Understanding the holy scriptures is impossible unless God gives you the interpretation

[Trailblazer]

Also bear in mind that 2.4 Billion so-called Christians in Christendom are asserting that they have the Holy Spirit while practising the Natural Religion of Roman Catholicism.

Not all Christians are Catholics. Many Christians are Protestants. Both are practicing Natural Religion since they live for the things of the flesh.

Showing results for how many christians are catholic

Catholicism – 1.345 billion A map of Catholicism by population percentage. Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity with 1.345 billion, and the Catholic Church is the largest among churches. Figures below are in accordance with the Annuario Pontificio, at 2019.

List of Christian denominations by number of members


What percent of Christianity is Protestant?

Protestantism is the second largest major group of Christians by number of followers. Estimates vary from 800 million to 1 billion, or between 31% and 38% of all Christians. The main reason for this wide range is the lack of a common agreement among scholars as to which denominations constitute Protestantism.

List of Christian denominations by number of members

 

[Trailblazer]

Christian Gnosticism is Morally Superior to Baháʼí Faith in Practice. I Am Christian Ascetic Monk that is Celibate, Free From Drugs, Free From Alcohol and Vegan. You are Celibate and Free From Alcohol and Taking Drugs and eating anything your want. I'm Destroying the Body/Natural while you want to still enjoy the Natural.

Can you tell me how you became the judge of what is morally superior?
I view that as a personal opinion you hold, not a fact. There is a whole lot more involved in being moral than relinquishment of the things of the flesh. Morality also requires good deeds.

The New morality

Also in Christendom Yeshua/Jesus is a figure of the past. The Historical Yeshua/Jesus does Not save anybody. Christian Gnostics are Outcast from Christendom Deemed Heretics by the Roman Catholic Church. Given that you see the Historic Yeshua/Jesus Reveals you have Roman Catholic Natural Interpretation of the Bible.

I believe that Jesus existed in history but that does not mean that I have a Roman Catholic Natural Interpretation of the Bible.

In Christian Gnosticism Yeshua/Jesus is Spiritual and Timeless with the Practitioners Becoming Yeshua/Jesus.

I do not believe that anyone can become Jesus as I believe that He was a Manifestation of God.

I believe that Manifestations of God are a different order of creation than ordinary humans because they have a 'twofold nature' that ordinary humans do not have. Ordinary humans only have one nature, a human nature.

The passage below explains what I believe about the Manifestations of God.

“Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: “Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is.” …. The second station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: “I am but a man like you.” “Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 66-67

Galatians 5:17

17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

Yes, it does have to be either Spiritual or Natural. The Spiritual is Contrary to the Natural these being Diametrically Opposed. It appears you have a different understanding of the Spiritual. What does Spiritual mean to you?

Man has two natures, a spiritual or higher nature and a material or lower nature.

“In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher nature and his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other he lives for the world alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth, cruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his lower nature. The attributes of his Divine nature are shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice, one and all being expressions of his higher nature. Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man’s spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his material nature. If a man’s Divine nature dominates his human nature, we have a saint.” Paris Talks, p. 60

THE TWO NATURES IN MAN

Exodus 15:26

26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.


Indeed I Am Ultra Extremist. It appears that me and you don't Believe in the same Elohim/God. It's the same Elohim/God manifesting in different ways to different people. Elohim/God is the Supreme Doctor/Physician that gives Thriving health Entirely Conditional on Obedience to Elohim/God. I'm totally Dependent on Elohim/God for my Good Health and Forbidden to use the State Health Service and/or Take Pharmaceutical Drugs.

Yes, that is an extreme view. Forbidden by who?
I am perfectly healthy myself and take no drugs to maintain my health. That is kind of shocking to people given my age.

I believe in the same God since there is only one God, but obviously I have different conception of God.

It's my Vocation to tell people what the Truth Is. They can either Accept or Reject the teaching. Elohim/God Ordains the Select Few that Accepts and the Masses that Rejects. Some people may choose to Accept some of my teachings and Reject others. Everything that happens is the Will of Elohim/God and Ordained by Elohim/God.

I feel the same way about the teachings

Elohim/God is the Judge. You can show others and they choose to Accept or Reject.

Correct.

People are Judged for their choices all the time. A person may choose to be a Serial Killer, Rapist or Pedophile and are Rightly Judged as Evil and sometimes get Just Deserts Punishment with the Death Penalty or Prison Sentence.

Yes, people are judged for committing crimes in courts of law and that is appropriate.

It's Great Being Different and in the Minority Being the Only One in England practising this Strict Righteousness. Elohim/God Builds Strength through the Satanic Resistance of the Opposing Society.

I also like being different and I don't care what the opposition thinks of my actions as long as they are in accordance with God's teachings and laws.

Again, it appears we have different understanding of what Spiritual means. Sex is Natural and Contrary to the Spiritual. Sex Opposes the Spiritual.

