YOU MEAN THAT'S IN THE BIBLE?

    You Mean THAT's In the Bible?

By: Satyaraja Dasa  

     Dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C.  Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada, who set the perfect example in his own life, by

Loving the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind. (See

Matt. 22:36-40)

                       Table of Contents

                      -------------------

1) Introduction

2) You are not the Body

3) One Who Loves Christ Must Follow His Commandments

4) Meat Eating

5) Reincarnation

6) Celibacy

7) Renunciation

8) "There is much I have to tell you..."

9) Jesus and God May Be One--But They Are Also Different

10) Miscellaneous

11) After word

(Special thanks to His Grace Rajendranath Dasa; the fruits of

His research were indispensable to the production of this

Pamphlet)

1)  INTRODUCTION

   Both read the Bible day and night.

   But thou read’s black where I read white.

  --William Blake--

     Everyone has some conception of Christianity, whether one

Is a believer or not. The Christian doctrine is amenable to

Many different interpretations and, indeed, many have taken

Advantage of this amenability.  As early as sixty-five years

After the time of Jesus, for instance, Paul, who had never met?

Jesus, debated with the original Apostles in regard to Jesus'

Teaching:   Paul thought that Jesus’ advent freed the people

From following the Old Law, that faith alone was required.

Meanwhile, the Apostles taught that Jesus came to enforce the

Old Law, and that faith without work is dead.

     The faith/works    polemic has    been going    on for

Centuries.   And countless forms of "Christianity" have emerged

As variations on this theme. The subject became so confused by

The time of Martin Luther (1483-1546) both faith and works were

Hard to find. The Popes of the Renaissance epitomize this

Confusion.    The DeMedici Popes were considered the most

Debauched men in the history of religion. The original Pope

John XXIII   was deposed for “notorious incest, adultery,

Defilement, and homicide." In 1415, while still a chamberlain,

He openly kept his brother’s wife as a mistress. In an effort

To squash the scandal, his superiors promoted him to cardinal

And sent him to Bologna, where "two hundred maids, matrons, and

Widows, including a few nuns, fell victim to his brutal lust."

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII was elected. He was nicknamed "the

Honest" because he was the first Pope to acknowledge his

Illegitimate children publicly. This whole farce reached an

Unquestionable peak when, in 1724, the Roman Catholic Church

Banned the   confessional requirement that men name their

Partners in fornication when it was discovered that priests

Were actually making carnal use of the information. Seeing the

Iniquities of the Papacy, Martin Luther proposed an egalitarian

Solution: "Each man should have his own divine right to

Interpret holy   scripture."  While   this new   version   of

Christianity released many believers from the dictates of

Insincere leaders, a new problem arose:  Many would interpret

The scriptures with some ulterior motive (both consciously and

Unconsciously). And this is the problem that exists today. Many

Are using the scriptures to rationalize [his/her] habits,

Activities that God would never ordain.

     Readers of this pamphlet--Christian and non-Christian--are

advised to  view the  following with  an  open  mind,  possibly

achieving a fresh outlook. The distinct feature of this work is

that it  is not beleaguered by vague or popular translations of

the Bible.  All Bible  verses are  rendered with  references to

Reuben Alcalay's Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary for the Old

Testament, and  to Nestle's  Greek/English Interlinear  for the

New Testament.  The importance  of a  word-by-word  translation

should  not  be  underestimated.  Ambiguous  and  aesthetically

pleasing--but inaccurate--translations  are  at  the  heart  of

Biblical interpretive problems.

     We are, of course, working with the premise that the Bible

has  not   been  drastically  changed  (this  is  obviously  an

important  assumption   when  delivering   textual  criticism).

Otherwise, all  Biblical texts  become meaningless.  An opinion

that is not uncommon.

     Still, America  is basically  a Christian country, and all

Christians base  their conception of Christianity on the Bible.

For such  persons, this  pamphlet  should  prove  useful;  with

exception of  a few editorial notes, we will allow the bible to

speak for itself.

