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You Mean THAT'S In The Bible? - Satyaraja Dasa, Steven Rosen

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  1. You Mean THAT's In the Bible?
  2.  
  3. by: Satyaraja Dasa (Steven J. Rosen)
  4.  
  5. ISKCON New York - Sri Sri Radha Govinda MAndir
  6. 305 Schermerhorn St. Brooklyn, NY 11217
  7. http://radhagovinda.net
  8.  
  9. ________________________________________________
  10.  
  11.  
  12. Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
  13. Prabhupada, who set the perfect example in his own life, by
  14. loving the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind. (see
  15. Matt. 22:36-40)
  16.  
  17. ________________________________________________
  18.  
  19. Table of Contents
  20. -------------------
  21.  
  22. 1) Introduction
  23. 2) You Are not the Body
  24. 3) One Who Loves Christ Must Follow His Commandments
  25. 4) Meat Eating
  26. 5) Reincarnation
  27. 6) Celibacy
  28. 7) Renunciation
  29. 8) "There is much I have to tell you..."
  30. 9) Jesus And God May Be One--But They Are Also Different
  31. 10) Miscellaneous
  32. 11) After word
  33.  
  34.  
  35.  
  36. (Special thanks to His Grace Rajendranath Dasa; the fruits of
  37. his research were indispensable to the production of this
  38. pamphlet)
  39.  
  40. ________________________________________________
  41.  
  42. 1) INTRODUCTION
  43.  
  44.  
  45. Both read the Bible day and night.
  46. But thou read'st black where I read white.
  47. --William Blake--
  48.  
  49.  
  50. Everyone has some conception of Christianity, whether one
  51. is a believer or not. The Christian doctrine is amenable to
  52. many different interpretations and, indeed, many have taken
  53. advantage of this amenability. As early as sixty-five years
  54. after the time of Jesus, for instance, Paul, who had never met
  55. Jesus, debated with the original Apostles in regard to Jesus'
  56. teaching: Paul thought that Jesus' advent freed the people
  57. from following the Old Law, that faith alone was required.
  58. Meanwhile, the Apostles taught that Jesus came to enforce the
  59. Old Law, and that faith without work is dead.
  60.  
  61.  
  62. The faith/works polemic has been going on for
  63. centuries. And countless forms of "Christianity" have emerged
  64. as variations on this theme. The subject became so confused by
  65. the time of Martin Luther(1483-1546) both faith and works were
  66. hard to find. The Popes of the Renaissance epitomize this
  67. confusion. The deMedici Popes were considered the most
  68. debauched men in the history of religion. The original Pope
  69. John XXIII was deposed for "notorious incest, adultery,
  70. defilement, and homicide." In 1415, while still a chamberlain,
  71. he openly kept his brother's wife as a mistress. In an effort
  72. to squash the scandal, his superiors promoted him to cardinal
  73. and sent him to Bologna, where "two hundred maids, matrons, and
  74. widows, including a few nuns, fell victim to his brutal lust."
  75. In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII was elected. he was nicknamed "the
  76. Honest" because he was the first Pope to acknowledge his
  77. illegitimate children publicly. This whole farce reached an
  78. unquestionable peak when, in 1724, the Roman Catholic Church
  79. banned the confessional requirement that men name their
  80. partners in fornication when it was discovered that priests
  81. were actually making carnal use of the information. Seeing the
  82. iniquities of the Papacy, Martin Luther proposed an egalitarian
  83. solution: "Each man should have his own divine right to
  84. interpret holy scripture." While this new version of
  85. Christianity released many believers from the dictates of
  86. insincere leaders, a new problem arose: Many would interpret
  87. the scriptures with some ulterior motive (both consciously and
  88. unconsciously). And this is the problem that exists today. Many
  89. are using the scriptures to rationalize [his/her] habits,
  90. activities that God would never ordain.
  91.  
  92. Readers of this pamphlet--Christian and non-Christian--are
  93. advised to view the following with an open mind, possibly
  94. achieving a fresh outlook. The distinct feature of this work is
  95. that it is not beleaguered by vague or popular translations of
  96. the Bible. All Bible verses are rendered with references to
  97. Reuben Alcalay's Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary for the Old
  98. Testament, and to Nestle's Greek/English Interlinear for the
  99. New Testament. The importance of a word-by-word translation
  100. should not be underestimated. Ambiguous and aesthetically
  101. pleasing--but inaccurate--translations are at the heart of
  102. Biblical interpretive problems.
  103.  
  104. We are, of course, working with the premise that the Bible
  105. has not been drastically changed (this is obviously an
  106. important assumption when delivering textual criticism).
  107. Otherwise, all Biblical texts become meaningless. An opinion
  108. that is not uncommon.
  109.  
  110. Still, America is basically a Christian country, and all
  111. Christians base their conception of Christianity on the Bible.
  112. For such persons, this pamphlet should prove useful; with
  113. exception of a few editorial notes, we will allow the bible to
  114. speak for itself.
  115.  
  116. The ultimate purpose of this work, however, is to show the
  117. harmony that exists between the Bible and the more-ancient
  118. Vedic texts of India. The essential message of the Bible and
  119. the Vedas is one: to love the Lord with all of ones heart, soul
  120. and mind. This message is revealed to different people
  121. according to time, place, and circumstance; based on these
  122. considerations, specifics may vary. Still the essence remains
  123. the same--it is simply delivered according to the capacity of
  124. the audience.
  125.  
  126. For instance, that which is taught in a primary math
  127. course differs greatly from that which is taught on in a higher
  128. level. In elementary mathematics, one is taught that numbers
  129. can not be subtracted from smaller numbers. And this premise
  130. should be accepted by all who study basic arithmetic. However,
  131. in advanced mathematics, you learn that you can subtract larger
  132. numbers from smaller ones: the results are negative numbers.
  133.  
  134. Similarly, prophets and sages reveal religious truths
  135. selectively, for the benefit and gradual upliftment of their
  136. audience. And, on minor points, you may find that one prophet
  137. deprecates a certain activity, while another, from another
  138. tradition endorses it.
  139.  
  140. In this way, persons of different cultures can advance
  141. gradually, according to their means. Revelation itself comes
  142. gradually. And the ultimate revelation is that religion is one-
  143. -for God is one. If this short pamphlet can induce even one
  144. person to reach this conclusion, the author will have
  145. considered this work worthwhile.
  146.  
  147. ________________________________________________
  148.  
  149. 2) YOU ARE NOT THE BODY
  150.  
  151.  
  152.  
  153. 40) "There are also celestial (epourania: heavenly) bodies, and
  154. bodies terrestrial (epiyeia: earthly): but the glory of the
  155. celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another."
  156.  
  157. 42) "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in
  158. corruption (ie. born in matter); it is raised in incorruption
  159. (ie. Spirit).)
  160.  
  161. 44) "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.
  162. There is a natural body, and a spiritual body."
  163.  
  164. 47) "The first man of the earth, earthy (ie. first birth is
  165. material): the second man is the Lord (anthropos: man) from
  166. heaven (ie. second birth is spiritual)."
  167.  
  168. 48) "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and
  169. as is heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."
  170.  
  171. 49) "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall
  172. also bear the image of the heavenly."
  173.  
  174. 50) "Now this I (Paul) say, brethren, that flesh and blood
  175. cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption
  176. inherit incorruption."
  177.  
  178.  
  179. I Corinthians 15;40, 42, 44, 47, 48, 50
  180.  
