Jesus complex/Who do I pray to!?

Greetings ATS community and thank you for everything.

Until about a year ago, I always prayed to our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, with zero questioning, full comfort and confidence.

I Started lurking on ATS about three years ago when I moved to southern California and became very interested, and a bit paranoid about earthquakes.

Anyway, I was already a very spiritual minded person, and already skeptical about organized religion so I started this journey with an open mindset .

After many enthralling ATS visits over the years, consequently, that simple comforting system has been shattered......Now my mind is flooded with thoughts such as, and definitely not limited to;

Is God really an egotistical jealous madman? who was Jesus really?,........positive energy and imprinting intentions onto water molecules........ I've been here thousands of times before to play every role humanity has to offer and am here again to widen my circle of compassion............ect ect ect.....

Oh wait, according to some I may just be a genetic mutation conducted by extraterrestrials, who was placed here to harvest gold, and now am basically just a virus, or an infection to the earth.....i don't know, I have my own beliefs and still have a lot to learn.

Now there are two things I can't deny.

I have prayed directly to Jesus basically my entire life and im 99.9% sure that several of these prayers have been answered.

Also, a secondary truth in my I life I have to recognize........

I learned about positive energy, the power of your thoughts, intentions, and the ability to manifest your own reality. So I started consciously practicing positivity and compassion and it truly seemed the results manifested before my eyes.

Now back to my title, and this is what sucks.......When I pray and in my mind I say Lord Jesus, I pause, all the questions arise and it disrupts the serenity that should be......I'm extremely reluctant to let go of Jesus Christ, he's already done so much for me and I love him.

However, I'm also aware that deception runs deep.

And the answer is obvious......Love

But who do I pray to!!!?

Welcome to ATS.

I would suggest that you simply do what feels most comfortable to you, be it praying to jesus, meditating on the cosmos, watering plants, etc...whatever gets you to that comfortable zen state overall.

Your ancestors used to talk to the ones that died before them, they seemed quite happy with that. I think that if there is some sort of source of benevolence, it will get the message regardless of how you send the message, be it calling Jesus (whoever that is considering that was never Yeshua's name. Joshua would actually be a closer translation, but meh...greeks like to mess around with stuff.) So, lets say there is a jesus figurehead up there listening and actually did do stuff to help you out. Well, you have been getting the name wrong the whole time but it seems he doesn't care...one way to look at it.

I (an agnostic-atheist) find it best to simply talk to the universe. If there is a personal connection up there with me, it knows where to go, be it a deity, a dimensional angel thing, my higher self, or simply peace of mind. I donno, it helps to voice concern and hope for the best. Maybe their is a god, maybe not, but if there is, I suspect it is clever enough to know what your trying to accomplish, regardless of pronounciation, thoughts of historical accuracy, etc.

We could all simply be in the matrix and are praying to tech support at the end...

You've graduated. You continue to pray, but now you can bless, and the blessings will become as your prayers.

reply to post by SaturnFX


Thank you very much for the reply! I appreciate it, and that made a lot of sense.

I kind of feel silly for not reaching that conclusion myself.

The true loving god is not concerned with whether or not i have the historical or cosmological facts straight, so long as my heart is seeking what is right......

reply to post by Mon1k3r


Wow, thank you that was awesome.

I sure hope so, I really do feel like I'm on a journey and it's a kind of subtle excitement every day.

reply to post by GoShredAK


I think (my strong opinion) you should continue to explore anywhere your mind takes you, all the while realizing how much more there is to learn. In other words, don't fool yourself into thinking you found a religion that has all the answers or definitive answers to the bigger questions. They don't.

I have prayed directly to Jesus basically my entire life and im 99.9% sure that several of these prayers have been answered.

If you honestly believe that's truthful then why fix what isn't broken? Keep doing that. Personally that would upset me greatly if I believed that because I would think of all the times prayers went unanswered. Prayers from people in more need of help. To each their own though.

Godspeed

GoShredAK

But who do I pray to!!!?

To paraphrase Gully Foyle, its not necessary to have something to pray to. It's only necessary to believe that somewhere, there is something worthy of praying to.

reply to post by GoShredAK

I have prayed directly to Jesus basically my entire life and im 99.9% sure that several of these prayers have been answered.

Also, a secondary truth in my I life I have to recognize........

I learned about positive energy, the power of your thoughts, intentions, and the ability to manifest your own reality. So I started consciously practicing positivity and compassion and it truly seemed the results manifested before my eyes.

Think about what you wrote right here. Meditate on it. Pray about it. Reason it out. Because your answer is in what you have written. By saying that...

I'm not trying to be mysterious. I just know the epiphanies we come to on our own, are more life changing than anything we can be taught. But sometimes, it helps if someone points out the obvious.

GoShredAK

After many enthralling ATS visits over the years, consequently, that simple comforting system has been shattered......Now my mind is flooded with thoughts such as, and definitely not limited to;

Is God really an egotistical jealous madman? who was Jesus really?,........