     The ultimate purpose of this work, however, is to show the

harmony that  exists between  the Bible  and  the  more-ancient

Vedic texts  of India.  The essential  message of the Bible and

the Vedas is one: to love the Lord with all of ones heart, soul

and  mind.   This  message  is  revealed  to  different  people

according to  time, place,  and circumstance;  based  on  these

considerations, specifics  may vary.  Still the essence remains

the same--it  is simply  delivered according to the capacity of

the audience.

     For instance,  that which  is taught  in  a  primary  math

course differs greatly from that which is taught on in a higher

level. In  elementary mathematics,  one is  taught that numbers

can not  be subtracted  from smaller  numbers. And this premise

should be  accepted by all who study basic arithmetic. However,

in advanced mathematics, you learn that you can subtract larger

numbers from smaller ones: the results are negative numbers.

     Similarly, prophets  and  sages  reveal  religious  truths

selectively, for  the benefit  and gradual  upliftment of their

audience. And,  on minor  points, you may find that one prophet

deprecates a  certain activity,  while  another,  from  another

tradition endorses it.

     In this  way, persons  of different  cultures can  advance

gradually, according  to their  means. Revelation  itself comes

gradually. And the ultimate revelation is that religion is one-

-for God  is one.  If this  short pamphlet  can induce even one

person  to   reach  this   conclusion,  the  author  will  have

considered this work worthwhile.

2)  YOU ARE NOT THE BODY

40) "There are also celestial (epourania: heavenly) bodies, and

bodies terrestrial  (epiyeia: earthly):  but the  glory of  the

celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another."

42) "So  also is  the resurrection  of the  dead. It is sown in

corruption (ie.  born in  matter); it is raised in incorruption

(ie. Spirit).)

44) "It  is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.

There is a natural body, and a spiritual body."

47) "The  first man  of the  earth, earthy  (ie. first birth is

material): the  second man  is the  Lord (anthropos:  man) from

heaven (ie. second birth is spiritual)."

48) "As  is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and

as is heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly."

49) "And  as we  have borne  the image  of the earthy, we shall

also bear the image of the heavenly."

50) "Now  this I  (Paul) say,  brethren, that  flesh and  blood

cannot inherit  the kingdom  of God;  neither  doth  corruption

inherit incorruption."

     I Corinthians 15;40, 42, 44, 47, 48, 50

 This  section clearly  shows that man has both a material body

and a  spiritual body,  and that man first goes through a birth

of the  material body  and then  takes birth  in his  spiritual

body.

     ________________________________________________

 "While  we look  not at  the things which are seen, but at the

things which  are not  seen: for  the things which are seen are

temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

     II Corinthians 4:18

This shows  that the  seen, material  world is temporary, while

the unseen,  spiritual world  is eternal.  Similarly, the body,

which is seen, is temporary, while the life-force (soul), which

is unseen is eternal

     ________________________________________________

1) "For  we know  that if  our earthly house of this tabernacle

were dissolved,  we have  a building  of God, an house not made

with hands, eternal in the heavens."

2) "For  in this  (house) we  groan, earnestly  desiring to  be

clothed upon with our house which is from heaven."

6) "Therefore,  we are always confident, knowing that, while we

are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord."

7) "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

8) "We  are confident,  I say,  and willing rather to be absent

from the body, and to be present with the lord."

 II Corinthians 5:1, 2, 6, 7, 8

This  is  clear  that  while  in  this  material  body  we  are

suffering, and  desiring to  be in our spiritual body; and that

by spiritual  knowledge we  know  that  the  material  body  is

separate from  the Lord. Not the reference in verse 7 to sastra

caksus.

    

     ________________________________________________

 "And  it came  to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples

were with  him: and  he asked  them, saying, Whom do the people

say that  I am?  They answering him said, John the Baptist; but

some say  Elias; and  other say that one of the old prophets is

risen again."

     Luke 9:18-19

Now why  would the  disciples answer  like this if they did not

believe in reincarnation.

