Resurrection Times Three

TO J. B. JOHNSON:

You wrote, "The fundamentalist's reliance upon the "saving merits" of Jesus' life & death is precisely a vicarious turning-away from individual responsibility."

It may be that some of the "fundamentalist's" have used this as an excuse for not taking personal responsibility for their own actions because we are responsible for what we do.

If Jesus was not God-Incarnate then He would just be another person that some refer to as "enlightened" but since HE IS GOD-INCARNATE, this is part of God's Plan unfolding before our very eyes which ultimately is for the inauguration of the Kingdom of God [the new heavens and the new earth] which will come to Fruition at the dawning of the seventh day.

God's Plan is for ALL OF HUMANITY and we are called and/or chosen to be active participants in His Plan.

Also we are invited to carry on the work begun by Jesus as in His invitation to "Come follow Me".

Jesus also told us that there was work to be done and whatever that individual work is, God is the One Who Choses Whomever to do it and since God has had His Plan since before creation God knows who will be chosen and for what, even tho the person that is chosen doesn't know until he or she knows.

There are some "fundamentalist's" that say Jesus did everything on the cross whereas Jesus did not say that at all or He would not have said that there was "work to be done".

When Jesus was on the cross and said, "It is Finished", that was to let us know that God's Plan would come to Fruition, by the way that "It is Finished" translates as, "Paid in Full".

Jesus also said, "Take My yoke upon you", [a yoke is that wooden contraption that goes on two work animals so that they can work as one] and He said that to let us know that we do not have to do whatever work that we are chosen to do, alone, but that Jesus will be there to help us.

Another thing that Jesus told us is that, "He would send the Holy Spirit to guide us into All Truth", and when He said that originally to the Apostles, He also told them to wait until the Holy Spirit came to them before they even attempted to "PROCLAIM THE GOOD NEWS" and the word "Gospel" means "Good News", it does not mean the 'good enough news' as some seem to think that it means.

And another thing that Jesus said to the Apostles when they asked Him to teach them how to pray, He said when you pray, pray, "Our Father Who art in Heaven...".

There is the whole Trinity mentioned in the bible and the Trinity is mentioned other places as well even if the word "Trinity" might not be mentioned.

Jesus is either God-Incarnate or He isn't by His Own admission, well He is God-Incarnate and the Catholic Eucharist is Jesus.

I have met the Trinity, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit revealed to me that, as I mentioned above, the Catholic Eucharist is Jesus.

I have also met satan and satan is not nice at all but he can try to come across as mister nice guy, but as Jesus told us, "satan is a liar and a thief".

Take care, be ready, night is coming but the dawning of the seventh day will also arrive in due time, God's Time.

See you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom [the new heavens and the new earth].

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Dear Mr. Baum:

The point is not whether Jesus' life, death & teachings were "for" all men: The crux of a life lived authentically is that it is possible for every single person who has ever lived -- before or after Jesus. If nothing else, Jesus is an Exemplar to be followed. Whether he is also the 2nd Person of the Trinity is a theological assertion which is not verifiable. What is verifiable is that he re-presents that unique possibility of authentic existence.

It is meaningless to assert that salvation for one person at a time is "selfish." If we are to find the kingdom of God, it can be only in the heart of the individual -- as Jesus himself asserted. The fundamentalist's reliance upon the "saving merits" of Jesus' life & death is precisely a vicarious turning-away from individual responsibility. (This theological development occurred as Christianity became a religion of the masses).

Yours truly,

J. B. Johnson

Dear Mr. Baum:

The point is not whether Jesus' life, death & teachings were "for" all men: The crux of a life lived authentically is that it is possible for every single person who has ever lived -- before or after Jesus. If nothing else, Jesus is an Exemplar to be followed. Whether he is also the 2nd Person of the Trinity is a theological assertion which is not verifiable. What is verifiable is that he re-presents that unique possibility of authentic existence.

It is meaningless to assert that salvation for one person at a time is "selfish." If we are to find the kingdom of God, it can be only in the heart of the individual -- as Jesus himself asserted. The fundamentalist's reliance upon the "saving merits" of Jesus' life & death is precisely a vicarious turning-away from individual responsibility. (This theological development occurred as Christianity became a religion of the masses).

Yours truly,

J. B. Johnson

TO JOHN B. JOHNSON:

You wrote, "He was an Exemplar of the path everyone must follow to achieve his/her individual salvation".

No, this is not what Jesus was about at all.

As far as "his/her individual salvation" goes that can be very selfish and there are some that seem to think that it is about personal salvation whereas it is about God's Plan for the salvation of the Entire Human Race.

Jesus offers us an invitation to, "Come follow Me", He did not say, 'come follow My teachings'.

