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Permalink Reply by Kernel John on February 7, 2012 at 12:21pm

Hi Adrian.  Above you say:

  ". . . But to then vocalize what I should understand.. wow"

When were you told what to believe? 

I appreciate your encouragement to read some of the hundreds of pages you have enthusiastically shared with us on this site.  In my case, I read neither often, nor well.  I'm dyslexic.  Yet, I have learned how to lean without engaging in a lot of reading.  Recently, for example, I just finished a great series of 12 video lectures provided by Luke Timothy Johnson. I love to learn.

You urge me to recognize that God is there (in these materials) and will put it His knowledge inside me where you think it is needed - and that I should "Relax!" and let  Him do the work.  Thanks for the suggestion Adri.

I have spent some time reviewing your materials.  I find them to often be extensive and very complex.  The materials you have presented here are largely inaccessible to me because of the shear volume. 

If you would like to familiarize people with your brand of Christianity, its must be presented in a concise, well organized and high level manner.  Unfortunately people don't have much time for lengthy overviews or orientations.  Here's an example of what people are looking for when they are interested in learning more about a particular spiritual or religious perspective - more.

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Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on February 7, 2012 at 12:28pm

Once again I embrace the logic of your message, when time is expressed as movement through space, however at any point of that movement in time only now exists so if time does exist it is only the now segment that can exist at any point of time. the past part is gone forever and the future part has not yet occured.

It is this difference in perception of time that causes misunderstanding.

 

Okay you have brought me to another perception of time. We can go into the future by simply waiting for it to happen. IN terms of the past however, while we can look at a far away galaxy, we are already in the past relative to that galaxy's past. If we were to travel to that galaxy, we would not arrive at the same time we see it unless we could travel twice the speed of light. travelling at the speed of light would not account for the time the light from that galaxy took to get here.

There is however the theory of bending space, but what does that really mean?

I have not yet considered if in some way that would allow one to do anything more than just at best allow us instant access to that galaxy as it is now as opposed to only being able to see it as it was at when the light we see in current space time arrived.

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Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on February 7, 2012 at 12:32pm

Why does one need a GPS if they are already where they are suppose to be. Only those who have not yet found God need a GPS to guide them. Once you have found God, He can tell  you in person which way to go.

 

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Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on February 7, 2012 at 12:48pm

A man must make meaning out of his experiences near or far from death.

 Kernel replied to Adriaan "You urge me to recognize that God is there (in these materials) "

God is not in materials, God is in what a man makes out of (by faith) his experiences.

Moses by faith was going to sacrifice his son. Then by faith Moses God placed a ram in a thicket for that sacrifice.

Maybe God placed the ram there because Moses was too ignorant to understand that he did not have to kill hes son to sacrifice his son to God, all  he had to do was release his son to the will of God instead of his own will for his son.....

Maybe the whole story was just meant allegorically in the first place and Moses was not ignorant and always knew he was not going to  kill his son because God declares 'thou shalt not kill'

I have very little 'faith' in the 'literal' interpretation of the bible. I have great 'faith' in the Spirit of Truth and Righteousness.' Now if only I can overcome my fear and do what God tells me to.

Oh me of little faith. Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

 

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Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on February 7, 2012 at 1:06pm

Adriaan you said "

Sending rain on the just and the unjust is more a Bible text and means that he sends (spiritual) good to everyone, what we do with it is our responsibility. When we are in a spiritual drought it is caused by us.

God is good and sends good. If there is a drought it is allowed by God so good can come out of it but it is not an 'act of God'. That is the principle about any bad that happens, even NDE's.

What is wrong with believing that Jesus is God's body on earth?? God can only 'fight' evil if evil attacks Him. Evil cannot attack the infinite God so God came down to their level. I don't know why anybody seeing and believing Jesus Christ to be God would be regarded as special, by anybody??

Not too many people can change plain water into wine, I've tried it :) or walk on water. We can disregard in the Bible anything we want to not upset our wheelbarrow. But the end result is not always more truthful. Open Source Religion is great, but up to a point."

Did Jesus really turn the water into wine?

Jesus just said pour water into the empty wine barrels. Water is a very refreshing drink in and of itself. In fact alcohol will dehydrate one. Add a touch of that wine barrel flavoring to that cool fresh water. MMMMM mighty fine drink.

Now who was at the wedding? The friends of the mother of Jesus. Do you really think her friends will say. "You stupid stupid woman, how could you run out of wine. Why do you serve us this crappy water?"

What was the miracle? Perhaps it was the spirit of truth and righteousness , that recognized the truth of the value of that fresh water to one who has perhaps already over indulged in alcohol. that recognized the righteousness of being courteous to ones host.

I heard a story of a Rabbi who once had his fingers slammed in a car door by the driver. The Rabbi did not utter a sound, but after the driver was gone, he asked for medical attention. The person with him said, why did you not cry out in pain when it happened, The driver said "I did not want the driver to feel bad"

Perhaps you also think Jesus magically  created more loaves and fishes. I think after listening to Jesus the people who had brought extra food for themselves were touched by that same spirit of righteousness and instead of taking from the loaves and fishes , donated their own extra baskets to help feed the multitudes. It does not say how there were more baskets after the food was passed around. Perhaps the spirit of Christ was among these people, and a magic wand was unnecessary.