I fully agree that sex is contrary to the Spiritual. Sex is for self, for physical pleasure, so it is Natural, not Spiritual.

Some people claim that we are sexual beings. Such a statement denigrates the very station of man as a spiritual being who was made in the image of God.

Sex is primarily about reproduction. That's why it even exists in the first place. Its role in relationships is a secondary role, not the primary one, which evolved much later. Those who want to divorce it completely from its primary role are in a very real sense attempting to force it to conform to their own selfish desires and that, ultimately, is what is against our spiritual nature.

Our spiritual nature cannot be developed except by "dying to self" and "living in God." This very theme runs throughout the Bible, and it is also a Baha’i teaching. God has given us a dual nature: one material and one spiritual. Sex is part of the material nature, however much it may be able to play a role in a truly loving relationship. Sexual beings is not who we are, even though some people insist that it is.

God is calling us to struggle against our lower nature and to become who we truly are: not material beings, not sexual beings, but spiritual beings who are in control of the physical side of our nature and who can thus find true happiness living in conformity with God’s will. There is a possible explanation of why God has made it so hard, because if it were too easy, it wouldn't be worth anything. Or put another way, because only by being challenged can we really prove our love for God.

What thoughts and feelings do you have about Elohim/God? You may want to keep this private.

I have mixed feelings about God and my thoughts and feelings about God fluctuate from day to day. I am not ashamed of any of them but if you want to have a private discussion you can engage me in a private conversation.

 

[2ndpillar]

I say that your concern - and yes, warning somebody is expressing concern if the warning is sincere and not just mean-spirited gaslighting - it's misplaced because none of it was relevant to me. If YOU live in the States, maybe you might need to heed some of those warnings, but I don't live in America, I don't have a California retirement plan or any other American financial device, I'm not living in a recession, Trump's problems are irrelevant to me except as a spectacle to behold, and I have no need or desire to return to the States to visit much less to live.

And your depiction of the cartels and of Mexican life is cartoonish, but you come by it honestly. My in-laws also imbibe conservative indoctrination media and have similar opinions. They're also devout Christians like you. I think you'd like them.

I might like your in-laws, but I am not a "Christian". As "Christians", they have their own list of problems, but that does not make them necessarily mean spirited or haughty. just misled. The Mexican government is now making Mexican residency a high bar to meet. $300,000 capital investment, or around $600,000 in a Mexican residence, or $300,000 in cash and assets. Financial Criteria for Legal Residency in Mexico 2024
I think the inflation you are causing to normal Mexicans is starting to reverberate in the Mexican government, and therefore, their subsequent new harsh rules. As for the U.S., as goes the U.S., so goes the world. I am sure you mail in your Progressive vote for sleepy Joe, therefore propping up his disastrous moves, which will ultimately affect everyone in Mexico and the world. You are not as insulated as you think. When the dollar goes belly up, what have you got left? Amazon doesn't deliver fava beans unless you can pay, despite the fact that Amazon will probably no longer be in business. Bezos just sold off a lot of his stock. He must know something you don't.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

The Mexican government is now making Mexican residency a high bar to meet. $300,000 capital investment, or around $600,000 in a Mexican residence, or $300,000 in cash and assets. Financial Criteria for Legal Residency in Mexico 2024 I think the inflation you are causing to normal Mexicans is starting to reverberate in the Mexican government, and therefore, their subsequent new harsh rules.

So you think that if Mexico will only grant permanent status to affluent people, it's because they DON'T want them spending in the Mexican economy?

Americans and Canadians here affect prices in the two large expat communities, but we don't influence the rest of Mexico at all. And those two communities are both so-called Pueblos Magicos - tourist destinations that the Mexico government has designated as being of cultural and historical value.

We're about 45 minutes from Guadalajara and are a popular weekend destination for fashionable Mexicans of means (Tapatios) where they own second homes and like to visit nice restaurants, so between the expats, the Tapatios, and the tourists, this area is relatively prosperous, and prices have been rising since we got here fifteen years ago.

But that's not typical for Mexico overall, which is coming up in the world economically, but not at the rate we see in our area.

I am sure you mail in your Progressive vote for sleepy Joe

LOL. Sleepy Joe? I guess you haven't been following Trump's criminal trial.

When the dollar goes belly up, what have you got left?

You worry about my finances more than I do.

 

[2ndpillar]

So you think that if Mexico will only grant permanent status to affluent people, it's because they DON'T want them spending in the Mexican economy?

Americans and Canadians here affect prices in the two large expat communities, but we don't influence the rest of Mexico at all. And those two communities are both so-called Pueblos Magicos - tourist destinations that the Mexico government has designated as being of cultural and historical value.

We're about 45 minutes from Guadalajara and are a popular weekend destination for fashionable Mexicans of means (Tapatios) where they own second homes and like to visit nice restaurants, so between the expats, the Tapatios, and the tourists, this area is relatively prosperous, and prices have been rising since we got here fifteen years ago.