  181. This section clearly shows that man has both a material body
  182. and a spiritual body, and that man first goes through a birth
  183. of the material body and then takes birth in his spiritual
  184. body.
  185.  
  186.  
  187. ________________________________________________
  188.  
  189. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the
  190. things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are
  191. temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
  192.  
  193.  
  194. II Corinthians 4:18
  195.  
  196. This shows that the seen, material world is temporary, while
  197. the unseen, spiritual world is eternal. Similarly, the body,
  198. which is seen, is temporary, while the life-force (soul), which
  199. is unseen is eternal
  200.  
  201. ________________________________________________
  202.  
  203. 1) "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
  204. were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made
  205. with hands, eternal in the heavens."
  206.  
  207. 2) "For in this (house) we groan, earnestly desiring to be
  208. clothed upon with our house which is from heaven."
  209.  
  210. 6) "Therefore, we are always confident, knowing that, while we
  211. are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord."
  212.  
  213. 7) "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
  214.  
  215. 8) "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent
  216. from the body, and to be present with the lord."
  217.  
  218. II Corinthians 5:1, 2, 6, 7, 8
  219.  
  220. This is clear that while in this material body we are
  221. suffering, and desiring to be in our spiritual body; and that
  222. by spiritual knowledge we know that the material body is
  223. separate from the Lord. Not the reference in verse 7 to sastra
  224. caksus.
  225.  
  226. ________________________________________________
  227.  
  228.  
  229. "And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples
  230. were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom do the people
  231. say that I am? They answering him said, John the Baptist; but
  232. some say Elias; and other say that one of the old prophets is
  233. risen again."
  234.  
  235.  
  236. Luke 9:18-19
  237.  
  238. Now why would the disciples answer like this if they did not
  239. believe in reincarnation.
  240.  
  241.  
  242. ________________________________________________
  243.  
  244. CONFLICT BETWEEN HIGHER AND LOWER SELF
  245.  
  246.  
  247. "For I know that nothing good lodges in me--in my
  248. unspiritual nature, I mean--for though the will to do good is
  249. there, the deed is not. The good which I want to do, I fail to
  250. do; but what I do is the wrong which is against my will; and if
  251. what I do is against my will, clearly it is no longer I who am
  252. the agent, but sin that has its lodging in me.
  253.  
  254. I discover this principle, then; that when I want to do
  255. right, only the wrong is within my reach. In my inmost self I
  256. delight in the law of God, but I perceive that there is in my
  257. bodily members a different law, fighting against the law that
  258. my reason approves and makes me a prisoner under the law that
  259. is in my members, the law of sin. Miserable creature that I am,
  260. who is there to rescue me out of this body doomed to death."
  261.  
  262.  
  263. Romans 7.18-24
  264.  
  265. ________________________________________________
  266.  
  267.  
  268. 3) ONE WHO LOVES CHRIST MUST FOLLOW HIS COMMANDMENTS
  269.  
  270.  
  271.  
  272. "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
  273.  
  274. John 14:15
  275.  
  276. Very clear instruction.
  277.  
  278. ________________________________________________
  279.  
  280.  
  281. "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, hi is that
  282. loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved by my Father,
  283. and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas
  284. said unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself
  285. unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto
  286. him, if a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father
  287. will love him, and make our abode with him."
  288.  
  289.  
  290. John 14:21-23
  291.  
  292. This clearly says that love of God means keeping the
  293. commandments, and if one does not do so, he will not have God
  294. manifested to him.
  295.  
  296. ________________________________________________
  297.  
  298. "If ye keep my commandments, ye shalt abide in my love, even as
  299. I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love."
  300.  
  301.  
  302. John 15:10
  303.  
  304. This says also that love of God comes from following the rules
  305. of God.
  306.  
  307. ________________________________________________
  308.  
  309. "For this is love of God, that we keep His commandments; and
  310. His commandments are not grievous."
  311.  
  312.  
  313. I John 5:3
  314.  
  315. ________________________________________________
  316.  
  317. "For it had been better for them not to have known the way of
  318. righteousness, than, after they have know it, to turn from the
  319. holy commandment delivered unto them. But it happened unto them
  320. according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own
  321. vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wollowing into
  322. he mire."
  323.  
  324.  
  325. II Peter 2:21-23
  326.  
  327.  
  328. This shows that performing atonement for sin then doing the sin
  329. again is like eating vomit.
  330.  
  331. ________________________________________________
  332.  
  333. 21) "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
  334. into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my
  335. Father which is in heaven."
  336.  
  337. 22) "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
  338. prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils?
  339. And in thy name done many wonderful works?"
  340.  
  341. 23) "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you;
  342. depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
  343.  
  344. Matthew 7:21,22,23
  345.  
  346. This is a good verse to quote to people who say that it is by
  347. God's grace that you are saved, and not by works. Here it is
  348. clear that one attains grace by doing the will of God only.
  349.  
  350.  
  351. ________________________________________________
  352.  
  353. "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in
  354. heaven is perfect"
  355.  
  356. Matthew 5:48
  357.  
  358. This kills the argument that one cannot stop from sinning.
  359. Therefore just accept Jesus and you are saved. Here Jesus is
  360. commanding them to become perfect, that is to not commit any
  361. sin.
  362.  
  363. ________________________________________________
  364.  
  365.  
  366. 4) MEAT EATING
  367.  
  368. While the Bible--in many places--seems to endorse meat-eating,
  369. these sections should not be taken out of context.
  370.  
  371. Instead of using Noah's emergency expedient (following the
  372. flood in which all vegetation was wiped out) as outlined in
  373. Genesis 9:3, a more important diet is the original one,
  374. enunciated by the Lord in Genesis 1:29; "And God said, Behold,
  375. I have given you every herb-bearing seed and every tree, in
  376. which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
  377. for meat (food)." god further indicates--in the very next
  378. verse--that this diet is "good," while the later diet referred
  379. to--the one containing meat--was allowed "simply to satisfy
  380. their lust."
  381.  
  382. This is outlined quite clearly but, again, it must all be
  383. studied in context.
  384.  
  385. The example of the Quail God purportedly arranged for the
  386. children of Israel, after they "tired" of His manna (Numbers
  387. 11:31), is a prime example of quoting out of context. Indeed,
  388. verses 31 and 32 (of Numbers) describe the quail and the
  389. feasting that followed, but verse 33 must be read to secure the
  390. full impact of this passage: "and while the flesh was yet
  391. between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord
  392. was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote them with a
  393. great plague." He was not happy with their meat-eating.
  394.  
  395. It also becomes clear when one studies the early history
  396. of the church that the founding fathers espoused the vegetarian
  397. ideal. You can study their lives: Tertullian, Pliny, Origen,
  398. St. John Chrysostom, the list goes on and on. Parenthetically,
  399. that these early Church fathers were avowed vegetarians makes a
  400. large statement as to what we may have read in the Bible before
  401. it was worked on at the various Ecumenical councils...
  402.  
  403. It was not until the time of Emperor Constantine (Fourth
  404. Century) that vegetarian Christians had to practice
  405. underground--this was because Constantine was a meat-eater. He
  406. was also a maniac, and Church history books abound with the
  407. stories of how he would pour molten lead down the throats of
  408. Christian vegetarians for their chosen diet. Incidentally, he
  409. also killed his wife by setting her in a vat of boiling water.
  410.  
  411. Scriptural knowledge is simple for the simple--but it is
  412. difficult for the twisted. The Bible clearly says "Thou shalt
  413. not kill" (Exodus 20:13). It could not be stated more simply.
