http://www.thebicyclingguitarist.net/philosophy/ye_are_gods.htm
by Chris Watson
I believe Jesus Christ, if he existed, had an experience of cosmic consciousness similar to what was experienced by Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, and many other people throughout history. Jesus apparently tried to communicate this experience to his followers as best he could, limited by the language and cultural concepts of his time and place.
It is possible that each of us is a function of what the whole cosmos is doing at a point called here and now. In effect, each of us IS the whole universe looking at itself through our eyes. The universe is conscious and self-aware, a.k.a. God, and this awareness and consciousness is within each of us. In other words, what happened to Jesus was NOT a unique experience that only happened to one man in all history and prehistory, but something that EACH of us can experience directly when we tune in to the consciousness that is the base of our existence.
I read the exact same Bible as the Christians do, yet I see Jesus teaching us the same message taught by Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. Consider the following verses along with the interpretation I offer as an alternative to the mainstream Christian interpretation.
John Chapter 10, verses 30-36 (KJV)
10:30 I and [my] Father are one.
10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
The King James Version of the Bible has “the” in italics before “Son of God” in verse 36. This is not for emphasis as some may think, but shows words interpolated by the translators. In this case, they were mistaken. The original Greek does NOT have an article before “Son of God,” which in Greek is equivalent to having an indefinite article. In the original Greek of this scripture, Jesus did NOT say he is the Son of God; he said I am a Son of God. He also quoted Psalm 82 that says “Ye are gods.”
John Chapter 14, verse 12 (KJV)
14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. HE WILL DO EVEN GREATER THINGS THAN THESE, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus says the ordinary humans he left behind (who, according to traditional Christian mythology, are NOT divine as he is) will do greater things than Jesus did. I put those words in all-caps to emphasize them.
John Chapter 17, verses 21-22 (KJV)
17:21 THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE:
Again I put some words in all-caps to emphasize them. It seems pretty clear to me that Jesus says we can be one with the Father just as he was. In other words, what happened to him is NOT something unique that could ONLY happen to him, but it can happen to each of us. Jesus even PRAYS that we can experience it too!
Now many Christians will protest that Jesus says quite plainly:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6, KJV)
I agree, but perhaps not the way that Christians would like me to agree. It is my opinion that this “I am,” this “me” that Jesus speaks of is the big Self of divine consciousness (not the little self of the ego) that is within EACH OF US and was consciously realized by Jesus.
Here is a plausible explanation of what happened: Jesus tried to explain his experience of cosmic consciousness as best he could, using the language and concepts available to him from the culture of his time and place. Awed by his miracles, the disciples of Jesus missed the point of what he was trying to share with them. They distorted the meaning of his message and worshiped the messenger instead. Christianity does not teach the religion OF Jesus, which was the realization of divine Sonship, but the religion ABOUT Jesus, a castrated version of the Gospel that puts Jesus on a pedestal and says that only He, and nobody else, is divine.
For further study, I recommend anything by the late author, philosopher and “spiritual entertainer” Alan Watts, but especially pertaining to this subject Myth and Religion 3: Jesus, His Religion that I paraphrase portions of on this page. Alan Watts does a great job of explaining eastern philosophies to western audiences, and he is also good at explaining what mainstream Christianity teaches, even if he doesn't necessarily agree with it. In at least one of his audio files, Alan Watts makes the point that if Jesus had been born in India he would NOT have been crucified. When Jesus told others that he and the Father were one, they would have said “Congratulations. You finally figured it out.”
================================
In response to this article above that I shared with a friend, I was told that this author and every other intelligent so called enlightened thinker can believe what they want, but he wasn't dependent on them for the relationship he had with his Lord and Savior, and that he had made up his own mind after many years of questions and research. Nobody told him to think the way he did. He concluded with saying that we were both free thinkers, but that we just came to different conclusions, based on what we believe to be true.
He is absolutely correct except for one thing: It's not an opinion about the title: Ye Are Gods - it is direct from the bible - see the bible reference verses again. This prompted yet another thought. Was this verse possibly altered? Perhaps - since man has indeed altered many areas of the bible for an agenda. Many parts were left intact, but as every researcher knows, many books were left out of the bible - so yes, man influenced what was in and what was out if it. This is an acknowledged fact among bible scholars. Now think about it this way - what 4 professions have their own 'language' code that encourage the use of interpreters to assist the so called common man/woman -- law, accounting, medicine and religion. How convenient is that! Surely everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions. That is why we are here: To experience this duality dimension of earth school and to discover the You of you. ~ Steven
==============================
The You of you
There is a power within you that is greater than the world. If you let it, it will sustain you, expand you, and fill you with joy.
