Hello! New member introducing himself!

[an anarchist]

The meaning of the words translated "soul" are also very important to our understanding because the Jews were never taught about the soul being a separate part of the human person. The word in Hebrew never means a disembodied spirit....it is only used with reference to a living, breathing creature. The expression "my soul" then can be understood as meaning "myself". This is also a good subject to explore.

Remember the day before King Saul died? He was desperate for the prophet's Samuel's advice, so he finds a witch to summon his ghost. The Bible records that this procedure was done successfully, and that Saul had a conversation with Samuel's disembodied spirit. I believe that there is no inclination in the text that it was an illusion; it states it as matter of fact. On an apologetics website, they argued that this event only happened once under this very specific circumstance, but the Bible does not allude to that. It appears that Samuel's soul was on a journey and Saul interrupted it.

nd the subject of “meditation” is also vital to understand what it means to a Christian, as opposed to what it means to a Buddhist or any other religious practitioner.
Meditation as it is described in the Bible is the kind of deep, concentrated thinking in which a person seriously reflects on past experiences, ponders and muses over current matters, or thoughtfully contemplates possible future events. Rather than emptying the mind, and repeating sounds that cancel out thought, it seeks a quiet place to contemplate serious matters. It involves deep and serious thinking whilst communing with the Father in prayer, asking his assistance is sorting out things that are of concern. They may even involve deep thinking about the wonders of creation in order to show deep gratitude.

I have to disagree with you about the concept of the Buddhist meditation being that of clearing one's mind. Buddha taught against emptying the mind during meditation. If you simply empty your mind, you don't retain control. You leave it open to negative spirits to infiltrate it. Rather, Buddha taught that meditation was extreme focused thinking, and that you should always be in this state, never letting your mind be "empty" as then it is susceptible. So, the definition of meditation that you listed is the definition that a Buddhist would use. Again, that is a common misconception that Buddhists meditate to empty their mind; they are philosophically opposed to this practice.

But who is the god of those religions....I believe that is a very important question. The fact that they appear to be harmless or even beneficial, is what con artists present to get people to accept their lies. How many people would accept a deception if they knew that it was based on lies? Who is "the father of the lie"?

Hinduism has a vast pantheon. Buddha has been (wrongfully) called an atheist, because he extracted the meditative qualities of Hinduism, while discarding the pantheon. Buddha's God was the God who provided energy for the soul. Buddha's describes his God as "Love itself.". I believe that the Abrahamic God is the God of Love. They way he describes God, I do not see any misunderstanding or contradiction with the description of Yahweh. I truly believe that he had discovered the God.
[^:

 

[Secret Chief]

Buddha's God was the God who provided energy for the soul.

Not sure about the soul thing in Buddhism, if you're meaning some kind of persisting entity.

Or the God thing...persisting entity...

 

[Secret Chief]

Rather than emptying the mind, and repeating sounds that cancel out thought

There are various meditation practices within Buddhism eg samatha or shikantaza. I don't think it's possible to "empty the mind", thoughts may arise with less frequency in certain "types" of meditation. As to repeating sounds, isn't that mantra meditation, such as TM?

 

[an anarchist]

Not sure about the soul thing in Buddhism, if you're meaning some kind of persisting entity.

Or the God thing...persisting entity...

(I need to do a lot more studying of Buddhist texts, I'm still relatively new to it, So I apologize if I misrepresent some of it's concepts.)
The way I see it, is that Buddha did not have access to the literal information pertaining to the creator God, that being the God of Abraham. He looked around in his environment, and perceived the Hindu pantheon as a man made invention. So, he looked inwards to discover God This God being the one that you unite with in nirvana. Buddha himself said that he was just a man, and that his teachings would only serve as a stepping stone to the true teaching, whatever humanity would discover that would be in the future. I'd say that Buddha taught that God was simply positive energy, which I believe is correct.