He also said, "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life", He did not say, 'I will show you the path or I will show you the way' but He said, "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE".

Big difference between the two things stated above and it does not matter if you or anyone else believes them or not, there is a BIG difference between what Jesus said and what some people seem to change it to.

The True, Living, Triune, Triumphant God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof and Jesus, God-Incarnate, is the Second Person of the Triune God and always was, is and always will be and became a Man, a Jewish Man at a point in Time.

Knowing this and/or believing this is not some kind of free pass or something to that effect because it is important what you do and why you do it and what you know.

God has a Plan and has had His Plan since before creation and the Second Person of the Trinity becoming One of us is just part of His Plan and His Plan is unfolding as it should.

Take care, see you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom [the new heavens and the new earth] at the dawning of the seventh day, of course the night of the sixth day will precede the dawning of the seventh day.

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Dear Mr. Chopra:
Re your idea of the "Christ within," I submit that the essence of being Christian -- in the authentic sense -- lies in the state of his soul, not in his formal declaration of faith (or lack thereof). The idea that mere adherence to a belief in a reified myth (virgin birth, Jesus' death as atonement for everyone's sins, resurrection as resuscitation of a corpse) seems as absurd as the Greco/Roman belief in god-men.

But this theological overlay -- carried forward from the Council of Nicea (325) -- is precisely what the fundamentalist (Catholic or Protestant) insists upon as a necessary vehicle to salvation.

Would it be so awful to be re-introduced to the real Jesus, not a man-god akin to mythology, but as the "annointed" Jewish rabbi who in his commitment to authentic religiousness, became transparent to God.? Jesus did not "save" mankind:
He was an Exemplar of the path everyone must follow to achieve his/her individual salvation: his "uniquie possibility of authentic existence."

Dr. Chopra,

I think you seriously misunderstand the Christian faith. You show this most clearly in the dichotomy you set up in the "interpretations" of resurrection, to wit:

"1. Jesus of Nazareth literally arose from the dead.
2. The divine Resurrection as the core of Christian theology.
3. The resurrection of the spirit whenever a person attains higher consciousness."

You note that fundamentalists believe the first, and that Catholics believe the second; and then assert that either of the two exclude the third. It's a very interesting idea, but it is patently false. At the Easter Vigil, first those converting to our holy Catholic Faith, and then all the faithful assent to the following question (among 5 others):

"Do you believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; who descended to the dead, who on the third day from the dead, ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and who will come again to judge the living and the dead?"

You see, Dr. Chopra, while your #3 is in a sense part of the goal of the Christian life, it is not the basis of the Christian life. The actual, historical, bodily, supernatural, and witnessed Resurrection is the basis of the Christian life. IT is the Good News, and nothing else. It is the proof of Jesus' numerous claims and assumptions of his own divinity. It is the fact to which the Apostles gave witness even at the cost of their lives. It is the source of power for the transformation in Christ that every Christian strives after. We Christians receive the power of Christ's glorified flesh primarily by faithful trust in Him lived out in reception of his glorified flesh into our own in the sacraments, especially of the Holy Eucharist. Prayer and works of charity add to this power and further our transformation into fitting members of the Resurrected Lord.

His Resurrection is our hope of future glory.

It is NOT a symbol. It is NOT a myth. It is a historical fact with numerous theological implications, or it is nothing but a pile of rubbish that we'd best just throw out altogether. The Enlightenment clique at least had that much right.

But you, sir, with your modern clique of Resurrection symbolizers try to keep the Resurrection on as a symbol, but not as a reality. That's fine for you, and you might write about what Christianity means to you, or about what you find appealling in it. But sir, it is cheeky of you as a non-Christian to write about what Christianity "really means". It is the very definition of stupidity, moreover, to speak about that which one does not understand. Your understanding of Christianity is revealed in your list.

TO CHARLES ARMSTRONG:

Didn't Jesus also say:

"Come follow me".

"Father forgive them, they know not what they do".

"Love one another as I have Loved you".

If you or anyone else thinks that Christianity is about 'personal salvation' rather than that God has a Plan for ALL OF HUMANITY and has had His Plan since before creation and His Plan is unfolding before our very eyes then they are mistaken.

Take care, be ready, as Jesus referred to it, "Night is coming" but don't worry the dawning of the seventh day shall also arise [the new heavens and the new earth].

See you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom and that is [the new heavens and the new earth].

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

OOOoppppssaa!

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VOTE: Yes! Abolish/Withdraw ALL Tax-Free Status for Non American Born, Raised & Bred ReligioThey A:: have "Religious Jealousy Psychosis & Pre-Apocalyptic Syndromes!

