"You Mean THAT'S In The Bible?" by Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen)

[jennieblue22]

..........

6) CELIBACY

There are many verses in the Bible stating that one should be
chaste and celibate. The entire chapter of I Corinthians,
chapter 7 deals with this subject comprehensively. Here are the
highlights of that chapter:

1) "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me (Paul):
it is good for a man not to touch a woman."
2) " Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his
own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
3) "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence; and
likewise also the wife unto the husband."
5) "Defraud ye not one the other (i.e. have sex), except it be
with consent for a time, that ye may give yourself to fasting
and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not
for your incontinency."
6) "But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment."
7) "For I would that all men were even as I myself (celibate).
But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this
manner, and another after that."
8) "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for
them if they abide even as I."
9) "But if they cannot contain, let them marry; for it is
better to marry than to burn."
10) "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord,
let not the wife depart from her husband:"
11) "But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be
reconciled to her husband; and let not the husband put away his
wife."
25) "Now, concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord:
yet I give my judgement, as one that hath obtained the mercy of
the Lord to be faithful."
26) "I suppose therefore that this is good for the present
distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be."
27) "Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art
thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife."
28) "But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned: and if a
virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have
trouble in the flesh: but I spare you."
32) "He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to
the Lord, how he may please the Lord:"
33) "But he that is married careth for things that are of the
world, how he may please his wife."
34) "There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin.
The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she
may be holy in body and in spirit: but she that is married
careth for the things of the world, how she may please her
husband."
37) "He that standeth steadfast in his heart, having no
necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so
decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well."
38) "So he that giveth her in marriage doeth well, but he that
giveth her not in marriage doeth better."

I Corinthians, Chapter 7
________________________________________________

"This I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the
Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
contrary he one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things
that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under
the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
these; adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lasciviousness,
idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkeness,
revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before as I
have told you in time past, that they which do such things
shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Galatians 5:16-21

Compare to BG [Bhagavad Gita] 3.37, where Krishna [God] says
that it is lust only that drives a person to perform sinful
acts.
________________________________________________


"But fornication, and all uncleanliness, or covetousness, let
it not be once named among you, as becometh saints."

Ephesians 5:3

Note how fornication is linked with uncleanliness, and is
considered an unsaintly quality
________________________________________________


"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
fornication; uncleanliness, inordinate affection, evil
concupiscence (bad desires), and covetousness, which is
idolatry;"

Colossians 3:5

Here also fornication, linked with uncleanliness, is condemned,
and also plain old inordinate affection.
________________________________________________

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye
should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should
know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor."

I Thessalonians 4:3-4

This is a good verse. It shows that the method of sanctifying
the body is to abstain from sex life; it also shows that the
body is just a vessel for the spirit.

________________________________________________

(Paul speaking to disciples) "For I am jealous over you with
godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I
may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

II Corinthians 11:2

Note the implications here that Paul arranged the marriages of
his disciples.
________________________________________________

"I (Jesus) say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to
lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart."

Matthew 5:32

Shows even subtle sex life is to be considered as adultery.
________________________________________________

"It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,
and such fornication as is not so much named among the
Gentiles, that should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed
up, and have not rather mourned, that he hath done this deed
might be taken away from among you."

I Corinthians 5:1-2

This shows that Paul felt that if one of the followers
committed fornication, he should be kicked out of the
***ociation of other disciples.
________________________________________________

"Flee fornication. Every sin that a man dieth is without the
body; but he that committeh fornication sinneth against his own
body."

I Corinthians 6:18

Very clear verse. Fornication is considered to be the main
cause of material life. Note that the word used here is
porneiana [meaning] fornication, not moicheian, or [meaning]
adultery. The purport is that any sex life, not just illicit
sex life, causes material consciousness.
________________________________________________


"Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but the Lord
shall destroy both it and them. Now that the body is not for
fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."

I Corinthians 6:13

The words used here are both broma, food. Also note the
statement about the body not being for sex life. The word used
here is porneia, [meaning] fornication, not moicheia, [meaning]
adultery.
________________________________________________

THE ADVANTAGE OF CELIBACY

"It is my opinion, then, that in a time of stress like the
present this is the best way for a man to live--it is best for
a man to be as he is (celibate)...If, however, you do marry,
there is nothing wrong in it; and if a virgin marries, she has
done no wrong. But those who marry will have pain and grief in
this bodily life, and my aim is to spare you...I want you to be
free from anxious care. The unmarried man cares for the Lord's
business; His aim is to please the Lord. But the married man
cares for worldly things; his aim is to please his wife; and he
has a divided mind. The unmarried or celibate woman cares for
the Lord's business; her aim is to be dedicated to Him in body
as in spirit; but the married woman cares for worldly things;
her aim is to please her husband."