 

[Secret Chief]

(I need to do a lot more studying of Buddhist texts, I'm still relatively new to it, So I apologize if I misrepresent some of it's concepts.)
The way I see it, is that Buddha did not have access to the literal information pertaining to the creator God, that being the God of Abraham. He looked around in his environment, and perceived the Hindu pantheon as a man made invention. So, he looked inwards to discover God This God being the one that you unite with in nirvana. Buddha himself said that he was just a man, and that his teachings would only serve as a stepping stone to the true teaching, whatever humanity would discover that would be in the future. I'd say that Buddha taught that God was simply positive energy, which I believe is correct.

Well heck this is your hello thread.
I'll just say it seems to me you're seeing Buddhism through your lens of the Abrahamic god.

 

[an anarchist]

I'll just say it seems to me you're seeing Buddhism through your lens of the Abrahamic god.

That's it exactly! [:

 

[Deeje]

Remember the day before King Saul died? He was desperate for the prophet's Samuel's advice, so he finds a witch to summon his ghost. The Bible records that this procedure was done successfully, and that Saul had a conversation with Samuel's disembodied spirit. I believe that there is no inclination in the text that it was an illusion; it states it as matter of fact. On an apologetics website, they argued that this event only happened once under this very specific circumstance, but the Bible does not allude to that. It appears that Samuel's soul was on a journey and Saul interrupted it.

This is one of those texts that requires a little more thoughtful investigation because it isn't what most people assume it to be.
Can I take you through it bit by bit?
1 Samuel 28 tells the story but you have to know the background.....
Firstly, verse 3 tells us that...."Saul had removed the spirit mediums and the fortune-tellers from the land." and he did this because Jehovah commanded him to.....God's law was specific.
"Any man or woman who acts as a spirit medium or is a fortune-teller should be put to death without fail. The people should stone them to death....’” (Leviticus 20:27)
So, in consulting the last remaining spirit medium in the land, Saul was committing a capital crime.

Verse 6..."Although Saul would inquire of Jehovah, Jehovah never answered him, either in dreams or by the Uʹrim or through the prophets." If neither God or his living prophets would speak to this now disobedient and wicked King, why would a dead prophet speak to him? The Jews had no belief in 'necromancy' because they knew that the "spirits" were not those of the dead, but were impersonators. (Deuteronomy 18:9-12) God's people were forbidden to have anything to do with spiritism. They held no belief in an immortal soul that departed from the Body at death. This was adopted later from Greek influence. It also spread to Christendom later but was never taught by Jesus or his apostles.

Reading on you will see that...."Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went to the woman by night with two of his men. He said: “Use divination, please, by acting as a spirit medium, and bring up for me the one whom I designate to you.” But the woman was suspicious that it was a trap in order to have her put to death. After reassuring her Saul told her to bring up the prophet Samuel.

Verses 12-14..."When the woman saw “Samuel,” she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul: “Why did you trick me? You are Saul!” 13 The king said to her: “Do not be afraid, but what do you see?” The woman replied to Saul: “I see one like a god coming up out of the earth.” 14 At once he asked her: “What does he look like?” to which she said: “It is an old man coming up, and he is clothed in a sleeveless coat.” At that Saul realized that it was “Samuel,” and he bowed low with his face to the ground and prostrated himself."
Saul did not see "Samuel" at all, but only the woman saw this spirit, and described him to Saul who assumed that it was Samuel.

The spirit then said to Saul through the woman....."Why do you inquire of me now that Jehovah has departed from you and has become your adversary? 17 Jehovah will do for himself what he foretold through me: Jehovah will rip the kingdom out of your hands and give it to one of your fellow men, David."
This demonic spirit knew what Samuel had told Saul and reiterated it to him....and then he foretold Saul's death along with his sons. Saul then collapsed.
Did the demons as servants of the devil, have power to make this prediction come true? Would God prevent it?
What did satan do to Job? Why did God forbid his people to communicate with spirits? Think this through.....

This was not Samuel at all, but a wicked spirit impersonating him. The devil and his demons are deceivers.

I have to disagree with you about the concept of the Buddhist meditation being that of clearing one's mind. Buddha taught against emptying the mind during meditation. If you simply empty your mind, you don't retain control. You leave it open to negative spirits to infiltrate it. Rather, Buddha taught that meditation was extreme focused thinking, and that you should always be in this state, never letting your mind be "empty" as then it is susceptible. So, the definition of meditation that you listed is the definition that a Buddhist would use. Again, that is a common misconception that Buddhists meditate to empty their mind; they are philosophically opposed to this practice.

