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

  1. #1
    jennieblue22
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    Default "You Mean THAT'S In The Bible?" by Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen)

    Steven J. Rosen (Satyaraja Dasa), a world-renowned scholar of religion and spirituality who has written a number of excellent books, and also a practicing Hare Krishna devotee who is a student of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada), has given this expert ****ysis of the Bible and exposed a number of lesser-known doctrines and teachings of the Vedic tradition given therein.
    http://pastebin.com/fSA06W7w

  2. #2
    jennieblue22
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    ..........
    You Mean THAT's In the Bible?

    by: Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen)

    ISKCON New York - Sri Sri Radha Govinda MAndir
    305 Schermerhorn St. Brooklyn, NY 11217
    http://radhagovinda.net

    ________________________________________________


    Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
    Prabhupada, who set the perfect example in his own life, by
    loving the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind. (see
    Matt. 22:36-40)

    ________________________________________________

  3. #3
    jennieblue22
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    ...........
    Table of Contents
    -------------------

    1) Introduction
    2) You Are not the Body
    3) One Who Loves Christ Must Follow His Commandments
    4) Meat Eating
    5) Reincarnation
    6) Celibacy
    7) Renunciation
    8) "There is much I have to tell you..."
    9) Jesus And God May Be One--But They Are Also Different
    10) Miscellaneous
    11) After word



    (Special thanks to His Grace Rajendranath Dasa; the fruits of
    his research were indispensable to the production of this
    pamphlet)

    ________________________________________________

  4. #4
    jennieblue22
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    1) INTRODUCTION


    Both read the Bible day and night.
    But thou read'st black where I read white.
    --William Blake--


    Everyone has some conception of Christianity, whether one
    is a believer or not. The Christian doctrine is amenable to
    many different interpretations and, indeed, many have taken
    advantage of this amenability. As early as sixty-five years
    after the time of Jesus, for instance, Paul, who had never met
    Jesus, debated with the original Apostles in regard to Jesus'
    teaching: Paul thought that Jesus' advent freed the people
    from following the Old Law, that faith alone was required.
    Meanwhile, the Apostles taught that Jesus came to enforce the
    Old Law, and that faith without work is dead.


    The faith/works polemic has been going on for
    centuries. And countless forms of "Christianity" have emerged
    as variations on this theme. The subject became so confused by
    the time of Martin Luther(1483-1546) both faith and works were
    hard to find. The Popes of the Renaissance epitomize this
    confusion. The deMedici Popes were considered the most
    debauched men in the history of religion. The original Pope
    John XXIII was deposed for "notorious incest, adultery,
    defilement, and homicide." In 1415, while still a chamberlain,
    he openly kept his brother's wife as a mistress. In an effort
    to squash the scandal, his superiors promoted him to cardinal
    and sent him to Bologna, where "two hundred maids, matrons, and
    widows, including a few nuns, fell victim to his brutal lust."
    In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII was elected. he was nicknamed "the
    Honest" because he was the first Pope to acknowledge his
    illegitimate children publicly. This whole farce reached an
    unquestionable peak when, in 1724, the Roman Catholic Church
    banned the confessional requirement that men name their
    partners in fornication when it was discovered that priests
    were actually making carnal use of the information. Seeing the
    iniquities of the Papacy, Martin Luther proposed an egalitarian
    solution: "Each man should have his own divine right to
    interpret holy scripture." While this new version of
    Christianity released many believers from the dictates of
    insincere leaders, a new problem arose: Many would interpret
    the scriptures with some ulterior motive (both consciously and
    unconsciously). And this is the problem that exists today. Many
    are using the scriptures to rationalize [his/her] habits,
    activities that God would never ordain.

    Readers of this pamphlet--Christian and non-Christian--are
    advised to view the following with an open mind, possibly
    achieving a fresh outlook. The distinct feature of this work is
    that it is not beleaguered by vague or popular translations of
    the Bible. All Bible verses are rendered with references to
    Reuben Alcalay's Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary for the Old
    Testament, and to Nestle's Greek/English Interlinear for the
    New Testament. The importance of a word-by-word translation
    should not be underestimated. Ambiguous and aesthetically
    pleasing--but inaccurate--translations are at the heart of
    Biblical interpretive problems.

