Posts
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Our heavenly Father/Mother is Love, purest Love. She/He delights in forgiving us. Unlike the grumpy old Jehovah, the "Father of the All" is eager to forgive. He can hardly wait to forgive!
So, we need not grovel before Him, and we need not "repent" in sackcloth and ashes, as the ancients did with their god.
But, to keep our karmic record as clear and stainless as it is possible for a human being to do, "repentance" is a good idea.
Repentance is an attitude, a way of viewing your "sins." Most sins are indeliberate, but even though these create zero karma, we still want to feel sincerely sorry for any way in which we have ever hurt ourselves or anyone else. This takes an attitude of humility and realistic assessment.
We also must be completely honest. If we ignore, try to hide, our sins, or pretend that they simply do not exist, we are committing an even worse
error-- lying, to ourselves, and perhaps, to others.
Still, let us recognize that "sin" is not a commitment to "evil." It is more like a "processing error" in cybertech. The ancient Greek word used in the Christian Scriptures verifies this. It is a word from archery, and means "missing the target." Archers do not miss a target because they are "bad" or "evil," but because of imperfection; they are truly trying to hit the bull's eye. So, "sin" is error or mistake, not voluntary rebellion against the good. When a computer or other cyberdevice makes an error, we do not sledge-hammer it into bits and then toss it away! No, instead, we use reason and patience, and seek to repair it; computers are worth a lot!
You are worth a zillion times as much as any cyberdevice. God treasures you infinitely. That is why it is His pleasure and delight to forgive.
There is no sin greater than the Power of God's grace to forgive; to suggest that there is, is simple and sheer blasphemy! We see this unlimited forgiveness all the time in the ministry of Jesus. While the selfrighteous and religious people looked down snobbishly on "sinners," Jesus ate and drank with them on a regular enough basis that it became a scandal. And he often forgave a person on the spot! One woman whom he forgave instantly was even caught in the act of fornication! Now, as sins go, this is quite a serious one, and it has always received special attention and consideration from the old men who judged. (They needed to get lives!:)
Jesus' attitude was one of infinite and unlimited forgiveness. He told us to imitate God, and to forgive our brother "seventy times seven"-- a number that, numerologically, represents the unlimited state of infinity.
Our forgiveness should have no limits. For, he warned, we are forgiven only as we forgive others. (Mt. 6:12) He prophesied, in fact, that all sins, no matter how serious, would be forgiven. (Mk. 3:28).
So, if we are repentant, the Lord of Love joyfully releases us from the terrible bondage to sin. "Sin" is any action that deliberately harms any living creature, including yourself. The only attitude of a kind, good, just person is "repentance," or sorrowful regret and remorse for any sin.
Free and enlightened people do not believe in guilt, which is simple selftorment, a selfcreated hellstate. It is the service of fear, Love's conceptual opposite; so it is the service to the lower nature. But we do believe in the wisdom of repentance. (If the repentance is genuine, it will include not only remorse, but recompense; we must do all that we can to "undo" whatever damage that we have done.)
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Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sin. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2008
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Love and Karma
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It is because we took our lessons seriously that we have found what blessings can be squeezed out of this life.:) You asked, "What were we thinking when we incarnated on earth?"
The Soul level of Mind is always and only thinking of creating karmic balance in the cosmos. To create this perfect equilibrium, we must make mistakes. Happily, however, these mistakes are only processing-errors, built into the system in order to teach us. The ancient Greek word for "sin" was the term used by archers for "missing a target." This was not a voluntary or deliberate act, but an imperfection. So, "sin" was not "evil," but imperfection.
Imperfections and errors create no negative karma, for we simply do not have the processing-capacity to act outside their influences. Only deliberate, voluntary acts create karma. The rest are covered by a wide and wise forgiveness. In fact, early Christians were famous for the phrase, "All our sins are forgiven."
With karma, no one is spying on you or reporting you. Karma is a law, just like gravity. No one has to "enforce gravity" upon you; it is simply a natural law.
We come to earth as often as it takes in order to learn the great lessons of Love, forgiveness, detachment, remorse, recompensation, and regret. As we learn greater Love, we are also able to receive greater Love. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, neither will your Father forgive you." This makes the entire cosmos a kind of mirror, sending back lessons, both easy and (usually) more difficult.
Love is greater than even that massive karma. This means that we can be forgiven for even "sins" for which we cannot forgive ourselves, for the Love-fountain at the Center of the cosmos is infinite.
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It is because we took our lessons seriously that we have found what blessings can be squeezed out of this life.:) You asked, "What were we thinking when we incarnated on earth?"