"In saying this I have no wish to keep you on a tight rein. I
am thinking simply of your own good, of what is seemly, and of
your freedom to wait upon the Lord without distraction."

I Corinthians 7:25-26,28,32,35
________________________________________________

CHAS***Y

"...The disciples said to him, 'If that is the position with
husband and wife, it is better not to marry.' To this he
replied, 'That is something which not everyone can accept, but
only those for whom God has appointed it. For a while some are
incapable of marriage because they were born so, or were made
so by men, there are others who have themselves renounced
marriage for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let those
accept it who can.'"

Matthew 19:10-12
________________________________________________

LUSTY OR GREEDY PERSONS HAVE NO SHARE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD


"Fornication and indecency of any kind, or ruthless greed, must
not be so much as mentioned among you, as befits the people of
God...no one given to fornication or indecency, or the greed
which makes an idol of gain, has any share in the kingdom of
Christ and of God."

Eph. 5:3,5
________________________________________________

ONE MUST LIVE A PURE LIFE, FREE FROM EARTHLY THINGS

"Agree together, my friend, to follow my example. You have us
for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it. For,
as I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my
eyes, there are many whose way of life makes them enemies of
the cross of Christ. They are heading for destruction, appe***e
is their god, and they glory in their shame. Their minds are
set on earthly things."

Phil. 3:17-19
________________________________________________

[jennieblue22]

..........

7) RENUNCIATION


ONE MUST BE DETACHED FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

"Do not set your hearts on the godless world or anything in it.
Anyone who loves the world is a stranger to the Father's love
Everything in the world affords, all that panders to the
appe***es or entices the eyes, all the glamor of it's life,
springs not from the Father but from the godless world. And
that would is p***ing away with all its allurements, but he who
does God's will stands forever."

John 2:15-17
________________________________________________

ONE "GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT" TRANSCENDS THE LOWER NATURE

"If you are guided by the Spirit you will not fulfill the
desires of your lower nature. That nature sets its desires
against the Spirit, while the Spirit fights against it. They
are in conflict with one another so that what you will do you
cannot do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under
law."

Gal. 5:16-18
________________________________________________

ONE WHO HAS THE SPIRIT TRANSCENDS BODILY DEMANDS

"Our lower nature has no claim upon us; we are not obligated to
live on that level. If you do so, you must die. But if by the
Spirit you put to death all the base pursuits of the body, then
you will live."

Romans 8:12-13
________________________________________________

RENUNCIATION OF POSSESSIONS

"...none of you can be a disciple of mine without parting with
all his possessions."

Luke 14:33
________________________________________________

"If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast and give to
the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come
follow Me."

Matt. 19:21
________________________________________________


SELF-SACRIFICE

"If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self
behind; day after day he must take up his cross, and come with
me."

Luke 9:23, Matt. 16:24, Mark 8:34
________________________________________________

"As they were going along the road a man said to him, 'I will
follow you wherever you go.' Jesus answered, 'Foxes have their
holes, birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to
lay his head.' To another he said, 'Follow me,' but the man
replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.' Jesus said,
'leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and announce
the kingdom of God.'

"Yet another said, 'I will follow you, sir; but let me first
say good-bye to my people at home.' To him Jesus said, 'No one
who sets his hand to the plough and then keeps looking back is
fit for the kingdom of God.'"
Luke 9:57-62
________________________________________________

THE DEVOTEE NEED NOT ENDEAVOR FOR MATERIAL NECESSITIES

"I bid you put away anxious thoughts about food and drink to
keep you alive, and cloths to cover your body. Surely life is
more than food, the body more than clothes. Look at the birds
of the air; they do not sow and reap and store in barns, yet
your heavenly Father feeds them. You are worth more than the
birds!...And why be anxious about clothes! Consider how the
lilies grow in the fields; they do not work, they do not spin;
and yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was not
attired like on of these. But if that is how God clothes the
gr*** in the fields, which is there today, and tomorrow is
thrown on the stove, will he not all the more clothe you? How
little faith you have! No, do not ask anxiously, 'What are we
to eat? What are we to drink? What shall we wear?' All these
are things for the heathen to run after, not for you, because
your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your
mind on God's kingdom and his justice before everything else,
and all the rest will come to you as well. So do not be anxious
about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has
troubles enough of its own."

Matt. 6:25-34
________________________________________________

ONE SHOULD RENOUNCE THE MATERIAL WORLD


"The world is crucified to me, and I to the world."

Gal. 4:14
________________________________________________

AUSTERITY OF THE BODY

"It is time for you to wake out of sleep, for deliverance is
nearer to us now than it was when first we believed. It is far
on in the night; day is near. Let us therefore throw off the
deeds of darkness and put on our armour as soldiers of the
light...give no more thought to satisfying the bodily
appe***es."

