The bible is the bait and hook the "devil" uses to get you.

originally posted by: Stormdancer777
a reply to: lupodigubbio

So what is the narrow gate you want to enter into, and buy using the term "narrow Gate" you used the Bible.

Which you said is the work of the devil,

CAN SATAN CAST OUT SATAN?

Matthew
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

I did mention the bible was a collection of books that contemplate all kinds of truths and all kinds of lies. The good stuff mixed with the bad. It is this mental process of having to choose 100% of the bible or none of it that I feel is deceptive and dangerous. It is a LIE to say the bible is true, in the holistic sense of the word.
Nobody can tell me what personally resonates as truth or a lie, only I can do that. Whether I'm wrong or right is a whole other topic.

Now to your question, the Narrow Gate...yes, I'm using an example from the bible so? In the context of the thread I feel it is relevant and useful.

13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

but have you read the very next verse after the Narrow Gate scenario?

15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

So...what are the fruits of Christianity?

Get it?

So since small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it a question comes to mind....what is the most difficult thing to find?

truth

So, to me, the narrow gate is truth, because truth, as you know, will set to you free.

I hope this explains one of the basic points of this thread.

originally posted by: Logarock

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: Logarock

Don't you have the preconceived notion that the OP doesn't understand the bible? How can you tell from the little he has divulged other than his general opinion?

No. I don't have a preconceived notion or any other notions but am certain of it.

I would love to meet anyone who "understands" the bible fully. It takes great arrogance to believe they understand the most debated, enigmatic collection of books in human history. All I'm saying is the bible is not all peaches and cream.

I just wanted to also clarify that "you must be born again" means reincarnation - and that is the only interpretation - the literal one - that Christians reject. Why?

It seems to me that the Christians on this forum make things FAR more complicated than Jesus ever intended. I believe he was a mystic, a gnostic, and no matter who calls those ideas "vapid" (I have a lot of respect for adjensen, by the way), they remain the closest thing to the truth that we have.

The Golden Rule, Reincarnation, and God being incomprehensible are the only messages that really matter.
The rest is fluffy fairy tales designed to control, intimidate, and CONFUSE the masses.

There's a good reason that the writings were held sacred for only the INITIATED to understand, and to try to get across the ideas to their congregations in a way they could understand. Unfortunately, giving everyone access to those writings made it into a circus of perpetual argument, division, hatred, superstition, and self-loathing.

Thank you for this great insight!

a reply to: lupodigubbio

Just reading that anti-propaganda propaganda makes my heart heavy. Writing that seems like it must have been a pretty soul crushing endeavor.

There's truth in religion but it's up to you to understand and find the wisdom contained in the religion. It's easy to misunderstand and fabricate a paradigm that is utterly false based on reading a series of pure truths.

I'm all for people opening their minds but this thread is just sad.

originally posted by: On7a7higher7plane
a reply to: lupodigubbio

Just reading that anti-propaganda propaganda makes my heart heavy. Writing that seems like it must have been a pretty soul crushing endeavor.

There's truth in religion but it's up to you to understand and find the wisdom contained in the religion. It's easy to misunderstand and fabricate a paradigm that is utterly false based on reading a series of pure truths.

I'm all for people opening their minds but this thread is just sad.

Don't suffer. I didn't.

It's true though, as I said before it's about finding the gems hidden in the manure. Problem is, there's a lot of manure.

a reply to: CallmeRaskolnikov

Right now only want to stay Truthful to my Heart, Walk the path with Happiness, Helping others and with out Fear of things to come. Want to learn and try to comprehend w/all my Spirit, Heart and mind everything that is given to me. And always always be thankful.

- you made me review in my Heart and mind, the latest objectives in my life..

Thanks

Another genius.No clue as to free will,what it is,what it means or why implemented.Don't blame the lord for peoples ignorance.I could go on but your eternal soul's damnation will suffice,fool heathen...

a reply to: DarknStormy

That or old Rome got beaten, is it coincidence that just as Christianity begun to take a foothold in the empire Rome fell to the Goths? I think not. Old Rome was beaten down and the new rulers opened it up to be conquered so they could split the pie amongst themselves. Then in came the Holy Roman Empire and that was the end of the remainder of old Rome, they got squashed out and there you see the foundation of Christianity as the West's main establishment.

Gotta love good old Charlemagne for putting the stamp on the underdogs victory. How lucky, what are the chances that the Abrahamic religions, the underdog, would come to overwhelmingly dominate the west?

What a great story.

originally posted by: TDawg61
Another genius.No clue as to free will,what it is,what it means or why implemented.Don't blame the lord for peoples ignorance.I could go on but your eternal soul's damnation will suffice,fool heathen...

