my angle, my faith, my love.

[Joe E]

It seems that in a faith without doctrine, it is difficult to come to
terms with absolute foundation. This is not the case with the
Mysticism of Christs word. The foundation is simply that you are
loved, and you are asked nothing in return. From that we grow
spiritually and mentally, physically.

Some, including myself dispatch the concept of a third-party-evil
(Satan) and only blame a choice made without forethought or
understanding of cause and effect. With this same dispatch of a third
party, comes the dispatch of the entire concept of Sin. With Sin you
have the requirement for punishment, and without Sin you have no
reason to punish, such is the rule of Gods Unconditional Love. Such a
word is almost beyond our comprehension, I say almost because nothing
is completely impossible; just sometimes incredibly difficult.

God requires nothing, Loves us completely because we are he, and he is
that we are.

I personally feel that Christ's mastery of being 'Awake' is indicative
of our struggle to attain the same. We are all divine, and Christ
only proved it.

My only real contribution is to teach others of the path of modesty,
and on this path I am not even well versed enough to teach it - but I
do try.

A route to modesty of faith and of the self is to always remember that
God speaks through words last. The reason is because of the immediate
and sudden misinterpretation and subjective application of his
objective and absolute word. We have a disposition to read into
things how we want them to be.

Doctrinal Christians tend to want a punishment for The Other, and an
afterlife punishment for mortal-life decisions. They see things as
being literal and actual. While many Mystics like new-agers and the
like read into scripture on a seemingly deeper level, a simple
reflection of the emotion in others being comperable to the emotion in
our selves helps with empathy.

ah empathy, the root of the message of Christ.


I probably didnt make any sense.

namaste.
Joe

[Paul....@gmail.com]

Greetings Joe,
Welcome to the group...

I must however state that I emphatically and categorically disagree
with several points you make in your opening missive...
I see absolutely no scriptural justification to dispatch the existence
of Satan, and even less to dispatch with the concept of Sin.

This point of view, is in fact not just 'like" new age, but is in fact
duplicitous.

Once Scripture is dismissed as the source of balance of information,
then no other standard can be adopted which does not place a
completely movable standard of relativity upon lives.
The 20th and 21st centuries have been the victims of the disease of
relativism. There absolutely are absolute standards and values.
Dismissing them leads to an absolute breakdown.

Only by His Marvelous Grace,
Paul Kiler
Moderator

> Some, including myself dispatch the concept of a third-party-evil
> (Satan) and only blame a choice made without forethought or
> understanding of cause and effect. With this same dispatch of a third
> party, comes the dispatch of the entire concept of Sin. With Sin you
> have the requirement for punishment, and without Sin you have no
> reason to punish, such is the rule of Gods Unconditional Love. Such a

> he gfroupword is almost beyond our comprehension, I say almost because nothing

[Francis]

Dear Joe,

Your statement that God speaks through words last is golden.  Scripture leads us to faith.  So also does nature and our own existence.  Those who deny the reality of the Creator are on a spiritual pinwheel, which will lead them to doubt and perhaps to deny their own existence.  They will go there, but we do not believe their path is true anyway.  To return to faith and belief, these are graces from the Creator.  Consider primitive people who were slowly lead to a higher reality due to their good deeds.  Deeds do not save them;  I am speaking of the slow progression of man's knowledge and calling (mankind through the ages). I liked your comments.  They were written clearly.

--
Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man. Mary wishes to get us closer to Christ before our judgment. Jesus, not Mary, will be the judge of our souls. Mary wants to teach us how to please Him. Also, Mary is a close intercessor to her son for us, her adopted children.

[Francis]

I do not believe that we are divine. Period.  If you are using Scripture to support that, you are following the route that satan proposes: the lowering of God to our level.  There is satan as you say.  Scripturally he grasps people and things.  He is not good;  he is the denier. 

If you continue to pray to God with humility and help others with love, God in His mercy will help you.  If you were truly divine, all truth would awaken from within you.

[Joe E]

Christian Mysticism is based more on the Experience of God and
Communication through Prayer than scripture

Scriptural supports but doesn't define the faith of a Christian
Mystic.

The ability to become divine, is not the same as being divine.

I am not duplicative of the New Age thought process, since Christian
Mystics have existed since the birth of Christianity, New Age thieves
concepts from a lot of Mystic thought, but adds some twists to it to
better form it to whatever they want.

something to help keep us humble is this

People see what they see, the only way they know how to see it. Only
through personal devotion, and impeded by social suggestion is the
route to The Truth.

Joe

[Monster]

"Christian mysticism" may not be allowed to roam like a mustang.
Scripture reveals the words and the doing of Jesus the Christ,
but ..........the Great Spirit speaks to us much more strongly when we
are reading Scripture or contemplating Scripture than when we are "off
in a corner by ourselves." If a person wants to set her mind
completely free without the reins of sin, redemption, judgment, etc.
let her, at least, place the mantle of "Christian" on the door before
going outside into the everlasting night. Extending this metaphor a
little more, there would be a social gathering from various families
in the room. Like minded people gather. That is society, not
necessarily bad. Jesus asked,"Who is my brethren?" Obviously, we who
follow His spirit and truth, which must agree with His words. This is
Scripture, the guidebook.

[Joe E]

I do not disagree. My fault, is that I read my faiths out of the
scriptures, I didnt invent them or get them from only revelation.

I agree with you.