This power is closer than hands and feet; it is nearer and dearer to you than your own breath.
It is invisible, silent, and immeasurable.
All names for it are vague. All descriptions of it are inaccurate.
It transcends everything you can possibly know about it.
In the following lines, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the essayist and poet, who lived in the 1800's referred to it as instinct: "All our progress is an unfolding, like a vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason."
Today, we would probably translate "instinct" to mean "intuition" or "awareness."
Our basic helplessness in trying to describe it is because it is not a thing, an object, either abstract or concrete, that can be classified. Instead, it is a transcendent, extraordinary experience that expresses itself in an ordinary way. It subtle nature escapes language.
The power within you that can be spoken of is not the power that exists; for like the wind, it cannot be caught; and like the ocean, it can never be grasped.
It is not the mind, but beyond the mind.
This awareness that is you, this sentient understanding, this all encompassing consciousness, it is magnificence itself.
And the sweetest thing about this understanding, is that it is the you of you, the immensity of you.
There is nothing more intimate, nothing more reassuring, and nothing more exhilarating than this inner presence.
Civilizations may come and go, you may trade one body after another, and yet this essence of you, this pure energetic consciousness, will only continue to expand in its awareness.
When confronted with the lie of the world, it is truth; when intimidated by misfortune and adversity, it is strength; and when impoverished by lack, it is abundance.
You are the quintessence of power and beauty and truth; for who you are is this power that never sleeps, this awareness that never ceases, this brilliance that never dims.
You are the light of the world, an emanation of pure energy, unrestricted consciousness wrapped in layers of skin and bones, illusions and misconceptions.
When you finally understand who you are, really are inside, there can be only one possible response: a spontaneous burst of happiness that has no limits.
You are the unbounded potentiality, and who you think you are is not even close to who you really are inside.
The purpose of life is simply this: to discover the You of you.
~ Saleem Rana
by Chris Watson
I believe Jesus Christ, if he existed, had an experience of cosmic consciousness similar to what was experienced by Buddha, Ramana Maharshi, and many other people throughout history. Jesus apparently tried to communicate this experience to his followers as best he could, limited by the language and cultural concepts of his time and place.
It is possible that each of us is a function of what the whole cosmos is doing at a point called here and now. In effect, each of us IS the whole universe looking at itself through our eyes. The universe is conscious and self-aware, a.k.a. God, and this awareness and consciousness is within each of us. In other words, what happened to Jesus was NOT a unique experience that only happened to one man in all history and prehistory, but something that EACH of us can experience directly when we tune in to the consciousness that is the base of our existence.
I read the exact same Bible as the Christians do, yet I see Jesus teaching us the same message taught by Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism. Consider the following verses along with the interpretation I offer as an alternative to the mainstream Christian interpretation.
John Chapter 10, verses 30-36 (KJV)
10:30 I and [my] Father are one.
10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
The King James Version of the Bible has “the” in italics before “Son of God” in verse 36. This is not for emphasis as some may think, but shows words interpolated by the translators. In this case, they were mistaken. The original Greek does NOT have an article before “Son of God,” which in Greek is equivalent to having an indefinite article. In the original Greek of this scripture, Jesus did NOT say he is the Son of God; he said I am a Son of God. He also quoted Psalm 82 that says “Ye are gods.”
John Chapter 14, verse 12 (KJV)
14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. HE WILL DO EVEN GREATER THINGS THAN THESE, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus says the ordinary humans he left behind (who, according to traditional Christian mythology, are NOT divine as he is) will do greater things than Jesus did. I put those words in all-caps to emphasize them.
John Chapter 17, verses 21-22 (KJV)
17:21 THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; THAT THEY MAY BE ONE, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE:
Again I put some words in all-caps to emphasize them. It seems pretty clear to me that Jesus says we can be one with the Father just as he was. In other words, what happened to him is NOT something unique that could ONLY happen to him, but it can happen to each of us. Jesus even PRAYS that we can experience it too!
Now many Christians will protest that Jesus says quite plainly:
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6, KJV)
I agree, but perhaps not the way that Christians would like me to agree. It is my opinion that this “I am,” this “me” that Jesus speaks of is the big Self of divine consciousness (not the little self of the ego) that is within EACH OF US and was consciously realized by Jesus.