ALL HAVE BLOOOD ON THEiR HANDS!:
JEWs Should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

CHRiSTIAN(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

ISLAM(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

HiNDU(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

BUDDiST(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

WiCAANs, PAGANS, SHAMANS, VODDOiSTS et al Too!

And other "PRE-APOCALYPTiC" (splinters) SuperStupidStitious competing Faith, Belief & or Religion SYSTEM(s)!

:j
:o
:z
:evz.us (Please Visit some times. Thanka Shame!)

HARK!

Ye "ECLAT+i" is Cometh To AMERiCA! Ya Ya!

ALL HAVE BLOOOD ON THEiR HANDS!:
JEWs Should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

CHRiSTIAN(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

ISLAM(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

HiNDU(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

BUDDiST(s) should be a-shamed of their Religio(n)!

WiCAANs, PAGANS, SHAMANS, VODDOiSTS et al Too!

And other "PRE-APOCALYPTiC" (splinters) SuperStupidStitious competing Faith, Belief & or Religion SYSTEM(s)!

:j
:o
:z
:e v z.us

Nope. Not even close it begins when the Holy spirit changes your heart placing within it faith which in turn imparts to the unbelieving human heart the ability to believe God. Unless God acts first no one is saved.

Let's hope there is a resurrection of real Christianity again instead of politically powerful
Leviticus-cherry-picking neochristians.

Bunnies.

Nachiketas-

...and you've missed my point and the point of the everlasting gospel of King Jesus.

You cannot 'throw back' onto history 21st century ideals and/or 'interpret' a historical event through 21st century eyes. If you do so, you miss the truth. Truth is truth because it never changes. For instance, you would agree that the sun rises today the same as it did when Christ walked the earth, yes? That's a truth--and it relates to us just as much as it does to those in the past.

In the same way, the truth of the εὐαγγέλιον, which the Son of Man brought, remains the same. The good news has not changed in the least since it was proclaimed by Christ Himself. If the sun is faithful in its repetative course, how much more the Son of Man who created the heavenly luminaries and all of creation. Just as the sun rises every morning, giving it's light and heat to you, Nachiketas, so the Son of Man rose from the dead, and everyday His light shines down on you from heaven and the heat of His Spirit warms you, as it moves throughout the earth, being born on the wings of the winds. Even a blind person knows that the sun exists, because, though they do not see it, they feel its heat. And so a spiritually blind person can also be sure of Him and His Truth. The three are in agreement; the sun, its light, and its heat. You cannot have one without the other. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are also in agreement. One, without having the other two, is an impossiblity.

But do not be lax about making a decision today--for one day the sun's course will change, and it's changing will be a sign that the Son of Man's course has changed; that His appearing has come. The sun will go black, and it's mirror, the moon, will become as blood, and the heavenly luminaries will be shaken by the Son of Man, who in His worth, is able to break the seals and open His scroll. Just as His scroll will be opened, so will the sky recede and open as a scroll. For this is the sign of the Son of Man, and as it happens, so will all who live on the face of the earth witness it. Then mankind, those who have denied the existence of the Faithful One, will attempt to hide themselves from the face of the Son of Man, whose wrath will be revealed from the heavens.

But those, made righteous by His blood, will find their deliverance, even as the Son of Man's name means deliverance. And the He will gather those who belong to Him; to be with Him forever, unto the age.

If you would like to read the history surrounding the origin of the notion of man's resurrection on earth its on the web at http://www.hoax-buster.org That used to be his second page. And, a demonstration of what we get when technical people get involved in democratic processes like history where what happened is determined by the vote of experts. That would be folks expert in one or more of your 3 ways to gain eternal life.

You mention 3 possible ways of one getting involved in the notion of resurrection. There could be more and probably are more ways. If it's understanding rather than clinical psychology you seek then perhaps a trip back in time to when the first person posed the question of resurrection of the dead.

This is one of those incredibly simple cases where complexity is impossible to avoid because everyone wants to start from where they are, one of your three and maybe more positions. Faith is not a new thing. We need to understand that first.

Before anyone ever thought of coming back to life here on this earth, physically or mentally people pondered the notion of coming back to life and settled on a very simple scenario. All dead came back to life in a new world that was just like this world but hoped to be a better place to live. There are countless examples of this that are totally ignored by the professors stuck in one of the 3 positions you mention. Native Americans call that new world, "the happy hunting ground." Every American child has heard that expression yet never wonders about its origin.

The location of the new world is also very significant. Where do dead people go? Today we look up, (actually out) to the sky. Back then they looked down. The earth was flat, a pancake with more pancakes below. This point is driven home by the old Indian lamenting that pale faces have destroyed not just this world but the next as well. Gazing at the sky and slowly shaking his head he mumbled something about no world there. "Dead stay dead. Pale faces destroy all hunting ground."

