The church has stolen your identity

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Jesus did not come to divide, when he said he was going to pit mother against father, father against son, etc. he meant it in the same way that truth is always corrupted (misinterpreted) by those in power. He knew that what he said was going to be corrupted and used to divide people (hence the thousands of different denominations).

Just like Revelation says, Jesus has a double edged sword in his mouth, meaning his words can be used to help or hurt. His words have been used to hurt (make people "blind"/misinterpretation) more than anything, but that doesn't mean there isn't another edge of truth to them.

If Jesus came to divide then why did he say he wanted us to come to complete unity?

I'm guessing the one "true" interpretation is the one you hold? Every denomination makes the same claim. How do you know you are right and they are wrong? Because God has revealed it to you? Every denomination makes that claim as well.

Also, I would rather stay where I am or move up higher, not go down to lower levels.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Thank you, you have proven my point.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

You can't just say that without explaining yourself. Lol. How did I prove your point? If anything I have proven that Christianity and the bible divide people with the thousands of different interpretations that each denominations claims as truth.

Why would God make a book that could be interpreted in so many different ways? Why wouldn't he make the true interpretation clear to all? The bible divides, it does not bring people to unity.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Well, legally I can say whatever I want, but thats beside the point.

No, I'll let you figure it out yourself...I would want to rob you of your epiphany. Im sure it will come to you some day.

Why would God make a book that could be interpreted in so many different ways? Why wouldn't he make the true interpretation clear to all? The bible divides, it does not bring people to unity.

Matt 13: 13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 “In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Interesting, God says that "otherwise they would see with their eyes".

2 Corinthians 5
7 for we walk by faith, not by sight.

How can you claim you see with your eyes when you walk by faith and NOT by sight? You walk blindly, not by what your eyes see as God tells you to do.

If we are to see with our eyes, then how is me saying "what our eyes see is the image of God" wrong? I am seeing with my eyes and hearing with my ears, you only have faith. I have existence on my side, you have blind faith because you don't walk by sight. I have the light my eyes see, you have the darkness of blind faith. Your eyes are closed, which is why you don't walk by sight.

No offense, just speaking my mind.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Be honest. Do you really believe that Jesus really meant literal sight and hearing?

And Im sure that by "dull hearts", He was refering to a disfunctional cardio-vasicular circulatory system.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Do you literally not walk by sight and run into things everywhere you go? Of course it's not literal, I never said it was. Little to nothing in the bible is meant to be taken literally, it's a parable within itself.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Its pretty obvious that the sight that Jesus was refering to is faith. When did Jesus ever tell us to have blind faith? To walk by faith and not by sight is to place your trust in Christ and not the world.

When I read your words, I dont see a passion for the truth. What I do see is someone who is willing to cut off his nose in spite of his face.

No offense, just speaking my mind.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

Really? So Paul was saying you walk by sight and not by sight?

Faith is not sight, it's belief in something that cannot be seen.

Mental gymnastics 101.

No offense taken.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

Like I said, I do believe that you will figure it out one day, but not today.

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

I understand your view, I grew up believing it, but calling an apple and orange does not make sense. Calling faith sight does not make sense because the definition of faith is belief in the unseen. Faith cannot be sight according to its definition.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

What are God's invisible qualities? The qualities of the "head" of the body, a.k.a. YOUR thoughts, dreams, hopes, emotions, memories, etc.

Those things are invisible, yet when you think of them they are "clearly seen" by you. Say you think of a pink car, that image in your head is an invisible quality of God. You cannot point it out to anyone, but you yourself can see it clearly. What has been made and understood? Your invisible qualities.

The invisible quality of God is the 'seer' of what is 'seen'.
Even a thought is seen. You are aware of thought and sensation, light and sound - you are aware of all that arises.
What is it that can never be seen or heard or smelled or touched?
The invisible quality of reality is 'That' which is seeing and knowing reality - You are That.

Head, body, thought, dreams, memories, emotions are all appearances in awareness (the invisible quality).

Jesus is a symbol for what WE are, the image of God. You see an image of light as you read this, that image is what the bible refers to as "Jesus".

Jesus is a symbol for what is appearing as the light in consciousness. Scan the environment - see the whole scene which is appearing on/in the invisible quality ever presently, always. Christ is what is appearing always - the sum of existence which is arising from the source of existence - the Father and son are one - This and nothing else.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

But didnt Jesus make it clear that He came to divide? Those who believe in Him are unified in Him, and the rest are chaff by their own will.

The bible is unified and there is one clear interpretation. The more you let God teach you, the clearer you see it, but anything done by man will inevitably result in schism...is that not our nature?

I am equally passionate about the truth as well. I once saw the world from your eye (according to the vision that you have revealed on ATS). But, yet here I am...a "fundy", perhaps you would profit by seeing through our eyes...that is if you can come down to our level.

You have heard it said and eye for an eye, but I tell you love your enemy and do good to him.

That is one example of the un-unified story in the bible. Jesus un-did much of the religious separatism, that was the fundamentalism of the day. Another is the repeated cry of the prophets onward.

Sacrifice and burnt offerings I did not desire, require, ask for or want.

These sacrifices were well laid out "there was "one clear interpretation". Uh, hmmm. Well maybe God is a schizophrenic, or just doesn't know what he wants.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

If Jesus came to divide then why did he say he wanted us to come to complete unity?

Division from Satan, Unity with God.

You seem to be thinking of unity as in unity of good AND evil but Jesus said you cannot serve Mammon (money) and God. You cannot serve the world (materialism) and The Spirit at the same time. Jesus said no one can serve two masters, you will have to choose between one or the other and Jesus prays for our unity with The Heavenly Father's loving will and separation from the devil (evil) who was a liar and murderer from the beginning.

You cannot drink from the pure cup of God and the unclean cup of evil and demons at the same time.

a reply to: 3NL1GHT3N3D1

I don't think we are too far off from each other. I'm not finding much I disagree with you. (besides the whole Paul thing, which is why I have a hard time with your anti-Paul stance because he is the one who laid out so much of that)

a reply to: zardust

I think Paul's letters have wisdom in them just like the bible in general, but also like the bible in general, he mixed truth with lies. Think of it like Paul being the microcosm and the bible being macrocosm, both showing the same qualities just on different levels. Paul knew the truth, but he decided to hide it for the benefit of those he worked for, the elite.