  414.  
  415. The exact Hebrew is "lo tirtzach", which accurately
  416. translates: "thou shalt not kill."
  417.  
  418.  
  419. One of the greatest scholars of Hebrew/English linguistics
  420. (in the Twentieth Century)--Dr. Reuben Alcalay has written in
  421. his mammoth book "The Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary" that
  422. "tirtzach" refers to "any kind of killing whatsoever." The word
  423. "lo" as you might suspect, means "thou shalt not." DON'T KILL!
  424. Let's face it, the Bible is clear on this point.
  425.  
  426. The Vedic literature is also clear on this point. In fact,
  427. the Vedas take this point past vegetarianism, because there is
  428. still a sinful reaction in killing vegetables. Therefore, the
  429. Vedas prescribe a lacto-vegetarian diet--the diet which is
  430. least harmful to living beings--and a special process to free
  431. one from the minimal sinful reaction that is there from killing
  432. the plants. The process is given in rudimentary form in
  433. Bhagavad-gita, and is elaborated upon in Srimad Bhagavatam.
  434. After applying the process--which centers about the chanting of
  435. the holy Name of the Lord with love and devotion--the
  436. foodstuffs are known as prasadam, a Sanskrit word which means
  437. "the Lords mercy."
  438.  
  439. * * *
  440.  
  441.  
  442. Many Bible scholars persist with the theory that Christ
  443. ate animal flesh, obviously swayed in their opinions by
  444. personal habits. The desire to accede to prejudice and uphold
  445. existing tradition has been a human characteristic for many
  446. centuries, but truth appears now even more important as man
  447. exerts his independence in so many aspects of life. Respected
  448. Bible scholar Rev. V.A. Holmes-Gore has researched the frequent
  449. use of the word "meat" in the New Testament Gospels. He traced
  450. its meaning to the original Greek.
  451.  
  452. His findings were first published in World Forum of
  453. Autumn, 1947. He reveals that the nineteen Gospel references
  454. to "meat" should have been more accurately translated thus:
  455.  
  456. Greek Number of references Meaning
  457. ------------------------------------------------------------
  458. Broma 4 "food"
  459. Brosis 4 "the act of
  460. eating food"
  461. Phago 3 "to eat"
  462. Brosimos 1 "That which
  463. may be eaten"
  464. Trophe 6 "nourishment"
  465. Prosphagon 1 "anything to
  466. eat"
  467.  
  468. Thus, the Authorized Version of John 21:5, "Have ye any
  469. meat?" is incorrect; It should have been translated: "Have ye
  470. anything to eat?"
  471.  
  472.  
  473. "Fish" is another frequently mistranslated word in the
  474. Bible. Its reference is often not to the form of swimming life,
  475. but to the symbol by which early Christians could identify each
  476. other. It was a secret sign, needed in times of persecution,
  477. prior to official acceptance of Christianity as a state
  478. religion.
  479.  
  480. The sign of the fish was a mystical symbol and a
  481. conversational password, deriving from the Greek word for fish,
  482. "Ichthus." As such, it represented an acrostic, composed of
  483. leading letters of the Greek phrase, "Iesous Christos Theou
  484. Uios Soter" -- "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."
  485.  
  486. Frequent references to fish are intended as symbolic of
  487. The Christ, having nothing to do with the act of eating a dead
  488. fish. But the symbol of a fish did not meet with Roman
  489. approval. They preferred the sign of the cross, choosing to
  490. concentrate more on the death of Christ than on His brilliant
  491. life. Perhaps this is one reason only ten percent of His life
  492. record appears in the canonical scriptures. Most of His first
  493. thirty years is omitted.
  494.  
  495. How many worshippers go home from church and sit down to a
  496. feast cut from a once proud beast in defiance of the very
  497. commandments they have just been advocating? The verses below
  498. should clear up any misgivings the reader may have in this
  499. connection.
  500.  
  501. DISCUSSION OF MEAT IN THE BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)
  502.  
  503. "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing
  504. seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in
  505. which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be
  506. for meat."
  507.  
  508. Genesis 1:29
  509.  
  510. Shows that the true diet of man is vegetarian.
  511. ________________________________________________
  512.  
  513. "But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood
  514. thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives
  515. will require; at the hand of every beast will I require it.
  516.  
  517. Genesis 9:4-5
  518.  
  519. Shows that man is not allowed to eat meat, and if he does he
  520. will pay with his own life. And he will be killed by the one he
  521. kills. This is called Karma.
  522.  
  523. ________________________________________________
  524.  
  525. "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto
  526. me? Said the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams,
  527. and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of
  528. bullocks, or of lambs, or of goats. When ye spread forth your
  529. hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many
  530. prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are
  531. full of blood."
  532.  
  533. Isaiah 1:11,15
  534.  
  535. Shows that God does not accept even the prayers of a meat-
  536. eater.
  537.  
  538.  
  539. ________________________________________________
  540.  
  541. "He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man."
  542.  
  543. Isaiah 66:3
  544.  
  545. Shows that cow killing is equated with murder.
  546.  
  547.  
  548. ________________________________________________
  549.  
  550. "It shall be a perpetual statue for your generations
  551. throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor
  552. blood."
  553.  
  554. Leviticus 3:17
  555.  
  556. A trick commandment: You cannot eat meat and not eat blood.
  557. This is the origin of the idea of Kosher food (meat with the
  558. blood drained out of it.) It has been compared to passing stool
  559. and not passing urine. Impossible!
  560.  
  561. ________________________________________________
  562.  
  563. "And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of
  564. strangers who sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of
  565. blood; I will even set My face against that soul that eateth
  566. blood."
  567.  
  568. Leviticus 17:10
  569.  
  570. Note the term "any manner of blood". All flesh comes from
  571. blood.
  572.  
  573. ________________________________________________
  574.  
  575.  
  576. APPEARANCES OF THE WORD "MEAT" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
  577.  
  578. This section shows how certain words were translated
  579. wrongly in the King James Version of the Bible. The correct
  580. translation are taken from the Nestle Interlinear Greek-English
  581. New Testament, which also references the King James Version.
  582.  
  583. "And the same John (the Baptist) had his raiment of camels
  584. hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was
  585. locust and wild honey."
  586.  
  587. Matthew 3:4
  588.  
  589. The word used here is trophe, nourishment. Also note that the
  590. word "locusts" refers to locust beans, or carob, St. John's
  591. bread.
  592.  
  593. ________________________________________________
  594.  
  595. "And her spirit came again (referring to a woman Jesus
  596. raised from the dead), and she arose straightaway: and he
  597. (Jesus) commanded to hive her meat."
  598.  
  599. Luke 8:55
  600.  
  601. The word here is phago, to eat.
  602.  
  603. ________________________________________________
  604.  
  605. 14) "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold,
  606. a young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
  607. his name Immanuel."
  608. 15) "Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse
  609. the evil, and choose the good."
  610.  
  611. Isaiah 7:14,15
  612.  
  613. Christians are fond of quoting the first part of this verse as
  614. proof that Jesus is the saviour, but they rarely quote the very
  615. next verse, which says he will be a vegetarian.
  616.  
  617. ________________________________________________
  618.  
  619. "And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he
  620. (Jesus) said unto them (his disciples), Have ye here any meat?
  621. And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb.
  622. And took 'it', and did eat before them."
  623.  
  624. Luke 24:41-43
  625.  