The key to understanding the notion of resurrection is the flat earth and what that caused people to know. Where does the sun go at night? That is a question no one asks today because we know where the sun goes at night, nowhere. It's us that turn away from the sun and by so doing turn away from God. But in the morning, at the sunrise we are born again. Not us but the sun is born again. Not all but most all ancients saw it that way. The sun was a living immortal being that dies every evening and is reborn every morning. That's an unwritten but universally known theory of eternal life -for the sun. But what about people?

From the sun dying and coming back to life we get hope that we too will die and come back to life. We can make that official by having the king edict it and put the chief witch doctor in charge of it. Anyone who disagrees or attempts to change it will be tortured to death. And so it came to pass that man became immortal -not meaning won't ever die but will enjoy a resurrection in a new world for every death.

Then came the nut case. A queen of Egypt became pregnant with no assistance from the king who was busy enjoying life with, "the other woman" cruising the Nile on the royal yacht. "The sun did it" cried she. And her bastard daughter that resulted was paraded as a male.

Since the sun comes back to life on this earth don't you think the daughter of the sun will do the same thing, be resurrected here on this earth while other people go on to those flat earth below? She did and today, Easter Sunday we celebrate her doing that.

Once that is known, on quick recall the Bible, what Jesus says becomes a lot more understandable, "I will be going up and you down...." talking to her disciples.

Of course, as you noted, the stupidity has blossomed as people attempt to understand and are required to believe else hell something so simple. Don't look like head shrinks will be going out of business real soon.

The American Revolution was accompanied by a religious revolution. At the same time we threw out the British, we ended a system of taxation that supported local clergy members of the Anglican Church of England. In the new America, the people didn't have to pay for the salaries of those who had advocated for a continuation British Colonial rule here. This principle comes mainly from Maryland, which was the first colony to be established with freedom of religion.

We had other new rights too. People could own and use rifles that were as good as any army in Europe. That's how we won our freedom, and this revolutionary change in citizen gun ownership assured our continued freedom. We also disallowed anyone who was not born here to be elected president. This prohibited European monarchs from trying to have their sons elected Presdient of the United States.

Once upon a time there was a blind person who had the desire to learn and understand nature. So he learnt Braille and then became a learned person. But he cannot experience the beauty of a early morning beautiful Sunrise as you and me. He may have read about it somewhere but he cannot experience the beauty. The truth of this Sunrise cannot be understood by reading but had to be experienced. Books cannot convey the experience.. His eyes have to be healed before he can experience the beauty of a Sunrise.

The truth of Jesus/Christ/Buddha/Krishna vanished when they died. Now it cannot be understood reading Bible or Gita.. These books are just fingers pointing to the moon. One has to see the moon for himself or herself... Experience is the only language of religion..

So lets not waste time on resurrection or otherwise.. What matters is your own search for the truth....

It's widely know that "Truth will set you free" But the "TRUTH HAS TO BE YOUR OWN" The ULTIMATE TRUTH cannot be taught nor shown to you.. YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT....

Be wary of those that speak of beliefs for they speak of fictions. Speak of knowing from direct experience, possibility and probability. The word “belief” precedes fiction, a hope or wish. Speak of experience this is to testify, speak of possibility and probability

They garnish the truth with fictions, and cloak it with story and labels, don't eat the garnish; see the truth behind the story; cast aside the labels that divide what is not separate.

The truth is known through experience and it's knowing cannot be told, yet being the light one can illuminate the path, of which there are many. The ultimate is not obtained so much as bestowed at a stage of one’s evolution of the soul.

"The Truth becomes self evident it needs no authority"
~Infinite Play

A story may not be the truth, but it may convey it, sometimes the truth is disguised as fiction to escape censor.

A single sentence may convey a volume of truth, a volume of sentences may convey little truth.

The truth is simple, a story complex.

To argue whose fiction is true is a fruitless endeavor.

Bear witness so they are exposed and aware of the possibility and then let it prove itself through their own direct experience and they will have knowing, for the faith that moves mountains does not come from hearsay but from knowing and the knowing cannot be told.

A benevolent all pervading intelligence operating behind the scenes for those with the eyes to see it, synchronicity, the signature of a master coordinator behind all events, evolutionary impetus the cause of effect, one being both noun and verb, that which does is that which is. The self that reads is the self that writes.

In a world of truth there is no fear, in a world of fiction they fear the truth.
~Infinite Play the Movie

Words create illusion
Words destroy illusion
The right words spoken
The spell is broken
~Infinite Play

Greater than a statement is the power of a question; a statement can be deflected, the question creates a vacuum that must be filled.