But that's not typical for Mexico overall, which is coming up in the world economically, but not at the rate we see in our area.

LOL. Sleepy Joe? I guess you haven't been following Trump's criminal trial.

You worry about my finances more than I do.

I don't worry about your finances. I just want to introduce a little reality into your situation, whereas your bed becomes a little too short for a comfortable sleep. As for Trump, the more the far-left hacks go after him, the higher up his polls go. Everyone with an iota of sense, knows that what the left is doing is targeted prosecution, which is falling apart on face value, and in the end, all prosecutions will be overturned on appeal, and with respect to justice, the prosecutors will in fact be prosecuted for the same offenses they are pursuing. Fanny is looking at being prosecuted on a RICO charge. As for your "Tapatios", Mexican influentials, they are having to compete with you with respect to housing prices. As for most Americans going to Mexico to reside, they do not congregate in the high-end communities, but must live on a social security check, and that is still way more than the average Mexican earns, and they compete with the middle-class locals, who are being edged out of the local markets. The US industry is going to Mexico because of low wages, whereas the rich get richer, and the poor remain poor, and can't compete with the gringos.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

I don't worry about your finances.

Then why all the warnings? That's a rhetorical question. No need to answer. I know why you do it. Your purpose is to create insecurity in me, but you can't. I'm aware that nothing is certain except death, and that unforeseeable circumstances can affect financial stability including political unrest or cyberattacking banks, but I don't worry about such things once I've done due diligence. We have no debt, we have adequate savings which earn more interest than we spend, the Social Security is never spent, and our lifestyle and tastes are humble, so this lifestyle and standard of living seem sustainable indefinitely.

I just want to introduce a little reality into your situation

But you don't know my situation or much about my reality except what I've told you here, which I doubt you believe.

Everyone with an iota of sense, knows that what the left is doing is targeted prosecution

If you mean politically targeted, looking at the evidence will tell you that the opposite is true. These prosecutions are motivated by criminal activity. You wouldn't have indictments if they were.

Have you been following the current Trump trial? Trump is already finished. Two more "smoking guns" were revealed in court yesterday:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1787639769444257917

the prosecutors will in fact be prosecuted for the same offenses they are pursuing

Maybe, but if America goes down that road, you'd be well advised to leave it yourself: Why it matters that Trump wants to see Jack Smith get ‘arrested’

As for most Americans going to Mexico to reside, they do not congregate in the high-end communities, but must live on a social security check,

I don't know much about Americans living outside of expat communities like mine. We have a few main populations of expats. We have the Canadians, who are mostly snowbirds here to escape the Canadian winter, those that reject American life and culture (that's where we fit), and those like the ones you describe that are here for economic reasons. This latter group is the one being squeezed by inflation and gentrification. I don't know the relative fractions of each here, but you are certainly correct regarding that last group.

The US industry is going to Mexico because of low wages

Yes, but those wages are also going up. They recently opened a Hollywood post-production studio a few miles from us. That's where the raw footage of a movie is turned into a movie through editing, voice-overs, adding credits, and the like. This was an excellent opportunity for many local Mexicans to get good steady indoor jobs and a technical education on the job. They still work for less than Americans would, but it's a step in the right direction for them. It's also a step in the wrong direction for Americans that would work those jobs if they were in the States.

But that's typical of the effect that these two cultures have on one another. America is becoming more Mexicanized as Mexico becomes more Americanized. Wal-Mart merchandise is converting Mexican Christmas from a desert holiday featuring creches, magi, and camels to a winter holiday with Santa, reindeer, and Christmas lights.

And it may surprise you to learn that much of what you consider Mexican food is actually eaten mostly in America, but is now popular in Mexico where gringos congregate like expat communities and resort towns. When we started coming to Mexico thirty-five years ago, Mexicans didn't know what nachos, fajitas, or burritos were. That's Tex-Mex. And in the last few years, we've seen an infusion of Cali-Mex cuisine, also formerly unknown to Mexicans, including crunchy tacos (they eat soft tacos wrapped in tortillas), flautas, and chimichangas.

 

[Elihoenai]

I'm an agnostic atheist.

Agnostic Atheists will continue Remain so while they are seeking for External Evidence from others to prove otherwise. When you Believe that Nature is the Highest Form of existence you won't Believe that a person Really Walked on Water even seeing with your own eyes. It will be considered as a Magic Trick because there is no Scientific or Logical explanation.

Great lessons in the Messiah Series:

Messiah | Season 1 Official Trailer | Netflix

MESSIAH Walks on Water

I don't know what you mean. To me, those arejust words that refer to nothing specific.

Supernatural is Superior to and Above Nature. The Supernatural Transcends the Beast. Science and Logic is for the Natural Domain that I use in Applied Science in my work. True Religion Transcends Science and Logic.

Then they can't convince me that they've experienced it.

