The Bible can become so confusing to me. And I have also read many different views and discovered many similarities in all religions and beliefs. Like your quote above Beanie, about God creating evil.......hmmm I just don't understand that at all. Although I would have to think God as being evil to send his son to be humiliated and tortured on a cross.
But then I think....wait a minute. It seems all the prohets before the coming of Jesus where murdered, ridiculed and had to suffer many things, as we all do. And this applies throughout life, how many have suffered for standing up to others who may try to take away their way of life. Then I think was this a loving God?.... a God that knows that whoever spreads his message of peace and love and harmony, knowing that the ones who do preach or perform miracles would be made to suffer for it.
I guess in order for me to actually" love" a God who knows all this before hand, is a God that did not send these prophets or HIS son to die.. at the hands of those who want to maintain power over others intentionally...but this divine understands death in a different way...as in transforming from the matter to spirit...but still have a hard time grasping the reasoning behind the suffering part. And the OT, yes I find it hard to accept a loving God, who honors one race or religion over another to furfill some kind of predestined plan. Is our existence only in the hands of the people through choice and the proheses are furfilled because not a plan, but because God sees all that is and will come and understands humanity and how we will react to any given situation but still has hope in us to overcome things with time. So life comes back to choice? Was it predestiny? Was it all God's plan....or aren't we all part of a plan because we are part of God and God works through us. And we take power and wisdom and use it for our own gratification, sometimes and other times not...but only we understand when we are honest with ourselves and when we are not. Can any thing be given...if it is not willingly received?
The Trinity? Please explain what you mean by Jesus becoming one with God...I agree... To become complete, with clarity, with an inner peace, could not this represent the Mind, Body and Spirit coming to a ONE a wholeness??? For example, we live our lives through these aspects. We cannot live without a mind, or a body or a spirit. One cannot exist without another.....do you understand my pov?
And then Jesus? Did he stay silent.....to show us that he cannot save us, that we have to look within to save ourselves? He could have denied God, and could have turned away and saved his own life.....but he did not.
The people at that time could have just accepted him as someone who was just a dreamer, and that his miracles where all illusions.
But there was something that scared the shit out of them about this man. They wanted his leadership, instead of looking within where his words where always directed.
Something I would have to think that radiated his light....weren't they just comfortable with livng the lives they wanted to... without someone telling them that they could make heaven on Earth. So therefore, I beleive Jesus knew that no matter what he did or what he said or how many miracles he would show them, that the only way they could discover their own true LIGHT, courage, imagination, creativity, loving, forgiveness, peace within, was to BELEIVE IN THEIRSELVES and the LOVE within and without....and then using their own discernment and guidance from this power within that I am sure we have all experienced in one way or another, and not abuse it. How did Jesus ever abuse anything....I don't beleive he did.
Had he all the powers to perform miracles why not use them to save his own life....as he was asked to save his own life. Did he realize that he could not give the people what they wanted...and yet they still followed him and eventually he would be killed because he proved that God does exist without...but people would only look to him and not within to make decisions and discover things that we discover and learn from throughout our lives.
Well, I have struggled with these same questions over and over again.
But when I just let go.... and pray...things have a way of revealing much....in my life and people you meet, as you Beanie, an inspiration, you are
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by bringing up these questions we all ask ourselves....we seek and and discover things about ourselves and others and the wonders of life....it's all good, keep up the good threads Beanie.
Peace
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