Dear Dr Chopra

I wish you a wonderful Easter 2008 and a personal resurrection in the name of Jesus Christ!

Your opinion as a non-Christian is precious and your expression of the Christian faith based on the wisdom you have gained from the spiritual genius of Hinduism is invaluable. I have great faith that you will help many Christians and non-Christians alike to understand Jesus even more fully. The mystery of God who was born as a human being in the person of Jesus can never be fully understood and needs to be explained in many ways by many people. Thank you for doing your part, for which I'm deeply grateful. Your emphasis on personal transformation is what every Christian needs to hear over and over and over again, that includes me!

Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia

Happy Bunny Day to you since Easter did not happen!!

Can you still be a Christian without the Resurrection? There are too many flaws to include the resurrection story in the current Christian orthodoxies. Clean it up and see what is left historically and then redefine Christianity.

Some facts:

1) From an analyses of the documents by many contemporary NT exegetes:

The Resurrection is fiction i.e. it was added to make Jesus akin to the Caesars and Greek half gods/half men.

(1a) Mark 8:31-33 = Matt 16:2l-23 = Luke 9:22, (1b) Mark 9:9b = Matt 17:9b, (1c) Mark 9:12b = Matt 17:12b, (1d) Mark 9:30-32= Matt 17:22-23 = Luke 9:43b-45, (1e) Luke 17:25, (1f) Mark 10:32-34 = Matt 20:17-19 = Luke 18:31-34, (1g) Matt 26:1-2, (1h) Mark 14:21 = Matt 26:24 = Luke 22:22, (1i) Mark 14:41= Matt 26:45b,(1j) Luke 24:7

Conclusion: Many references but only a single attestation and from the Second stratum (60-80 AD).

http://wiki.faithfutures.org/index.php/017_Resurrection_of_Jesus

2) From the course notes of a large Catholic university's graduate theology class:

"Heaven is a Spirit state (no physical bodies abide)

Christ's and Mary's bodies are therefore not in Heaven. For one thing, Paul in 1 Cor 15 speaks of the body of the dead as transformed into a "spiritual body." No one knows exactly what he meant by this term.

Most believe that it to mean that the personal spiritual self that survives death is in continuity with the self we were while living on earth as an embodied person.

The physical Resurrection (meaning a resuscitated corpse returning to life), Ascension (of Jesus' crucified corpse), and Assumption (Mary's
corpse) into heaven did not take place.

The Ascension symbolizes the end of Jesus' earthly ministry and the beginning of the Church.

Only Luke's Gospel records it. The Assumption ties Jesus' mission to Pentecost and missionary activity of Jesus' followers The Assumption has
multiple layers of symbolism, some are related to Mary's special role as "Christ bearer" (theotokos). It does not seem fitting that Mary, the body of Jesus' Virgin-Mother (another biblically based symbol found in Luke 1) would
be derived by worms upon her death. Mary's assumption also shows God's positive regard, not only for Christ's male body, but also for female
bodies."

Amazing how this agrees with Professor Crossan and many other contemporary NT exegetes' conclusions based on attestations and stratums.

Some added thoughts:

According to Reimarus as referenced in R.B. Stewart in his introduction to the recent book, The Resurrection of Jesus, Crossan and Wright in Dialogue,

"Reimarus (1774-1779) posits that Jesus became sidetracked by embracing a political position, sought to force God's hand and that he died alone deserted by his disciples. What began as a call for repentance ended up as a misguided attempt to usher in the earthly political kingdom of God. After Jesus' failure and death, his disciples stole his body and declared his resurrection in order to maintain their financial security and ensure themselves some standing."

From: K.C. Hanson and D. E. Oakman, Palestine in the Time of Jesus, Fortress Press, 1998. p.55

"Stories circulated to the effect that Alexander of Macedonia was not only the son of Philip II, but also of the god Zeus-Ammon (Plutarch, Parallel Lives, "Alexander" 2.1-3.2); Plato was the son of Ariston and the god Apollo (Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 3.1-2), and Augustus was the son of Octavius as well as the god Apollo (Suetonius, Lives o f the Caesars 2.4.1-7). The extraordinary character of these elites reputedly stemmed from both their divine origins and their kingroups. Their kin-groups provided one form of legitimation-political right to the throne and/or social status (thus the importance of Joseph in Matthew's genealogy). Their divine procreation provided another: their honor was divinely ascribed, and their greatness as leaders derived from divine paternity."

Richard Thomas:

You said, about the resurrection:
1. "So a clever plan was devised, Jesus would take this herb, I forget the name which slows down the bodies metabolism, actually allowing him to survive the crucifixion. The pulse basically undetectable would give the appearance of death. He would then several days later recover allowing him to disappear into the world."