I'm extremely reluctant to let go of Jesus Christ, he's already done so much for me and I love him.

However, I'm also aware that deception runs deep.

And the answer is obvious......Love

But who do I pray to!!!?

Why not start with learning the various ancient perspectives about Yeshua (his original name before it was converted to Greek Iesous)? You're familiar with the Christian church's version but there's another version, the perspective held by his original disciples.

jgov.org...

jgov.org...



There is also a perspective that is not commonly known, held and taught by the ancient Manichaean community.

religionoflight.org...


You don't need to let go of Yeshua Messiah, you just need to be grounded in the original story.

As for prayer, why not direct your prayer to the Most High YHWH whom Yeshua calls 'Abba'? Isn't Yeshua the WAY to the Father (John 14:6)?

Lucid Lunacy
reply to post by GoShredAK

 

If you honestly believe that's truthful then why fix what isn't broken? Keep doing that. Personally that would upset me greatly if I believed that because I would think of all the times prayers went unanswered. Prayers from people in more need of help. To each their own though.

Godspeed

For sure, good point, that makes me think, "if jesus answered my prayers and yet so many other much more dire needs have gone un addressed.....what makes me so special?!" The answer is I'm not......theres more to it than that.........see this is what I'm talking about! My mind is running in circles around this subject.

Before I was grounded in blissful ignorance, now I'm all over the place trying to piece together the old peices with the new.....


Also a quick edit referring to my op: i dont mean to say I'm 99.9% sure Jesus himself answered my prayers.......just that he is who I usually prayed to and the prayers were answered, sometimes in such an obvious manner I would be stricken with wonder.....

BlueMule

GoShredAK

But who do I pray to!!!?

there is something worthy of praying to.

edit on 8-1-2014 by BlueMule because: (no reason given)

Definitely, I wonder is this something; A highly advanced benevolent extraterrestrial deep within our outer space? Purely a spiritual entity that exists all around us? a higher dimensional being that exists right next to us, but cannot be perceived? (are those last two the same thing?

Mabye it's I and I and you which is all of us....


Thank you for the reply, I love ats and all you guys are awesome...

Klassified
reply to post by GoShredAK

 

I have prayed directly to Jesus basically my entire life and im 99.9% sure that several of these prayers have been answered.

Also, a secondary truth in my I life I have to recognize........

I learned about positive energy, the power of your thoughts, intentions, and the ability to manifest your own reality. So I started consciously practicing positivity and compassion and it truly seemed the results manifested before my eyes.

Think about what you wrote right here. Meditate on it. Pray about it. Reason it out. Because your answer is in what you have written. By saying that...

I'm not trying to be mysterious. I just know the epiphanies we come to on our own, are more life changing than anything we can be taught. But sometimes, it helps if someone points out the obvious.

Thank you, I shall.....meditation is extremely difficult for me! I've been trying every morning during my pre-work morning excercise routine.....It is so hard to slow my mind down its ridiculous. Random thoughts are constantly zooming all over the place up there.....sometimes I'm a bit more at peace and have more success.....

I've also just recently begun attempting to train myself in the realm of lucid dreams and astral projection.

I've had some petty WILD, apocalyptic, other Worldly style dreams in my life, and believe I've been on the cusp of achieving lucidity before ......

Anyway, thank you for the reply, I believe I understand what you're telling me....

OraytaDebata

GoShredAK

After many enthralling ATS visits over the years, consequently, that simple comforting system has been shattered......Now my mind is flooded with thoughts such as, and definitely not limited to;

Is God really an egotistical jealous madman? who was Jesus really?,........

I'm extremely reluctant to let go of Jesus Christ, he's already done so much for me and I love him.

However, I'm also aware that deception runs deep.

And the answer is obvious......Love

But who do I pray to!!!?

Why not start with learning the various ancient perspectives about Yeshua (his original name before it was converted to Greek Iesous)? You're familiar with the Christian church's version but there's another version, the perspective held by his original disciples.

jgov.org...

jgov.org...



There is also a perspective that is not commonly known, held and taught by the ancient Manichaean community.

religionoflight.org...


You don't need to let go of Yeshua Messiah, you just need to be grounded in the original story.

As for prayer, why not direct your prayer to the Most High YHWH whom Yeshua calls 'Abba'? Isn't Yeshua the WAY to the Father (John 14:6)?

Yes! Thank you for the links, I will check those out when I feel my mind is ready to absorb.

I honestly have been meaning to do the research to understand Yeshua, and YHWH, (Yahweh?) it's cool you mentioned this because that's kind of how the Jesus complex plays out in my mind, ("do I really mean yeshua?....an so on)

Is it correct that in reggae music when they speak of Jah, they are referring to Yeshua?

I know I could do the research myself, I hope I'm not representing myself as lazy. I would just rather hear the opinions of others....

Thanks again

Wow I just realized there's a lot of I's and I'ves and myselfs in everything i post......does that mean I'm super egotistical? I really don't want to be. I aspire to kill my ego......hmm not sure how much progress I've made.....however this was supposed to be my introduction...Which I failed, and I apologize for that, I promise the next thing I post will be a proper introduction.