Something tells me that not even my eternal soul's damnation is enough to quench your desire for death and vengeance. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, now does it?

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

He didn't say "you must be baptized."

Actually, yes he did.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16 NIV)

The bit in John that I quoted is clearly talking about two kinds of birth, not two occurrences of the same kind of birth.

All other debates on the matter aside, Elijah never died, so he couldn't have been reincarnated into the person of John the Baptist (who directly rejected claims that he was Elijah, as well.)

a reply to: TDawg61

Don't blame the lord for peoples ignorance.I could go on but your eternal soul's damnation will suffice,fool heathen...

Why would anyone believe that this ^^ kind of rhetoric comes from a loving creator who cares about his creation? Surely, this is the "Devils'" work.

a reply to: lupodigubbio

I believe that the bible is perfect exactly like it is in it's contradictory state. Sheep will feel the truth in the words and the goats will follow what they find in it and prove what they are. Some goats will find the hidden things and change themselves to become sheep.

There are higher lessons in manipulation taught in this book if you have a questioning mind and higher spiritual truths (in meta) hiding in human words that do not quite reach the spiritual level.

Read the bible in seek mode with chi flowing in your body and it is an very effective tool. But so can buddhism be, or krishnas teaching, Rumi:s poems and Nanak:s teachings.

I like the idea of Jesus making sure only sheep reach the sheep. The loving ones need to be protected. Such beautiful childish souls.

originally posted by: BuzzyWigs
a reply to: UNIT76

i think all of three seconds into this drama, the argument fell apart with the usage of that 2nd picture

You do??

I disagree. It illustrates the narrow gate(s); barely visible on the pie chart. The WIDEST gate is Christianity.
I think it makes a very good point.

And how did you read the whole OP in under 3 seconds? Wow. Guess you zoom through the Bible, too, eh?

The Bible DOES have some truths in it:

You all can do what [Jesus] did, and more.
You must be born again.
You are all children of God.
Reject religion.
Think for yourself.
Have eyes that see (that narrow gate), and ears that ear the voices calling amid the din and nonsense of the masses standing between you and that NARROW GATE.

Go outside the flow, and don't be a sheep.

I agree with your posting. At least they should make sure they are not goats cursed by karma and faith in words instead of spirit.

a reply to: adjensen

All other debates on the matter aside, Elijah never died, so he couldn't have been reincarnated into the person of John the Baptist (who directly rejected claims that he was Elijah, as well.)

Do you have scripture that confirms that Elijah's flesh survived the ride in the "Chariot of Fire" said to have "taken" him?

a reply to: adjensen

All other debates on the matter aside, Elijah never died

dale, do you actually believe this?
Do you believe Noah and Methuselah were hundreds of years old?

Please tell me you recognize literary tricks when you see them.

(who directly rejected claims that he was Elijah, as well.)

Bah. And gha.

Because he didn't remember! Like most of us.
That's a part of the system. The perfect system.

a reply to: voyger2

And I'm not imposing anything to you. It's only mine obligation to share the Truth, because I was lost, I was dead, and now I live!

. Happy for you.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

I'm not really interested in getting into this debate for about the millionth time.

You asked why Christians don't believe in reincarnation, and I told you. We don't believe it because the church doesn't teach it, and it is not seen as being supported in scripture. Whether non-Christians agree with it or not, or what their interpretation of scripture is, isn't really necessary to explain why we don't believe in reincarnation.

a reply to: TDawg61

I could go on but your eternal soul's damnation will suffice,fool heathen...

Wow.

Are you proud of yourself now? Having judged and condemned someone? Does that make you HAPPY?!!

Pathetic.
And so far off course it's laughable.
Shame on you.

originally posted by: lupodigubbio

originally posted by: Logarock

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: Logarock

Don't you have the preconceived notion that the OP doesn't understand the bible? How can you tell from the little he has divulged other than his general opinion?

No. I don't have a preconceived notion or any other notions but am certain of it.

I would love to meet anyone who "understands" the bible fully. It takes great arrogance to believe they understand the most debated, enigmatic collection of books in human history. All I'm saying is the bible is not all peaches and cream.

People can use it as a map to find the way but "understand" the bible fully. (and the books that where not included in the bible).

Not sure you ever will find a soul on this side of the veil that does that. There are so many fractal higher level connections to find in that book that I could probably spend thousands of years seeking with it and still miss many of them even if I got a very advanced memory tool to remember the information.

originally posted by: windword
a reply to: TDawg61

Don't blame the lord for peoples ignorance.I could go on but your eternal soul's damnation will suffice,fool heathen...

Why would anyone believe that this ^^ kind of rhetoric comes from a loving creator who cares about his creation? Surely, this is the "Devils'" work.

I think there are more things to worry about than someone's opinion on a internet page.