I am trying to understand why you believe that God would need to use those who were not his worshippers to teach others what he would use his son to teach....and what was already taught to Israel.

King David for example said in Psalm 19:14..."
"May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be pleasing to you, O Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer."
(see also Genesis 24:63)
This is the kind of meditation that God recommended and which was practiced by his servants of old. Why would he need Buddha to recommend what he himself had told his own servants. The Buddha was not a servant of Jehovah.

Everything we need to know is contained in the teachings which we find only in the word of God. Why look outside as if there is anything else that we need?

The way I see it, is that Buddha did not have access to the literal information pertaining to the creator God, that being the God of Abraham. He looked around in his environment, and perceived the Hindu pantheon as a man made invention. So, he looked inwards to discover God This God being the one that you unite with in nirvana. Buddha himself said that he was just a man, and that his teachings would only serve as a stepping stone to the true teaching, whatever humanity would discover that would be in the future. I'd say that Buddha taught that God was simply positive energy, which I believe is correct.

What is Nirvana? Where will I find such a concept in God's word?
Regardless of what the Buddha taught...as wise as it might sound, it was not from God, who spoke exclusively through his chosen servants and is contained in one book that has been preserved down through time despite many attempts to destroy it. .....but Buddha was not a servant of the true God or he would be included in the scriptures among God's other prophets.
Remember the "angel of light"? All that glitters is not gold my friend.

 

[Deeje]

There are various meditation practices within Buddhism eg samatha or shikantaza. I don't think it's possible to "empty the mind", thoughts may arise with less frequency in certain "types" of meditation. As to repeating sounds, isn't that mantra meditation, such as TM?

I am not really up on the types of meditation used in religions that I do not follow, so please forgive my ignorance. The only type of meditation I practice is mindful, directed thinking and dwelling on the details of things I already know to deepen my knowledge of them.

The mind is a powerful tool but can also be a weapon used against us it we are taken down the wrong track.
There are partners in crime inside all of us according to our scriptures.
The heart is an influencer of the mind....sometimes our minds have to tell our heart to behave itself.

 

[Deeje]

I'll just say it seems to me you're seeing Buddhism through your lens of the Abrahamic god.

And that is a great mistake IMO. The God of Abraham stands alone as God, Creator, and the one who fulfills all that he purposes.....he has no need for ‘outside’ help.

 

[Mister Emu]

Welcome Xavier.

I have some questions.

The eschatology of SA theorizes that humanity can physically emanate Heaven on Earth through collective conscious morality. Alternatively, humanity can bring about our own extinction through collective immorality. The route which humanity will take is dependent on whether government retains authority over the world.

How does your philosophy/theology handle personal immorality and its effects on humanity both individually in the damage done to victims and abusers and societally in the promotion of further immorality and degradation of the community?

Furthermore, SA holds that government is inherently sinful.

By what process is governance inherently sinful? Is all governance so sinful, the governance of parents over the family unit for instance, or the governance of my private land by me it's ostensible owner?

SA holds that division of religion has come about due to purposeful, doctrinal pollution by ruling governments.

Is this a statement you believe to be evidenced historical fact, or is it a statement of faith?

For example, SA holds that the Hailie Selassie Bible, which includes five additional books besides traditional canon, is the Bible to use.

Why? Particularly, what is the theological reason for accepting the Rastafarian Bible, which celebrates an actual human ruler, the head of a government(which you previously declared the ultimate evil)?

Join us for dessert in the RF staff dining hall

Don't him lie to you, there is nothing fun or interesting or worthwhile that happens in the staff halls, dining or otherwise. Nope, no reason to be interested at all.

 

[an anarchist]

And that is a great mistake IMO. The God of Abraham stands alone as God, Creator, and the one who fulfills all that he purposes.....he has no need for ‘outside’ help.

I would like to zone in on a specific matter, and I’ll start with a new example from the Bible for this. As long as you don’t mind :^]

So I am staunchly syncretic, I believe it would be correct to say that you would not identify as such. This I’d like to discuss.