    We are, of course, working with the premise that the Bible
    has not been drastically changed (this is obviously an
    important ***umption when delivering textual criticism).
    Otherwise, all Biblical texts become meaningless. An opinion
    that is not uncommon.

    Still, America is basically a Christian country, and all
    Christians base their conception of Christianity on the Bible.
    For such persons, this pamphlet should prove useful; with
    exception of a few editorial notes, we will allow the bible to
    speak for itself.

    The ultimate purpose of this work, however, is to show the
    harmony that exists between the Bible and the more-ancient
    Vedic texts of India. The essential message of the Bible and
    the Vedas is one: to love the Lord with all of ones heart, soul
    and mind. This message is revealed to different people
    according to time, place, and circumstance; based on these
    considerations, specifics may vary. Still the essence remains
    the same--it is simply delivered according to the capacity of
    the audience.

    For instance, that which is taught in a primary math
    course differs greatly from that which is taught on in a higher
    level. In elementary mathematics, one is taught that numbers
    can not be subtracted from smaller numbers. And this premise
    should be accepted by all who study basic arithmetic. However,
    in advanced mathematics, you learn that you can subtract larger
    numbers from smaller ones: the results are negative numbers.

    Similarly, prophets and sages reveal religious truths
    selectively, for the benefit and gradual upliftment of their
    audience. And, on minor points, you may find that one prophet
    deprecates a certain activity, while another, from another
    tradition endorses it.

    In this way, persons of different cultures can advance
    gradually, according to their means. Revelation itself comes
    gradually. And the ultimate revelation is that religion is one-
    -for God is one. If this short pamphlet can induce even one
    person to reach this conclusion, the author will have
    considered this work worthwhile.

    ________________________________________________

  5. #5
    jennieblue22
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    2) YOU ARE NOT THE BODY



    40) "There are also celestial (epourania: heavenly) bodies, and
    bodies terrestrial (epiyeia: earthly): but the glory of the
    celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another."

    42) "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
    corruption (ie. born in matter); it is raised in incorruption
    (ie. Spirit).)

    44) "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
    There is a natural body, and a spiritual body."

    47) "The first man of the earth, earthy (ie. first birth is
    material): the second man is the Lord (anthropos: man) from
    heaven (ie. second birth is spiritual)."

    48) "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and
    as is heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."

    49) "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall
    also bear the image of the heavenly."

    50) "Now this I (Paul) say, brethren, that flesh and blood
    cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
    inherit incorruption."


    I Corinthians 15;40, 42, 44, 47, 48, 50

    This section clearly shows that man has both a material body
    and a spiritual body, and that man first goes through a birth
    of the material body and then takes birth in his spiritual
    body.


    ________________________________________________

    "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the
    things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
    temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."


    II Corinthians 4:18

    This shows that the seen, material world is temporary, while
    the unseen, spiritual world is eternal. Similarly, the body,
    which is seen, is temporary, while the life-force (soul), which
    is unseen is eternal

    ________________________________________________

    1) "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
    were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made
    with hands, eternal in the heavens."

    2) "For in this (house) we groan, earnestly desiring to be
    clothed upon with our house which is from heaven."

    6) "Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that, while we
    are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord."

    7) "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

    8) "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent
    from the body, and to be present with the lord."

    II Corinthians 5:1, 2, 6, 7, 8

    This is clear that while in this material body we are
    suffering, and desiring to be in our spiritual body; and that
    by spiritual knowledge we know that the material body is
    separate from the Lord. Not the reference in verse 7 to sastra
    caksus.

    ________________________________________________


    "And it came to p***, as he was alone praying, his disciples
    were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom do the people
    say that I am? They answering him said, John the Baptist; but
    some say Elias; and other say that one of the old prophets is
    risen again."


    Luke 9:18-19

    Now why would the disciples answer like this if they did not
    believe in reincarnation.