2. "The other possibility is that he was extraterrestrial and they simply came down and picked him up..."

Maybe a third option is that Jesus really rose from the dead, literally. A careful examination of the evidence points toward a bodily resurection more than anything else, whether we believe choose to believe it or not.

There is a difference between truth and sentiment. We may choose to believe things that fit to us, but that does not mean they are true. The same goes to the resurrection of Jesus; either we believe on it or not, however our belief does not change the truth.

Deepak speaks as one who is outside the Christian faith, so his views are those of an outsider. I may speak of a family I know of, but if I am not part of that family my understanding of that family and its ways will be always "outside" knowledge.

Jesus is the light of the world. In that sense He belongs to the world. He is also the Creator of all things so He should belong in the world and the world should belong to Him. But He is not accepted by the world. That is: He is not accepted on His own terms by the world for who He truly is. Instead the world re-defines who He is, suppressing the truth.

Until we are made part of the family of God by God we are outside the truth of God. The truth of God is this: by faith in the sacrifice of God in His Son we are saved and given new life in the Spirit of God. We do not attain this new life. We are granted it if we will believe in the only begotten Son of God. Believing in the only Son of God is believing in who He is and in what He did for us.

Specifically He became a man so we can look on the face of God. Then He went forth as the Lamb of God to willingly suffer the penalty for our sins, the penalty His perfect justice demands. He did this so we need not suffer the just and necessary penalty for our sins, the chief of which is idolatry, the crafting of gods other than the God of all Creation and denying in our hearts what He has done for us literally.

When we believe in these things and we repent of our idolatry and self-righteous efforts to justify ourselves before God, giving up on our spiritual work of attaining enlightenment, God acts by saving us. Salvation is a gift of God to those who repent and believe on the name of Jesus Christ, the way the truth and the life. When we are saved all our sins past, present and future, all those things that offend God are paid for through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Then we are fit to stand as fully redeemed members of the family of God, alive spiritually as children of God. Now we are on the "inside" and we see all things anew. Our eyes are opened and we are equipped to know Jesus Christ intimately. This is the doctrine and good news of Jesus Christ.

You must be born again in the Spirit of God. You do not attain this. It is not of efforts or works that we are re-born spiritually anymore than our physical birth came about through our own efforts. We believe if our heart is not set against belief. But even our belief is an intervening work of the Holy Spirit. Believing in the true identity and sacrifice of the Son of God, we repent. At that moment the miracle of spiritual re-birth takes place. Suddenly we are alive spiritually when a moment before we were dead in sin. Regenerated spiritually and alive to the Spirit of God we are new born children of God.

All three elements of this doctrine are essential to life in Jesus Christ that identifies us with Him and grants us the right to be called children of God. The rest is human philosophy crafting a new way more palatible way but skirting the real issue. The real issue is our sinful nature which required the crucifixtion of the Son of God if we were ever to be reconciled with God. But God raised Him from the grave literally showing finally and unequivocally who He truly was and is: The Lord of Life. Thiose who believe on Him He raises to a new life in Him. It is a life that is eternal. We need to repent and believe in Him, historically, doctrinally and personally. When we do we are re-made by God and He gives us His spirit. In that sense we are GIVEN "God-consciousness". Only those in the family of God have that. The rest may think they do, but they are on the outside.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 1 John 4:13-15

Whoever has the Son has life;
whoever does not have the Son of God
does not have life.
1 John 5:12

May Deepak and his followers all come into a full membership in the family of God!

A reborn, redeemed sinner.

Richard Thomas,
Complex theory. Now explain the many others who were resurrected and went into Jerusalem before Jesus rose from the grave.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ should not be the central theme for Christianity since the teachings of Jesus regarding higher consciousness are more relevant to "salvation" and, therefore, should be the most important to his followers.

Clearly, humans have misperceived the universe around them for millennia and are continuing to do so. It is also obvious that we accept the current belief systems of our different stages in history as truth. Humans create self fulfilling prophecies through their cultural myths. (If the atheist Richard Dawkins had been born in ancient Greece he probably would have had great “faith” in the Ptolemaic view of a geocentric universe since Ptolemy’s calculations were so amazingly accurate scientifically. (If I am incorrect about this assertion, please blame my History of Astronomy professor from undergraduate college)

Of course, “god” is a concept that has been interpreted in many different manners by almost every different belief system and by different individuals within the belief systems. Could “god” be the collective consciousness of all space and time that exists in the transcendent order (see Einstein’s absolute space-time, David Bohm’s implicate order, Stephen Hawking’s time has no boundary proposal, etc.) which is actually “created” in the explicate order by conscious beings’ experiences. In other words do our impermanent conscious experiences in the historical dimension create the “god” of the transcendent ultimate dimension. While “god” may be irrelevant in Buddhist thought and practice, (especially as an interceding being) doesn’t the collective consciousness of the ultimate dimension (Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh’s terminology) lead to a similar transcendent, universal, absolute “being”? Does the seemingly illusory emotion of love that has become an aspect of human survival due to evolutionary change and adaptation actually “create” the love of “god” that exists in the implicate, transcendent, absolute order of reality?

