The Divine Within (ritual, homosexuality, spiritual, sexuality, faith)

[oracle]

Originally Posted by oracle

Define "divine". What is the likeness of God?
If He is an old man with a white beard, than a homeless man has divinity.
If He is love, than a mother claimes her divinity through childbirth.
What are the qualities that make us "divine"? Is it compassion?
Is it mercy? Is it forgiveness? Is "divine" trandenscendance? Is
"divine" truth? Is divinity these abstract qualities that can be embraced
by all that is finite, or does divinity go beyond the limits of our potential?
I will tell you what "divine" is.
Divinity embraces all things, but nothing can embrace divinity, nor can anyone claim the status of it, except divinity itself.

I asked God, “Where are you God? let me see your face so that I may believe in you“. God said, “look all around you. Look outside; at the stones, at the trees, at the birds of the air. I am all around you but you do not see that my face is everywhere, for I can raise children of Avraham from these stones. I cannot be grasped with physical eyes, but when you become aware that I am everything that is, you will see me".

[Jayhawker Soule]

"Debate" is not some empty vessel into which one regurgitates turgid, sophomoric prose.

[oracle]

God said, "I am everything that is, I am the Aleph and the Tav".

[No*s]

Originally Posted by oracle

Define "divine". What is the likeness of God?

If He is an old man with a white beard, than a homeless man has divinity.
If He is love, than a mother claimes her divinity through childbirth.
What are the qualities that make us "divine"? Is it compassion?
Is it mercy? Is it forgiveness? Is "divine" trandenscendance? Is
"divine" truth? Is divinity these abstract qualities that can be embraced
by all that is finite, or does divinity go beyond the limits of our potential?
I will tell you what "divine" is.
Divinity embraces all things, but nothing can embrace divinity.



I like fortune cookies

That is simple . The word divine referrs to having an attribute or attributes that derive themselves from a god's or gods' own, or are similar to those of a god or gods.

In humans, I would follow the traditional view that our ability to commune with God is one such attribute, and another is the capacity for rational thought. I even consider the ability of every animal including ourselve to communicate as being divine. Some things are simply divine in different ways.

Since you asked my definition, could you give a concise definition of your own view?

[oracle]

Originally Posted by No*s

That is simple . The word divine referrs to having an attribute or attributes that derive themselves from a god's or gods' own, or are similar to those of a god or gods.

In humans, I would follow the traditional view that our ability to commune with God is one such attribute, and another is the capacity for rational thought. I even consider the ability of every animal including ourselve to communicate as being divine. Some things are simply divine in different ways.

Since you asked my definition, could you give a concise definition of your own view?

It all really depends upon your definition of God.
Well my point of my little rhetorical "empty vessel", basically follows the view of a mystic: That nothing can be compared to God, because God is infinite and incomprehensible, having no likeness to begin with [no attributes] but His attributes can only be comparable to His own. Love, actually does have attributes that of God. However, only in the aspect that love is an abstract word describing a connection between things and not an emotion, it is "at Oneness" with "everything that exists". The emotion of love cannot be an attribute, but the connection itself. We can often be self-decieved by emotions, they are powerful convincers. In this case, "Love is not a feeling, it is something that you do". Love is an attribute of God if you define love as being infinite, eternal, and selfless. That is a hard concept to understand, but it is only understood by true mystics.

In another sense, we give God finite attributes so that He becomes a personal experience to us. Since God is truely incomprehensible, we grasp Him with human understanding. Because of tradition I call God "He", and "Father". However in a true sense, what is infinite cannot be given finite attributes. God is everywhere, he cannot be located in finite space. He surpasses space and time.

In a sense, we are all a part of God, and God apart of everything. "I am everything that is, I am the first and the last, the Alpha and Omega [I am the I am]". Underneath the illusion of self-idenity, Is this connection. God is the connection between everyone and everything that is existent. Our self-identities are just illusions. We must become aware of this unified aspect and "conquer" the self, the veil, the mask concealing this reality (figuratively speaking). Divity is not an attribute that is earned and gained and used in stature and status. The Kingdom of Heaven is an inner world that cannot be perceived with eyes nor ear.

John 12:25 "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Luke 17:20 "Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."

The Gospel of Thomas

Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. [And after they have reigned they will find rest.]"
Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty." Jesus said, "The person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven days old about the place of life, and that person will live. For many of the first will be last, and will become a single one." ...... Jesus said to them, "When you make the two into one, and when you make the inner like the outer and the outer like the inner, and the upper like the lower, and when you make male and female into a single one, so that the male will not be male nor the female be female, when you make eyes in place of an eye, a hand in place of a hand, a foot in place of a foot, an image in place of an image, then you will enter [the kingdom]." ......"If you do not fast from the world, you will not find the (Father's) kingdom. If you do not observe the sabbath as a sabbath you will not see the Father." .....But I have said that whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the (Father's) kingdom and will become greater than John." .....Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live." Salome said, "Who are you mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you are from someone." Jesus said to her, "I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father." "I am your disciple." For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness."

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by oracle

The Non-Canonical Gospel of Thomas (AKA "Q")

That is laughably wrong. You really need to read more and talk less. Start here:

• The Lost Sayings Gospel Q
• The Gospel of Thomas

You embarrass yourself.

[oracle]

I am just refering that it is Non-Canonical so people don't get confused. Also when I say "Q", I mean the speculation about it being an original scource of Jesus' teachings. Bahhh... Yes I do need to read. I have obiously read some unreliable internet rescources about the Gospel of Thomas being "Q".

[SoulTYPE]

Divinity:

1. The state or quality of being divine.
   1. Divinity The godhead; God. Used with the.
   2. A deity, such as a god or goddess.
2. Godlike character.
3. Theology.
4. A soft white candy, usually containing nuts.

Might help with the conversation somewhat..

[Jayhawker Soule]

Originally Posted by oracle

I am just refering that it is Non-Canonical so people don't get confused. Also when I say "Q", I mean the speculation about it being an original scource of Jesus' teachings.

Stop digging; it's disgusting.

[Jayhawker Soule]

Note: post #25 was edited after post #26 to remove the line addressed in the latter post. So much for honesty.