    ________________________________________________

    CONFLICT BETWEEN HIGHER AND LOWER SELF


    "For I know that nothing good lodges in me--in my
    unspiritual nature, I mean--for though the will to do good is
    there, the deed is not. The good which I want to do, I fail to
    do; but what I do is the wrong which is against my will; and if
    what I do is against my will, clearly it is no longer I who am
    the agent, but sin that has its lodging in me.

    I discover this principle, then; that when I want to do
    right, only the wrong is within my reach. In my inmost self I
    delight in the law of God, but I perceive that there is in my
    bodily members a different law, fighting against the law that
    my reason approves and makes me a prisoner under the law that
    is in my members, the law of sin. Miserable creature that I am,
    who is there to rescue me out of this body doomed to death."


    Romans 7.18-24

    ________________________________________________

  6. #6
    jennieblue22
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    3) ONE WHO LOVES CHRIST MUST FOLLOW HIS COMMANDMENTS



    "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

    John 14:15

    Very clear instruction.

    ________________________________________________


    "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, hi is that
    loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved by my Father,
    and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas
    said unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
    unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto
    him, if a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father
    will love him, and make our abode with him."


    John 14:21-23

    This clearly says that love of God means keeping the
    commandments, and if one does not do so, he will not have God
    manifested to him.

    ________________________________________________

    "If ye keep my commandments, ye shalt abide in my love, even as
    I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love."


    John 15:10

    This says also that love of God comes from following the rules
    of God.

    ________________________________________________

    "For this is love of God, that we keep His commandments; and
    His commandments are not grievous."


    I John 5:3

    ________________________________________________

    "For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
    righteousness, than, after they have know it, to turn from the
    holy commandment delivered unto them. But it happened unto them
    according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own
    vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wollowing into
    he mire."


    II Peter 2:21-23


    This shows that performing atonement for sin then doing the sin
    again is like eating vomit.

    ________________________________________________

    21) "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
    into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my
    Father which is in heaven."

    22) "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
    prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils?
    And in thy name done many wonderful works?"

    23) "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you;
    depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

    Matthew 7:21,22,23

    This is a good verse to quote to people who say that it is by
    God's grace that you are saved, and not by works. Here it is
    clear that one attains grace by doing the will of God only.


    ________________________________________________

    "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
    heaven is perfect"

    Matthew 5:48

    This kills the argument that one cannot stop from sinning.
    Therefore just accept Jesus and you are saved. Here Jesus is
    commanding them to become perfect, that is to not commit any
    sin.

    ________________________________________________

  7. #7
    jennieblue22
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    4) MEAT EATING

    While the Bible--in many places--seems to endorse meat-eating,
    these sections should not be taken out of context.

    Instead of using Noah's emergency expedient (following the
    flood in which all vegetation was wiped out) as outlined in
    Genesis 9:3, a more important diet is the original one,
    enunciated by the Lord in Genesis 1:29; "And God said, Behold,
    I have given you every herb-bearing seed and every tree, in
    which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
    for meat (food)." god further indicates--in the very next
    verse--that this diet is "good," while the later diet referred
    to--the one containing meat--was allowed "simply to satisfy
    their lust."

    This is outlined quite clearly but, again, it must all be
    studied in context.

    The example of the Quail God purportedly arranged for the
    children of Israel, after they "tired" of His manna (Numbers
    11:31), is a prime example of quoting out of context. Indeed,
    verses 31 and 32 (of Numbers) describe the quail and the
    feasting that followed, but verse 33 must be read to secure the
    full impact of this p***age: "and while the flesh was yet
    between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord
    was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote them with a
    great plague." He was not happy with their meat-eating.

    It also becomes clear when one studies the early history
    of the church that the founding fathers espoused the vegetarian
    ideal. You can study their lives: Tertullian, Pliny, Origen,
    St. John Chrysostom, the list goes on and on. Parenthetically,
    that these early Church fathers were avowed vegetarians makes a
    large statement as to what we may have read in the Bible before
    it was worked on at the various Ecumenical councils...