They will never convince you, an Agnostic Atheist, because you have to Experience the Supernatural yourself to Believe. I'm not trying to convince you, Knowing that it's only through Totally Devoted Religious practise that the Supernatural is Realised.

 

[Elihoenai]

Not all Christians are Catholics. Many Christians are Protestants. Both are practicing Natural Religion since they live for the things of the flesh.

Showing results for how many christians are catholic

Catholicism – 1.345 billion A map of Catholicism by population percentage. Catholicism is the largest branch of Christianity with 1.345 billion, and the Catholic Church is the largest among churches. Figures below are in accordance with the Annuario Pontificio, at 2019.

List of Christian denominations by number of members


What percent of Christianity is Protestant?

Protestantism is the second largest major group of Christians by number of followers. Estimates vary from 800 million to 1 billion, or between 31% and 38% of all Christians. The main reason for this wide range is the lack of a common agreement among scholars as to which denominations constitute Protestantism.

List of Christian denominations by number of members

All Protestants and Eastern Orthodox are Really Roman Catholic. It's a Phony War between Roman Catholics and Protestants and has been all along. The Roman Catholic Church are Masters of Deception. That's correct, they all live for the things of the Flesh because the Fundamentals are Roman Catholic. Roman Catholicism is Natural Religion.

It's a Phony War between so-called Christianity and Islam and Christianity and Judaism because they are Really Combatants Fighting for the same thing. They are in a Total War Against Elohim/God having Inherited Rebellion from Adam.


KINGDOM OF HEAVEN - OFFICIAL TRAILER - 2005

 

[Elihoenai]

Can you tell me how you became the judge of what is morally superior?
I view that as a personal opinion you hold, not a fact. There is a whole lot more involved in being moral than relinquishment of the things of the flesh. Morality also requires good deeds.

The New morality

My Morally Superior Standard is from the Holy Scriptures/Bible. Relinquishing of the Flesh is the Superior Good Deed to Elohim/God. Elohim/God requires that you give up the Flesh for the Spirit to become United with Elohim/God. Evil people do Alms to Conceal their Evil Deeds. Alms is Not Really Good in itself. It is the Heart of the Alms Doer that makes it a Good Deed. A Sinner cannot do Good Deeds because they have an Evil Heart.

I believe that Jesus existed in history but that does not mean that I have a Roman Catholic Natural Interpretation of the Bible.

You have, because that is the Roman Catholic Natural Interpretation of the Bible. Elohim/God has Revealed to Christian Gnostics in the Holy Scriptures/Bible the Spiritual and Timeless Yeshua/Jesus.

I do not believe that anyone can become Jesus as I believe that He was a Manifestation of God.

I believe that Manifestations of God are a different order of creation than ordinary humans because they have a 'twofold nature' that ordinary humans do not have. Ordinary humans only have one nature, a human nature.

The passage below explains what I believe about the Manifestations of God.

“Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter, and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself. He hath, moreover, conferred upon Him a double station. The first station, which is related to His innermost reality, representeth Him as One Whose voice is the voice of God Himself. To this testifieth the tradition: “Manifold and mysterious is My relationship with God. I am He, Himself, and He is I, Myself, except that I am that I am, and He is that He is.” …. The second station is the human station, exemplified by the following verses: “I am but a man like you.” “Say, praise be to my Lord! Am I more than a man, an apostle?”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 66-67

John 1:12

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:


Christian Gnostics Become the Manifestation of Elohim/God by Destroying the Natural Man. Until you Really Believe that all men Inherited Adam's Fallen Nature, you will never Believe that anyone one can Be Yeshua/Jesus. The Purpose of Discipleship is to Become Yeshua/Jesus. In Christendom they have been waiting for over 2000 years for Yeshua/Jesus to return in the so-called Second Coming while Christian Gnostics Become Yeshua/Jesus.

Man has two natures, a spiritual or higher nature and a material or lower nature.

“In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher nature and his material or lower nature. In one he approaches God, in the other he lives for the world alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth, cruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his lower nature. The attributes of his Divine nature are shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice, one and all being expressions of his higher nature. Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man’s spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful actions are born of his material nature. If a man’s Divine nature dominates his human nature, we have a saint.” Paris Talks, p. 60

THE TWO NATURES IN MAN

2 Peter 2:12

12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Only a Few hundred/thousand Elect attain the Spiritual. Almost every person on the planet Cherishes and Protects the Lower Beast Nature because that is what we are born with. Elohim/God is Flesh, Soul and Spirit.

Elohim's/God's Ladder:
Flesh->Soul->Spirit

Yes, that is an extreme view. Forbidden by who?
I am perfectly healthy myself and take no drugs to maintain my health. That is kind of shocking to people given my age.

I believe in the same God since there is only one God, but obviously I have different conception of God.

It's Forbidden by Elohim/God in Christian Gnosticism to take any Drugs including Pharmaceutical Drugs. Elohim/God requires Total Faith in his Supreme Spiritual Healing Powers. Elohim/God keeps me in Good Health. Good to hear that you are in Perfect Health yourself.

