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Man as god

theosis

Member
Actually I do. And I don't think the ancient Gnostics would disagree with me. But even if they don't it doesn't change anything. They are still powerful spiritual forces.

What is the basis for your statement "Gnosticism is all about metaphor and non-literal interpretation"?

Gnostics were among the first theologians to take parts of the Bible metaphorically. Notice how Genesis is interpreted in a highly innovative way in the gnostic creation myths. Gnostics did not reject Genesis - they took it to mean something very unorthodox.
 

chinu

chinu
In the beganing YOU created a game for yourself to play, but before stepping into that game there was a question in YOUR mind.

Q: How can such a game give true enjoyment until you may forget you are the creator of this game ? Thus.. you turned this game into an illusionary game, Which means that you will forget everything, your power, your rank, your place, your status, after jumping into that game.


But again an another new question got arrised, Q: As You will forget everthing about yourself after jumping into that game, than who will pull you out when you will get tired after playing a lot ? Thus, by giving all of yours powers you created a CLONE of yourself and gave him the duty to pull you out.

Now, asked the clone; Sir, how will i come to know that you are really tired of this game ? YOU said; when i'll cry and beg infront of you to take me out of this game like as you have created me, rather than i created you.

And finally by saying this YOU jumped into that game.

GOD is that CLONE
 

Whiterain

Get me off of this planet
In the beganing YOU created a game for yourself to play, but before stepping into that game there was a question in YOUR mind.

Q: How can such a game give true enjoyment until you may forget you are the creator of this game ? Thus.. you turned this game into an illusionary game, Which means that you will forget everything, your power, your rank, your place, your status, after jumping into that game.


But again an another new question got arrised, Q: As You will forget everthing about yourself after jumping into that game, than who will pull you out when you will get tired after playing a lot ? Thus, by giving all of yours powers you created a CLONE of yourself and gave him the duty to pull you out.

Now, asked the clone; Sir, how will i come to know that you are really tired of this game ? YOU said; when i'll cry and beg infront of you to take me out of this game like as you have created me, rather than i created you.

And finally by saying this YOU jumped into that game.

GOD is that CLONE

Using the Genesis Myth:

You can find multiple interpretations, translations and addition stories on the myth. I learned
the Adam was/is considered the first embodiment of God as well as his legacy gave rise to
the Cult of Adam. This cult is mysterious and not much seems to be known about it other
than that I believe it should be re-established. It was eons ago before it was extinguished and
did practice animal and human sacrifice as well.
 

nazz

Doubting Thomas
Gnostics were among the first theologians to take parts of the Bible metaphorically. Notice how Genesis is interpreted in a highly innovative way in the gnostic creation myths. Gnostics did not reject Genesis - they took it to mean something very unorthodox.

Very unorthodox, yes, but not necessarily metaphorical. You have to understand the ancient Gnostics lived in a pre-scientific era. They had no basis from which to reject the idea that human beings were the special creation of a god a few thousand years ago rather than a product of a long evolutionary history.
 

theosis

Member
Very unorthodox, yes, but not necessarily metaphorical. You have to understand the ancient Gnostics lived in a pre-scientific era. They had no basis from which to reject the idea that human beings were the special creation of a god a few thousand years ago rather than a product of a long evolutionary history.

You're right -- I guess I meant to say that they were taking the Genesis myth as a metaphor for a gnostic myth. Since I don't believe in a creator diety (and find the very idea of a personal god utterly silly) I'm trying too much to impose my modern rationalism into the theology of the ancients.
 

nazz

Doubting Thomas
You're right -- I guess I meant to say that they were taking the Genesis myth as a metaphor for a gnostic myth. Since I don't believe in a creator diety (and find the very idea of a personal god utterly silly) I'm trying too much to impose my modern rationalism into the theology of the ancients.

No worries. I do think if those ancient folks were living today they would no doubt fully accept modern science. After all, Gnosticism is all about acquiring knowledge. I like to say science is physical gnosis and gnosis is spiritual science.
 

kalyan

Aspiring Sri VaishNava
Every man can raise to the potential of god but cannot himself become god. There is a sanskrit verse saying aham brahmasmi, meaning i am brahma but this was achieved only through years of penance and controlling their manas(mind) under the guidance of guru by ancient vedic rishis. Buddha encountered a similar journey too...
 

biased

Active Member
"God became man so that man might become a god."
- St. Athanasius

I thought I'd leave this quote here for someone to think about as it is something that seems so unorthodox yet from one of the most orthodox bishops in the history of Christianity.
 

Bunny

Member
I think we've all got a spark of the Divine in us. Also, we're a part of the universe, which is itself a part of God. But I don't think that makes us God.

It's like, my hand is one of the parts that makes up my body. But if you cut my hand off, the hand alone wouldn't be me. It'd just be a hand.

Please note that I'm not basing the above on anything other than my own personal beliefs and my half-asleep logic, so if it doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm very :sorry1:.
 

ELoWolfe

Member
I wrote a whole analogy of water, a river and the ocean, but realized it was too much.

I just wanted to address the psychic approach to the quote a lot of people seem to be having.