If more people could realize the interdependent nature of all life and things in the universe (Thich Nhat Hanh calls it “interbeing”), and overcome the illusory independent self, then many of the world’s egocentric caused problems would cease.
Did the evolution of our species allow us to create vivid conceptual images of the past, present and future as a survival technique in a world with bigger, stronger competition? Is not the knowledge of good and evil a manner by which intelligent, self-aware beings conceptualize their apparent reality? Humans conceptualize their surroundings and phenomena in almost every moment of consciousness. Another necessary strategy for survival is the ability to distinguish one’s self from other selves. Other animals also seem to be able to distinguish their individual entities from other entities but to our knowledge, we may be the only animals to have evolved to the point of conceptual self reflection. (Genesis-they knew they were naked). But doesn’t our false, complex creation of an illusory “self” separate each “individual” from the true nature of the universe: Oneness!

If one looks deeply into their existence, one can determine that humans are not separate entities from the rest of the universe. In other words, we as physical beings are intimately connected to other “things” in the universe. We cannot survive without water, oxygen, vegetables, fruit, etc. and, therefore, we are a “part” of the “whole” Our ability to distinguish ourselves from other humans or animals or plants is an evolutionary strategy for self survival. But when you combine our intellectual abilities of conceptualization with our self awareness, we “create” a complex selfish entity. Within our thoughts over our lifetimes, we create an entity of self that attempts to protect itself from others and attach itself to people and to things. In Christian terminology this selfishness is defined as sin. Selfish acts and thoughts always cause the selfish person to suffer. Also, since in true reality we are part of all things, when we are selfless in thoughts and acts, we are one with God. Is this not essentially what history’s great spiritual teachers were teaching?

In my opinion, the central question to the inquiry into an "afterlife" is the determination of the nature of eternity. It appears that most people who are discussing this topic are presuming a "Newtonian" view of absolute time and excluding from the discussion the theory of absolute space-time as espoused by Einstein and Minkowski. While I will not attempt to explain the intricacies of the theories of relativity, suffice it to say that Einstein thought that the distinction between past, present and future is an illusion. Every moment of spacetime is a timeless entity in and of itself.

Eternity may not be endless time but, instead, eternity may be the timelessness of each moment which never "passes away" from the overall existence within absolute spacetime. Therefore, if eternity is timelessness and our conscious experiences are eternal, then our actions and thoughts exist in this timeless eternity, not as an individualistic “afterlife” but as a part of the whole of existence.
We have evolved to psychologically misinterpret much of "true" physical reality as Einstein and his progeny have expressed in not only the theories of relativity but also in quantum mechanics.
Therefore, if eternity is timelessness and our conscious experiences are part of this timelessness, then do our actions and thoughts exist in this timeless eternity? As theoretical physicist David Bohm stated: “Ultimately, all moments are really one. Therefore now is eternity" Or as theoretical physicist Brian Greene says: "Just as we envision all of space as really being out there, as really existing, we should also envision all of time as really being out there, as really existing too."

If you look at the ESSENCE of the consciousness teachings of all of the great spiritual teachers throughout history you will find an answer to the question of how to act and think in every moment of your life to touch YOUR subjective, relative part of the "kingdom of heaven" “nirvana”, “paradise” NOW.

Ressurection shouldn't remain a controversial issue. Why stay on the level of belief when one can walk the path and gain clarity through the actual experience of higher consciousness and the ressurection of one's own spirit. As you, Deepak, have written somewhere... only certainty will do.

Well what is most probable is that this Jesus character being a threat to the state and the fictions of the status quo needed to be disposed of.

As long as the state thought that he existed it would pursue him and antagonize those affiliated with him. So a clever plan was devised, Jesus would take this herb, I forget the name which slows down the bodies metabolism, actually allowing him to survive the crucifixion. The pulse basically undetectable would give the appearance of death. He would then several days later recover allowing him to disappear into the world. The authorities thinking he had died would no longer pursue him and he would be free to teach and build taking an anonymous low key approach..

So Jesus overcame the shadow not through resistance but through intelligence and wisdom and embracing the situation and adapting. He did not respond to the fictions in the minds of others but acted on the truth behind them, which is to say he did not give validity to the illusion but embraced the reality behind it.