That absolutely correct, there is Only One Elohim/God manifesting in different ways to different people.

Yes, people are judged for committing crimes in courts of law and that is appropriate.

Elohim/God Judges on the Earth through the Courts and there is Elohim's/God's Eternal Judgment.

I also like being different and I don't care what the opposition thinks of my actions as long as they are in accordance with God's teachings and laws.

James 4:7

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

This Mind is Required to get Close to Elohim/God and Resist the Satanic Opposing Forces. The War between Elohim/God and Devil/Satan, the Battle between Good and Evil and the Conflict between Spirit and Flesh has been ongoing for thousands of years. Very few Really Realise this.


A Mighty Fortress is our God - Christian Hymns with Lyrics (Choir) / Martin Luther

I fully agree that sex is contrary to the Spiritual. Sex is for self, for physical pleasure, so it is Natural, not Spiritual.

Some people claim that we are sexual beings. Such a statement denigrates the very station of man as a spiritual being who was made in the image of God.

Sex is primarily about reproduction. That's why it even exists in the first place. Its role in relationships is a secondary role, not the primary one, which evolved much later. Those who want to divorce it completely from its primary role are in a very real sense attempting to force it to conform to their own selfish desires and that, ultimately, is what is against our spiritual nature.

Our spiritual nature cannot be developed except by "dying to self" and "living in God." This very theme runs throughout the Bible, and it is also a Baha’i teaching. God has given us a dual nature: one material and one spiritual. Sex is part of the material nature, however much it may be able to play a role in a truly loving relationship. Sexual beings is not who we are, even though some people insist that it is.

God is calling us to struggle against our lower nature and to become who we truly are: not material beings, not sexual beings, but spiritual beings who are in control of the physical side of our nature and who can thus find true happiness living in conformity with God’s will. There is a possible explanation of why God has made it so hard, because if it were too easy, it wouldn't be worth anything. Or put another way, because only by being challenged can we really prove our love for God.

Agreed! Elohim/God has Perfectly Ordained it this way that there be Great Opposition Within and Without Against the Spirit by the Flesh. The Great Flesh Opposition is Within Yourself and Without with Others/Masses that are Totally Devoted to life in the Flesh. In the Striving for the Spirit you are Attain a Pearl of the Highest Price. Totally the Opposite of the Cheap Grace found in Christendom.

I have mixed feelings about God and my thoughts and feelings about God fluctuate from day to day. I am not ashamed of any of them but if you want to have a private discussion you can engage me in a private conversation.

Isaiah 45:7

7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.


Elohim/God is Good and Evil. Elohim/God Created All Things and Elohim/God Is All Things. Elohim/God is Omni. Satan/Devil is Elohim/God in Its Lowest Flesh Form.

I think those thoughts should be private between you and Elohim/God.

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Agnostic Atheists will continue Remain so while they are seeking for External Evidence from others to prove otherwise.

I think you misunderstand the atheist's position. He's not asking you for evidence for gods. He knows you don't have it. How? Because if convincing evidence existed, he'd know about it without your help and be a theist. He's just telling you that without that evidence, he doesn't believe in gods.

you Believe that Nature is the Highest Form of existence

As far as we call tell, nature is all that exists.

Supernatural is Superior to and Above Nature.

The skeptic has no reason to believe that any such thing exists.

Furthermore, the idea of a realm that is causally connected to nature but undetectable from within it is incoherent (internally self-contradictory).

you have to Experience the Supernatural yourself to Believe. I'm not trying to convince you, Knowing that it's only through Totally Devoted Religious practise that the Supernatural is Realised.

Let's stipulate to that being the case. Still, what's the incentive to devote that energy toward achieving that goal? You're talking about throwing away all that one values to pursue something that has no apparent value even if it's a real thing.

My Morally Superior Standard is from the Holy Scriptures/Bible.

I find biblical morals lacking. Scripture depicts the god of Abraham as immoral by humanist standards.

It's Forbidden by Elohim/God in Christian Gnosticism to take any Drugs including Pharmaceutical Drugs.

Is this one of the rewards of following in your path? I'd probably be dead by now without my blood pressure and cholesterol medications, which I have taken for about 40 years now. My grandfather died of a heart attack before age 60, and I'm close to 70.

Of course, a drug is any chemical that affects physiology. Some exclude food and water from that list, but that's arbitrary. Too much or too little water can be lethal. Also, oxygen meets that definition of a drug and is prescribed therapeutically.

 

[2ndpillar]

Then why all the warnings? That's a rhetorical question. No need to answer. I know why you do it. Your purpose is to create insecurity in me, but you can't. I'm aware that nothing is certain except death, and that unforeseeable circumstances can affect financial stability including political unrest or cyberattacking banks, but I don't worry about such things once I've done due diligence. We have no debt, we have adequate savings which earn more interest than we spend, the Social Security is never spent, and our lifestyle and tastes are humble, so this lifestyle and standard of living seem sustainable indefinitely.

