soma

Yes, I believe the reassuring first step to know the science of God is to develop the conscious awareness of His omnipresence, which is ancient and as modern as the space age. Dedication to the recognition of this one God as an art and the unity of all things in His consciousness as a science will eliminate the stress and hustle of modern life, but it needs to be expressed in scientific terms to satisfy the intellect so the silence can be felt. http://thinkunity.com

Yes, I like that too, "Not my will, but Yours" "Let Thy will be done.” When Jesus asked the Father that His will be done, he was asking to be made a channel for His energy that the Father knew best what was good for his life. Ordinary people pray to have their desires gratified, something obtained or something accomplished, but in true love there is no place for I and mine. When the feelings of I and mine disappear from the mind, one is approaching God.

I feel God the Father, the supernaturalist or pure consciousness the panentheist (the same thing just different angles and words to describe) created and supports creation through evolution. There is still oneness in the all-pervading consciousness, but it becomes lost in the individual awareness of the parts in evolution. Jesus says, "I and The Father are one," so after productive experiences in evolution the individual parts again become aware of the affinity of all things in God or pure consciousness. Eventually, the individual again merges in the ocean of pure consciousness to sit at the right hand of The Father in equilibrium. "I and The Father are one." Does this make sense? The different religions or isms would be the different languages that God speaks to bring us back to him, and the different paths are the different ways to experience the pure consciousness that incorporates everything.

"Another thing about Marcus Borg's panENtheism is I don't understand how Marcus can believe God is nurturing supportive loving when God doesn't do anything. Just doesn't make any sense." Marilyn I like mystictrek's explanation. I would say that God the Father or pure consciousness is the all-pervading reality underlying the universe because it has no frequency or wavelength and is beyond space and time. It is un-created so It is the primary cause of the manifested levels of consciousness outside of pure consciousness. Our physical perceptions reveal only a very small part of the universe in which we live, we can't see the primary cause that creates and supports us. Pure consciousness is the highest reality, and material consciousness; the one we perceive with our senses is the lowest. On suffering I would venture to say: It is our life intelligence that guides us through the crises of birth, puberty, marriage, suffering and death; it also leads us to reflect on our inner life and our relationship to every man and woman. The intellect can give us a glimpse of the spiritual life inside ourselves, help us resist the exterior influences that blind us with passion and help us access thoughts about God or pure consciousness that are totally new, unexpected and beyond our own capacity. The effect of these inspirations is to enable the soul to approach God beyond the material realm in pure consciousness where everything is one; therefore, suffering is a tool, a blessing or a tribulation that prods us to question and know our interconnections and the uniting force or primary cause may it be pure consciousness or as I refer God the Father.

I am still a Christian because I can change my life by becoming aware of my unity with an infinite God and the infinite possibilities that await all of us, but first, every new stage in life requires us to part from the previous one. Childhood gives rise to youth as it develops into adulthood. After a temporary stay our minds expand doing away with ignorance in order to approach God where the only medium between our minds and God's pure consciousness is our thoughts. As we bring ourselves to a greater consciousness, positive life affirming beliefs are accepted and negative thoughts and problems disappear as we express more love, peace, joy, wisdom and harmony with everything that flows unceasingly from God, but many hesitate to venture into the unknown. They tend to cling to the familiar in life, even if they are not happy. That is why Jesus preached with parables because pure consciousness is above reason but not against it, if pure consciousness can first be translated into terms that the mind can grasp people will learn to sense what is expressed. Pure consciousness and reason are friends, not enemies so we should be open to new ideas because we can always reject what we consider false and concede to the truth. Christians throw rocks at me and people who hate Christians throw rocks at me so why am I a Christian because the rocks chip away the exterior showing the soul shinning underneath. http://thinkunity.com

Great article. Thanks

I don't know about ego, but I think we worship Him because it is relaxing. If we look at the word disease, it means not at ease, 'dis-ease' or imbalance. Accordingly, the glands that regulate the balance of hormonal secretions are important because they influence the growth, endurance, energy, vitality, longevity and appearance of the body. If the hormonal secretions are balanced the body will have the privilege of a long and happy life, if not it will have many problems with its energy and activity. Our personality and nature are also affected by the problems of glandular imbalance. This balance is not gained by simply being alive nor is it a commodity that can be purchased at a health food store. It is a benefit that is gained from a proper diet as well as a planned and regular exercise program, but also by a higher belief which relaxes, puts at ease, and balances the glands. Mind over matter. So belief in a higher power can work wonders, miracles, and science.