The Soul level of Mind is always and only thinking of creating karmic balance in the cosmos. To create this perfect equilibrium, we must make mistakes. Happily, however, these mistakes are only processing-errors, built into the system in order to teach us. The ancient Greek word for "sin" was the term used by archers for "missing a target." This was not a voluntary or deliberate act, but an imperfection. So, "sin" was not "evil," but imperfection.
Imperfections and errors create no negative karma, for we simply do not have the processing-capacity to act outside their influences. Only deliberate, voluntary acts create karma. The rest are covered by a wide and wise forgiveness. In fact, early Christians were famous for the phrase, "All our sins are forgiven."
With karma, no one is spying on you or reporting you. Karma is a law, just like gravity. No one has to "enforce gravity" upon you; it is simply a natural law.
We come to earth as often as it takes in order to learn the great lessons of Love, forgiveness, detachment, remorse, recompensation, and regret. As we learn greater Love, we are also able to receive greater Love. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "If you forgive men their trespasses, your Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive them, neither will your Father forgive you." This makes the entire cosmos a kind of mirror, sending back lessons, both easy and (usually) more difficult.
Love is greater than even that massive karma. This means that we can be forgiven for even "sins" for which we cannot forgive ourselves, for the Love-fountain at the Center of the cosmos is infinite.
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Sunday, September 09, 2007
"Sin" and Forgiveness
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"Sin" is the Greek word amartyrian in the ancient writings of the Christian Scriptures. This is a word borrowed from archery, and means "missing a target."
When an archer misses a target, she does not do this out of evil or rebellion. She does it because she is imperfect. She is truly trying to hit the "target" (in this case, obedience to Love), but misses because of human limitations.
The ancient Christians chose this word very carefully, for it was their intent to show that "sin" is not deliberate, voluntary evil. It is not rebellion against God. Instead, it is clearly inability that manifests itself when one is trying, with all one's mind, heart, and power, to do the right thing, but fails-- often seriously, or miserably.
Jesus very easily and readily forgave sins "on the spot." He did not hesitate, for he knew that "sin"-- including some very serious sins of a sexual nature-- were the results, not of evil, but of universal human imperfections. He also commanded us to forgive each other "seventy times seven" times-- a number that, symbolically, represents an infinite, unlimited forgiveness.
He also said, "As you forgive others,your Father will forgive you. But as you refuse to forgive others, your Father will refuse to forgive you." (Mt. 6:12) Why? Because the very same mind is forgiving both the self and others. This is your own deep Unconscious.
We obtain forgiveness, not by being "perfect," flawless, or stainless, but by forgiving others. Each of us needs this, for, no matter how carefully and wisely we live, we are all "sinners." This need for forgiveness is a lesson in humility.
Jewish mystics taught that a person forgiven was more deeply spiritual (loving) than a person who felt that she did not "need" forgiveness.
Jesus might have agreed.
Bottomline: We all need forgiveness of sins; and the only way to get it is to give it to others: As we judge, we are judged. (Mt. 7:1)
Let us, then, follow Jesus and give abundantly a limitless ocean of forgiveness. For each act of forgiveness is also an act of being forgiven-- erasing old karma.
Sin is error, mistake, processing error, and not evil. If we keep this principle in mind and heart, this will make forgiveness the easy and natural response to our imperfect, ignorant, limited sisters and brothers. For forgiveness is Love.
*******
"Sin" is the Greek word amartyrian in the ancient writings of the Christian Scriptures. This is a word borrowed from archery, and means "missing a target."
When an archer misses a target, she does not do this out of evil or rebellion. She does it because she is imperfect. She is truly trying to hit the "target" (in this case, obedience to Love), but misses because of human limitations.
The ancient Christians chose this word very carefully, for it was their intent to show that "sin" is not deliberate, voluntary evil. It is not rebellion against God. Instead, it is clearly inability that manifests itself when one is trying, with all one's mind, heart, and power, to do the right thing, but fails-- often seriously, or miserably.
Jesus very easily and readily forgave sins "on the spot." He did not hesitate, for he knew that "sin"-- including some very serious sins of a sexual nature-- were the results, not of evil, but of universal human imperfections. He also commanded us to forgive each other "seventy times seven" times-- a number that, symbolically, represents an infinite, unlimited forgiveness.
He also said, "As you forgive others,your Father will forgive you. But as you refuse to forgive others, your Father will refuse to forgive you." (Mt. 6:12) Why? Because the very same mind is forgiving both the self and others. This is your own deep Unconscious.
