From: RFaussette@aol.com
Date: Sat Dec 21 2002 - 10:39:10 EST
In a message dated 12/21/02 12:37:59 AM Eastern Standard Time,=20
ateo@whitworth.edu writes:
> AT: I have personal doubts about the relaibility of the Gospel of Thomas a=
nd=20
> the words ascribed to Jesus. I also disagree that the way back to God is t=
o=20
> return to an instinctual state. The way back to God is to love with the=20
> love that Jesus demonstrated and taught, and love absolutely requires a=20
> free and conscious decision, not instinct.
>=20
> BLessings,
>=20
> Adrian.
>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
I find many of Jesus' sayings in the GofT to be quite similar to sayings in=20
the canonical gospels. also, a few are quite similar to vedic hymns and a fe=
w=20
almost idenitical to zen koans. My point is that theologically, the sayings=20
are not counter to the main streams of religious development and in that=20
regard, I have more confidence in the GofT than you seem to have even though=
=20
the gofT is not canon in the mainstream churches, it is worth the analysis.=20
after all, it was lost for thousands of years. It must be digested.=20
Adrian, once you have made the free and conscious decision to 'love' God, to=
=20
surrender your self (consciousness) what do you have left? You are correct i=
n=20
that love requires a free and conscious decision. But only one. Once you've=20
made it and given your will up to God and made His will your will, behavior=20
becomes intuitive/instinctual. I'm not making any novel announcements. It's=20
logical. Jesus even said, once you make this decision, you don't turn back.
I have always found this man's analysis interesting:
In John White=E2=80=99s essay, Jesus, Evolution, and the Future of Humanity,=
he=20
writes, =E2=80=9CThe very first words Jesus spoke to humanity in his public=20=
ministry=20
were, =E2=80=98The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; rep=
ent and=20
believe in the gospel=E2=80=99 (Mark1: 14, Matthew 4:17).=E2=80=9D White wri=
tes, =E2=80=9CNotice=20
that word: repent. Over the centuries it has become misused and=20
mistranslated. The Aramaic word that Jesus used is tob, meaning, =E2=80=98to=
=20
return,=E2=80=99 =E2=80=98to flow back into God.=E2=80=99 The sense of
this concept comes through best in the Greek word first used to translate it=
.=20
That word is metanoia and like tob, it means something far greater than=20
merely feeling sorry for misbehavior. Meta means, =E2=80=9Cto go beyond,=E2=
=80=9D =E2=80=9Cto go=20
higher than.=E2=80=9D And noia comes from nous, meaning, =E2=80=9Cmind.=E2=
=80=9D So the original=20
meaning of metanoia is literally =E2=80=9Cgoing beyond or higher than the or=
dinary=20
mental state.=E2=80=9D In modern terms, it means transcending self-centered=20=
ego and=20
becoming God-centered.=E2=80=9D
Now Job=E2=80=99s final words assume a greater significance. When Job despis=
es his=20
self and his self melts away, he transcends his self-centered ego (repents)=20
and sees God. =20
If you think of animals, they are always with God because their behavior is=20
instinctual. They cannot sin. We can sin. We ate the apple. We will return t=
o=20
God when we make the right behavior instinctual. That is why the old covenan=
t=20
is written in the law and the new covenant is written on the heart. you don'=
t=20
need laws when right behavior comes from the heart, from intuition. That is=20
where we were before we ate the apple, instinctively doing God's will. If=20
Jesus says "when we can disrobe without being ashamed, we will not be=20
afraid," he is pointing the way back to God, responding perfectly to the=20
elements of Adam's fall. That's in the GofT. That's why I don't disregard th=
e=20
GofT. In this respect, the matter under discussion, the GofT is correct.=20
Remember, we are afraid to make the wrong decisions and ashamed when we do=20
make the wrong decisions according to genesis and the GofT. You can only fea=
r=20
wrong decisions if you make conscious decisions. You can only be ashamed of=20=
a=20
'self.' Without a 'self' what would you be ashamed of?=20
rich
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