     ________________________________________________

CONFLICT BETWEEN HIGHER AND LOWER SELF

     "For  I  know  that  nothing  good  lodges  in  me--in  my

unspiritual nature,  I mean--for  though the will to do good is

there, the  deed is not. The good which I want to do, I fail to

do; but what I do is the wrong which is against my will; and if

what I  do is against my will, clearly it is no longer I who am

the agent, but sin that has its lodging in me.

     I discover  this principle,  then; that  when I want to do

right, only  the wrong  is within my reach. In my inmost self I

delight in  the law  of God, but I perceive that there is in my

bodily members  a different  law, fighting against the law that

my reason  approves and  makes me a prisoner under the law that

is in my members, the law of sin. Miserable creature that I am,

who is there to rescue me out of this body doomed to death."

     Romans 7.18-24

     ________________________________________________

3)  ONE WHO LOVES CHRIST MUST FOLLOW HIS COMMANDMENTS

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."

     John 14:15

Very clear instruction.

     ________________________________________________

     "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, hi is that

loveth me:  and he  that loveth me shall be loved by my Father,

and I  will love  him, and  will manifest  myself to him. Judas

said unto  him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself

unto us,  and not  unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto

him, if  a man  love me,  he will  keep my words; and my Father

will love him, and make our abode with him."

     John 14:21-23

This  clearly   says  that   love  of  God  means  keeping  the

commandments, and  if one  does not do so, he will not have God

manifested to him.

     ________________________________________________

"If ye keep my commandments, ye shalt abide in my love, even as

I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love."

     John 15:10

This says  also that love of God comes from following the rules

of God.

     ________________________________________________

"For this  is love  of God,  that we keep His commandments; and

His commandments are not grievous."

     I John 5:3

     ________________________________________________

"For it  had been  better for them not to have known the way of

righteousness, than,  after they have know it, to turn from the

holy commandment delivered unto them. But it happened unto them

according to  the true  proverb, the  dog is  turned to his own

vomit again;  and the sow that was washed to her wollowing into

he mire."

     II Peter 2:21-23

This shows that performing atonement for sin then doing the sin

again is like eating vomit.

     ________________________________________________

21) "Not  everyone that  saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter

into the  kingdom of  heaven, but  he that doeth the will of my

Father which is in heaven."

22) "Many  will say  to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not

prophesied in  thy name?  And in thy name have cast out devils?

And in thy name done many wonderful works?"

23) "And  then will  I profess  unto them,  I never  knew  you;

depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

     Matthew 7:21,22,23

This is  a good  verse to quote to people who say that it is by

God's grace  that you  are saved,  and not by works. Here it is

clear that one attains grace by doing the will of God only.

     ________________________________________________

"Be ye  therefore perfect,  even as  your Father  which  is  in

heaven is perfect"

     Matthew 5:48

This kills  the argument  that one  cannot stop  from  sinning.

Therefore just  accept Jesus  and you  are saved. Here Jesus is

commanding them  to become  perfect, that  is to not commit any

sin.

     ________________________________________________

4)  MEAT EATING

While the  Bible--in many places--seems to endorse meat-eating,

these sections should not be taken out of context.

     Instead of using Noah's emergency expedient (following the

flood in  which all  vegetation was  wiped out)  as outlined in

Genesis 9:3,  a  more  important  diet  is  the  original  one,

enunciated by  the Lord in Genesis 1:29; "And God said, Behold,

I have  given you  every herb-bearing  seed and  every tree, in

which is  the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be

for meat  (food)." god  further  indicates--in  the  very  next

verse--that this  diet is "good," while the later diet referred

to--the one  containing meat--was  allowed "simply  to  satisfy

their lust."

     This is outlined quite clearly but, again, it must all be

studied in context.

     The example  of the Quail God purportedly arranged for the

children of  Israel, after  they "tired"  of His manna (Numbers

11:31), is  a prime  example of quoting out of context. Indeed,

verses 31  and 32  (of Numbers)  describe  the  quail  and  the

feasting that followed, but verse 33 must be read to secure the

full impact  of this  passage: "and  while the  flesh  was  yet

between their  teeth, ere  it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord

was kindled  against the people, and the Lord smote them with a

great plague." He was not happy with their meat-eating.