We obtain forgiveness, not by being "perfect," flawless, or stainless, but by forgiving others. Each of us needs this, for, no matter how carefully and wisely we live, we are all "sinners." This need for forgiveness is a lesson in humility.
Jewish mystics taught that a person forgiven was more deeply spiritual (loving) than a person who felt that she did not "need" forgiveness.
Jesus might have agreed.
Bottomline: We all need forgiveness of sins; and the only way to get it is to give it to others: As we judge, we are judged. (Mt. 7:1)
Let us, then, follow Jesus and give abundantly a limitless ocean of forgiveness. For each act of forgiveness is also an act of being forgiven-- erasing old karma.
Sin is error, mistake, processing error, and not evil. If we keep this principle in mind and heart, this will make forgiveness the easy and natural response to our imperfect, ignorant, limited sisters and brothers. For forgiveness is Love.
*******
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Repentance
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Repentance-- remorse and recompense for errors-- is a part of the whole "package" of Love. Love includes repentance, and so, it is not a separate pursuit.
We have all made many mistakes. Earth is a place designed to make errors. That is one of the most effective ways to grow and to learn. Just as when you are teaching a person math or a foreign language, she makes many mistakes. But we do not become outraged, we do not beat her over the head with a ballbat. Instead, we gently correct her, and patiently remind her of the correct answers.
God is a billion times more loving, patient, and reasonable than any of us. So, God does not murder people, or torture people, for having made mistakes. Jesus' attitude towards sin was scandalous to the "righteous" and "religious" leaders of his day, because he was so tender, so kind, so loving. He lived and acted as if souls were more important than errors. He forgave instantly, on the spot. He even dared say, "All your sins are forgiven.".
He was right: The Soul is more important than any mistake a person might make. Very religious people often get this wrong, and the mistake, the "sin," becomes more important than compassion. They want punishment for the sinner, not learning or growth for her. This is an evil and unloving attitude.
Why do we here equate "sin" with error? Is not "sin" a deliberate rebellion against God? No, it is not. The Greek word used for "sin" in the Christian Scriptures was a term borrowed from archery, and meant "missing the mark." When an archer aims at a target, and misses, she does not do this deliberately. She is honestly doing her best to hit the bull's eye, but she misses because she is imperfect. This is error, not deliberate evil.
That is why this term was chosen by the ancient Christians. They wanted to give the message that sin was not deliberate evil, but error. Is there really any such thing as deliberate sinfulness? Yes,there is; but most "sin" is simply error: You honestly try to do your best, like the archer, but you miss the target.
Because we all screw up in many ways, many times, the universal Mind of Love (God) is pervaded by an infinite (endless) supply of forgiveness. For it is God's will that everyone find life and happiness, and a person bound to a practice of "sin" has become its slave; she knows no freedom. To be a slave is to be unfree, and Jesus said, "The truth [Reality] will make you free." (Jn.8:32)
Because we all sin, when we begin to love God, self, and other creatures, naturally we encounter sorrow due to these imperfections. This is not pathological, but completely normal and natural. It is natural repentance, and Love and repentance always come as a set, like salt and pepper, or two bookends. For one is incomplete without the other.
A healthy person is not always berating herself for her sins. For, once she has carefully studied them, and learned everything that she can from them, she then practices selforgiveness. It is then time to be gentle, merciful, and compassionate with the self as you try to be with others.
Jesus said to forgive "seventy times seven," a number that, in numerological symbolism, represents infinity. For in the healthy mind, there are no limits to the quantity or quality of genuine forgiveness. God has an unending supply; as we grow closer to Her Mind, we also become infinite in our forgiveness-capacity. When a person does not forgive, the only one who suffers is the one who refuses to forgive.
In summary, repentance is a great quality of the enlightened person. It is a genuine reflection of humility-- the very opposite of pretending to be "perfect" or "flawless"-- a stupid game played by only the foolish and unwise.
*******
Repentance-- remorse and recompense for errors-- is a part of the whole "package" of Love. Love includes repentance, and so, it is not a separate pursuit.
We have all made many mistakes. Earth is a place designed to make errors. That is one of the most effective ways to grow and to learn. Just as when you are teaching a person math or a foreign language, she makes many mistakes. But we do not become outraged, we do not beat her over the head with a ballbat. Instead, we gently correct her, and patiently remind her of the correct answers.
God is a billion times more loving, patient, and reasonable than any of us. So, God does not murder people, or torture people, for having made mistakes. Jesus' attitude towards sin was scandalous to the "righteous" and "religious" leaders of his day, because he was so tender, so kind, so loving. He lived and acted as if souls were more important than errors. He forgave instantly, on the spot. He even dared say, "All your sins are forgiven.".