Yes, we are God. No, we are not the totality. Yes, we could be considered a cell on God's body, but we're still God. We only become "just a cell" if we remove ourselves from the body.

Unless you're hylic (and even then there is debate), you will never become "just a cell." You are always connected to God, thus you are God.
 

nazz

Doubting Thomas
I think we've all got a spark of the Divine in us. Also, we're a part of the universe, which is itself a part of God. But I don't think that makes us God.

It's like, my hand is one of the parts that makes up my body. But if you cut my hand off, the hand alone wouldn't be me. It'd just be a hand.

Please note that I'm not basing the above on anything other than my own personal beliefs and my half-asleep logic, so if it doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm very :sorry1:.

makes perfect sense to me
 

Whiterain

Get me off of this planet
I recently learned about the divine spark in this lecture: http://www.gnosis.org/audio/Gnosticism-Legacy.mp3

I thought about this divine spark as the soul prior to hearing it was a popular belief about the soul in
gnosticism. It's something I think I will start learning more about, gnosticism. It seems like the purest
form of belief in a sense you belief existence transcends the physical body.

I also understand the half-asleep explanation as I went through this myself and know what it is talking
about, I was practically in a coma then BOOM full cognitive function!

It seems somewhat insulting or some of the teachers are in deeming the Gods imperfect and judging them.
I do not believe it is right to judge the Gods which is popular this age.

It creates a God that is modifiable and continuing to change, by Man but that is the case with any belief and
politicians and corrupt holy men.
 

nazz

Doubting Thomas
It seems somewhat insulting or some of the teachers are in deeming the Gods imperfect and judging them.
I do not believe it is right to judge the Gods which is popular this age.

Hmm, you may not really like Gnosticism then as Gnostics made some harsh judgments regarding the Demiurge.
 

nazz

Doubting Thomas
I wrote a whole analogy of water, a river and the ocean, but realized it was too much.

I just wanted to address the psychic approach to the quote a lot of people seem to be having.

Yes, we are God. No, we are not the totality. Yes, we could be considered a cell on God's body, but we're still God. We only become "just a cell" if we remove ourselves from the body.

Unless you're hylic (and even then there is debate), you will never become "just a cell." You are always connected to God, thus you are God.

I have also utilized the analogy of a cell in the body. Except in our case we are not preprogrammed by dna but have free will.
 

Knight of Albion

Well-Known Member
"God became man so that man might become a god."
- St. Athanasius

I thought I'd leave this quote here for someone to think about as it is something that seems so unorthodox yet from one of the most orthodox bishops in the history of Christianity.

Something along the lines of 'No one comes to the Father except through Me'.
A much distorted and misunderstood statement.

The teaching needs to be read in the third person.
'God is love and love is of God'...'Love alone unites the soul with God'.
It is a reference to Christ Consciousness - which is Love Consciousness, which ultimately is precisely what true Christianity is all about and totally apart from the corrupted self-serving Churchianity as presented by Orthodoxy.
 

theosis

Member
I think we've all got a spark of the Divine in us. Also, we're a part of the universe, which is itself a part of God. But I don't think that makes us God.

It's like, my hand is one of the parts that makes up my body. But if you cut my hand off, the hand alone wouldn't be me. It'd just be a hand.

Please note that I'm not basing the above on anything other than my own personal beliefs and my half-asleep logic, so if it doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm very :sorry1:.

Well now it's a debate of panentheism vs. pantheism. I just don't see a reason to believe in a divinity entity/diety that is distinct from the Universe in any way.
 

Yusz

Exorcist and Mystical
In his gnostic novel VALIS, Phillip K. Dick has the character of Sophia (Wisdom) tell the main character (himself) that:

Man is holy, and the true god, the living god, is man himself. You will have no gods but yourselves; the days in which you believe in other gods end now, they end forever.

It reminds me very much of my favorite verse from the Gospel of Phillip:

God created man. [...] men create God. That is the way it is in the world - men make gods and worship their creation. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men!

What do you think of this theology?

Greetings...

I believe men is God for his own body... we decide to move where and we decide to do anything, We control our own body and mind... There is two creator in this world one is unseen which is God or i prefer word 'The Creator'.. One another is human who can create too, but has it limitation :)...

Good thread though, let everybody thinking more wider about word of 'GOD' :)..
 

Whiterain

Get me off of this planet
Greetings...

I believe men is God for his own body... we decide to move where and we decide to do anything, We control our own body and mind... There is two creator in this world one is unseen which is God or i prefer word 'The Creator'.. One another is human who can create too, but has it limitation :)...

Good thread though, let everybody thinking more wider about word of 'GOD' :)..

Most of the teaching are about transcending the body. Even though immortality in this life
used to be a pursuit in history transcending the flesh became the standard, which was
ruined as well throughout time. Even though Christianity teaches the ascension from flesh
it teaches nothing Jesus would of taught more than likely being an awesome spiritual teacher.

That's something the Church needed direly from the beginning over beating misery and
and self loathing into the good people. It's sickening and the people think most of spiritual
practices are horse **** outside of eatin crackers and wine.
 
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