Here is a plausible explanation of what happened: Jesus tried to explain his experience of cosmic consciousness as best he could, using the language and concepts available to him from the culture of his time and place. Awed by his miracles, the disciples of Jesus missed the point of what he was trying to share with them. They distorted the meaning of his message and worshiped the messenger instead. Christianity does not teach the religion OF Jesus, which was the realization of divine Sonship, but the religion ABOUT Jesus, a castrated version of the Gospel that puts Jesus on a pedestal and says that only He, and nobody else, is divine.
For further study, I recommend anything by the late author, philosopher and “spiritual entertainer” Alan Watts, but especially pertaining to this subject Myth and Religion 3: Jesus, His Religion that I paraphrase portions of on this page. Alan Watts does a great job of explaining eastern philosophies to western audiences, and he is also good at explaining what mainstream Christianity teaches, even if he doesn't necessarily agree with it. In at least one of his audio files, Alan Watts makes the point that if Jesus had been born in India he would NOT have been crucified. When Jesus told others that he and the Father were one, they would have said “Congratulations. You finally figured it out.”
================================
In response to this article above that I shared with a friend, I was told that this author and every other intelligent so called enlightened thinker can believe what they want, but he wasn't dependent on them for the relationship he had with his Lord and Savior, and that he had made up his own mind after many years of questions and research. Nobody told him to think the way he did. He concluded with saying that we were both free thinkers, but that we just came to different conclusions, based on what we believe to be true.
He is absolutely correct except for one thing: It's not an opinion about the title: Ye Are Gods - it is direct from the bible - see the bible reference verses again. This prompted yet another thought. Was this verse possibly altered? Perhaps - since man has indeed altered many areas of the bible for an agenda. Many parts were left intact, but as every researcher knows, many books were left out of the bible - so yes, man influenced what was in and what was out if it. This is an acknowledged fact among bible scholars. Now think about it this way - what 4 professions have their own 'language' code that encourage the use of interpreters to assist the so called common man/woman -- law, accounting, medicine and religion. How convenient is that! Surely everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions. That is why we are here: To experience this duality dimension of earth school and to discover the You of you. ~ Steven
==============================
The You of you
There is a power within you that is greater than the world. If you let it, it will sustain you, expand you, and fill you with joy.
This power is closer than hands and feet; it is nearer and dearer to you than your own breath.
It is invisible, silent, and immeasurable.
All names for it are vague. All descriptions of it are inaccurate.
It transcends everything you can possibly know about it.
In the following lines, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the essayist and poet, who lived in the 1800's referred to it as instinct: "All our progress is an unfolding, like a vegetable bud. You have first an instinct, then an opinion, then a knowledge as the plant has root, bud, and fruit. Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason."
Today, we would probably translate "instinct" to mean "intuition" or "awareness."
Our basic helplessness in trying to describe it is because it is not a thing, an object, either abstract or concrete, that can be classified. Instead, it is a transcendent, extraordinary experience that expresses itself in an ordinary way. It subtle nature escapes language.
The power within you that can be spoken of is not the power that exists; for like the wind, it cannot be caught; and like the ocean, it can never be grasped.
It is not the mind, but beyond the mind.
This awareness that is you, this sentient understanding, this all encompassing consciousness, it is magnificence itself.
And the sweetest thing about this understanding, is that it is the you of you, the immensity of you.
There is nothing more intimate, nothing more reassuring, and nothing more exhilarating than this inner presence.
Civilizations may come and go, you may trade one body after another, and yet this essence of you, this pure energetic consciousness, will only continue to expand in its awareness.
When confronted with the lie of the world, it is truth; when intimidated by misfortune and adversity, it is strength; and when impoverished by lack, it is abundance.
You are the quintessence of power and beauty and truth; for who you are is this power that never sleeps, this awareness that never ceases, this brilliance that never dims.
You are the light of the world, an emanation of pure energy, unrestricted consciousness wrapped in layers of skin and bones, illusions and misconceptions.
When you finally understand who you are, really are inside, there can be only one possible response: a spontaneous burst of happiness that has no limits.
You are the unbounded potentiality, and who you think you are is not even close to who you really are inside.
The purpose of life is simply this: to discover the You of you.
~ Saleem Rana
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