    It was not until the time of Emperor Constantine (Fourth
    Century) that vegetarian Christians had to practice
    underground--this was because Constantine was a meat-eater. He
    was also a maniac, and Church history books abound with the
    stories of how he would pour molten lead down the throats of
    Christian vegetarians for their chosen diet. Incidentally, he
    also killed his wife by setting her in a vat of boiling water.

    Scriptural knowledge is simple for the simple--but it is
    difficult for the twisted. The Bible clearly says "Thou shalt
    not kill" (Exodus 20:13). It could not be stated more simply.

    The exact Hebrew is "lo tirtzach", which accurately
    translates: "thou shalt not kill."


    One of the greatest scholars of Hebrew/English linguistics
    (in the Twentieth Century)--Dr. Reuben Alcalay has written in
    his mammoth book "The Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary" that
    "tirtzach" refers to "any kind of killing whatsoever." The word
    "lo" as you might suspect, means "thou shalt not." DON'T KILL!
    Let's face it, the Bible is clear on this point.

    The Vedic literature is also clear on this point. In fact,
    the Vedas take this point past vegetarianism, because there is
    still a sinful reaction in killing vegetables. Therefore, the
    Vedas prescribe a lacto-vegetarian diet--the diet which is
    least harmful to living beings--and a special process to free
    one from the minimal sinful reaction that is there from killing
    the plants. The process is given in rudimentary form in
    Bhagavad-gita, and is elaborated upon in Srimad Bhagavatam.
    After applying the process--which centers about the chanting of
    the holy Name of the Lord with love and devotion--the
    foodstuffs are known as prasadam, a Sanskrit word which means
    "the Lords mercy."

    * * *


    Many Bible scholars persist with the theory that Christ
    ate animal flesh, obviously swayed in their opinions by
    personal habits. The desire to accede to prejudice and uphold
    existing tradition has been a human characteristic for many
    centuries, but truth appears now even more important as man
    exerts his independence in so many aspects of life. Respected
    Bible scholar Rev. V.A. Holmes-Gore has researched the frequent
    use of the word "meat" in the New Testament Gospels. He traced
    its meaning to the original Greek.

    His findings were first published in World Forum of
    Autumn, 1947. He reveals that the nineteen Gospel references
    to "meat" should have been more accurately translated thus:

    Greek Number of references Meaning
    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Broma 4 "food"
    Brosis 4 "the act of
    eating food"
    Phago 3 "to eat"
    Brosimos 1 "That which
    may be eaten"
    Trophe 6 "nourishment"
    Prosphagon 1 "anything to
    eat"

    Thus, the Authorized Version of John 21:5, "Have ye any
    meat?" is incorrect; It should have been translated: "Have ye
    anything to eat?"


    "Fish" is another frequently mistranslated word in the
    Bible. Its reference is often not to the form of swimming life,
    but to the symbol by which early Christians could identify each
    other. It was a secret sign, needed in times of persecution,
    prior to official acceptance of Christianity as a state
    religion.

    The sign of the fish was a mystical symbol and a
    conversational p***word, deriving from the Greek word for fish,
    "Ichthus." As such, it represented an acrostic, composed of
    leading letters of the Greek phrase, "Iesous Christos Theou
    Uios Soter" -- "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."

    Frequent references to fish are intended as symbolic of
    The Christ, having nothing to do with the act of eating a dead
    fish. But the symbol of a fish did not meet with Roman
    approval. They preferred the sign of the cross, choosing to
    concentrate more on the death of Christ than on His brilliant
    life. Perhaps this is one reason only ten percent of His life
    record appears in the canonical scriptures. Most of His first
    thirty years is omitted.

    How many worshippers go home from church and sit down to a
    feast cut from a once proud beast in defiance of the very
    commandments they have just been advocating? The verses below
    should clear up any misgivings the reader may have in this
    connection.

    DISCUSSION OF MEAT IN THE BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)

    "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
    seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in
    which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
    for meat."

    Genesis 1:29

    Shows that the true diet of man is vegetarian.
    ________________________________________________

  8. #8
    jennieblue22
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    "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood
    thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives
    will require; at the hand of every beast will I require it.