Rom. 13:11,12,14
________________________________________________

THE REAL CHRISTIAN CRUCIFIES THE FLESH

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the lower
nature with its p***ions and desires. If the Spirit is the
source of our life; let the Spirit also direct our course."

Gal. 5:24-25
________________________________________________

RENUNCIATION OF FAMILY

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he
cannot be a disciple of mine. No one who does not carry his
cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine."

Luke 14:26-27
________________________________________________

"You must not think that I have come to bring peace to the
earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come
to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother,
a son's wife against her mother-in-law; and a man will find his
enemies under his own roof."

"No man is worthy of me who cares more for father and mother
than for me; no man is worthy of me who cares more for son or
daughter; no man is worthy of me who does not take up his cross
and walk in my footsteps. By gaining his life a many will loose
it; by losing his life for my sake, he will gain it."

Matt. 10:34-39
________________________________________________

"...anyone who has left brother or sister, father, mother, or
children, land or houses for the sake of my name will be repaid
many times over, and gain eternal life."

Matt. 19:29
________________________________________________

MATERIALISTIC PERSON CANNOT UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL THINGS

"The sensual man perceiveth not the things that are of the
Spirit of God, for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot
understand it."

"A man who is unspiritual refuses what belongs to the Spirit of
God; it is folly to him; he cannot grasp it, because it needs
to be judged in the light of the Spirit."

I Cor. 2:14
________________________________________________

AUSTERITY AND RENUNCIATION

"The young man saith unto him (Jesus), All these things have I
kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? And Jesus said unto
him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and
come and follow me."

Matthew 19:20-21

This clearly says to give away everything you own and take up
spiritual life, if you want to become perfect.

________________________________________________

"And it came to p***, that as they went in the way, a certain
man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee wheresoever thou
goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of
the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay
his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said,
Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto
him, Let the dead bury their dead; but thou go and preach the
kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow
thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home
in my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his
hand to the plough, and looking back, it fit for the kingdom of
God.

Luke 9:57-62
________________________________________________

"Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he
cannot be my disciple."

Luke 14:33
________________________________________________

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die;
but if ye live through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the
body, ye shall live."

Romans 6:12-13
________________________________________________

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him. For all that is this world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world. And the world p***eth away, and the lust
thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

I John 2:15-17
________________________________________________

STATEMENTS SHOWING THE NECESSITY OF RENOUNCING THE FAMILY TO
TAKE UP SPIRITUAL LIFE

"And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands,
for may name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall
inherit everlasting life."

Matthew 19:29
________________________________________________

[jennieblue22]

..........

8) "THERE IS MUCH I HAVE TO TELL YOU..."


STATEMENTS SHOWING THAT THE BIBLE IS NOT THE ONLY OR FINAL WORD
OF GOD

"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
them now."

John 16:12

Here it is clear that there is more knowledge to be had, but
the disciples were not purified enough to receive it or
understand it.
________________________________________________

"These things I have spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time
cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs; but I
shall show you of the father

John 16:25

Here also Jesus is saying that there is more to come, and that
the disciples have not yet learned anything of God Himself, but
that more teachings were to come that would describe God
Himself clearly.

________________________________________________

"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the
which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even
the world itself could not contain the books that could be
written."

John 21:25

Here it is shown that not all of Jesus' activities are known;
in fact, it is intimated that only a small fraction of them are
known.
________________________________________________

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

II Timothy 3:16-17

Here it is clearly shown that any bonafide scripture must be
accepted, at least on the basis of instruction, even if it does
not describe Jesus. Therefore, the Christians should all accept
Bhagavad-gita [the Koran, and any other bonafide scriptures].
________________________________________________

"If you do not believe when I tell you of material things, how
will you believe if I tell you of spiritual things?"

John 3:12
________________________________________________

[jennieblue22]

..........

9) JESUS AND GOD MAY BE ONE--BUT THEY ARE ALSO DIFFERENT

"I do nothing of myself."

John 14:2
________________________________________________

"My Father is greater than I."

John 14:2
________________________________________________

"The Lord our God is one Lord."

Mark 12:29
________________________________________________

My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

Matt. 27:46
________________________________________________

"Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."

Luke 23:46
________________________________________________

"As You and I are one, let them also be one in Us."

c.f. John 17:21

Thus, Jesus implies that his "oneness" with God is something
that can be achieved by others.
________________________________________________

"But of that day and that hour knowth no man, no, not the
angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

Mark 13:32
________________________________________________

It is also written of Jesus: "Behold my servant, whom I have
chosen,"

Matt. 12:18
________________________________________________

"God...glorified His servant, Jesus."

Acts 3:13
________________________________________________

[jennieblue22]

..........

