🥳JESUS' PRE-HUMAN EXISTENCE🥳

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Where do you get "Inquisitions and the rack" from?

From history. As the virtually inevitable consequences of insisting upon an "only way".

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Mythically, there have been 16 crucified "saviours" of various descriptions. There is an old book on the subject.

This seems to show how universal the theme is and would indicate its relevance to anyone seeking to understand the "human condition".

Mention any of this to fundamentalists, conservatives, the "orthodox".......and often you get such assertions as "it was the devil imitating the actual historical event in order to cast confusion and lead astray even the elect" etc etc etc.

And so the madness goes on.

[sky]

Originally Posted by The Cobbler's Apprentice

From history. As the virtually inevitable consequences of insisting upon an "only way".

So true, it was ' Their way or the highway ' and we all know where the end of the highway led.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by The Cobbler's Apprentice

From history. As the virtually inevitable consequences of insisting upon an "only way".

Same thing happens and is happening even today in other religions.
So what is new?

[BigJohn]

So lets get back to "Jesus' Pre-human Existence".........
that should not be too hard to do.

[BigJohn]

It appears Jesus was the one who God said lets create them in our likeness as mentioned in Genesis 1:26.

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness".........

And it should be noted that this account is from the Elohist's viewpoint.

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

How many other incarnations have any of us had?
As far as I know........ none.

Hi, I'm not here to teach. I tend to feed off of others and I only seek to clarify my own mind. Usually the only time I get peeved is when every nuance of expression, every word, is groped over by those keen to demonstrate their own "insight". I find it pathetic. But I'm waffling.

The only viable understanding of "eternity" is of timelessness. Therefore the whole Christian notion of a "soul" being created in time and then becoming/being "eternal" is a recipe for confusion of mind. Stay with it if you like.

The only extension to the present is intensity, authenticity, intimacy.

Personally I prefer the zen question:- What was your original face before you were born?

But the Buddha spoke eloquently of "unwise attention", attention that will never contribute to overcoming dukkha/suffering:-

This is how he attends unwisely: "Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what did I become in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future? Having been what, what shall I become in the future? Or else he is inwardly perplexed about the present thus: "Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? Where has this being come from? Where will it go?"

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by The Cobbler's Apprentice

EXCERPT

Usually the only time I get p****d off is when every nuance of expression, every word, is groped over by those keen to demonstrate their own "insight". I find it pathetic. But I'm waffling.

Sounds like my comments are not welcomed.

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Sounds like my comments are not welcomed.

Sorry mate, I genuinely was not thinking of you.

[The Cobbler's Apprentice]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Same thing happens and is happening even today in other religions.

So what is new?

No, it is nothing new.

My main point is that any "only way" will result in conflict and division. Again, that concentration on the Universal Christ would be better than concentration on Jesus.

If you could point out those assertions of other Faiths that will almost inevitably issue in conflict and division, maybe a thread in the Inter-faith section?