    Genesis 9:4-5

    Shows that man is not allowed to eat meat, and if he does he
    will pay with his own life. And he will be killed by the one he
    kills. This is called Karma.

    ________________________________________________

    "To what purpose is the mul***ude of your sacrifices unto
    me? Said the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams,
    and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
    bullocks, or of lambs, or of goats. When ye spread forth your
    hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
    prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are
    full of blood."

    Isaiah 1:11,15

    Shows that God does not accept even the prayers of a meat-
    eater.


    ________________________________________________

    "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man."

    Isaiah 66:3

    Shows that cow killing is equated with murder.


    ________________________________________________

    "It shall be a perpetual statue for your generations
    throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor
    blood."

    Leviticus 3:17

    A trick commandment: You cannot eat meat and not eat blood.
    This is the origin of the idea of Kosher food (meat with the
    blood drained out of it.) It has been compared to p***ing stool
    and not p***ing urine. Impossible!

    ________________________________________________

    "And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of
    strangers who sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of
    blood; I will even set My face against that soul that eateth
    blood."

    Leviticus 17:10

    Note the term "any manner of blood". All flesh comes from
    blood.

    ________________________________________________


    APPEARANCES OF THE WORD "MEAT" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

    This section shows how certain words were translated
    wrongly in the King James Version of the Bible. The correct
    translation are taken from the Nestle Interlinear Greek-English
    New Testament, which also references the King James Version.

    "And the same John (the Baptist) had his raiment of camels
    hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was
    locust and wild honey."

    Matthew 3:4

    The word used here is trophe, nourishment. Also note that the
    word "locusts" refers to locust beans, or carob, St. John's
    bread.

    ________________________________________________

    "And her spirit came again (referring to a woman Jesus
    raised from the dead), and she arose straightaway: and he
    (Jesus) commanded to hive her meat."

    Luke 8:55

    The word here is phago, to eat.

    ________________________________________________

    14) "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold,
    a young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
    his name Immanuel."
    15) "****er and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse
    the evil, and choose the good."

    Isaiah 7:14,15

    Christians are fond of quoting the first part of this verse as
    proof that Jesus is the saviour, but they rarely quote the very
    next verse, which says he will be a vegetarian.

    ________________________________________________

    "And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he
    (Jesus) said unto them (his disciples), Have ye here any meat?
    And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb.
    And took 'it', and did eat before them."

    Luke 24:41-43

    The word here is brosimos, eatable. Note the use of the word
    "it" (my emphases), which is in the singular. Jesus was offered
    fish and a honeycomb, but took only one. Judging from Isaiah
    7:15, we know which he chose.

    ________________________________________________


    "For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy
    meat."

    John 4:8

    The word used here is trophe, nourishment.


    ________________________________________________

    "And when he had received meat, he was strengthened."

    Acts 9:19

    The word used here is trophe, nourishment.
    ________________________________________________

    "And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all
    to take meat, saying, this is the fourteenth day ye have
    tarried and continued fasting, having taking nothing.
    Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is your
    health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any
    of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave
    thanks to God in the presence of them all: and when he had
    broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer,
    and they also took some meat."

    Acts 27:33-36

    The word used here is trophe, nourishment. Note that even
    though they say meat, they show clearly that what he was
    referring to was bread, which they all took.

    ________________________________________________


    "And when he had brought them into his house, he sat meat
    before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his
    house."

    Acts 16:34

    The word used here is trapesa, table. It says he set a table
    before them!

    ________________________________________________

    "But if thy brother be grieved with that meat, now walkest
    thou not charitably. Destroy him not with thy meat, for whom
    Christ Died."

    Romans 14:15


    Both words here are broma, food. This is actually a reference
    to spiritual food.

    ________________________________________________

    "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
    righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

    Romans 14:17

    The word used here is borsis, act of eating. This is a
    reference to the fact that the kingdom of God is not material

    ________________________________________________

    "But meat commendeth us not to God, for neither, if we
    eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the
    worse."

