The Knowledge of God versus the Knowledge of Good and Evil

[Bandit]

hi diamondsouled

it was not really my dream, it was a ministers dream & i just happened to come across his message one day out of the blue & i found all that he had to say about the difference in the two, to be a benefit for me.
sadly only a couple of others found it the same way i did & no one was interested in a nice discussion on what the minister had to say...as you can see.

i think people are trying to figure out God too much and/or leaning to some kind of knowledge as in physical facts only, rather than doing this walk in spirit & in truth & by faith.
hard telling.

oh well...i guess it is a water hose with a peanut stuck in it.

[lunamoth]

Interesting topic, Bandit. Here is something from a book I am currently reading called Open Mind Open Heart by Thomas Keating on the topic of original sin.

The term original sin is a way of describing the human condition, which is the universal experience of coming to full reflective self-consciousness without the certitude of personal union with God. This gives rise to our intimate sense of incompletion, dividedness, isolation, and guilt.

Original sin is not the result of personal wrongdoing on our part. Still, it causes a pervasive feeling of alienation from God, from other people and from the true Self. The cultural consequences of these alienations are instilled in us from earliest childhood and passed on from one generation to the next. The urgent need to escape from the profound insecurity of this situation gives rise, when unchecked, to insatiable desires for pleasure, possession, and power. On the social level, it gives rise to violence, war, and instiutional injustice.

The particular consequences of original sin include all the self-serving habits that have been woven into our personality from the time we were conceived; all the emotional damage that has come from our early environment and upbringing; all the harm that other people have done to us knowingly or unknowingly at an age when we could not defend ourselves; and the methods we acquired--many of them now unconscious--to ward off the pain of unbearable situations.

Some may conclude that this reduces original sin and the knowledge of good and evil all to just psychology, but I do not think so. I think this expresses the human condition in a fallen world where we have the free will to choose our way whether or not to live a God-centered life. How one lives a God-centered life is implicit in the paragraphs above--to realize that there is no alienation or division between us: each other and God.

So, this doesn't have anythng to do with elephants. I think they are majestic creatures and I am deeply saddened that they may become extinct during my lifetime. I also always think about how elephants will stay near a dead member of their herd for a long time in mourning before moving on.

peace,
lunamoth

ps sorry for the typos

[Bandit]

thank you Luna

i have been wanting to describe the term original sin. Open Mind Open Heart is exactly what I have been thinking, just could not get out the right description for it.
i appreciate your post because i am seeing it the same way.
It is a condition.

It is no mistake that sometimes we find ourselves hemmed in by circumstances and obstacles. Even while we are feverishly searching for a way around the present distress, God is nudging us, searching for some recognition, some evidence that we are aware of His presence. Like the elephant in my dream, He just won’t give up until He has our attention.

while I am looking at all this 'other' knowledge, i am glad the elephant keeps nudging until He has my attention.