  626. The word here is brosimos, eatable. Note the use of the word
  627. "it" (my emphases), which is in the singular. Jesus was offered
  628. fish and a honeycomb, but took only one. Judging from Isaiah
  629. 7:15, we know which he chose.
  630.  
  631. ________________________________________________
  632.  
  633.  
  634. "For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy
  635. meat."
  636.  
  637. John 4:8
  638.  
  639. The word used here is trophe, nourishment.
  640.  
  641.  
  642. ________________________________________________
  643.  
  644. "And when he had received meat, he was strengthened."
  645.  
  646. Acts 9:19
  647.  
  648. The word used here is trophe, nourishment.
  649. ________________________________________________
  650.  
  651. "And while the day was coming on, Paul besought them all
  652. to take meat, saying, this is the fourteenth day ye have
  653. tarried and continued fasting, having taking nothing.
  654. Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is your
  655. health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any
  656. of you. And when he had thus spoken, he took bread, and gave
  657. thanks to God in the presence of them all: and when he had
  658. broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer,
  659. and they also took some meat."
  660.  
  661. Acts 27:33-36
  662.  
  663. The word used here is trophe, nourishment. Note that even
  664. though they say meat, they show clearly that what he was
  665. referring to was bread, which they all took.
  666.  
  667. ________________________________________________
  668.  
  669.  
  670. "And when he had brought them into his house, he sat meat
  671. before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his
  672. house."
  673.  
  674. Acts 16:34
  675.  
  676. The word used here is trapesa, table. It says he set a table
  677. before them!
  678.  
  679. ________________________________________________
  680.  
  681. "But if thy brother be grieved with that meat, now walkest
  682. thou not charitably. Destroy him not with thy meat, for whom
  683. Christ Died."
  684.  
  685. Romans 14:15
  686.  
  687.  
  688. Both words here are broma, food. This is actually a reference
  689. to spiritual food.
  690.  
  691. ________________________________________________
  692.  
  693. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
  694. righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."
  695.  
  696. Romans 14:17
  697.  
  698. The word used here is borsis, act of eating. This is a
  699. reference to the fact that the kingdom of God is not material
  700.  
  701. ________________________________________________
  702.  
  703. "But meat commendeth us not to God, for neither, if we
  704. eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the
  705. worse."
  706.  
  707. I Corinthians 8:8
  708.  
  709. The word used here is Broma, food. This verse does not say that
  710. it doesn't matter if we eat meat or not, but that the activity
  711. of eating has little to do with our relationship of God.
  712. ________________________________________________
  713.  
  714. "Wherefore, if meat makes my brother offend, I will eat no
  715. flesh while the world standeth lest I make my brother to
  716. offend."
  717.  
  718. I Corinthians 8:13
  719. ________________________________________________
  720.  
  721. "And (they) did all eat the same spiritual meat;"
  722.  
  723. I Corinthians 10:3
  724.  
  725. The word here is broma, food.
  726. ________________________________________________
  727.  
  728. "For meat destroy not the word of God. All things are
  729. indeed pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with
  730. offence. It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine,
  731. nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or
  732. is made weak."
  733.  
  734. Romans 14:20-21
  735.  
  736. A very good verse. The word meat used here is Broma, food. It
  737. shows that it is not food which is wrong, it is not eating
  738. prasadam, food offered to God. The word flesh used here is
  739. kreas, flesh. So it is clear that meat eating is not good.
  740. ________________________________________________
  741.  
  742.  
  743.  
  744. 5) REINCARNATION
  745.  
  746.  
  747. Under circumstances that to this very day remain shrouded
  748. in mystery, the Byznatine emperor Justinian in 553 A.D. (at the
  749. Second Council of Constantinople) banned the teachings of
  750. reincarnation from the Christian scriptures. There remain,
  751. however, certain allusions to reincarnation in the Bible. And
  752. these few are very powerful.
  753.  
  754. * * *
  755.  
  756. In the ninth century B.C. the Hebrew prophet Elijah is
  757. supposed to have live. Four centuries later, Malachi recorded
  758. this prophecy in the closing lines of the Old Testament:
  759. "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming
  760. of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
  761.  
  762. The first book of the New Testament, Matthew, refers to
  763. this prophecy on three occasions, and the remaining gospels
  764. speak of it seven times. In the verses that follow, the Greek
  765. form of the prophet's name is used. It will be noted from the
  766. remarks of the disciples of Jesus that there was much
  767. speculation and widespread acceptance among the Jews concerning
  768. not only the return of Elijah, but of other ancient Hebrew
  769. prophets.
  770.  
  771. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he
  772. asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I am? And they
  773. replied, Some say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias;
  774. and others, Jeremias, or one of the other prophets.
  775.  
  776. Matthew 16:13-14
  777.  
  778.  
  779. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged
  780. them saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be
  781. risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying,
  782. Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus
  783. answered them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all
  784. things. But I say unto you, that Elias has come already, and
  785. they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they
  786. listed. Likewise shall the Son of Man suffer from them. Then
  787. the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the
  788. Baptist [who had already been beheaded by Herod].
  789.  
  790. Matthew 17:9-13
  791.  
  792.  
  793. Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning
  794. John...this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my
  795. messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before
  796. thee...And if ye will receive it: this is Elias, which was for
  797. to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
  798.  
  799. Matthew 11:7,10-11,14-15
  800.  
  801. Another reference is to be found in Luke 9:7-9: "Now Herod
  802. the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Jesus, and he was
  803. perplexed, because it was said of some, that John was risen
  804. from the dead; and of some, that Elias had appeared; and of
  805. others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod
  806. said, John have I beheaded; but who is this of whom I hear such
  807. things?" The same incident is related in Mark 6:14-16
  808.  
  809. The early church father Tertullian offers the view that
  810. some orthodox people take concerning all these verses from the
  811. New Testament [Although Tertullian was also an outspoken
  812. advocate of reincarnation]. In brief, Tertullian's reasoning is
  813. that Elias never died in the first place. God translated him
  814. directly to heaven. Thus, his subsequent re-descent was not a
  815. rebirth, but merely a return visit. It has been described that
  816. Tertullian bases his reasoning on the statement in II Kings
  817. 2:11: "Behold there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of
  818. fire...and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven" and was
  819. seen no more. However, if this church father's reasoning is to
  820. be logically sustained, Elijah's return to earth as John the
  821. Baptist should have been in the same miraculous way he left: He
  822. should have been precipitated on earth as a mature man. Yet the
  823. scriptures indicate that John was born in the ordinary way.
  824. Thus all serious Christian theologians have concluded that
  825. Tertullian's theory is not tenable.
  826.  
  827. The nineteenth-century [North] American philosopher
  828. Francis Bowen of Harvard, after citing a number of the Gospel
  829. passages already quoted, remarks in his article, "Christian
  830. Metemphychosis": "That the commentators have not been willing
  831. to receive, in their obvious and literal meaning, assertions so
  832. direct and so frequently repeated as this, but have attempted
  833. to explain them away in a non-natural and metaphorical sense,
  834. is a fact that proves nothing but the existence of an
  835. invincible prejudice against the doctrine of the transmigration
  836. of souls."
  837.  