The other possibility is that he was extraterrestrial and they simply came down and picked him up, fixed him and set him lose again to provide some evidence that there was more to the world than meets the eye, drawing attention to his works and the insights and wisdom that he brought, and then he returned to the Air..... until the time when the Internet would be in place, which eventually occurs in every evolving civilization as a standard pattern of development.

TO DEEPAK CHOPRA:

You wrote, " But at its root Christianity is about personal salvation,".

You don't have a clue about Christianity and it seems like some of the people that call themselves 'christian' don't either.

Personal salvation as you call it, can be rather selfish.

God has had His Plan since before creation and it is unfolding before our very eyes.

God choosing and forming the Jewish People, the Chosen People, is part of God's Plan.

The Second Person of the Trinity becoming One of us, Jesus, the Jewish Man, God-Incarnate and you could say Love-Incarnate since God is a Being of Love, Pure Love, is part of God's Plan.

Christianity is part of God's unfolding Plan, which will come to Fruition at the dawning of the seventh day [the new heavens and the new earth].

God's Plan is for ALL made in His Image and Likeness [LOVE] to be with Him in His Kingdom and as it says on page one, "Let Us make man in Our Image and Likeness and God created man, male and female He created them".

Of course dire times are coming upon the earth which are referred to as the night of the sixth day and also the Wrath of God but don't worry, the dawning of the seventh day will arrive in due time [God's Time}.

The True, Living, Triune, Triumphant God is a searcher of hearts and minds, not of religious affiliations or lack thereof.

It is important what you do and why you it and what you know.

Take care, be ready, see you and the rest of humanity in the Kingdom [the new heavens and the new earth].

Sincerely, Thomas Paul Moses Baum.

Like you said, you speak as someone outside the Christian faith. You have no understanding of the Christian faith and would do well to keep to matters you do understand.

Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace.

This is a repost of my comment on Deepak's blog. Apologies to those who have already read it over there:

I am not sure how the story of Jesus came to be what it has become. It's anecdotal, and even the earliest stories about him come several decades, if not a hundred years or more after his passing. That's plenty of time for human exaggeration and the power of legend and mythology to operate.

So I don't think it was physical.

HOWEVER , that does NOT MEAN that I think it isn't powerful and transformative.

I don't think the power of the Resurrection Story to inspire and transform people depends at all on whether it was physical, or even whether the historical Jesus even actually existed or not.

An idea or a myth can be far more powerful, and change the lives of far many more people (in this case of whole civilizations) than a physical event.

I hold the different opinion that it's power comes from the fact that the resurrection is NOT a physical event.

Only a psychological event can have such a powerful effect on so many people.

Legends and mythologies do not need to be exactly mirrored by physical reality for validation. Instead they form powerful templates with which we form our perception of reality, and adopt the beliefs and principles by which we conduct ourselves in our lives.

I'm down with Deepak on this one.

I have always thought it to be the ressurection of a lost truth and that it was more about the illusion of death.

Easter the resurrection of a truth lost is an interesting read.

http://www.i----i.org/egg.htm

Which begins..

There is a war between fictions and the truth in our minds, scarcity is such a fiction. There is no battle between good and evil in the universe. There is either being connected or being separate from everything. Each perspective produces a different response to the world and the events we participate in as well as our relationships. Each perspective produces different emotions and thoughts. Living the truth

Great article Deepak, I agree we need to personalize Jesus' ressurrection to make it a meaningful transformation of consciousness instead of a ritual recitation of the catechism.

Pilgrim above seems to have read the article and missed every point. We can't attain higher consciousness without a literal belief in the Resurrection? Really? That would effectively eliminate everyone in history who has attained enlightenment, including Jesus.
Pilgrim, higher consciousness is not the same as the reanimation of Christian corpses when Jesus comes back. Metaphorical teaching is supposed to be understood symbolically, not literally.

The irony of this is that you cannot have "higher consciousness" without believing first in the literal resurrection of Mashiach. What you are saying is comparable to this--you want to have a child, but do not want to have to go thru the birthing and pregnancy process. This is impossible! A baby cannot be created in a womb without an outward seed coming in and fertilizing the egg. In the same way, for a person to "resurrect" in this life, they must be an egg that receives the seed from God. That seed is that Christ is risen. Once fertized, they are a "creation", a new creation, which will culminate in a literal birth when the Son of Man comes to literally resurrect those of that very seed of God.

You want a higher consciousness? Then receive the seed; Christ crucified and risen--seated at the right hand of the Mighty One. Otherwise, you are just a "potential egg", one that, when the opportunity for fertilization came, no seed was available and, missing the seed, leaves the womb of the world, to disappear down the toilet of destruction...