Good question...................... Our original consciousness is pure consciousness, but it is covered with so much waste we can’t see it. Christ with the not easy to find love for everything reopens the gate that was closed, when Adam left the Garden of Eden with the experimental knowledge of good and evil. Adam ate from a tree that divided the mind with moral evil and, which God said not to eat. Jesus tells us in simple language, “He who loves me (Christ consciousness) will be loved by my Father,” which can be summed up in the commandment, “Love your brother as yourself.” Our knowledge and perception are both limited, so how can we understand a pure consciousness that is unlimited? We have to purify our minds so we can become aware of Christ consciousness and to do this, we must love God and one another. Love and unity will set us free and show us the way, not moral condemnation so if a church teaches condemnation and not love it could be the bearer of the sword.

Because their heads tip to the right when they lie.

Well put the gradually unwrapped gift, better than the Jesus molded in plastic to put on the dashboard for the bobble heads.

Jerry thanks in some Catholic churches they even have to tell the congregation when to stand up and sit down. I am a Christian and sad to say that the world knows us as one big fool because it seems all the fundamentalist do is talk. For this vocal minority which the world thinks represents us all, everything is just words. You are right with a disciplined mind the way of the cross is clear and we reap a good harvest from our spiritual practice.

You are doing a great service because these people are not happy, and the cause is simply lost hope, confidence and the power of the ego to dominate their mind. It doesn't help that they are manipulated by ignorant ministers. We are not able to enjoy the feelings that come straight from the heart without tolerance and spiritual consciousness because it helps us to let go of the ego, to be ourselves and to live in the present moment. The young, the old, the sick and the weak can progress, if they constantly practice living in the present and not in the past or future. This takes tolerance, and an open mind to be successful. Success follows those that have tolerance and recognition of the circumstances surrounding them, not distracted looking too far back or forward. Manipulation of the mind has people looking back at negativity or forward to a narrow view of heaven. God is in the present guiding us away from the manipulators. http://thinkunity.com

It can work, but both parties have to compromise and love each other deeply. I am a vegetarian, progressive Christian, meditate twice a day and do yoga twice a day. My wife is more fundamental or was, she is not vegetarian, and does non of the spiritual practises that I do. We are also of two different cultures, but we love each other and don't think that one of us is more right than the other. We don't try to change each other either we love, grow and the change comes from within each of us. We are learning, respecting and growing in the Lord on two different paths. My children are the benefactors who seem to be successful on many fronts.

Thank you the article was inspirational and acurate. To follow in the steps of Jesus Christ does not mean that we worship Jesus as an idol, but that we follow him as our divine example, a consciousness embodying the deepest meaning of life. I don't think this is taught in the churches in America. To follow Christ we need to make real our own inner meaning of life as Christ did as an example for humanity to love. To do this we need to make an effort with sincerity and devotion equal to Christ's, to live our own life in a perfect way. http://thinkunity.com

I like music, philosophy, chess ect, but I love playing basketball. I play 2 to 3 times a week with young, middle and older guys. I love the mix. The young guys enjoy playing with us as we older gentlemen with them. They can dunk and move so fast, but the older guys can pass and enjoy a good move no matter on what team it is made. Spiritual topics come up and are approached from many different angles just like the game. I really think in our society we need to find more opportunities for the young and the old to compete, intermingle and share ideas together because if we don't we are all missing out. I am going to be 58, but have learned tons from the twenty and thirty year olds.

There are a lot of topics and they all seem very interesting. I like them all, but the Christian right is making the words New Age similar to liberal. They are trying to make those two words bad as they don't understand the New Age so they fear it with a passion. They call me and my ideas New Age so the ideas can be dismissed and disregarded without debate or discussion so my advice would be to think who your audience is going to be, if middle or to the right or to progressive Christians ect. Good luck I know it is a lot of work.

Yes, I like what you guys wrote. Especially falling into the soul. It is beyond the mind so we read, good books, mediatate, go to ceremonies and yes, dance to point our subconsciousness in the right direction and then I think Jung says we fall into the collective unconsciousness. Thanks it is all becoming clear now, ready for take off.

Genesis 2:7 "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul" (soul = nephesh in Hebrew). The soul is life to the body. "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit (ruwach - Breath of Life) shall return unto God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). When God "taketh away their breath (ruwach), they (men) die, and return to their dust" (Psalm 104:29). James 2:26, "For as the body without the spirit is dead..." John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." God is spirit so to walk with God and communicate with God one must walk in his spirit. The soul that gives life to the body; and spirit to communicate with God.