  838. One final point. The rebirth of saviors and prophets is
  839. clear enough in Christian teaching, but what about ordinary
  840. men? Do they return? That the disciples of Jesus seriously
  841. considered this possibility is evident from their question
  842. concerning the man who had been born blind. They asked: "Who
  843. did sin, this man, or his parents, that he is born blind?" One
  844. can not evade the conclusion that the disciples must have had
  845. reincarnation in mind, for obviously if the man had been born
  846. blind his sin could not have been committed in this life. Jesus
  847. had a good opportunity to smash the reincarnation idea once and
  848. for all--but he did not! He merely replied that the man was
  849. afflicted because he was destined through Christ to have his
  850. sight restored so that "the works of God should be made
  851. manifest in him."
  852.  
  853. That it may be legitimate to look to a previous life for
  854. the source of individual goodness or badness seems plain from
  855. St. Paul's comments on Jacob and Esau. He says that the Lord
  856. loved one and hated the other before they were born--Romans
  857. 9:10-13; Malachi 1:2-3. How could a nonexistent being be loved
  858. or hated?
  859.  
  860. Another illustration is the one in which Christ warns that
  861. those who live by the sword will die by the sword [Matthew
  862. 26:52]. This could only be universally true--as all of the
  863. savior's statements should be--if there is more than one life
  864. in which to experience the reaction for many professional
  865. combat soldiers die quietly in their own beds. This view is
  866. completely consistent with Newton's Third Law of Motion--for
  867. every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction--and with
  868. the Law of Karma promulgated in the Vedic literatures.
  869.  
  870. A similar reference is found in Mark 10:28-31, where
  871. rewards are listed that could hardly be fulfilled in one life.
  872. Peter said unto Jesus: "Lo, we have left all, and have followed
  873. thee." And Jesus answered: "Verily I say unto you, There is no
  874. man that has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
  875. mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, But he
  876. shall receive an hundredfold now in this time [in this age]
  877. houses, and brethren, and sisters and mothers, and children,
  878. and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal
  879. life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last
  880. first." Certainly the enumerated rewards could not possibly be
  881. fulfilled in one incarnation.
  882.  
  883. Saint John states in Revelation 3:12: "Him that overcometh
  884. will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go
  885. no more out." It seems he had gone out into incarnation before,
  886. otherwise the words "no more" could have no place or meaning.
  887. It may have been the old idea of the exile of the soul and the
  888. need for it to be purified by long sojourn before it could be
  889. admitted as a "pillar in the temple of my God." In Luke 20:35-
  890. 36, a similar idea again occurs. Jesus says: "They who are
  891. accounted worthy to obtain that world...neither marry...neither
  892. can they die any more."
  893.  
  894.  
  895. It can be concluded from both these verses that the goal
  896. to be achieved is of such a transcendent nature, one short life
  897. would be insufficient to reach it. Thus, in Professor Bowen's
  898. essay, "Christian Metemphychosis," previously cited, he wonders
  899. whether in addition to the obvious spiritual meaning, there may
  900. be "a literal meaning in the solemn words of the Saviour
  901. 'Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
  902. God.'"
  903.  
  904. "An eternity of either reward or punishment," says Bowen,
  905. "would seem to be inadequately earned by one brief period of
  906. probation on earth."
  907.  
  908. ________________________________________________
  909.  
  910. 6) CELIBACY
  911.  
  912. There are many verses in the Bible stating that one should be
  913. chaste and celibate. The entire chapter of I Corinthians,
  914. chapter 7 deals with this subject comprehensively. Here are the
  915. highlights of that chapter:
  916.  
  917. 1) "Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me (Paul):
  918. it is good for a man not to touch a woman."
  919. 2) " Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his
  920. own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."
  921. 3) "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence; and
  922. likewise also the wife unto the husband."
  923. 5) "Defraud ye not one the other (i.e. have sex), except it be
  924. with consent for a time, that ye may give yourself to fasting
  925. and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not
  926. for your incontinency."
  927. 6) "But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment."
  928. 7) "For I would that all men were even as I myself (celibate).
  929. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this
  930. manner, and another after that."
  931. 8) "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for
  932. them if they abide even as I."
  933. 9) "But if they cannot contain, let them marry; for it is
  934. better to marry than to burn."
  935. 10) "And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord,
  936. let not the wife depart from her husband:"
  937. 11) "But and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be
  938. reconciled to her husband; and let not the husband put away his
  939. wife."
  940. 25) "Now, concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord:
  941. yet I give my judgement, as one that hath obtained the mercy of
  942. the Lord to be faithful."
  943. 26) "I suppose therefore that this is good for the present
  944. distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be."
  945. 27) "Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art
  946. thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife."
  947. 28) "But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned: and if a
  948. virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have
  949. trouble in the flesh: but I spare you."
  950. 32) "He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to
  951. the Lord, how he may please the Lord:"
  952. 33) "But he that is married careth for things that are of the
  953. world, how he may please his wife."
  954. 34) "There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin.
  955. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she
  956. may be holy in body and in spirit: but she that is married
  957. careth for the things of the world, how she may please her
  958. husband."
  959. 37) "He that standeth steadfast in his heart, having no
  960. necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath so
  961. decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well."
  962. 38) "So he that giveth her in marriage doeth well, but he that
  963. giveth her not in marriage doeth better."
  964.  
  965. I Corinthians, Chapter 7
  966. ________________________________________________
  967.  
  968. "This I say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill
  969. the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the
  970. Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are
  971. contrary he one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things
  972. that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under
  973. the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
  974. these; adultery, fornication, uncleanliness, lasciviousness,
  975. idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
  976. strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkeness,
  977. revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before as I
  978. have told you in time past, that they which do such things
  979. shall not inherit the kingdom of God."
  980.  
  981. Galatians 5:16-21
  982.  
  983. Compare to BG [Bhagavad Gita] 3.37, where Krishna [God] says
  984. that it is lust only that drives a person to perform sinful
  985. acts.
  986. ________________________________________________
  987.  
  988.  
  989. "But fornication, and all uncleanliness, or covetousness, let
  990. it not be once named among you, as becometh saints."
  991.  
  992. Ephesians 5:3
  993.  
  994. Note how fornication is linked with uncleanliness, and is
  995. considered an unsaintly quality
  996. ________________________________________________
  997.  
  998.  
  999. "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
  1000. fornication; uncleanliness, inordinate affection, evil
  1001. concupiscence (bad desires), and covetousness, which is
  1002. idolatry;"
  1003.  
  1004. Colossians 3:5
  1005.  
  1006. Here also fornication, linked with uncleanliness, is condemned,
  1007. and also plain old inordinate affection.
  1008. ________________________________________________
  1009.  
  1010. "For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye
  1011. should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should
  1012. know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor."
  1013.  
  1014. I Thessalonians 4:3-4
  1015.  
  1016. This is a good verse. It shows that the method of sanctifying
  1017. the body is to abstain from sex life; it also shows that the
  1018. body is just a vessel for the spirit.
  1019.  
  1020. ________________________________________________
  1021.  
  1022. (Paul speaking to disciples) "For I am jealous over you with
  1023. godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I
  1024. may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."
  1025.  
  1026. II Corinthians 11:2
  1027.  
  1028. Note the implications here that Paul arranged the marriages of
  1029. his disciples.
  1030. ________________________________________________
  1031.  
  1032. "I (Jesus) say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to
  1033. lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
  1034. heart."
  1035.  
  1036. Matthew 5:32
  1037.  
  1038. Shows even subtle sex life is to be considered as adultery.
  1039. ________________________________________________
  1040.  
  1041. "It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you,
  1042. and such fornication as is not so much named among the
  1043. Gentiles, that should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed
  1044. up, and have not rather mourned, that he hath done this deed
  1045. might be taken away from among you."