Yes as you say "Spirit is a state or condition above time and matter and is not attached or limited to either."

But spirit is often attached to matter, give unto others and it shall be given unto you, pressed down and shaken out, many fold. It is the spirit that makes the matter , matter the most.

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Permalink Reply by Adriaan Braam on February 7, 2012 at 1:48pm

 Above you say:

  ". . . But to then vocalize what I should understand.. wow"

When were you told what to believe? 

I never said "I was told what to believe". There is the difficulty of wording an understanding (almost what you say about reading, from wording to understanding).

But every time I read a book or hear a sermon I often do get a new or deepend perspective about what things mean and how they e.g. apply to us humans. Somewhat in the way of the words said to the Lord "I believe, help my unbelieve".

I did put some stuff on 'my blog' can you see it? any suggestions? BTW would it help in your condition to have a sound tape that 'reads' a book? Also there is a lot of sound material available, should I get some for you? Every Sunday there are sermons to see on e.g. Ustream. Is there not a way to read text by the computer? I thought there was. Now I'll click on "more"

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Permalink Reply by Kernel John on February 7, 2012 at 1:59pm

I've attached a copy of the image that may be a little more readable on screen.

I do have some background in andragogy so when I look at the description of the mind presented above, I see the need to define or decode a number of terms before an outsider could begin to understand or decode it.  For example, what is is meant by "General Degrees" (of the human mind)? Does this mean levels or layers?

Also, does the diagram suggest that the MIND, consisting of NATURAL and SPIRITUAL components, is separate from the SOUL (upper left).  And, if the mind and intellect (rational mind) is separate from the soul, then what is the soul?

When I see a diagram like this, it looks like people may be imposing understanding on something that they do not clearly understand.  (That comment says more about me than the diagram BTW) Nevertheless, I definitely see components that are similar to the illustration I shared earlier  with you.  The main difference, however, seems to be that the mind and intellect, in above diagram, appear  to be separate from the self/soul.  I presume deep memories (individual predispositions) would appear to be stored in the the "natural mind" (brain), as well as, by the "spiritual mind" which otherwise could be considered to be a component of the metaphysical soul.

I wonder if others here have observations to share.

Attachments:

• The Human mind1-small.jpg, 138 KB

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Permalink Reply by Kernel John on February 7, 2012 at 2:53pm

James, you might be right however, science may be in the process of showing otherwise:

Quantumace-enying - Borrowing Energy from the Future

Hadron Collider 'could act as telephone for talking to the past ...

Quantum leaps - A Brief History of Timelessness - Matt Welcome.

According to quantum physics, information can travel backwards ...

If hoping for a better future was seen as being of no influence on the future, as you suggest, mankind would have stopped hoping a very long time ago.  Without the ability to project our thoughts into a future of infinite possibilities we would still be swinging from trees.  Nature has equipped is to envision (project mind into) the future for a reason. MORE.

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Permalink Reply by Kernel John on February 7, 2012 at 3:21pm

James, we usually find what we believe to be true is true.  Therefore we must be careful of what we believe. Secondly we should remain detached from our beliefs, else we will be sure to always find them to be true.  You might be right James.

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Permalink Reply by Kernel John on February 7, 2012 at 3:46pm

James, I don't pretend to know much about anything (like Dr. Khem the Revelator does).  But when NOW is looked at at a micro level is seems to look more like waves of probability.  A guy named Heisenberg came up with The Uncertainty Principle.  It is fundamental to the understanding of Quantum Mechanics.  It states, something like, you can know, with 100% certainty, where a particle is you cannot know where it is going - or - you can know, with 100% certainty, where a particle is going but you cannot know exactly where it is - or something like that - more.

Both knowing exactly where you are AND, at the same time, knowing exactly where you are going (what you are doing) from millisecond to millisecond would be considered being in the NOW.  Would it not.  However our the nature of physical reality is that it is a "Discontinuity" - more.  I believe human consciousness oscillates at a rate of about 40 cycles per second.  A movie camera shots at a rate of about 16 frames per second. . . and still we cannot perceive the empty spaces between each frame.

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Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on February 7, 2012 at 3:59pm

I don't suggest any such thing. You seem to forget that I consider the future to be nows that have not yet occurred. The past and the present memories of  nows that no longer exist except as memories we have now, will certainly have an influence on our actions when the future becomes our nows and we can act upon the memories of our past nows.

But for now "pun intended" our future nows will have to wait until they become our now nows.

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Permalink Reply by James Germiquet on February 7, 2012 at 4:05pm

Yes Kernel what we believe does tend to become reality, such may be the reality of prophecy.

But if we remain detached from our beliefs, then how can we have any reality?

The question remains, why do we have a physical reality? Some may think of it as a hell because of the pain or unhappiness the physical reality places upon us.

But to succeed in shut our spiritual selves off from the pain of the physical reality would be to shut ourselves off from the joy of it as well. The touch of a hand, the laugh of a child, the the taste of an apple.

The world was created to be enjoyed, but to enjoy it we must use it as directed. Loving....

 

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