He was right: The Soul is more important than any mistake a person might make. Very religious people often get this wrong, and the mistake, the "sin," becomes more important than compassion. They want punishment for the sinner, not learning or growth for her. This is an evil and unloving attitude.
Why do we here equate "sin" with error? Is not "sin" a deliberate rebellion against God? No, it is not. The Greek word used for "sin" in the Christian Scriptures was a term borrowed from archery, and meant "missing the mark." When an archer aims at a target, and misses, she does not do this deliberately. She is honestly doing her best to hit the bull's eye, but she misses because she is imperfect. This is error, not deliberate evil.
That is why this term was chosen by the ancient Christians. They wanted to give the message that sin was not deliberate evil, but error. Is there really any such thing as deliberate sinfulness? Yes,there is; but most "sin" is simply error: You honestly try to do your best, like the archer, but you miss the target.
Because we all screw up in many ways, many times, the universal Mind of Love (God) is pervaded by an infinite (endless) supply of forgiveness. For it is God's will that everyone find life and happiness, and a person bound to a practice of "sin" has become its slave; she knows no freedom. To be a slave is to be unfree, and Jesus said, "The truth [Reality] will make you free." (Jn.8:32)
Because we all sin, when we begin to love God, self, and other creatures, naturally we encounter sorrow due to these imperfections. This is not pathological, but completely normal and natural. It is natural repentance, and Love and repentance always come as a set, like salt and pepper, or two bookends. For one is incomplete without the other.
A healthy person is not always berating herself for her sins. For, once she has carefully studied them, and learned everything that she can from them, she then practices selforgiveness. It is then time to be gentle, merciful, and compassionate with the self as you try to be with others.
Jesus said to forgive "seventy times seven," a number that, in numerological symbolism, represents infinity. For in the healthy mind, there are no limits to the quantity or quality of genuine forgiveness. God has an unending supply; as we grow closer to Her Mind, we also become infinite in our forgiveness-capacity. When a person does not forgive, the only one who suffers is the one who refuses to forgive.
In summary, repentance is a great quality of the enlightened person. It is a genuine reflection of humility-- the very opposite of pretending to be "perfect" or "flawless"-- a stupid game played by only the foolish and unwise.
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Friday, May 25, 2007
Sin and Death, Love and Life
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The text that says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord," states a couple of great truths.
"Sin"-- imperfection, error, mistakes-- bring us into this world, literally. We would not even be in this particular world (dimension, universe) but for our past imperfections. So, "sin" is what brings us to the world wherein the only possible "end" of life is death.
Actually, of course, death does not destroy the higher Self (Soul) or the highest Self (Spirit). It destroys only the body, which is a complex dream-pattern within the Mind.
In the second part of this text, the word "eternal" renders a Greek adjective more accurately translated as "timeless." So, this "timeless life" of Love (enlightenment) is the "gift of God (Love)," exactly the same as is grace.
The life of time must end in death. But the timeless life of the Soul does not end in death. That is why the two make such a perfectly symmetric contrast. When God (Love) grants us access into the deep Unconscious, we discover timeless, time-free life. This is an everlasting, endless life completely outside the borders or boundaries of time. It is not limited by time, ending in death.
This occurs "through Jesus Christ." We cannot experience this higher life, even though it lives potentially within us, until we discover, and try to identify with, the deeply interior Spirit of Christ (Love or enlightenment).
*******
The text that says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord," states a couple of great truths.
"Sin"-- imperfection, error, mistakes-- bring us into this world, literally. We would not even be in this particular world (dimension, universe) but for our past imperfections. So, "sin" is what brings us to the world wherein the only possible "end" of life is death.
Actually, of course, death does not destroy the higher Self (Soul) or the highest Self (Spirit). It destroys only the body, which is a complex dream-pattern within the Mind.
In the second part of this text, the word "eternal" renders a Greek adjective more accurately translated as "timeless." So, this "timeless life" of Love (enlightenment) is the "gift of God (Love)," exactly the same as is grace.
The life of time must end in death. But the timeless life of the Soul does not end in death. That is why the two make such a perfectly symmetric contrast. When God (Love) grants us access into the deep Unconscious, we discover timeless, time-free life. This is an everlasting, endless life completely outside the borders or boundaries of time. It is not limited by time, ending in death.