The part of the Bible I want to focus on is Jesus’s birth. Specifically, the three wise men who found him by the star of Bethlehem.
Wise men? Or magi? Again, thanks to textual manipulation, the KJV version identifies these men as wise men. Other translations say that Jesus was visited by three magi (this is how I view it personally).
Who are the magi? The high priests of the Persian/Babylonian religion, Zoroastrianism.
What is Zoroastrianism? It I was founded by the prophet Zoroaster, perhaps around four thousand years ago. It is a monotheistic religion, which teaches that there is a cosmic battle of universal proportions going on between good and evil. Every action we do and every thought we have, contributes to this battle, for better or worse.
What did the magi do? They were the worlds first astrologers, among other things. They created the zodiac, and they constantly studied the stars.
The magi were led by the star of Bethlehem to baby Jesus, giving Him proper respect. Does that sequence of events imply a star a shooting a light beam like a spotlight directing them to Jesus’s location. Or does it sound like the astrologers did some astrology, which told them of The Messiah’s birth, and location. I’d say it’s more likely this implication. And God communicated with these three high priests of another religion, warning them to take another way home. Does this not give any legitimacy to Zoroastrianism, in your eyes? Does this not alone imply that God was in some sort of communication with other religions? The stars these high priest of another religion studied led them straight to baby Jesus and they recognized Him as The Messiah.
I believe there is clear textual manipulation in the KJV translation. Here, they translate magi to instead wise men, thereby cutting out all implication of syncretism.

Nirvana is a Buddhist’s version of Heaven; I suppose I can oversimplify it like that. Instead of being reborn when you die, you become free from the cycle of rebirth and enter into complete unity with Buddha, or I as see it, God. [:

 

[an anarchist]

How does your philosophy/theology handle personal immorality and its effects on humanity both individually in the damage done to victims and abusers and societally in the promotion of further immorality and degradation of the community?

It get's this concept from Taoism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism. The best way to explore this is through the concept of karma, from Buddhism. Their teaching of it is that every thought and deed you do physically creates good or bad karma. The karma you create will affect what happens to you. But it also affects what happens with others. Some people ask, "How can God let children die from disease and war? Is that not cruel of Him?". ignorant of the physical negative karma that they have created which has a direct part in making this happen.
Zoroastrianism explores this concept more literally. It teaches that their is a cosmic universal battle going on between their monotheistic God and their version of Satan. Every action we take and every thought we have directly contributes to this cosmic battle, for better or worse.
It is because the physical negative karma the world created was so overwhelming that God wiped it out with the flood. The Book of Enoch iterates that God did not do this until the agony of the spirits of dead were so overwhelming that they reached His chamber room. And only then, did He unleash the flood. I argue this could happen again for the same reasons. The annihilation of man, specifically, God promised He wouldn't do it with a flood next time for Mother Nature's sake [':

By what process is governance inherently sinful? Is all governance so sinful, the governance of parents over the family unit for instance, or the governance of my private land by me it's ostensible owner?

When I say this, I specifically mean the philosophy of a state. A governing state, government in itself. The idea of man supposing rule to legislate over other men in any way.
Family creates the perfect governing structure. If one can only be a good son and a good younger brother, they will be able to exert their positive influence across the entire world. If they cannot achieve even this, however, how can they ever accomplish anything at all? This is a Confucian teaching.
As for all the specifics of political philosophy, I align this with the philosophy of Anarcho-Capitalisim. This philosophy has thoroughly developed, in theory, how a society would function is absence of a state. Anarchy does not mean no rules, it means no rulers. The free-market is the spontaneous governing force. It is not a utopic vision, but rather an ideal state when contrasted to our current one.
As a Biblical literalist, I believe their is plenty in the Bible that strongly implies that government is in itself evil. Like in the Book of Judges, in it's entirety I'd argue. Like when Saul was anointed King, or when David took the very first census of the tribes of Israel. In these passages it is very clear God is against government in itself. Men should be under His direct rule.
I believe that corruption of government into a tyrannical state is historically demonstrable and evident in the entire recorded history of every state to ever exist. Historically, it has happened w/o fail..