And on a side note, I posted this at exactly 9:37 , 37, which is a number I see ALL the time and have been for years. I tell myself it's beautiful synchronicity telling me I'm on the right track..

reply to post by GoShredAK


Yeshua is a good teacher of YHWH (the existing one) if that is suitable for your mind. Buddha, Nanak and Rumi are a couple of my other favorites. It all depends on your mind and your experiance who will be most suitable for you.

You can always go Ong namo guru dev namo (I bow to the divine which brings light) and not care about the name only that it is the divine that brings light.

Would you say no if Buddha wanted to personally help you, if Buddha comes when you ask for Jesus help?

And even if Annunaki created the bodies we humans use, we are still not the bodies we drive. (And I am not sure they did). And if the Annunaki is real they where also created by "the existing one" but will probably have very different knowledge on "the existing one" than humans do.

Different religion wants to simplify and create a box for "the existing one" and it will never be contained in those boxes since it is beyond those small minded boxes. Idolizing at it's finest.

reply to post by GoShredAK


Greetings and Namaste, Brother. There is nothing wrong with praying to Master Jesus*. As someone said in this thread, he is a great teacher and will bring you peace, love, and can guide you to the right direction spiritually. At this point, however, you are questioning this because the Master is trying to help you go beyond the spiritual level you are now. It's good that you are asking the questions. This is the only way you can transcend yourself.

At this point, you should make it a daily activity and pray to your Heavenly Father (this is your Higher Self, created you) in the name of Master Jesus. Always ask for guidance, strength to overcome temptations, and bring you on the correct path everyday. At the same time, you should also refocus your intentions and spiritual studies by raising your consciousness or mind. To do this, you must think positive thoughts, perform Divine Love (love that is truly unconditional) to others [people, animals, plants, even inanimate objects], and interact with life as ONE with your Father. With your hands, mind, and spirit, in every situation, try to act and react in a way that God would do in that moment. Live each day in the present and not worry about the future nor contemplate the past. The whole idea is to become ONE with God, your Father.

Don't ever forget what Master Jesus said, "The Kingdom Heaven is within you." He was saying that your mind/consciousness is the Kingdom. Salvation is not here nor there, it is within you.

*When Jesus walked the Earth, he was called Yeshua. But now that he has ascended, he is now called Jesus.

reply to post by GoShredAK

.......When I pray and in my mind I say Lord Jesus, I pause, all the questions arise and it disrupts the serenity that should be......

My suggestion would be to add in there somewhere, the name, God.
God is who we should pray to.
But there are a lot of gods, or at least a lot of ideas in people's minds as to who or what God is.
So we should say to ourselves that we mean the God of Jesus, who he is the Christ of.

Our prayers exist within a framework of the religion of Jesus, which is the Church, which has as its head, Jesus, so I don't see how it would be harmful to pray directly to Jesus, as the representation of God, and the one who carries the name of God in his person.

reply to post by OraytaDebata

Why not start with learning the various ancient perspectives about Yeshua (his original name before it was converted to Greek Iesous)?

That is a theory, but you are stating as if it is a fact, based on some sort of belief system which you have bought into, I am guessing.

That region had been ruled by the Hellenistic empire system since the time of Alexander the Great.
The common language was Greek.
Many people of Jewish origin at that time went by the Greek versions of the names derived from the Hebrew heroic stories.
So his proper name is likely Jesus as well as his spoken language being Greek, which would have been normal enough, along with synagogues for Greek speakers.
Hebrew was a dead language known to Bible scholars and had to be interpreted to the attendees of religious meeting, either into Greek or Aramaic.

According to the way I read the New Testament, Jesus is the "I Am" which YHWH is derived from, so there is no room left for someone else to own that title.
The idea that YHWH is the name of God, the Father of Jesus, has no Christian foundation.

reply to post by GoShredAK

Wow I just realized there's a lot of I's and I'ves and myselfs in everything i post......does that mean I'm super egotistical? I really don't want to be. I aspire to kill my ego

Probably yes. It's true even for the best of us. It's a nearly inescapable reality of the human condition. Surely a goal to be admired and one that holds much spiritual and or compassionate weight. Good aspiration but you'd have much work cut out for you that being the aim. My current wisdom tells me to take baby steps and those steps should include both expanding ones's circle of compassion to encompass as much of creation as possible and continually nourishing one's thirst for discovery. To bring it back to my original post, be weary of religions that would have you believe that discovery was over.

reply to post by jmdewey60

According to the way I read the New Testament, Jesus is the "I Am" which YHWH is derived from, so there is no room left for someone else to own that title.
The idea that YHWH is the name of God, the Father of Jesus, has no Christian foundation.

So essentially in accordance to the interpretation of the New Testament Jesus and God are synonymous ideas. YHWH is Christ's title. Jesus is God.

No room left? Explain this verse from the New Testament.

Matthew 27:45-46 NIV

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus seems to be making the distinction you are not.