Faith closes the mind. It is pure idol worship.

[Cephus]

I said nothing of worshiping anyone or anything.

The only reason Gnostic Christians use the word God is tradition and what everyone else uses for whatever or whoever their ideal is.

When I say I am God, I am not saying I am the traditional miracle working God who may have never existed. I am saying that the only God you can ever know is the good we find within ourselves. It's the God of the Conscience, or the God of right over wrong. That is quite different from me or someone thinking they are the traditional creator God, or thinking that they are more than anyone else.

Jesus would define this concept as one just seeing that they have joined God’s divine council by embracing his own Christ mind.

Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Divine Council - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The only proper religion for mankind is humanity itself, for it is from this humanity that God first evolved. God was and will be a glorified and exalted human being.

Which brings me right back to my initial statement. Why bother? Why not just live your life and stop pretending to be special?

 

[Greatest I am]

Which brings me right back to my initial statement. Why bother? Why not just live your life and stop pretending to be special?

I am not and you would know that from what I wrote.

Only exalted men are special and that is not me or you would know it.

Those who think themselves special here are those who think they have a pipeline to some miracle working creator God.

Regards
DL

 

[sojourner]

Just because your book says something doesn't make it so. That's the problem with just reading one book, you don't really get a decent perspective on the world. Maybe you need to expand your repertoire a bit, read some books on basic logic. I think that would be helpful.

And don't play the childish "you don't know me" card. You seem to take the Bible seriously and the people who wrote the Bible assigned God characteristics that they have no way of actually discovering factually. If you were capable of taking a few steps back and evaluating your belief system rationally, you'd see that. But hey, what do I know, right?

Right! You "don't know."

"Belief system?" What "belief system?" You don't seem to get it. This isn't some "childish game." I am who I am -- and it's obvious from this post that you don't have any idea who I am. I do take the bible seriously, because it's a serious document that's worth serious study. Since "God" is more a theological and mythic construction than God is a factual character, the biblical writers' opinions are the basis for that construction and myth. "Factually" doesn't factor in here, particularly. If you were capable of taking a few steps back and evaluating the belief system rationally, you'd see that. What the biblical writers say about God matters, materially, to the attributes that are assigned to the mythic and theological construction.

"My book?" Why is it "my book?" It's not "my book." The bible is the ground of Christian theology; what the bible says matters -- and, beyond that, it's definitive, so how it defines terms... matters. In this particular case, when defining terms that are rudimentary to the religion, yes, "just because [the bible] says something," it does, in fact, make it so. Christians define what "faith means to them"; they do it mostly biblically, and the bible carries a tremendous amount of authority where these definitions of rudiments are concerned, because the biblical writers are where the buck stops, theologically speaking.

Since faith has little to do with logic, I don't see how rehashing books on logic is cogent to the topic. And, (although I do have a "decent perspective on the world"), what's needed here is a decent perspective on Xy, which you don't seem to possess. Maybe you need to expand your repertoire of Xian writings a bit, read some books on theology. I think that would be helpful.

 

[Cephus]

I am not and you would know that from what I wrote.

Only exalted men are special and that is not me or you would know it.

Those who think themselves special here are those who think they have a pipeline to some miracle working creator God.

My question is, why should anyone worry about any kind of God at all? Just reject religion and all its trappings and get on with life.

 

[free spirit]

No argument but that does nothing for our creed. We all know that we now have millions of Gods and are a divided world.

Regards
DL

God knows who are His; but do we know who we are? Is our faith lukewarm or hot. The question is, are we starting another run of the mill religion or the truth, which will attract the wrath of other religions as it was in the beginning. Get my book "The Way God Told It" from amazon, or allow me to send you one.

 

[Nakosis]

My question is, why should anyone worry about any kind of God at all? Just reject religion and all its trappings and get on with life.

People find comfort/fellowship in religion and they like the idea of there being a God.

My Grandmother, God rest her soul, especially after she retired, religion provided her purpose and social interaction. They helped the homeless, help to fund charities etc...

Why take that away from her?

 

[Cephus]

People find comfort/fellowship in religion and they like the idea of there being a God.

My Grandmother, God rest her soul, especially after she retired, religion provided her purpose and social interaction. They helped the homeless, help to fund charities etc...

Why take that away from her?

Just because people find comfort doesn't mean that the thing they find comfort in is true. It just means they are gullible. Your grandmother could have found all of those things entirely without religion. There's nothing being taken away from her, she just has to have more realistic expectations.

Or did when she was alive. You know what I mean.

 

[sojourner]

Just because people find comfort doesn't mean that the thing they find comfort in is true. It just means they are gullible. Your grandmother could have found all of those things entirely without religion. There's nothing being taken away from her, she just has to have more realistic expectations.

Or did when she was alive. You know what I mean.

Yes, something would be taken away from her: the spiritual dimension of meaning and understanding of humanity and who we are. Just because people find comfort doesn't mean that the thing they find comfort in is untrue, either.

 

[Cephus]

Yes, something would be taken away from her: the spiritual dimension of meaning and understanding of humanity and who we are. Just because people find comfort doesn't mean that the thing they find comfort in is untrue, either.

There are more important things than just being comfortable. The most comforting lie is still a lie, the most uncomfortable truth is still the truth. People need to grow up and learn how to deal with the world as it actually is, rather than pretend it's something else.