Through your votes, are undermining the economic viability of the U.S., and therefore the world, by your helping maintain the godless, Marxist Progressive present US administration, and cashing social security checks charged to a future generation you are supporting to be killed in the womb. When the dollar and the stock market crash, your worth will be severely curtailed, and the Mexicans will probably partially blame their coming economic collapse on the Americans. As Progressives, the Americans and Canadians ruin their own country with high inflation and flee to Mexico, and therefore increase the inflation of the Mexican poor. The Mexicans are not stupid. They will take your money, but don't think they love you. In most part, they are Catholic, and don't think much of the godless Progressives. The Philippines are also largely Catholic and will not raise their voice to some Karen or Ken, but when push comes to shove, someone is going to wind up mysteriously dead. You can't escape death or taxes, and retirement destinations are starting to raise taxes on expats. An example are the new rules slated for Portugal in 2024 because of the inflationary rise in living cost for the common people. Portugal to scrap ‘unjust’ tax breaks for foreign residents

 

[Trailblazer]

When you Believe that Nature is the Highest Form of existence you won't Believe that a person Really Walked on Water even seeing with your own eyes. It will be considered as a Magic Trick because there is no Scientific or Logical explanation.

Supernatural is Superior to and Above Nature. The Supernatural Transcends the Beast. Science and Logic is for the Natural Domain that I use in Applied Science in my work.

Supernatural is not Spiritual. How does it help anyone if a man can walk on water? What purpose does it serve for humanity?

True Religion Transcends Science and Logic.

True Religion is transcendent because it comes from God, but the supernatural is not True Religion. True Religion has a useful purpose in this world to help humans get closer to God and serve their fellow humans and it also bestows eternal life.

“The greatest bestowal of God in the world of humanity is religion; for assuredly the divine teachings of religion are above all other sources of instruction and development to man. Religion confers upon man eternal life and guides his footsteps in the world of morality. It opens the doors of unending happiness and bestows everlasting honor upon the human kingdom. It has been the basis of all civilization and progress in the history of mankind.......

But when we speak of religion we mean the essential foundation or reality of religion, not the dogmas and blind imitations which have gradually encrusted it and which are the cause of the decline and effacement of a nation. These are inevitably destructive and a menace and hindrance to a nation’s life,—even as it is recorded in the Torah and confirmed in history that when the Jews became fettered by empty forms and imitations the wrath of God became manifest...” Bahá’í World Faith, pp. 270, 272

 

[It Aint Necessarily So]

Through your votes, are undermining the economic viability of the U.S., and therefore the world, by your helping maintain the godless, Marxist Progressive present US administration, and cashing social security checks charged to a future generation you are supporting to be killed in the womb.

It seems like you would prefer that I not vote or accept my Social Security checks.

Good news on the first front. I'm not an American anymore except legally and culturally. I have no more emotional connect to the States - an easy transition, since as an atheist, I never really felt like I was an American, and at least one former president agreed: "No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered as patriots. This is one nation under God."- American President George H. W. Bush

One nation under God? I guess I'm not part of that nation. In God they trust.

I haven't voted since 2002, although I tried unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2006. Turns out I was dropped from the voter rolls both years, and didn't realize that it was deliberate and the result of being a registered Democrat living in the reddest part of a red state surrounded by red states. That put a damper on my patriotism as well. It turns out that Bush's comment was self-fulfilling. George would have been happy to learn were he still alive that I am no longer a patriot. He helped me get there.

Regarding the Social Security, I paid for that. I don't, however, get Medicare benefits, which I also paid for.

As Progressives, the Americans and Canadians ruin their own country with high inflation

That's not what ruined America for me. It was the conservative indoctrination media. Look at what it's done. You've got a demented, anti-American criminal who pays off porn stars and sexually accosts women who was twice impeached and criminally indicted four times running against a decent, law-abiding man with a tremendous record as president, and they're neck-and-neck in the polls.

The Mexicans are not stupid. They will take your money, but don't think they love you.

Agreed. It's a business agreement of sorts with a quid pro quo. They allow me to benefit from their economy, enjoy their weather and culture, and provide government services and protections, and I agree in exchange to infuse capital into that economy, obey their laws, and pay taxes to Mexican governments. It's a win-win.

In most part, they are Catholic, and don't think much of the godless Progressives.

Mexico is more atheist-friendly than America was, but I conceal my atheism from people who know where I live such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, census takers, and the hospital I had surgery in. I tell them all I'm "catolico."

 

[Trailblazer]

My Morally Superior Standard is from the Holy Scriptures/Bible. Relinquishing of the Flesh is the Superior Good Deed to Elohim/God. Elohim/God requires that you give up the Flesh for the Spirit to become United with Elohim/God.

No, that is not true. God does not require that you give up the Flesh for the Spirit to become United with God.
Nobody can ever be 'United with God' since God will ever remain in His own High Place. and God has no partners.

