11-12-2010, 07:47 PM
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: My sister-in-law claims that she "knows" the Bible is the word of God, as he dictated it to the prophets, and that it's a perfectly correct, "word for word" dictation. I asked her how she 'knew' this and she said that people have actually found the "actual"..."original" first writings of the Bible, and that many, many copies have been made which are also word for word, perfectly matching the "original". I was like, "uuuuh...yeeeeah." And who made the decision that they were indeed "the" original? ;o)
Exactly. And I would take that a step further: EVEN IF it was 100% proven they have the original, what does that mean? Original...what? Original book written by humans.
Why is this book any different from other 'holy' books in other cultures? Every culture has its own versions of religion, some based on books. But ALL those books were...written by humans.
It is a presupposition that 'God' wrote the Bible. So the whole point about whether their version is 'original' or not becomes moot.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: I haven't finished the LOO, but I can't wrap my mind around the idea of people trying to hurt other people (the STS people being the ones who want to hurt). I don't understand what they expect to gain.
It's difficult for us, as STO-oriented beings, to comprehend the appeal of the STS path. Why does God allow evil? is the perennial question that religions and philosophies have been struggling to make sense of for millennia.
What impressed me about the Law of One, among other things, was that it offered the most sensible answer to that question than any I had ever seen elsewhere. Rather than viewing life as a sorting hat, like in Harry Potter, with some souls going to 'heaven' and others to 'hell' 3D reality is viewed more as a school, in which young souls to learn, grow, and evolve. The STS entities are those who provide certain aspects of the curriculum, without which we wouldn't have catalyst. So in that sense, they too are serving the Creator.
This is just my own loose paraphrasing, and it's way oversimplified, of course.
I don't think anyone has an easy answer to the question about the existence of evil. But the Law of One comes the closest to answering that question, imo.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: Are the STS entities humans AND disembodied entities? Could these be the "evil spirits" and "demons" and "devils" that are spoken of so often?
Yes and yes, methinks.
But as a Christian pastor once said, "The devil's no bigger than a flea on a gnat's behind...to those who serve the Lord." We needn't concern ourselves with the machinations and antics of the STS entities.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: By the way, I've told some religious people that since leaving my past religion, I am no longer plagued by any kind of "evil spirits" that I used to fear greatly. I told them I don't even really think about stuff like that or give it my attention. They told me that this is a very bad sign, because it's showing that the devil is backing away from me, trying to get me to believe that he and the demons don't exist, so I will focus on staying away from the church.
They undoubtedly mean well, and aren't aware that their efforts are rather controlling and fear-based.
This can be rather awkward. For many years after leaving Christianity, I was hesitant to speak openly to my Christian friends. It has only been relatively recently that I realized that I was only feeding their own fears by walking on eggshells around them.
There's a fine line between respecting them and denying our own truth.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: Exactly! Every human has their own opinions, beliefs, views, etc., all stemming from the conditioning they received as they grew up and even beyond. It's like the old Elephant story - each person feeling a different part of the same elephant and they all have different ways of describing it.
Exactly! My favorite metaphor.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: This reminds me of cussing.
??
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: Reading the Old Testament is an emotional jolt for me - negatively. (but I haven't read it for a looooong time). The "God" in the O.T. is a big mean dude.
Wow...what a destroyer and a jealous, self-centered type of entity. I've often talked to the Christians in my life about how they tell me that God is "the same today, yesterday and forever". They also tell me that "his ways are unchanging". So I ask them, "If that's the case, then why aren't you living all of the laws that are mentioned in the O.T., especially the ones in Leviticus?"
They say, "Those laws were fulfilled when Jesus came to earth, and he became the new law". I then say, "Well then what happened to the part where his ways are unchanging? Then I get some stuttering and stammering, then some answers that don't make any sense.
Oh yes, been there done that!
Ya know, I can't help but wonder how much of this indoctrination is responsible for a lot of the discord in the world, and even violence. It's the same way of thinking that results in the violence in the Middle East. The difference is only in degree.
I once read, on another forum a few years ago, a post by a non-Christian who told the Christians he could never be a Christian, because he wasn't willing to sacrifice his morals to do so.
That really did a number on my head!
This person went on to say that he could never be a Christian, because he wasn't willing to worship a being that was clearly a wrathful, violent, vengeful tyrant!
It was sort of the like the child pointing out that the emperor had no clothes...
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: It took me a VERY long time to overcome the negative feelings that I had for the mormons. I was furious that I had spent so many years devoted to that church, including serving two missions for them, and paying a LOT of money to them (tithes, offerings, etc.). After investigating the church thoroughly for months, and finding it was false and based on lies, I was so upset that I had to join a support group to get over the anger. I have to be honest and say that I'm not totally over the anger. This manifests when a mormon crosses me and won't listen to anything I have to say, but they feel totally free to "bear their testimony" to me when I don't want to hear it. I also feel the anger rise (sometimes fury) when they tell me where I'm going when I die, who I'm serving (devil), how "deceived" I am (who told them?), and when they shun me (like family members have) because I don't see things the way they do. I also get really upset when they point fingers (like they are doing to the gay population right now). It's all just very, very sad. However, truth be told...I can't totally fault them. I used to be EXACTLY like that in the past, so I know what mind set they're in. They seriously think they are doing the "righteous" thing.
That's so ironic...everything you just described is exactly what I experienced with evangelical Christianity, and a Mormon friend told me how much the evangelicals shunned her, her friends and their children.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: Me, too...I can't even tell you how grateful I am to have broken free of it. I have to thank a High Priest in the church who found the truth on the internet and got me to look at the church records, the old diaries and journals and history books, etc. I was trembling when I found it all...but I'm so glad I did. I never was seriously happy in the church, and this caused me to feel, on a constant basis, that I was somehow "unworthy". I never felt I measured up to God. What a sad, sad way to live.
I have no idea what you are referring to by documents, lies, etc. but I think it's safe to say that such can be found in any organized religion.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: I have mixed feelings about Jesus. I want to believe he existed, but do NOT want to believe in a "Father" (God) who would create us the way we are - weakness and all - and then tell us to "get over it, or else". And since we can't get over it on our own because he created us to be dip-sh*ts in nature, he sent down 'his only son' to get the whooping for us. That sounds ridiculously mean.
Agreed! The whole 'died for your sins' stuff doesn't work for me. I find the whole premise, well, kinda like other primitive myths and stories.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: I CAN wrap myself around the idea that a Jesus exists and was crucified, but only because people thought his teachings were radical and blasphemous.
According to Ra, Jesus did really exist. But his life and mission were drastically different than the way Christianity paints them.
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: Have you or anyone on here ever watched Zeitgeist?
Yes
(11-12-2010, 05:39 PM)kristy1111 Wrote: That show shook me up bad when I first saw it quite some time ago. But since then, it has made me really think and wonder if Jesus is just a myth. I honestly don't know what to think. I just have no clue on this one...was Jesus really real??
You don't need to toss out respect for Jesus when you toss out the dogma built up in his name. Even Carla has utmost reverence for Jesus.
Personally, I see him as one of many teachers who have been to this planet.