    I Corinthians 8:8

    The word used here is Broma, food. This verse does not say that
    it doesn't matter if we eat meat or not, but that the activity
    of eating has little to do with our relationship of God.
    ________________________________________________

    "Wherefore, if meat makes my brother offend, I will eat no
    flesh while the world standeth lest I make my brother to
    offend."

    I Corinthians 8:13
    ________________________________________________

    "And (they) did all eat the same spiritual meat;"

    I Corinthians 10:3

    The word here is broma, food.
    ________________________________________________

    "For meat destroy not the word of God. All things are
    indeed pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with
    offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,
    nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or
    is made weak."

    Romans 14:20-21

    A very good verse. The word meat used here is Broma, food. It
    shows that it is not food which is wrong, it is not eating
    prasadam, food offered to God. The word flesh used here is
    kreas, flesh. So it is clear that meat eating is not good.
    ________________________________________________

  9. #9
    jennieblue22
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    5) REINCARNATION


    Under circumstances that to this very day remain shrouded
    in mystery, the Byznatine emperor Justinian in 553 A.D. (at the
    Second Council of Constantinople) banned the teachings of
    reincarnation from the Christian scriptures. There remain,
    however, certain allusions to reincarnation in the Bible. And
    these few are very powerful.

    * * *

    In the ninth century B.C. the Hebrew prophet Elijah is
    supposed to have live. Four centuries later, Malachi recorded
    this prophecy in the closing lines of the Old Testament:
    "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming
    of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

    The first book of the New Testament, Matthew, refers to
    this prophecy on three occasions, and the remaining gospels
    speak of it seven times. In the verses that follow, the Greek
    form of the prophet's name is used. It will be noted from the
    remarks of the disciples of Jesus that there was much
    speculation and widespread acceptance among the Jews concerning
    not only the return of Elijah, but of other ancient Hebrew
    prophets.

    When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he
    asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I am? And they
    replied, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias;
    and others, Jeremias, or one of the other prophets.

    Matthew 16:13-14


    And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged
    them saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be
    risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying,
    Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus
    answered them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all
    things. But I say unto you, that Elias has come already, and
    they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they
    listed. Likewise shall the Son of Man suffer from them. Then
    the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the
    Baptist [who had already been beheaded by Herod].

    Matthew 17:9-13


    Jesus began to say unto the mul***udes concerning
    John...this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my
    messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before
    thee...And if ye will receive it: this is Elias, which was for
    to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

    Matthew 11:7,10-11,14-15

    Another reference is to be found in Luke 9:7-9: "Now Herod
    the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Jesus, and he was
    perplexed, because it was said of some, that John was risen
    from the dead; and of some, that Elias had appeared; and of
    others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod
    said, John have I beheaded; but who is this of whom I hear such
    things?" The same incident is related in Mark 6:14-16

    The early church father Tertullian offers the view that
    some orthodox people take concerning all these verses from the
    New Testament [Although Tertullian was also an outspoken
    advocate of reincarnation]. In brief, Tertullian's reasoning is
    that Elias never died in the first place. God translated him
    directly to heaven. Thus, his subsequent re-descent was not a
    rebirth, but merely a return visit. It has been described that
    Tertullian bases his reasoning on the statement in II Kings
    2:11: "Behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of
    fire...and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven" and was
    seen no more. However, if this church father's reasoning is to
    be logically sustained, Elijah's return to earth as John the
    Baptist should have been in the same miraculous way he left: He
    should have been precipitated on earth as a mature man. Yet the
    scriptures indicate that John was born in the ordinary way.
    Thus all serious Christian theologians have concluded that
    Tertullian's theory is not tenable.

    The nineteenth-century [North] American philosopher
    Francis Bowen of Harvard, after citing a number of the Gospel
    p***ages already quoted, remarks in his article, "Christian
    Metemphychosis": "That the commentators have not been willing
    to receive, in their obvious and literal meaning, ***ertions so
    direct and so frequently repeated as this, but have attempted
    to explain them away in a non-natural and metaphorical sense,
    is a fact that proves nothing but the existence of an
    invincible prejudice against the doctrine of the transmigration
    of souls."