  1046.  
  1047. I Corinthians 5:1-2
  1048.  
  1049. This shows that Paul felt that if one of the followers
  1050. committed fornication, he should be kicked out of the
  1051. association of other disciples.
  1052. ________________________________________________
  1053.  
  1054. "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man dieth is without the
  1055. body; but he that committeh fornication sinneth against his own
  1056. body."
  1057.  
  1058. I Corinthians 6:18
  1059.  
  1060. Very clear verse. Fornication is considered to be the main
  1061. cause of material life. Note that the word used here is
  1062. porneiana [meaning] fornication, not moicheian, or [meaning]
  1063. adultery. The purport is that any sex life, not just illicit
  1064. sex life, causes material consciousness.
  1065. ________________________________________________
  1066.  
  1067.  
  1068. "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but the Lord
  1069. shall destroy both it and them. Now that the body is not for
  1070. fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."
  1071.  
  1072. I Corinthians 6:13
  1073.  
  1074. The words used here are both broma, food. Also note the
  1075. statement about the body not being for sex life. The word used
  1076. here is porneia, [meaning] fornication, not moicheia, [meaning]
  1077. adultery.
  1078. ________________________________________________
  1079.  
  1080. THE ADVANTAGE OF CELIBACY
  1081.  
  1082. "It is my opinion, then, that in a time of stress like the
  1083. present this is the best way for a man to live--it is best for
  1084. a man to be as he is (celibate)...If, however, you do marry,
  1085. there is nothing wrong in it; and if a virgin marries, she has
  1086. done no wrong. But those who marry will have pain and grief in
  1087. this bodily life, and my aim is to spare you...I want you to be
  1088. free from anxious care. The unmarried man cares for the Lord's
  1089. business; His aim is to please the Lord. But the married man
  1090. cares for worldly things; his aim is to please his wife; and he
  1091. has a divided mind. The unmarried or celibate woman cares for
  1092. the Lord's business; her aim is to be dedicated to Him in body
  1093. as in spirit; but the married woman cares for worldly things;
  1094. her aim is to please her husband."
  1095.  
  1096. "In saying this I have no wish to keep you on a tight rein. I
  1097. am thinking simply of your own good, of what is seemly, and of
  1098. your freedom to wait upon the Lord without distraction."
  1099.  
  1100. I Corinthians 7:25-26,28,32,35
  1101. ________________________________________________
  1102.  
  1103. CHASTITY
  1104.  
  1105. "...The disciples said to him, 'If that is the position with
  1106. husband and wife, it is better not to marry.' To this he
  1107. replied, 'That is something which not everyone can accept, but
  1108. only those for whom God has appointed it. For a while some are
  1109. incapable of marriage because they were born so, or were made
  1110. so by men, there are others who have themselves renounced
  1111. marriage for the sake of the kingdom of Heaven. Let those
  1112. accept it who can.'"
  1113.  
  1114. Matthew 19:10-12
  1115. ________________________________________________
  1116.  
  1117. LUSTY OR GREEDY PERSONS HAVE NO SHARE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD
  1118.  
  1119.  
  1120. "Fornication and indecency of any kind, or ruthless greed, must
  1121. not be so much as mentioned among you, as befits the people of
  1122. God...no one given to fornication or indecency, or the greed
  1123. which makes an idol of gain, has any share in the kingdom of
  1124. Christ and of God."
  1125.  
  1126. Eph. 5:3,5
  1127. ________________________________________________
  1128.  
  1129. ONE MUST LIVE A PURE LIFE, FREE FROM EARTHLY THINGS
  1130.  
  1131. "Agree together, my friend, to follow my example. You have us
  1132. for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it. For,
  1133. as I have often told you, and now tell you with tears in my
  1134. eyes, there are many whose way of life makes them enemies of
  1135. the cross of Christ. They are heading for destruction, appetite
  1136. is their god, and they glory in their shame. Their minds are
  1137. set on earthly things."
  1138.  
  1139. Phil. 3:17-19
  1140. ________________________________________________
  1141.  
  1142.  
  1143. 7) RENUNCIATION
  1144.  
  1145.  
  1146. ONE MUST BE DETACHED FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD
  1147.  
  1148. "Do not set your hearts on the godless world or anything in it.
  1149. Anyone who loves the world is a stranger to the Father's love
  1150. Everything in the world affords, all that panders to the
  1151. appetites or entices the eyes, all the glamor of it's life,
  1152. springs not from the Father but from the godless world. And
  1153. that would is passing away with all its allurements, but he who
  1154. does God's will stands forever."
  1155.  
  1156. John 2:15-17
  1157. ________________________________________________
  1158.  
  1159. ONE "GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT" TRANSCENDS THE LOWER NATURE
  1160.  
  1161. "If you are guided by the Spirit you will not fulfill the
  1162. desires of your lower nature. That nature sets its desires
  1163. against the Spirit, while the Spirit fights against it. They
  1164. are in conflict with one another so that what you will do you
  1165. cannot do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under
  1166. law."
  1167.  
  1168. Gal. 5:16-18
  1169. ________________________________________________
  1170.  
  1171. ONE WHO HAS THE SPIRIT TRANSCENDS BODILY DEMANDS
  1172.  
  1173. "Our lower nature has no claim upon us; we are not obligated to
  1174. live on that level. If you do so, you must die. But if by the
  1175. Spirit you put to death all the base pursuits of the body, then
  1176. you will live."
  1177.  
  1178. Romans 8:12-13
  1179. ________________________________________________
  1180.  
  1181. RENUNCIATION OF POSSESSIONS
  1182.  
  1183. "...none of you can be a disciple of mine without parting with
  1184. all his possessions."
  1185.  
  1186. Luke 14:33
  1187. ________________________________________________
  1188.  
  1189. "If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast and give to
  1190. the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come
  1191. follow Me."
  1192.  
  1193. Matt. 19:21
  1194. ________________________________________________
  1195.  
  1196.  
  1197. SELF-SACRIFICE
  1198.  
  1199. "If anyone wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self
  1200. behind; day after day he must take up his cross, and come with
  1201. me."
  1202.  
  1203. Luke 9:23, Matt. 16:24, Mark 8:34
  1204. ________________________________________________
  1205.  
  1206. "As they were going along the road a man said to him, 'I will
  1207. follow you wherever you go.' Jesus answered, 'Foxes have their
  1208. holes, birds their roosts; but the Son of Man has nowhere to
  1209. lay his head.' To another he said, 'Follow me,' but the man
  1210. replied, 'Let me go and bury my father first.' Jesus said,
  1211. 'leave the dead to bury their dead; you must go and announce
  1212. the kingdom of God.'
  1213.  
  1214. "Yet another said, 'I will follow you, sir; but let me first
  1215. say good-bye to my people at home.' To him Jesus said, 'No one
  1216. who sets his hand to the plough and then keeps looking back is
  1217. fit for the kingdom of God.'"
  1218. Luke 9:57-62
  1219. ________________________________________________
  1220.  
  1221. THE DEVOTEE NEED NOT ENDEAVOR FOR MATERIAL NECESSITIES
  1222.  