"And now concerning thy reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory. To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names are remembered before the Throne of Glory."
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 192

Christian Gnostics Become the Manifestation of Elohim/God by Destroying the Natural Man. Until you Really Believe that all men Inherited Adam's Fallen Nature, you will never Believe that anyone one can Be Yeshua/Jesus. The Purpose of Discipleship is to Become Yeshua/Jesus. In Christendom they have been waiting for over 2000 years for Yeshua/Jesus to return in the so-called Second Coming while Christian Gnostics Become Yeshua/Jesus.

I had no idea where this discussion was leading. I do not believe that anyone can become Jesus. The Purpose of Discipleship is not to Become Jesus. All we can do is try to become more like Jesus, and the way to do that is to love God and others more than self. You haven't proven that you are superior to anyone else by giving up the things of the flesh.

2 Peter 2:12
12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

Only a Few hundred/thousand Elect attain the Spiritual. Almost every person on the planet Cherishes and Protects the Lower Beast Nature because that is what we are born with. Elohim/God is Flesh, Soul and Spirit.

So you believe you are among the Elect just because you have relinquished the things of the flesh.
You can always cherry pick verses to try to support your position but the Bible does not support your position.

You are not 'better' than anyone else because you have chosen to relinquish the things of the flesh.
Jesus called upon us to be righteous, which requires going out into the world and helping those in need.

Matthew 25:41-46 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

It's Forbidden by Elohim/God in Christian Gnosticism to take any Drugs including Pharmaceutical Drugs. Elohim/God requires Total Faith in his Supreme Spiritual Healing Powers. Elohim/God keeps me in Good Health. Good to hear that you are in Perfect Health yourself.

Some people are lucky to be in good health and some of that is because of their lifestyle, but even people with a healthy lifestyle fall ill, especially as they age. That is a proven fact. Drugs are often necessary to keep people alive. My mother lived to age 93 only because she was on a drug regime for her heart that kept her alive.

That absolutely correct, there is Only One Elohim/God manifesting in different ways to different people.

I believe God manifests Himself to everyone through the Manifestations/Messengers of God. People receive that communication differently.

Elohim/God Judges on the Earth through the Courts and there is Elohim's/God's Eternal Judgment.

I agree.

James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

This Mind is Required to get Close to Elohim/God and Resist the Satanic Opposing Forces. The War between Elohim/God and Devil/Satan, the Battle between Good and Evil and the Conflict between Spirit and Flesh has been ongoing for thousands of years. Very few Really Realise this.

I do not believe that there is an external being called Satan. I believe that the Satanic forces exist withing ourselves.
It is the battle within ourselves, between good and evil, between spiritual and natural.

“The reality underlying this question is that the evil spirit, Satan or whatever is interpreted as evil, refers to the lower nature in man. This baser nature is symbolized in various ways. In man there are two expressions, one is the expression of nature, the other the expression of the spiritual realm…. God has never created an evil spirit; all such ideas and nomenclature are symbols expressing the mere human or earthly nature of man. It is an essential condition of the soil of earth that thorns, weeds and fruitless trees may grow from it. Relatively speaking, this is evil; it is simply the lower state and baser product of nature.”
Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, pp. 294–295

Agreed! Elohim/God has Perfectly Ordained it this way that there be Great Opposition Within and Without Against the Spirit by the Flesh. The Great Flesh Opposition is Within Yourself and Without with Others/Masses that are Totally Devoted to life in the Flesh. In the Striving for the Spirit you are Attain a Pearl of the Highest Price. Totally the Opposite of the Cheap Grace found in Christendom.

I could not agree with you more.

“Say: Doth it beseem a man while claiming to be a follower of his Lord, the All-Merciful, he should yet in his heart do the very deeds of the Evil One? Nay, it ill beseemeth him, and to this He Who is the Beauty of the All-Glorious will bear Me witness. Would that ye could comprehend it!

Cleanse from your hearts the love of worldly things, from your tongues every remembrance except His remembrance, from your entire being whatsoever may deter you from beholding His face, or may tempt you to follow the promptings of your evil and corrupt inclinations. Let God be your fear, O people, and be ye of them that tread the path of righteousness.

Say: Should your conduct, O people, contradict your professions, how think ye, then, to be able to distinguish yourselves from them who, though professing their faith in the Lord their God, have, as soon as He came unto them in the cloud of holiness, 276 refused to acknowledge Him, and repudiated His truth? Disencumber yourselves of all attachment to this world and the vanities thereof. Beware that ye approach them not, inasmuch as they prompt you to walk after your own lusts and covetous desires, and hinder you from entering the straight and glorious Path.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 275-276

Isaiah 45:7
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things.

Elohim/God is Good and Evil. Elohim/God Created All Things and Elohim/God Is All Things. Elohim/God is Omni. Satan/Devil is Elohim/God in Its Lowest Flesh Form.