This occurs "through Jesus Christ." We cannot experience this higher life, even though it lives potentially within us, until we discover, and try to identify with, the deeply interior Spirit of Christ (Love or enlightenment).
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Saturday, March 10, 2007
"Let him who is without sin..."
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When Jesus used the words, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone," he was referring to a barbarian form of utterly painful and agonizing murder called "stoning." In this nightmare form of murder, approved, even recommended, by the ancient "law of Jehovah," a person had sharp, heavy rocks thrown at her, breaking bones, blood-vessels, muscular, and other tissues while dying the most agonizing and ghastly, slow death. Rocks were thrown into her eyes, breaking her teeth, and hurled with force at the most tender and sensitive parts of her body.
It was a ghastly and primitive way to kill a human being-- probably one of the most utterly primitive ways ever created to murder another person. But it was practiced by the utterly primitive, semi-literate desert-dwellers in the ancient tribal group.
Even a young child could be murdered in this horrific way-- for disobeying her parents. In fact, the "law of Jehovah" recommended this nazi-like torture.
Jesus' intention was to prove that the stoners, the murderers, were, in their own way, just as guilty of many imperfections ("sins") as the woman whom they lusted to murder in this bloody and painful way. He could see in the hearts of the people that they felt guilty carrying out this horrible "law of Jehovah." They were essentially good people caught in a nightmarish system-- the system of "execution" (murder) enjoined by the Mosaic and other backwards, unmerciful laws. So, Jesus gave them an "out," so, sharing his own mercy, they would not "have" to be "forced" by customary law to kill her.
He used this hideous form of merciless "execution" as a form of mirror. He reminded them that, someday, they would be the one facing the crowd ready to throw the rocks, to bash their bodies into bloody pulps without mercy, kindness, or goodness. Indeed, karma would make sure of it.
He wanted people to see that a horrible and disgusting murder, even if it is "prettied" up with the name "execution," was cold, barbaric, and evil, for it was murder. And fetid swampwater still stinks even if you call it "oil of rose." So, their "execution" was nothing more than ghastly murder, and Jesus stripped the gory activity of its "mask" of "righteousness," exposing the evil blood-lust beneath.
This could be expanded to a condemnation of all executions in principle, but it certainly rejected forcefully the application of the horrors of stoning. It was also a great opportunity to remind the "righteous" and "respectable religious" people that, just a millimeter below the surface, they were savages, and Jesus never missed the opportunity to point this out.
*******
When Jesus used the words, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone," he was referring to a barbarian form of utterly painful and agonizing murder called "stoning." In this nightmare form of murder, approved, even recommended, by the ancient "law of Jehovah," a person had sharp, heavy rocks thrown at her, breaking bones, blood-vessels, muscular, and other tissues while dying the most agonizing and ghastly, slow death. Rocks were thrown into her eyes, breaking her teeth, and hurled with force at the most tender and sensitive parts of her body.
It was a ghastly and primitive way to kill a human being-- probably one of the most utterly primitive ways ever created to murder another person. But it was practiced by the utterly primitive, semi-literate desert-dwellers in the ancient tribal group.
Even a young child could be murdered in this horrific way-- for disobeying her parents. In fact, the "law of Jehovah" recommended this nazi-like torture.
Jesus' intention was to prove that the stoners, the murderers, were, in their own way, just as guilty of many imperfections ("sins") as the woman whom they lusted to murder in this bloody and painful way. He could see in the hearts of the people that they felt guilty carrying out this horrible "law of Jehovah." They were essentially good people caught in a nightmarish system-- the system of "execution" (murder) enjoined by the Mosaic and other backwards, unmerciful laws. So, Jesus gave them an "out," so, sharing his own mercy, they would not "have" to be "forced" by customary law to kill her.
He used this hideous form of merciless "execution" as a form of mirror. He reminded them that, someday, they would be the one facing the crowd ready to throw the rocks, to bash their bodies into bloody pulps without mercy, kindness, or goodness. Indeed, karma would make sure of it.
He wanted people to see that a horrible and disgusting murder, even if it is "prettied" up with the name "execution," was cold, barbaric, and evil, for it was murder. And fetid swampwater still stinks even if you call it "oil of rose." So, their "execution" was nothing more than ghastly murder, and Jesus stripped the gory activity of its "mask" of "righteousness," exposing the evil blood-lust beneath.
This could be expanded to a condemnation of all executions in principle, but it certainly rejected forcefully the application of the horrors of stoning. It was also a great opportunity to remind the "righteous" and "respectable religious" people that, just a millimeter below the surface, they were savages, and Jesus never missed the opportunity to point this out.
*******
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