10) MISCELLANEOUS

GOD IS NOT AN OLD MAN WITH A FLOWING WHITE BEARD

10) My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten
thousand.
11) His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and
black as a raven.
12) His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters,
washed with milk, and fitly set.
13) His cheeks are as a bet of spices, as sweet flowers; his
lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
14) His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl; his belly
is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
15) His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon socks of fine
gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
16) His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This
is my beloved, and this is my friend.

Song of Solomon 5

Compare to Vedic description in Brahma Samhita.
________________________________________________

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS: TO LOVE GOD AND ONE'S NEIGHBOR

(It is thus also indicated that to love God and to love one's
neighbor are two separate things)

"'Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' He
answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, with all your mind." That is the greatest
commandment. It comes first. The second is like it: "Love your
neighbor as yourself." Everything in the Law and the prophets
hangs on these two commandments'"

Matt. 22:36-40
________________________________________________

SELF-SURRENDER

"Father...Thy will be done."

Matt 26:42
________________________________________________

CONTINUAL PRAYER

"Pray without ceasing."

Thess. 5:17
________________________________________________


THE SINFUL PERSON HATES GOD, TRUTH. HONEST PERSON OTHERWISE

"Here lies the test: the light has come into the world,
but men preferred darkness to light because their deeds were
evil. Bad men all hate the light and avoid it, for fear their
practices should be shown up. The honest man comes to the light
so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all he does."

John 3:19-21
________________________________________________

ON THE UNPOPULARITY OF POTENT PREACHERS

"If the world hate you, know that it hated me (Jesus) before it
hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its
own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

John 15:18-19
________________________________________________

ON LISTENING TO GOD FROM WITHIN THE HEART (INSTEAD OF FROM
AUTHORITY)

"Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His
that sent me. If any man will do His (God's) will, he shall
know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak
of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory;
but he that seeketh His (God's) glory that sent him, the same
is true and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give
you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?"

John 7:16-19

This clearly says that we must not follow our own ideas, but
just obey the law and try to understand what the authorities
say. This defeats the people who day "Jesus speaks to me in my
heart."
________________________________________________

[jennieblue22]

..........

11) AFTERWORD

The merits of this pamphlet can easily be obscured by the
Christian exclusivity. Dogmatic denial of non-Christian
religions seems to be a tenet of popular Christianity. Such
prejudice is largely based on the following verse from the New
Testament:

ego eimi ha hodos kai ha alatheia kai ha zoa; oudeis
erketia pros ton patera ei ma di emou

"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father except through me." )Matt. 14:6)

However, this is a rather slender peg on which to hang
one's religious intolerance. Especially since the original
Greek renders the verse a bit differently than cited above--
although the above translation is the one you would probably
find in your Bible.

The Greek work erketai is extremely present tense. So,
rather than "comes" as the word is rendered above, it would
more accurately be "can presently come." This, of course,
changes the whole meaning. Jesus is actually saying, "I am the
way, the truth, and the life; no one can presently come to the
father except through me." Thus, Christian exclusivity becomes
absurd. Unlike the interpretations pushed upon us by the Bible-
thumpers--who say that surrender to Jesus is the only way, for
all time--Jesus simply said that eh was the way presently, at
that time, in Palestine-- 2,000 years ago. Says Dr. Boyd
Daniels of The American Bible Society, "Oh, yes. The word
erketai is definitely the present tense form of the verb. Jesus
was speaking to his contemporaries." (From a personal
conversation with the author.)
________________________________________________

The Codex Sinaiticus, our earliest existing Greek
m****cript of the New Testament, can presently be found in the
British Museum. Interestingly, this m****cript was written in
the year 331 A.D. - Just six years after the Council of Nicaea.
We have no New Testament m****cripts from before this council.

Why is this interesting? Because history reveals that
everything was rearranged at the council--and at the many
councils that followed. No one knows what Christianity may
have been like before this first ecumenical synod. And no one
is ever likely to find out--for the Christian tradition has not
been preserved. Rather, it has been subject to change and
decay


This pamphlet was keyed by Skosch Penrose.

[Libby]

Hi Jennie! It's nice to see another Hindu, finally, on this thread.

Looks like an interesting book. I've been reading along the same lines, a book written by Yogananda called "The Second Coming of Christ" (which he says is Christ Consciousness or Samadhi). He, basically, goes through the Bible, as your author has done, here, and provides eastern interpretations of some of the more well known verses and stories. It's very interesting.

I will definitely browse through this book! Thank you!

[jennieblue22]

Another fantastic book is "Christ and Krishna: Where the Jordan Meets the Ganges" also by Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa) - ISBN: 9780961976385

Read it. It's a real eye-opener!

[Libby]

Thanks, Jennie.