I'll answer your other questions soon! laptops dying, gotta switch devices :0

 

[an anarchist]

Is this a statement you believe to be evidenced historical fact, or is it a statement of faith

Founded in faith, and through attempted logical reasoning. I believe this is historically demonstrable again and again, however. All the wars that the Protestants and Catholics fought against each other, and then sometimes side by side against a common enemy. Then the wars between Christian nations and Muslim nations, even up to the present day, I believe can be shown as being mostly politically motivated through the hands of governments, rather than truly religious. Churches nowadays teach that we are to submit to our governments, which I strongly disagree with. I believe this is a clear sign that government influences the way religion is dispensed to the masses to cater towards the government’s diabolical needs.

Why? Particularly, what is the theological reason for accepting the Rastafarian Bible, which celebrates an actual human ruler, the head of a government(which you previously declared the ultimate evil)?

You make a really good point, I am going to reevaluate my claim on the Hailie Selassie version. The reason I chose it is: one, it includes the Book of Enoch in it’s canon. The KJV does not, yet within it’s pages it quotes Enoch and attributes it specifically to the Book. Two, because of my personal affiliation with Rastas in my personal life, which is why I’ll need to reevaluate this claim. I am not Rasta myself, rather I’m a practicing Nazarite, and our faith shares many of the same disciplines. A Rasta I met led me a lot closer to God, and matured my faith. Hailie Selassie himself denied any sort of deification, he stated he was just man. However, he includes the book of Enoch in his version, which I believe is canon, so I still will personally believe in this one instead.

 

[an anarchist]

By what process is governance inherently sinful?

I believe the existence of government invites people, who are evil and influence by Satan, to take control and exert negativity at a global scale for personal gain. I believe this happens without fail, therefore government will always deteriorate society without fail. I suppose the immorality of anyone ruling over anyone and the philosophical arguments arguing it is immoral will be necessary. It’s the anarchist philosophy.

thanks for the questions, it helps me out a lot just discussing these topics.

 

[Deeje]

I would like to zone in on a specific matter, and I’ll start with a new example from the Bible for this. As long as you don’t mind :^]

No problem, I am happy to discuss any aspect you want to explore.....

So I am staunchly syncretic, I believe it would be correct to say that you would not identify as such. This I’d like to discuss.

Yes, that would be correct since all the world's religions, IMV have the same source. Jesus said that there are only "wheat and weeds" in the world which means that all of us are in either one category or the other...."sheep and goats" are the ones whom Jesus deals with at the end of the age. Two camps....that's it. We choose which camp is our home. I believe that Jesus is separating the 'wheat from the weeds' as we speak.

The part of the Bible I want to focus on is Jesus’s birth. Specifically, the three wise men who found him by the star of Bethlehem.
Wise men? Or magi? Again, thanks to textual manipulation, the KJV version identifies these men as wise men. Other translations say that Jesus was visited by three magi (this is how I view it personally).
Who are the magi? The high priests of the Persian/Babylonian religion, Zoroastrianism.
What is Zoroastrianism? It I was founded by the prophet Zoroaster, perhaps around four thousand years ago. It is a monotheistic religion, which teaches that there is a cosmic battle of universal proportions going on between good and evil. Every action we do and every thought we have, contributes to this battle, for better or worse.
What did the magi do? They were the worlds first astrologers, among other things. They created the zodiac, and they constantly studied the stars.

Right. The magi (from which we derive the word "magic") were Babylonian astrologers. Apparently it was their custom to travel and bring gifts to the newborn children of royalty. They therefore traveled to the land of the Jews (then occupied by Rome) to find a new "King of the Jews". They said that they had seen "his star" in the East and that they had come to do obeisance to him. This was no ordinary star as it moved in the sky and guided them to their destination. But rather than take them to Bethlehem, the "star" led them to Jerusalem, to a wicked king whose first thought was to secure the kingship for his own dynasty. He would play along with these Babylonians and try to find this so called "king of the Jews" so as to destroy him.