I do not believe in Satan and I do not believe God is any part evil. Only man can be evil, and man is evil because he breaks the Laws of God.

“God hath in that Book, and by His behest, decreed as lawful whatsoever He hath pleased to decree, and hath, through the power of His sovereign might, forbidden whatsoever He elected to forbid. To this testifieth the text of that Book. Will ye not bear witness? Men, however, have wittingly broken His law. Is such a behavior to be attributed to God, or to their proper selves? Be fair in your judgment. Every good thing is of God, and every evil thing is from yourselves. Will ye not comprehend? This same truth hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if ye be of them that understand.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 149-150

 

[2ndpillar]

Regarding the Social Security, I paid for that. I don't, however, get Medicare benefits, which I also paid for.

Anything you paid for has already been spent by the government. You are accepting checks charged to the accounts of current workers, who will have no funds when they retire, and unborn children who would be citizens to a country you have already denounced. I guess when you are the mediator of your own ethics, stealing candy from children would be permissible. I don't know, it seems like your bed is too short already.

 

[Trailblazer]

Anything you paid for has already been spent by the government.

That is irrelevant. @It Aint Necessarily So is getting what he contributed while he was working, which is rightfully his.

You are accepting checks charged to the accounts of current workers, who will have no funds when they retire, and unborn children who would be citizens to a country you have already denounced.

That is also irrelevant. He is getting what he contributed while he was working, which is rightfully his. If current workers will have no funds when they retire that is because of the mismanaged government.

 

[2ndpillar]

That's not what ruined America for me. It was the conservative indoctrination media. Look at what it's done. You've got a demented, anti-American criminal who pays off porn stars and sexually accosts women who was twice impeached and criminally indicted four times running against a decent, law-abiding man with a tremendous record as president, and they're neck-and-neck in the polls.

Except for a single expat in Mexico, and people with severe TDS, no one thinks that Biden is a decent law abiding citizen. Now to be fair, there are a lot of people with TDS. Biden is even falling in blue states. Even liberal New Yorkers are yelling "lets go Brandon", meaning "f*ck Joe Biden", when he comes down their streets. Now will Trump win in New York and New Jersey, well, the fat lady has yet to sing, and Trump is down 10% in democratic New York. Put Trump in jail, and he may win over New York. The traditional democratic Unions are now donating money to Trump. 'Let's go Brandon': NYC protesters heckle President Biden motorcade Biden has no positive record for the US except for increased inflation, high fuel cost, more wars, illegal immigration, lawlessness, gender dysphoria, and increased bribes to his family from foreign antagonist.

Teamsters union's $45,000 RNC donation exposes divisions among members

The split comes as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are vying for the powerful union’s endorsement.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[2ndpillar]

That is irrelevant. @It Aint Necessarily So is getting what he contributed while he was working, which is rightfully his.

The Progressive government he voted for has already spent what he "contributed". He apparently left the US 15 years ago. The average salary in 2009 was $40,000. He worked for maybe 35 years, and the average salary in 1974 was $8000. The average salary he paid SSI was $24,000. If he paid his share of around 7%, then he paid in .07 x 24,000 x 35 years = $58,800. The average SS check is around $1800. That would be $1800 x 12= 21,600 per year. If he started receiving checks when he was 65, he would have spent all the money he put in by the time he was 68. He is now 70, and hoping to live to be 90, for which you could add another $400,000 if no SS increases were added. I know, if you are a Baha, the math seems good, but to those who are not, it is a little sketchy. The workers of today are making up the difference, and by the time they retire, there will be nothing left of what is known today. When SS was put into effect, the average life span was around 58. It was created for the indigent. And few lived to be 65. Now you have poor workers supporting the lifestyles and ambitions of the wealthy, and who ultimately will wind up with nothing. I know, that sounds good to you, but a lot of things apparently seem good to you.

 

[Trailblazer]

Now you have poor workers supporting the lifestyles and ambitions of the wealthy, and who ultimately will wind up with nothing. I know, that sounds good to you, but a lot of things apparently seem good to you.

No, that does not sound good to me but I blame the government for that, not the people who paid into social security.

 

[idea]

That is fine.
I don't think that conforms to many realities. It is a regular occurrence that people respond in unexpected ways to situations or stimuli that are not known or seen by others, who may judge the former to be acting irrationally. Once the latter become aware of the situation or stimuli—once they come to the same understanding as the person they judged to be irrational—they see that the behavior they were witnessing was quite rational.

I don't see how this is relevant to what I said.
Then go on as if I experienced God, or demonstrated that I know I did, since I can't demonstrate that I know that, either.

Yes, the ability of diverse groups to independently reproduce experimental results helps validate results. Additional points of view often bring new information such as - superstitious rituals in winter used to bring the sun into the sky, to realizing the days get longer because of the earth's tilt.

Are you open to additional points of view on what creates a sensation of warmth and feeling of comfort and well being within many diverse groups of people?