cause the molestations, corruptions, and spiritual dumbing down to end just as well. Like I said, that is just a small portion of the whole

 

...the hideous vibrations of Christianity unwound, to let fresh air permeate the world.

You may be referring to the whole, "I'm right, your wrong... & our way is the Only way," attitude that happens in a lot of Christianity. In that case its spiritual or ignorance based egotism. Surprisingly, the same egotism & drama I have found in Christianity, I have also found in Zen Monasteries, among Buddhists and their monasteries, amongst Nondual teachers, and retreats, and so on. Perhaps you are referencing a Universal trait that is actually a spiritual trap permeating all traditions.

 

"the only way to understand [the Tao] is to directly experience it." Lao Tzu

"the christian of the future will be a mystic or he will not exist at all" karl rahner

 

Your completely missing out on, and perhaps have failed to see, the Esoteric Core of Mystical Christianity. They too have reported Rainbow bodies, Miraculous abilities, Chi, NAdi's, Enlightenment, Merging with the Absolute, Chakras, Neti Neti, Mantra, etc.

 

There are still rich traditions within Christianity that pump out Enlightened Saints. For example many of the Monasteries on Mount Athos consistently pump out Enlightened Saints still to this very day, all based on the same "Direct Experience" tat Lao Tzu ascribed to.

 

So really, it's not all black & white as you have put it.

[Mokona]

Have worked with a Christian with what is mentioned as "awakened" kundalini. It must have been strange for him.

[三江源]

Have worked with a Christian with what is mentioned as "awakened" kundalini. It must have been strange for him.

maybe kundalini is the deadly poison that you can drink once you have been baptised/initiated.

[ॐDominicusॐ]

maybe kundalini is the deadly poison that you can drink once you have been baptised/initiated.

There is a state in Mystical Esoteric Christianity, where the person becomes Indwelled by the Holy Spirit, bringing with it Mystical states, loosening consciousness from the body, and opening many of the Nadi's, creating a very light and loose physical body which seems to be Immune to poisons of Various sorts.

 

This state is usually temporary, or comes and goes, followed by various additional states that are supposed to lead to Enlightenment.

Edited February 12, 2013 by ॐDominicusॐ

[RongzomFan]

Jesus never existed according to Columbia PhD in Ancient History Richard Carrier

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Richard+Carrier%2C+long&lclk=long

Edited February 12, 2013 by alwayson

[ॐDominicusॐ]

Jesus never existed according to Columbia PhD in Ancient History Richard Carrier

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Richard+Carrier%2C+long&lclk=long

Carrier is actually a tiny TINY fractional minority that believes so. The Majority of scholarly Phd based academia are in agreement that he did exist

[RongzomFan]

Carrier is actually a tiny TINY fractional minority that believes so. The Majority of scholarly Phd based academia are in agreement that he did exist

 

Nah, they just hide it. Like Thomas Brodie recently came out as someone who believes that Jesus is a fiction.

[ॐDominicusॐ]

Nah, they just hide it. Like Thomas Brodie recently came out as someone who believes that Jesus is a fiction.

"they" just hide it? So you are saying all of academia is hiding it?

 

I find Carrier's points super weak, and there are plenty "apologetics" and counter point/arguments against him on youtube, that equally extinguish his points.

 

My personal take: All spiritual/philosophical paths, surround 1 person. Buddhism around Buddha, Islam around Muhammed, Lao Tzu around Taoism, Adi Shankara around Advaita, Neo-Platonism around Plato/Socrates.

 

We have 1 thing in common. 1 person presents a systematic philosophy/idea, and then people form groups around it.

 

If Jesus didn't exist, then let's also add Buddha, Muhammed, Lao Tzu, Shankara, Socrates, etc

 

1 of Carrier's points to discredit the Existence of Jesus (if you watch his presentation) is to joke and make fun of, Spiritual realities and miraculous acts. 2 things that are inherent in all of the Branches/Paths that I mentioned above.

 

Either way, Carrier seriously makes some extremely weak points. 1 of them being that the writings of Paul can't be taken serious because he's not talking more about Jesus and how he was.

 

Seriously? Paul was writing to Churches and groups of folks who already knew about Jesus and were Practicing their own Spiritual practices, surrounding the teachings of Jesus.

 

Anyway, I'm all ears, but Carrier has some weak presentations