  1223. "I bid you put away anxious thoughts about food and drink to
  1224. keep you alive, and cloths to cover your body. Surely life is
  1225. more than food, the body more than clothes. Look at the birds
  1226. of the air; they do not sow and reap and store in barns, yet
  1227. your heavenly Father feeds them. You are worth more than the
  1228. birds!...And why be anxious about clothes! Consider how the
  1229. lilies grow in the fields; they do not work, they do not spin;
  1230. and yet, I tell you, even Solomon in all his splendor was not
  1231. attired like on of these. But if that is how God clothes the
  1232. grass in the fields, which is there today, and tomorrow is
  1233. thrown on the stove, will he not all the more clothe you? How
  1234. little faith you have! No, do not ask anxiously, 'What are we
  1235. to eat? What are we to drink? What shall we wear?' All these
  1236. are things for the heathen to run after, not for you, because
  1237. your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Set your
  1238. mind on God's kingdom and his justice before everything else,
  1239. and all the rest will come to you as well. So do not be anxious
  1240. about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself. Each day has
  1241. troubles enough of its own."
  1242.  
  1243. Matt. 6:25-34
  1244. ________________________________________________
  1245.  
  1246. ONE SHOULD RENOUNCE THE MATERIAL WORLD
  1247.  
  1248.  
  1249. "The world is crucified to me, and I to the world."
  1250.  
  1251. Gal. 4:14
  1252. ________________________________________________
  1253.  
  1254. AUSTERITY OF THE BODY
  1255.  
  1256. "It is time for you to wake out of sleep, for deliverance is
  1257. nearer to us now than it was when first we believed. It is far
  1258. on in the night; day is near. Let us therefore throw off the
  1259. deeds of darkness and put on our armour as soldiers of the
  1260. light...give no more thought to satisfying the bodily
  1261. appetites."
  1262.  
  1263. Rom. 13:11,12,14
  1264. ________________________________________________
  1265.  
  1266. THE REAL CHRISTIAN CRUCIFIES THE FLESH
  1267.  
  1268. "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the lower
  1269. nature with its passions and desires. If the Spirit is the
  1270. source of our life; let the Spirit also direct our course."
  1271.  
  1272. Gal. 5:24-25
  1273. ________________________________________________
  1274.  
  1275. RENUNCIATION OF FAMILY
  1276.  
  1277. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,
  1278. wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he
  1279. cannot be a disciple of mine. No one who does not carry his
  1280. cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine."
  1281.  
  1282. Luke 14:26-27
  1283. ________________________________________________
  1284.  
  1285. "You must not think that I have come to bring peace to the
  1286. earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come
  1287. to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother,
  1288. a son's wife against her mother-in-law; and a man will find his
  1289. enemies under his own roof."
  1290.  
  1291. "No man is worthy of me who cares more for father and mother
  1292. than for me; no man is worthy of me who cares more for son or
  1293. daughter; no man is worthy of me who does not take up his cross
  1294. and walk in my footsteps. By gaining his life a many will loose
  1295. it; by losing his life for my sake, he will gain it."
  1296.  
  1297. Matt. 10:34-39
  1298. ________________________________________________
  1299.  
  1300. "...anyone who has left brother or sister, father, mother, or
  1301. children, land or houses for the sake of my name will be repaid
  1302. many times over, and gain eternal life."
  1303.  
  1304. Matt. 19:29
  1305. ________________________________________________
  1306.  
  1307. MATERIALISTIC PERSON CANNOT UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL THINGS
  1308.  
  1309. "The sensual man perceiveth not the things that are of the
  1310. Spirit of God, for it is foolishness to him, and he cannot
  1311. understand it."
  1312.  
  1313. "A man who is unspiritual refuses what belongs to the Spirit of
  1314. God; it is folly to him; he cannot grasp it, because it needs
  1315. to be judged in the light of the Spirit."
  1316.  
  1317. I Cor. 2:14
  1318. ________________________________________________
  1319.  
  1320. AUSTERITY AND RENUNCIATION
  1321.  
  1322. "The young man saith unto him (Jesus), All these things have I
  1323. kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? And Jesus said unto
  1324. him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and
  1325. give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and
  1326. come and follow me."
  1327.  
  1328. Matthew 19:20-21
  1329.  
  1330. This clearly says to give away everything you own and take up
  1331. spiritual life, if you want to become perfect.
  1332.  
  1333. ________________________________________________
  1334.  
  1335. "And it came to pass, that as they went in the way, a certain
  1336. man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee wheresoever thou
  1337. goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of
  1338. the air have nests, but the Son of Man hath not where to lay
  1339. his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said,
  1340. Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto
  1341. him, Let the dead bury their dead; but thou go and preach the
  1342. kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow
  1343. thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home
  1344. in my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his
  1345. hand to the plough, and looking back, it fit for the kingdom of
  1346. God.
  1347.  
  1348. Luke 9:57-62
  1349. ________________________________________________
  1350.  
  1351. "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he
  1352. cannot be my disciple."
  1353.  
  1354. Luke 14:33
  1355. ________________________________________________
  1356.  
  1357. "Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
  1358. after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die;
  1359. but if ye live through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the
  1360. body, ye shall live."
  1361.  
  1362. Romans 6:12-13
  1363. ________________________________________________
  1364.  
  1365. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
  1366. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
  1367. him. For all that is this world, the lust of the flesh, and the
  1368. lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
  1369. but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust
  1370. thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."
  1371.  
  1372. I John 2:15-17
  1373. ________________________________________________
  1374.  
  1375. STATEMENTS SHOWING THE NECESSITY OF RENOUNCING THE FAMILY TO
  1376. TAKE UP SPIRITUAL LIFE
  1377.  
  1378. "And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
  1379. sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands,
  1380. for may name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall
  1381. inherit everlasting life."
  1382.  
  1383. Matthew 19:29
  1384. ________________________________________________
  1385.  
  1386.  
  1387.  
  1388. 8) "THERE IS MUCH I HAVE TO TELL YOU..."
  1389.  
  1390.  
  1391. STATEMENTS SHOWING THAT THE BIBLE IS NOT THE ONLY OR FINAL WORD
  1392. OF GOD
  1393.  
  1394. "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear
  1395. them now."
  1396.  
  1397. John 16:12
  1398.  
  1399. Here it is clear that there is more knowledge to be had, but
  1400. the disciples were not purified enough to receive it or
  1401. understand it.
  1402. ________________________________________________
  1403.  
  1404. "These things I have spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time
  1405. cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs; but I
  1406. shall show you of the father
  1407.  
  1408. John 16:25
  1409.  
  1410. Here also Jesus is saying that there is more to come, and that
  1411. the disciples have not yet learned anything of God Himself, but
  1412. that more teachings were to come that would describe God
  1413. Himself clearly.
  1414.  
  1415. ________________________________________________
  1416.  
  1417. "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the
  1418. which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even
  1419. the world itself could not contain the books that could be
  1420. written."
  1421.  
  1422. John 21:25
  1423.  
  1424. Here it is shown that not all of Jesus' activities are known;
  1425. in fact, it is intimated that only a small fraction of them are
  1426. known.
  1427. ________________________________________________
  1428.  
  1429. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
  1430. profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
  1431. instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be
  1432. perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
  1433.  
  1434. II Timothy 3:16-17
  1435.  
  1436. Here it is clearly shown that any bonafide scripture must be
  1437. accepted, at least on the basis of instruction, even if it does
  1438. not describe Jesus. Therefore, the Christians should all accept
  1439. Bhagavad-gita [the Koran, and any other bonafide scriptures].
  1440. ________________________________________________
  1441.  
  1442. "If you do not believe when I tell you of material things, how
  1443. will you believe if I tell you of spiritual things?"
  1444.  