After they left Herod, the "star" that had led them to Jerusalem, now led them to Bethlehem and stopped right above the very "house" where the "young child" Jesus was now living with his parents. They were never at the stable as most nativity scenes depict. So the star was not from God, it was from God's adversary in an attempt to destroy Jesus' life before he even got a chance to grow up. If God had sent the star it would never have led them to Herod, because he would have been responsible for what happened All the infants two years of age and under were killed....but God had warned Joseph and Jesus was safe in Egypt by then.

The magi were led by the star of Bethlehem to baby Jesus, giving Him proper respect. Does that sequence of events imply a star a shooting a light beam like a spotlight directing them to Jesus’s location. Or does it sound like the astrologers did some astrology, which told them of The Messiah’s birth, and location. I’d say it’s more likely this implication.

There was nothing sinister about the magi's motives, but it appears that they were used as dupes for satan's evil plot. Astrology was forbidden in God's law, along with all manner of spiritistic practices. (Deuteronomy 18:9-12) Any means of divination outside of God or his assigned prophets was from the only other source of power there was....satan the devil.

God revealed the birth of his Christ through angels to Jewish shepherds, who went straight to Bethlehem to witness this miracle. They were at the stable, but the magi didn't arrive till much later (maybe years). So it wasn't God who alerted the magi to the birth of Jesus....it was the devil using worshipers of false gods, in an attempt to destroy him. You know that star on top of the Christmas tree? God would find it disgusting along with that celebration because it was never based on Christ's birth in the first place. No one knows the date of Christ's birth because Jews never celebrated birthdays.....only the pagans did. So Jesus would not have celebrated even his own birthday. All the associated customs are pagan and have spiritistic roots.

And God communicated with these three high priests of another religion, warning them to take another way home. Does this not give any legitimacy to Zoroastrianism, in your eyes? Does this not alone imply that God was in some sort of communication with other religions? The stars these high priest of another religion studied led them straight to baby Jesus and they recognized Him as The Messiah.
I believe there is clear textual manipulation in the KJV translation. Here, they translate magi to instead wise men, thereby cutting out all implication of syncretism.

You can see by what I have written that I see no connection of the magi to God except that he warned them not to return to Herod. They did as they were told, but perhaps they did not know why....? God did that to protect the life of his son, not because he wanted a relationship with worshippers of false gods.
Baal was one of the gods that led Israel astray. (1 Kings 18:21-40)

The star did not lead them straight to Jesus and we can see what happened because of that. The magi did obeisance (which is bowing in respect, not worship) to the New "King of the Jews", which had nothing to do with him being Messiah. All they knew was that he was a new born king who would one day lead the Jewish people....over Herod's dead body!

There is not a trace of syncretism if you understand what the Bible says, instead of relying on an old and outdated translation that has lost it relevance in today's world. I rarely use the KJV because they know so much more about language and translation now.....I ditched mine a long time ago. It is completely unreliable as a study Bible IMO.

Nirvana is a Buddhist’s version of Heaven; I suppose I can oversimplify it like that. Instead of being reborn when you die, you become free from the cycle of rebirth and enter into complete unity with Buddha, or I as see it, God. [:

In order to believe in reincarnation, you must accept the concept of an immortal soul, which is nowhere to be found in the Hebrew scriptures. If the Jews did not believe in it, then, like the trinity, Jesus never taught it.
Jews never believed that they were going to heaven. Adam was never told about heaven or hell because these do not exist as Christendom teaches them.

The Christian scriptures tell us about the outworking of the "new covenant" and what that would mean for a relatively small number of Christ's disciples who will attain to heavenly life and priesthood (Revelation 20:6).....but for the majority of humans, life will be enjoyed on a paradise earth as God first intended for mankind....many of them by resurrection. (John 5:28-29)

Sorry to disappoint you, but I have to call them as I see them. I have been studying the Bible very deeply for many years. I know that you think you are on to something exciting, but as I may have mentioned before, in order to spot a counterfeit, you first have to know what the genuine article looks like....from what you post, it seems as if you are not as knowledgeable about that as you need to be....Your first premise has to be correct before you can build anything on it....otherwise you will have a mish-mash of ideas that will lead you nowhere.

Have you found anything else in the discussion that is of interest to you?