 

[Desert Snake]

Oooohh idol worship!

Really, you have done some logistical gymnastics with this thread idea. What wouldn't be idol worship, then.

 

[Greatest I am]

My question is, why should anyone worry about any kind of God at all? Just reject religion and all its trappings and get on with life.

Gnostic Christians, as free thinkers may recognize that a religion is not required to attain enlightenment from the spiritual realm but we do recognize that most people also want and seek fellowship. It is a part of our psychology and if we do not offer that along with our traditions, they will die out. Even atheists are starting churches because they know of and need to appease that need in their children.

Sociologists has clearly shown this. If you check your own psyche, you might see that that is a part of why you are here.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

God knows who are His; but do we know who we are? Is our faith lukewarm or hot. The question is, are we starting another run of the mill religion or the truth, which will attract the wrath of other religions as it was in the beginning. Get my book "The Way God Told It" from amazon, or allow me to send you one.

God is an elevate man. God has yet to be recognized by the Gnostic elect because there is none at the moment so to say God knows us would be wrong. God will know us by our works and deeds just as Jesus would recognize his people. You and I are God's people but he cannot know us without a church. Most churches begin as house churches and we are not even doing that yet as far as I can tell.

Our faith is not lukewarm or hot. It barely lives. Gnostics have to resist our natural goatish tendency to go it alone. That is one of our greater strengths but we must supress it for the greater good. Our religion thanks to apotheosis and our moral positions are superior to what the other Abrahamic cults are doing and yes they will hate us for pointing that out but that is how we convert. Happily, they cannot kill us the way they did in the past.

Atheists will hate us as well because they will see our spiritual beliefs as supernatural and woo even though It has none.

That is why we need a creed. So that we can get a consistent message out there instead of the plethora of individuals all using a different nomenclature to express the same message. That is what will kick-start Gnostic Christianity. That is why I seek one with organizational skill. It would also be nice if he has pushed his apotheosis. Then we would be two.

I will check out your book although I am doing more writing than reading of late and have little need for another message that is viable but unique. Our uniqueness is what keeps us separate.

We have to create a new Divine Council or Gnostic Christianity is dead.

Divine Council - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

People find comfort/fellowship in religion and they like the idea of there being a God.

My Grandmother, God rest her soul, especially after she retired, religion provided her purpose and social interaction. They helped the homeless, help to fund charities etc...

Why take that away from her?

Correct. We are a tribal animal and seek interactions with others. Gnostic Christians have that same instincts but as goats, we need it less than others. Ancient shaman are portrayed as recluses, because we are, but without the tribe, we are nothing. If we are truly spiritual we will ignore that reclusiveness and participate in fellowship and tribe building.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

Just because people find comfort doesn't mean that the thing they find comfort in is true. It just means they are gullible. Your grandmother could have found all of those things entirely without religion. There's nothing being taken away from her, she just has to have more realistic expectations.

Or did when she was alive. You know what I mean.

Being true has nothing to do with this. Do you actually believe that believers believe. Most do not and do not have the formula to confirm their beliefs the way Gnostic Christianity can.

That is why we were ready to die ate the hands of our Christian offspring in Constantine's days.

Christians are always spouting off about how they were persecuted but in reality, a hell of a lot more of us were persecuted by Christianity as compared to the few they lost to Rome.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

Yes, something would be taken away from her: the spiritual dimension of meaning and understanding of humanity and who we are. Just because people find comfort doesn't mean that the thing they find comfort in is untrue, either.

I agree. Truth does not matter when it is fellowship that is being assuaged.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

There are more important things than just being comfortable. The most comforting lie is still a lie, the most uncomfortable truth is still the truth. People need to grow up and learn how to deal with the world as it actually is, rather than pretend it's something else.

Regards
DL

 

[Greatest I am]

Oooohh idol worship!

Really, you have done some logistical gymnastics with this thread idea. What wouldn't be idol worship, then.

Gnostic Christianity. Those of us who force our apotheosis know and learn from it that the Godhead we find, more of a cosmic consciousness than an individual God mind, must be set aside and our bar of expectation raised so that we can seek anew. The seeking is what is important. The finding only confirms heaven and heaven tells us to do our work here on earth and ignore it as it will not disappear.

As Jesus kept saying, --- seek God. He did not say to set God aside when found (directly), but that is what a true seeker of Gnosis will do and Gnosis is more important than any God.

Regards
DL

 

[sojourner]

I agree. Truth does not matter when it is fellowship that is being assuaged.

Regards
DL

Connection and relationship are truth.

 

[Greatest I am]

Connection and relationship are truth.

I would not use that language but I agree.

Our need for those is what is true.

Regards
DL

 

[sojourner]

There are more important things than just being comfortable. The most comforting lie is still a lie, the most uncomfortable truth is still the truth. People need to grow up and learn how to deal with the world as it actually is, rather than pretend it's something else.

Some do. Some don't. Some of both choose to understand themselves and their world through theological tools. Not all people of faith are sticking their heads in the sand. Many get through the discomfort of reality through the tool of their faith, because that faith keeps them from despair. There are more important things than comfort. Many people of faith seek those more important things through the lens of faith. Things such as love, relationship, truth, meaning, understanding, purpose. Again: the things Jesus embodies. People need to grow up and allow others the dignity of being who they are.