Thank you Susan and Laughinggull. I appreciate it.
________________________________ From: laughinggull108 <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 7:17 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Is Jesus = to God --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Susan" <wayback71@...> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn emilymae.reyn@ wrote: > > > > <snip> > > "I think Yogananda wrote some long translations and commentary of the Gita > > from a Christian perspective, explaining the similarities between > > Hinduism/Gita and Christianity, what the terms in the Bible really mean in > > Hindu terms etc. Yogananda claimed to see Jesus and talk with him. He was > > devoted to Jesus and saw him as a realized Master." > > > > > > This is completely consistent with my premise that there are many prophets, > > but only one ultimate "God/Energy/Universe."  Tee Hee.  > > When in my believing in spirituality mode, I agree with you! Reading > Yogananda can be very sweet, uplifting, and convincing. Hello all, When I was just a teenager fresh out of high school, my first venture into spirituality other than Yogananda was the purchase of a five-volume set of books entitled Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East authored by Baird T. Spalding (ISBN 0-87516-084-0, copyright 1924, 1937, 1964). From the foreward by Mr. Spalding: "In presenting The Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East I wish to state that I was one of a research party of eleven persons that visited the Far East in 1894. During our stay - three and a half years - we contacted the Great Masters of the Himalayas, who aided us in the translation of the records...They permitted us to enter into their lives intimately, and we were thus able to see the actual working of the great Law as demonstrated by them...Personally, at that time, I thought the world was not ready for this message...This book...gives the first year's experience of the expedition in relation to the Masters...The Masters accept that Buddha represents the Way to Enlightenment, but they clearly set forth that Christ IS Enlightenment, or a state of consciousness for which we are all seeking - the Christ light of every individual; therefore, the light of every child that is born into the world." In addition of many miracles witnessed by the scientists, the Masters were visited by Christ on many occasions and his teachings were explained in light of the Eastern traditions of spiritual knowledge. It is fascinating reading and makes perfect sense. Well, that's my contribution to this discussion. Thanks for listening. > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Susan wayback71@ > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 5:46 PM > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Is Jesus = to God > > > > > >  > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Emily Reyn <emilymae.reyn@> wrote: > > > > > > I found this paragraph interesting, if not creative.  > > > > > > "I am not sure about this. For one thing, don't Christians take their > > > Jesus to be equal to God, part of the trinity? What do you think they > > > take him as? > > > > One of 3 different manifestations of the Divine: God (unmanifest), the > > earthy/human manifestation is the Son, or Jesus, and the Holy Spirit/Holy > > Ghost, which is not manifest like Jesus but is the active agent of God in > > the universe and on earth. All are equal aspects of the Divine, with God > > as the more Unbounded/Unmanifest version. Jesus had to go thru an evolution > > process to realize his true nature as the Son, though. > > > > That's the criticism of Islam, which is precisely that the Christians see > > him more than a prophet, but equal to God. If you think of God more in > > the Eastern way, which means not a personal God, then it is easier to see > > how a man can express that he is equal to God, that is, if he now locates > > his identity with the principle of consciousness itself. If someone has > > defeated the ego, one's limited imperfections, and is now completely clear > > and open to the transcendent, can he not say he IS God, in essence? " > > > > Most mainstream Christians would agree with this understanding, that Jesus, > > even while representing God on earth, was also human and had to go thru > > typical human suffering and growth until he became pure enough to realize > > his divinity. Still, they think of Jesus as a special human since he is > > God's Son and his personal mission was to send a message about God to > > humanity. And somehow (can't get this straight) his death wiped out > > humanity's sins, or wiped out that bad karma for all believers in Jesus. > > > > >  I was taught about the "divine right of Kings" in the US education > > > system."  ~Avram3 > > > > > > Of course evangelicals take their Jesus to be equal to God. > > > > I think most evangelicals feel that if you don't accept Jesus as your > > savior and as the Son of God, then you won't be "saved" from all your sins > > by Jesus and cannot go to Heaven in the afterlife. This is in contrast to > > more mainstream Christianity, where many churches believe that there are > > many paths to God, but theirs is Jesus. They tend to think that good people > > of many faiths will be with God after death, whether thru Jesus or their > > own faith. One of the main ideas in Christianity is that good works do not > > earn you admission to Heaven. It is the Belief that counts, even if that > > belief in God/Jesus/Holy Ghost happens in the last minutes of a nasty life. > > So, if you "accept" Jesus then, and really believe, you are "saved." As > > opposed to Judaism, where faith is not an issue, but observances are > > important. > > > >  Why do you think people pray to Jesus? > > > > They pray to Jesus for assistance or comfort. And Catholics also pray to > > the mother of Jesus (Mary) and a whole host of saints (formerly alive > > people who have been granted sainthood due to performing miracles). They > > believe that Jesus or Mary or saints or God can intervene in our affairs. > > Similar to Hindus doing yagyas and making offerings to get some assistance > > and to change earthly circumstances. > > > > The son of God...I have never thought he was God.  Never.  I refuse. > >  Read from Sentence 3 through the end.  Pretty much sums it up don't ya > > think?  Or? What else?  Duality/Reality?  Do we ever defeat the ego? > >  Whaddya think? > > > > Sounds as if Jesus had some good spiritual experiences and was charismatic > > and had some followers who got some real benefits from his very powerful > > darshan. People probably misunderstood much of what he talked about. > > > > Didn't Jim used to address this kind of stuff? > > > > I think Yogananda wrote some long translations and commentary of the Gita > > from a Christian perspective, explaining the similarities between > > Hinduism/Gita and Christianity, what the terms in the Bible really mean in > > Hindu terms etc. Yogananda claimed to see Jesus and talk with him. He was > > devoted to Jesus and saw him as a realized Master. > > > > > >