 

[an anarchist]

If God had sent the star it would never have led them to Herod, because he would have been responsible for what happened All the infants two years of age and under were killed....but God had warned Joseph and Jesus was safe in Egypt by then.

I had not considered this. I’ll have to reevaluate my thoughts on this passage.
Syncretism aside, do you suppose the eschatology of my OP stands? I would not be surprised at all if I have a complete misunderstanding of all the religions listed in my OP, and it is as you say so. If it is so, I’ll see it as I study them more, I don’t intend to misrepresent any of them. However, I am confident that I can find God in all of them still.
so disregarding syncretism, the eschatology that the fate of the human species is dependent on our collective morality. Do you think it’s possible another event parallel to Noah’s flood can happen if we become completely depraved like them? Modern churches teach that the rapture is inevitable for us.

 

[Secret Chief]

And that is a great mistake IMO. The God of Abraham stands alone as God, Creator, and the one who fulfills all that he purposes.....he has no need for ‘outside’ help.

It certainly leads to mutually exclusive beliefs.

 

[Secret Chief]

In order to believe in reincarnation, you must accept the concept of an immortal soul, which is nowhere to be found in the Hebrew scriptures.

Nor in the Pali canon. Rebirth yes, reincarnation no.

- General Index (letter "R")

 

[Deeje]

I had not considered this. I’ll have to reevaluate my thoughts on this passage.

I hope so. Read it from different translations...modern ones to get the wider picture. Read what it says, rather than what you think it says....understanding the Bible's message takes study...deep study. A surface knowledge will not suffice. Meld the two accounts in Matthew ch2 and Luke ch 2, as each has details that the other leaves out.

Syncretism aside, do you suppose the eschatology of my OP stands? I would not be surprised at all if I have a complete misunderstanding of all the religions listed in my OP, and it is as you say so. If it is so, I’ll see it as I study them more, I don’t intend to misrepresent any of them.

From my studies, I do not believe that there is a human soul that departs from the body at death. This was certainly not an ancient Jewish belief but was incorporated under the influence of Hellenism in later times.

There is no "heaven or hell" scenario in any part of scripture. Go back to Eden and see what God told Adam. The only way to see how it ends is to go back and see how it started.
Would you like to work through that with me, just using the Bible? Its a great trip.....it answers so many questions.

that the fate of the human species is dependent on our collective morality. Do you think it’s possible another event parallel to Noah’s flood can happen if we become completely depraved like them? Modern churches teach that the rapture is inevitable for us.

Actually the human race is not judged collectively, but individually. Our morals have a lot to do with it but basically, all God ever asked of his intelligent creation was their obedience. The exclusivity of our worship was stressed under two different covenants. The old covenant with the Jews....and the new covenant with Christ's followers.
Seeing how each one was leading to the Messiah is important. Understanding why the Jews rejected Jesus is also important because it tells us where they are today in the grand scheme of things.

Do I believe that another parallel event to rival Noah's day is possible? The Bible says that it is inevitable ....and the depraved state of the human race at present is definitely indicating what Jesus said would be evident at his return.
The majority of humans are set in their own hearts to commit violence and immorality, loving it even for their entertainment.....discarding any need for God and his laws, and wondering why humanity is going to the dogs....behaving like the animals that they believe they are. They have replaced God with science and the world is heaving under the weight of what science has contributed to the world.....some of it beneficial and some of it deadly.
We have to find where God is in this mess......and get to know him on a very personal basis.
Just a word of caution though.....God is a God of order, so he would never condone anarchy.....there is a better way to good government. Would you like to find out how?

 

[Deeje]

Nor in the Pali canon. Rebirth yes, reincarnation no.

- General Index (letter "R")

As one who has no belief in life after death, rebirth is as unlikely to me as reincarnation.
"How to gain rebirth as an elephant or a horse" was a bit much....

I believe that the Creator did not need to institute an endless cycle of life, death and rebirth to accomplish what he put us here to do. All he needed was for his human creation to follow his instructions and we could all have lived very peacefully and eternally on earth with no harm caused to anyone for any reason. I believe he will take us back there when he has tested us all out as to fitness to become a citizen of his Kingdom, which will "come" when he says its time. I believe that we are getting closer by the day.