Sannhetseeker

There are many examples in the Bible of the concepts of levels of spiritual maturity. As a matter of fact, Yeshua/Jesus speaks specifically to it in Matthew 13: 10-15. When asked why he speaks in parables Jesus/Yeshua says that while his disciples can understand most of what he says, many others cannot. So he must speak in parables..."because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand " (Matt. 13:13). Those that haven't reached higher levels of spirituality cannot... Sign in to see full entry.

In Mark 1:15 Jesus/Yeshua says "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand...." In Luke 17:20-21, Yeshua/Jesus responds to the pharisees about when the Kingdom of God should come by saying, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." These verses make it pretty clear that the kingdom of "God" is not outside of us. It is not through rituals and readings and singing in a church that we... Sign in to see full entry.

Many of the Christian mystics that are well known (St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, Meister Eckhart) and those that are not so well known (Evelyn Underhill, Jim Marion) as well as many Kabbalist and Islamic mystics adhere to the idea that spiritual development, like human psychological development, happens in steps. As a child matures mentally in steps (some can stop developing, others can go way beyond the norm) so does one mature spiritually. Additionally, most social psychologists... Sign in to see full entry.

What ever happend to forgiveness? What ever happened to forgiving? A basic tenet in most religions, it sure seems to be absent in today's society. Earlier today I took part in a conversation about the man who, while fleeing from police, slowed his car down, opened his door and dropped a baby (in its baby seat) gently onto the road. He continued to flee, and later crashed. The injuries he sustained killed him. To a person, those discussing this event stated that the man "got what he deserved".... Sign in to see full entry.

Anyone can become one with God. God isn't some entity wholly removed from us that watches over us. Nor is God an entity that provides miracles for us and answers our prayers. "God" is inside us and available to us. Anyone can touch the divine. All it takes is desire, committment, perserverance and love. For me, the direction to take to become one with "God" is found throughout the Bible. Specifically, in Matthew 16:24-25, Jesus/Yeshua said to his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let... Sign in to see full entry.

As I lay on my back I close my eyes and begin to relax. I work down from the top of my head to my toes, gently relaxing each part of my body and preparing for what is to come. I can feel the stress and worries of the day lifting from me as I continue to relax. My skin begins to tingle, signaling to me that it is time to slow my breathing. I exhale slowly, whispering "God" as my breath leaves me. I repeat the same as I inhale. Focusing on my breath, my mind clears so that all I am aware of is my... Sign in to see full entry.

So much on this Religion and Spirituality section seems to ultimately center around who is right and who is wrong. My God is the right God. Your God is the wrong God. There is no God and I am right. People attack each other and become defensive. You are a conservative Christian so you can't possibly be right. You are a liberal Christian so you can't possibly be right. Well, what if we all are right? What if each of our views from every different point of view is correct? According to many... Sign in to see full entry.

One of my favorite verses of the Bible is 1 Corinthians 13:8 which reads "Now abideth faith, hope, charity, three; but the greatest of these is charity." This is one of my favorites because it speaks really to trust and love. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word "faith" means trust. The word "hope" also means trust. Finally, the word "trust" means a firm belief in the reliabitily or truth of a person or thing. And of course the word "charity" means love for one's fellow man. So in this... Sign in to see full entry.

How is it that I have known certain things from a very early age (eight, to be exact) that you would think any normal eight-year-old probably doesn't know? Now I am a fairly normal person with an avearage American education. Yet from that young age I understood that what the Lutheran church was trying to teach me was wrong. I can't remember the number of times I was in trouble in Sunday School because I would contradict what was being taught (that God is a vengeful, angry, jealous God, etc.). I... Sign in to see full entry.

I believe it was Westwend that mentioned reincarnation in one of his recent posts. This is a fascinating topic for me. It certainly makes sense when put in context with other things (child prodigies could just have memories of their talent from previous lives, the concept of Karma, some particular scriptural references, etc.). Is it true? I don't know. Half of the world's population believes that it is. But I find it even more fascinating that it was a widely held Christian belief for a couple... Sign in to see full entry.