    One final point. The rebirth of saviors and prophets is
    clear enough in Christian teaching, but what about ordinary
    men? Do they return? That the disciples of Jesus seriously
    considered this possibility is evident from their question
    concerning the man who had been born blind. They asked: "Who
    did sin, this man, or his parents, that he is born blind?" One
    can not evade the conclusion that the disciples must have had
    reincarnation in mind, for obviously if the man had been born
    blind his sin could not have been committed in this life. Jesus
    had a good opportunity to smash the reincarnation idea once and
    for all--but he did not! He merely replied that the man was
    afflicted because he was destined through Christ to have his
    sight restored so that "the works of God should be made
    manifest in him."

    That it may be legitimate to look to a previous life for
    the source of individual goodness or badness seems plain from
    St. Paul's comments on Jacob and Esau. He says that the Lord
    loved one and hated the other before they were born--Romans
    9:10-13; Malachi 1:2-3. How could a nonexistent being be loved
    or hated?

    Another illustration is the one in which Christ warns that
    those who live by the sword will die by the sword [Matthew
    26:52]. This could only be universally true--as all of the
    savior's statements should be--if there is more than one life
    in which to experience the reaction for many professional
    combat soldiers die quietly in their own beds. This view is
    completely consistent with Newton's Third Law of Motion--for
    every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction--and with
    the Law of Karma promulgated in the Vedic literatures.

    A similar reference is found in Mark 10:28-31, where
    rewards are listed that could hardly be fulfilled in one life.
    Peter said unto Jesus: "Lo, we have left all, and have followed
    thee." And Jesus answered: "Verily I say unto you, There is no
    man that has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
    mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, But he
    shall receive an hundredfold now in this time [in this age]
    houses, and brethren, and sisters and mothers, and children,
    and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal
    life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last
    first." Certainly the enumerated rewards could not possibly be
    fulfilled in one incarnation.

    Saint John states in Revelation 3:12: "Him that overcometh
    will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go
    no more out." It seems he had gone out into incarnation before,
    otherwise the words "no more" could have no place or meaning.
    It may have been the old idea of the exile of the soul and the
    need for it to be purified by long sojourn before it could be
    admitted as a "pillar in the temple of my God." In Luke 20:35-
    36, a similar idea again occurs. Jesus says: "They who are
    accounted worthy to obtain that world...neither marry...neither
    can they die any more."


    It can be concluded from both these verses that the goal
    to be achieved is of such a transcendent nature, one short life
    would be insufficient to reach it. Thus, in Professor Bowen's
    essay, "Christian Metemphychosis," previously cited, he wonders
    whether in addition to the obvious spiritual meaning, there may
    be "a literal meaning in the solemn words of the Saviour
    'Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
    God.'"

    "An eternity of either reward or punishment," says Bowen,
    "would seem to be inadequately earned by one brief period of
    probation on earth."

    ________________________________________________

  10. #10
    jennieblue22
    Guest

    Default

    ..........
    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
    ________________________________________________

  11. #11
    jennieblue22
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    Default

    ..........
    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
    ________________________________________________

  12. #12
    jennieblue22
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    ..........
    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
    ________________________________________________

  13. #13
    jennieblue22
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    ..........
    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
    ________________________________________________

  14. #14
    jennieblue22
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    Default

    ..........
    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."
    ________________________________________________

  15. #15
    jennieblue22
    Guest

    Default

    ..........
    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.

  16. #16
    Libby
    Guest

    Default

    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!

  17. #17
    jennieblue22
    Guest

    Default

    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!

  18. #18
    Libby
    Guest

    Default

    Thanks, Jennie.

  19. #19
    alanmolstad
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    Quote Originally Posted by jennieblue22 View Post
    His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Srila Prabhupada),......

    Longest name ever......of all time.

  20. #20
    alanmolstad
    Guest

    Default

    also, Man has a mortal body...
    and only after the resurrection, we will be given a spiritual body.

    I dont have such a body right now.
    No one does, except for the 1st born from the dead = Jesus Christ.

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