  1445. John 3:12
  1446. ________________________________________________
  1447.  
  1448.  
  1449.  
  1450. 9) JESUS AND GOD MAY BE ONE--BUT THEY ARE ALSO DIFFERENT
  1451.  
  1452. "I do nothing of myself."
  1453.  
  1454. John 14:2
  1455. ________________________________________________
  1456.  
  1457. "My Father is greater than I."
  1458.  
  1459. John 14:2
  1460. ________________________________________________
  1461.  
  1462. "The Lord our God is one Lord."
  1463.  
  1464. Mark 12:29
  1465. ________________________________________________
  1466.  
  1467. My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"
  1468.  
  1469. Matt. 27:46
  1470. ________________________________________________
  1471.  
  1472. "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."
  1473.  
  1474. Luke 23:46
  1475. ________________________________________________
  1476.  
  1477. "As You and I are one, let them also be one in Us."
  1478.  
  1479. c.f. John 17:21
  1480.  
  1481. Thus, Jesus implies that his "oneness" with God is something
  1482. that can be achieved by others.
  1483. ________________________________________________
  1484.  
  1485. "But of that day and that hour knowth no man, no, not the
  1486. angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."
  1487.  
  1488. Mark 13:32
  1489. ________________________________________________
  1490.  
  1491. It is also written of Jesus: "Behold my servant, whom I have
  1492. chosen,"
  1493.  
  1494. Matt. 12:18
  1495. ________________________________________________
  1496.  
  1497. "God...glorified His servant, Jesus."
  1498.  
  1499. Acts 3:13
  1500. ________________________________________________
  1501.  
  1502.  
  1503.  
  1504. 10) MISCELLANEOUS
  1505.  
  1506. GOD IS NOT AN OLD MAN WITH A FLOWING WHITE BEARD
  1507.  
  1508. 10) My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten
  1509. thousand.
  1510. 11) His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and
  1511. black as a raven.
  1512. 12) His eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters,
  1513. washed with milk, and fitly set.
  1514. 13) His cheeks are as a bet of spices, as sweet flowers; his
  1515. lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.
  1516. 14) His hands are as gold rings set with the beryl; his belly
  1517. is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.
  1518. 15) His legs are as pillars of marble, set upon socks of fine
  1519. gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.
  1520. 16) His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This
  1521. is my beloved, and this is my friend.
  1522.  
  1523. Song of Solomon 5
  1524.  
  1525. Compare to Vedic description in Brahma Samhita.
  1526. ________________________________________________
  1527.  
  1528. THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS: TO LOVE GOD AND ONE'S NEIGHBOR
  1529.  
  1530. (It is thus also indicated that to love God and to love one's
  1531. neighbor are two separate things)
  1532.  
  1533. "'Master, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?' He
  1534. answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all
  1535. your soul, with all your mind." That is the greatest
  1536. commandment. It comes first. The second is like it: "Love your
  1537. neighbor as yourself." Everything in the Law and the prophets
  1538. hangs on these two commandments'"
  1539.  
  1540. Matt. 22:36-40
  1541. ________________________________________________
  1542.  
  1543. SELF-SURRENDER
  1544.  
  1545. "Father...Thy will be done."
  1546.  
  1547. Matt 26:42
  1548. ________________________________________________
  1549.  
  1550. CONTINUAL PRAYER
  1551.  
  1552. "Pray without ceasing."
  1553.  
  1554. Thess. 5:17
  1555. ________________________________________________
  1556.  
  1557.  
  1558. THE SINFUL PERSON HATES GOD, TRUTH. HONEST PERSON OTHERWISE
  1559.  
  1560. "Here lies the test: the light has come into the world,
  1561. but men preferred darkness to light because their deeds were
  1562. evil. Bad men all hate the light and avoid it, for fear their
  1563. practices should be shown up. The honest man comes to the light
  1564. so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all he does."
  1565.  
  1566. John 3:19-21
  1567. ________________________________________________
  1568.  
  1569. ON THE UNPOPULARITY OF POTENT PREACHERS
  1570.  
  1571. "If the world hate you, know that it hated me (Jesus) before it
  1572. hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its
  1573. own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you
  1574. out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."
  1575.  
  1576. John 15:18-19
  1577. ________________________________________________
  1578.  
  1579. ON LISTENING TO GOD FROM WITHIN THE HEART (INSTEAD OF FROM
  1580. AUTHORITY)
  1581.  
  1582. "Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His
  1583. that sent me. If any man will do His (God's) will, he shall
  1584. know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak
  1585. of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory;
  1586. but he that seeketh His (God's) glory that sent him, the same
  1587. is true and no unrighteousness is in him. Did not Moses give
  1588. you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?"
  1589.  
  1590. John 7:16-19
  1591.  
  1592. This clearly says that we must not follow our own ideas, but
  1593. just obey the law and try to understand what the authorities
  1594. say. This defeats the people who day "Jesus speaks to me in my
  1595. heart."
  1596. ________________________________________________
  1597.  
  1598.  
  1599.  
  1600. 11) AFTERWORD
  1601.  
  1602. The merits of this pamphlet can easily be obscured by the
  1603. Christian exclusivity. Dogmatic denial of non-Christian
  1604. religions seems to be a tenet of popular Christianity. Such
  1605. prejudice is largely based on the following verse from the New
  1606. Testament:
  1607.  
  1608. ego eimi ha hodos kai ha alatheia kai ha zoa; oudeis
  1609. erketia pros ton patera ei ma di emou
  1610.  
  1611. "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to
  1612. the Father except through me." )Matt. 14:6)
  1613.  
  1614. However, this is a rather slender peg on which to hang
  1615. one's religious intolerance. Especially since the original
  1616. Greek renders the verse a bit differently than cited above--
  1617. although the above translation is the one you would probably
  1618. find in your Bible.
  1619.  
  1620. The Greek work erketai is extremely present tense. So,
  1621. rather than "comes" as the word is rendered above, it would
  1622. more accurately be "can presently come." This, of course,
  1623. changes the whole meaning. Jesus is actually saying, "I am the
  1624. way, the truth, and the life; no one can presently come to the
  1625. father except through me." Thus, Christian exclusivity becomes
  1626. absurd. Unlike the interpretations pushed upon us by the Bible-
  1627. thumpers--who say that surrender to Jesus is the only way, for
  1628. all time--Jesus simply said that eh was the way presently, at
  1629. that time, in Palestine-- 2,000 years ago. Says Dr. Boyd
  1630. Daniels of The American Bible Society, "Oh, yes. The word
  1631. erketai is definitely the present tense form of the verb. Jesus
  1632. was speaking to his contemporaries." (From a personal
  1633. conversation with the author.)
  1634. ________________________________________________
  1635.  
  1636. The Codex Sinaiticus, our earliest existing Greek
  1637. manuscript of the New Testament, can presently be found in the
  1638. British Museum. Interestingly, this manuscript was written in
  1639. the year 331 A.D. - Just six years after the Council of Nicaea.
  1640. We have no New Testament manuscripts from before this council.
  1641.  
  1642. Why is this interesting? Because history reveals that
  1643. everything was rearranged at the council--and at the many
  1644. councils that followed. No one knows what Christianity may
  1645. have been like before this first ecumenical synod. And no one
  1646. is ever likely to find out--for the Christian tradition has not
  1647. been preserved. Rather, it has been subject to change and
  1648. decay
  1649.  
  1650.  
  1651. This pamphlet was keyed by Skosch Penrose.
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