I like the term Christian Enlightenment as a movement to bridge the gap that exists between Christians and Fundamentalist. Enlightenment is a concept which means being illuminated by acquiring new wisdom or understanding. While Fundamentalist go on the path of Inquisition, Christian Enlightenment will take the road of silent contemplation. I see it as a spiritual journey through the mountains, valleys, jungles and deserts of our minds. A journey to Christ consciousness beyond time, space and words so it can't be described with words or what Fundamentalist see as facts from scriptures so we will have to hint at the different levels of consciousness that can be reached spiritually. Looking into the meanings of scripture I think we can form a new concept of life, which helps form a new humanity on the individual, Christian and community level. http://thinkunity.com

I wish you were on the West Coast. If you want to set up your own retreat, I can help you with a schedule or ideas. I offer to give free workshops on Christian Mysticism, Christian Enlightenment on the West Coast, but most are conservative like you said. http://thinkunity.com

Thank you for the link and all the work you have done on your web page. You are working to counter the negative baggage Christianity has accumulated. People are saying I am not Christian, but New Age as if New Age is bad. I think a better term that is more positive is Christian Enlightenment or something to that effect. Let's work on a progressive category. As Christians we have chosen the powerful image of Jesus Christ to represent the expression of the tangential point between the spiritual and the physical. He embodies the cosmic mind as seen through the universal man. It is not that the material world will one day dissolve into Jesus Christ, but that the ego's extroverted tendencies will disappear in order that the second coming of Christ might be perceived in consciousness. http://thinkunity.com

I would say, We may believe or not believe in God, but if we break His divine law we’ll be punished. This is the law of nature because we are all connected so we just can’t do what ever we want. This is not a question of religion, but a question of science. We are all spiritual beings, but because of our materially conditioned minds we are under the laws of nature. We can observe this in evolution, species flourishing, suffering and going extinct. The laws of nature are applicable to everything whether we believe in God or not, it doesn’t matter. We are all under nature’s law because there is only one law controlling us, and we are all under God’s law because there is only one God. http://thinkunity.com

It is the only book I have published at this time so I have read it so many times it feels like the only book I have read.

Yes, I like that the infinite is unqualified consciousness and we are qualified consicousness. We have qualities while pure consciousness doesn't. I will have to remember that thanks.

On infinite and finite, I see the infinite in the finite (in-finite). I think the personal story of Adam and Eve explains the tendency within the universe to disperse. A centrifugal motion radiating from the nucleus is what causes the worldly consciousness to appear to separate from God. The world in itself is a temporary reality because it is in perpetual change without much meaning or consistency. The objects and things existing in it are separated in time and space and are changing from one moment to the next. Therefore, the microcosm apart from the macrocosm is nothing but when it knows the macrocosm, it is reality itself, constant and full of being. The feeling that we fell from pure consciousness and loss bliss is due to the separation from our internal existence. This has caused the present era of confusion where everything is divided, not centered, and separated from the whole or pure consciousness. This can be related to the story of Adam and Eve leaving the Garden of Eden or the unit consciousness separating from pure consciousness. No need to worry though because everyone will be delivered from this separation. As the inner light unfolds, it delivers the outer life from bondage. Everything comes from within so when the inner consciousness knows freedom, the outer life knows freedom also, and will reflect it through health, happiness and success. Evolution is working for our good and will bring about this knowledge that everything starts from within and works its way outward. All things even that which we call evil is paying tribute to pure consciousness, showing us the way. Suffering teaches us a lesson that causes us to resist making more mistakes. We just need to learn how to gain knowledge from our experiences, to go inward and to experience everything. Since Adam was created in the image and likeness of God, the principles of consciousness are contained within man/woman in ideal equilibrium. The tree of knowledge of good and evil puzzled Adam, and he lost the spiritual connection with the whole. Adam saw everything through the veil of his individual ego so he saw things menacing him and separate from God because the balance of the universe became blurred. After leaving the Garden of Eden and the state of pure consciousness, Adam tried to regain his original state by creating his own balance. This creation of individual consciousness is not reality because it is a state of isolation on the physical level, not a working together in harmony with the whole. The unit consciousness focused outwardly on the physical level, turns out to be the first phase of evolution while the second phase can be called involution. Involution would be directing our thoughts to happiness rather than unhappiness by looking at the whole picture. The solution then is not to condemn one negative over another because each is necessary and a vital force for all the possibilities of the macrocosm to become actualized. In the absence of these opposites, the positive and negative, the universe could not hold together and would cease to exist. To go beyond these polarities is to realize what I like to call Christ consciousness that help us to rise above the disconnected, the dissociated and become unified with the whole. For example, sexual relations is uniting two individual consciousnesses into one giving us a taste of uniting our individual consciusness with the pure consciousness that Jung called the collective unconscious or I like to call God the Father. http://thinkunity.com