All the religions in the world are the feathers of the same bird

[Dah-veeth]

What I see as common to every world religion is, among other things, this, that all of them have a Mediator between God and man. Christianity has Jesus between the Father and mankind. Islam has Muhammad between God and mankind, a Messenger from God. Judaism has Moses between God and mankind, a Prophet of God. Zoroastrianism has Zoroaster between God and man, Buddhism, the Buddha between the First Cause and man, Hinduism has Krishna between the Creator and man, the Baha'i Faith has Baha'u'llah between God and man. It is the same with every world religion that ever graced the planet.

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Dah-veeth

[COLOR=royalblue]Christianity has Jesus between the Father and mankind ... It is the same with every world religion that ever graced the planet.

Not with Christianity, however. Jesus Christ is not a human nor an angelic nor an illumined mediator in that sense ... that's what I keep saying — this is not accurate of Christianity, it's a partial view based on Scripture out of context.

Jesus Christ is God, a crucial distinction which takes Christianity out of this intermediate bracket, so in that sense Christianity is radically different from every other world religion.

Thomas

[Nick the Pilot]

Hi everybody!

I just came across a good metaphor on religious pluralism.

The idea is, there is only one "core religion" in the world. Think of it as a house with windows. Each religion in the world today is one of the windows in that house. Looking into each window just gives us a different view of the same thing.

I like this metaphor.

[wil]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Not with Christianity, however. Jesus Christ is not a human nor an angelic nor an illumined mediator in that sense ... that's what I keep saying — this is not accurate of Christianity, it's a partial view based on Scripture out of context.

Jesus Christ is God, a crucial distinction which takes Christianity out of this intermediate bracket, so in that sense Christianity is radically different from every other world religion.

Thomas

Namaste Thomas,

Except for the fact that Jesus never wrote a word. We have a few short books that have different interpretations of his deeds and words. And then we have a number of more books, mostly from Paul, who was never around Jesus, except for his vision. So as described man is also the intermediary, writing down his perception of what G!d, Jesus, and this religion we call Christianity is.

[Ciel]

Originally Posted by Thomas

"The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as 'a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.' "
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 843.


Thomas

Thomas,
Are you honestly saying here that all other religions are a preparation in life for the day one is enlightened in the Gospel of the Catholic Church?
If so, I read divine arrogance............
- c -

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Ciel

Thomas,
Are you honestly saying here that all other religions are a preparation in life for the day one is enlightened in the Gospel of the Catholic Church?
If so, I read divine arrogance............
- c -

Christ's words, not mine ... nor the Catholic Church's.

If Scripture is true, then it is true, but no other sacra doctrina claims what the Christian Scriptures claim.

It was a tough truth to acknowledge then, it is now, and it probably always will be.

Thomas

[Ciel]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Christ's words, not mine ... nor the Catholic Church's.

If Scripture is true, then it is true, but no other sacra doctrina claims what the Christian Scriptures claim.

It was a tough truth to acknowledge then, it is now, and it probably always will be.

Thomas

How I wish Jesus Christ had written his own script..........for I never could abide biographies when an autobiography can speak only in the essence of known truth from it's own manifestation.........not others.
You know in the end whatever the truth, it is always of our own choosing.
And you have found yours in the Christian Scriptures.
I believe the light of The Spirit is able to touch all in grace, in the now and whenever possible.

- c -

[wil]

Originally Posted by Thomas

Christ's words, not mine ... nor the Catholic Church's.

If Scripture is true, then it is true, but no other sacra doctrina claims what the Christian Scriptures claim.

It was a tough truth to acknowledge then, it is now, and it probably always will be.

Namaste Thomas,

You didn't quote Christ, you quoted the catechism...

Originally Posted by Thomas

Indeed I could. But my first would be this: "The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as 'a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life.' "
Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 843.

[flowperson]

Originally Posted by Ciel

How I wish Jesus Christ had written his own script..........for I never could abide biographies when an autobiography can speak only in the essence of known truth from it's own manifestation.........not others.
You know in the end whatever the truth, it is always of our own choosing.
And you have found yours in the Christian Scriptures.
I believe the light of The Spirit is able to touch all in grace, in the now and whenever possible.

- c -

-c-
I'm of the opinion that he likely did and it just never saw the light of day thanks to the efforts those who opposed Him and what he stood for in actuality. Lots of information from that era was suppressed and destroyed to serve the political purposes of others. We'll never know I'm afraid.

The Gospel of Thomas and the original version of Mark ( which was three times longer than what shows up in the NT) might change things. But at this point in time we might as well wish for money trees to sprout and grow in our back yards.

How's things by you ?

flow....

[Dah-veeth]

Originally Posted by Nick the Pilot

Hi everybody!

I just came across a good metaphor on religious pluralism.

The idea is, there is only one "core religion" in the world. Think of it as a house with windows. Each religion in the world today is one of the windows in that house. Looking into each window just gives us a different view of the same thing.

I like this metaphor.

I like that metaphor, too, and one that goes like this... first the foundation of the house had to be built, then the walls, then the roof. The builders of the foundation objected to the builders of the walls, saying that the foundation was complete and could not be added to. The builders of the walls objected to the builders of the roof, saying that their job was complete and could not be added to.

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by wil

Namaste Thomas,
You didn't quote Christ, you quoted the catechism...

You're taking comments out of context, but yes ... and if you read the words of Christ, then the words of the Catechism follow.

In the history of the Christian Faith, one can trace the line of the proliferation of denominations according to time, and according to the interpretation of Scripture.

Catholic and Orthodox — the Christian world at large until the Reformation — are followers of the 'Fourfold Tradition', but the literal reading takes priority ... what Jesus said and did, He said and did.

From the Reformation on, the emphasis became 'what I think that means' and the World of Scripture is then limited to individual human reason, to the reason of Luther, of Calvin, of Zwingli, and so on.

Then the Enlightenment came along, and the opinion that He never even said it — a philosophical position founded on incredulity and disbelief, not on one shred of evidence — and it was open season from then on, history and tradition carries no more weight than the opinion of the bloke down the pub.

Today it's become almost axiomatic to the post-modern mind that Scripture means nothing beyond the meaning one chooses to read into it ... so we have Huston Smith's 'coffee table spirituality' and my 'pick 'n' mix' religion.

Its religion conformed to me, not me conforming myself to religion.

Thomas

[Ciel]

Originally Posted by flowperson

How's things by you ?

flow....

Hi, flow,
Well the moment found me a perfect quote.........


My idea in "My Sweet Lord," because it sounded like a "pop song," was to sneak up on them a bit. The point was to have the people not offended by "Hallelujah," and by the time it gets to "Hare Krishna," they're already hooked, and their foot's tapping, and they're already singing along "Hallelujah," to kind of lull them into a sense of false security. And then suddenly it turns into "Hare Krishna," and they will all be singing that before they know what's happened, and they will think, "Hey, I thought I wasn't supposed to like Hare Krishna!"

George Harrison

I've been flowing through all the "Hey, I thought I wasn't supposed to like...........whatever...... whatever. And my it's a beautiful Peace on Earth to arrive in a new appreciation of "It's all right."

love - c -

[Nick the Pilot]

Ciel, you said,

"Hey, I thought I wasn't supposed to like Hare Krishna!"

--> Says who? (Not me, that's for sure.) I watch Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, and Christians sing praise all the time. I see no need to make a distinction.

[Ciel]

Originally Posted by Nick the Pilot

Ciel, you said,

"Hey, I thought I wasn't supposed to like Hare Krishna!"

--> Says who? (Not me, that's for sure.) I watch Hare Krishnas, Buddhists, and Christians sing praise all the time. I see no need to make a distinction.

No Nick, you misquote me. My own words were about the whatever whatevers. And when we move beyond the boundaries of preconception the peace and enjoyment to be that is beyond all understanding.

No need to ruffle feathers.........watch the feather float.

peace - c -

[Nick the Pilot]

Ciel, you said,

"And when we move beyond the boundaries of preconception the peace and enjoyment to be that is beyond all understanding."

--> You have described my belief system perfectly. I am reminded of how mystics, when they are asked to describe their deep mystical experiences, are said to refuse to even try.