     It also  becomes clear  when one studies the early history

of the church that the founding fathers espoused the vegetarian

ideal. You  can study  their lives:  Tertullian, Pliny, Origen,

St. John  Chrysostom, the list goes on and on. Parenthetically,

that these early Church fathers were avowed vegetarians makes a

large statement as to what we may have read in the Bible before

it was worked on at the various Ecumenical councils...

     It was  not until  the time of Emperor Constantine (Fourth

Century)   that   vegetarian   Christians   had   to   practice

underground--this was because Constantine was a meat-eater.  He

was also  a maniac,  and Church  history books  abound with the

stories of  how he  would pour  molten lead down the throats of

Christian vegetarians  for their chosen diet.  Incidentally, he

also killed his wife by setting her in a vat of boiling water.

     Scriptural knowledge  is simple  for the simple--but it is

difficult for  the twisted.  The Bible clearly says "Thou shalt

not kill" (Exodus 20:13). It could not be stated more simply.

     The  exact  Hebrew  is  "lo  tirtzach",  which  accurately

translates: "thou shalt not kill."

     One of the greatest scholars of Hebrew/English linguistics

(in the  Twentieth Century)--Dr.  Reuben Alcalay has written in

his mammoth  book "The Complete Hebrew/English Dictionary" that

"tirtzach" refers to "any kind of killing whatsoever." The word

"lo" as  you might suspect, means "thou shalt not." DON'T KILL!

Let's face it, the Bible is clear on this point.

     The Vedic literature is also clear on this point. In fact,

the Vedas  take this point past vegetarianism, because there is

still a  sinful reaction in killing vegetables.  Therefore, the

Vedas prescribe  a lacto-vegetarian  diet--the  diet  which  is

least harmful  to living  beings--and a special process to free

one from the minimal sinful reaction that is there from killing

the plants.  The  process  is  given  in  rudimentary  form  in

Bhagavad-gita, and  is elaborated  upon in  Srimad  Bhagavatam.

After applying the process--which centers about the chanting of

the  holy   Name  of  the  Lord  with  love  and  devotion--the

foodstuffs are  known as  prasadam, a Sanskrit word which means

"the Lords mercy."

                             * * *

     Many Bible  scholars persist  with the  theory that Christ

ate  animal  flesh,  obviously  swayed  in  their  opinions  by

personal habits.  The desire  to accede to prejudice and uphold

existing tradition  has been  a human  characteristic for  many

centuries, but  truth appears  now even  more important  as man

exerts his  independence in  so many aspects of life. Respected

Bible scholar Rev. V.A. Holmes-Gore has researched the frequent

use of  the word "meat" in the New Testament Gospels. He traced

its meaning to the original Greek.

     His findings  were  first  published  in  World  Forum  of

Autumn, 1947.   He  reveals that the nineteen Gospel references

to "meat" should have been more accurately translated thus:

Greek          Number of references               Meaning

------------------------------------------------------------

Broma               4                             "food"

Brosis              4                             "the act of

                                                  eating food"

Phago               3                             "to eat"

Brosimos            1                             "That which

                                                  may be eaten"

Trophe              6                             "nourishment"

Prosphagon          1                             "anything to

                                                  eat"

     Thus, the  Authorized Version  of John  21:5, "Have ye any

meat?" is  incorrect; It  should have been translated: "Have ye

anything to eat?"

     "Fish" is  another frequently  mistranslated word  in  the

Bible. Its reference is often not to the form of swimming life,

but to the symbol by which early Christians could identify each

other. It  was a  secret sign,  needed in times of persecution,

prior  to  official  acceptance  of  Christianity  as  a  state

religion.

     The  sign  of  the  fish  was  a  mystical  symbol  and  a

conversational password, deriving from the Greek word for fish,

"Ichthus." As  such, it  represented an  acrostic, composed  of

leading letters  of the  Greek phrase,  "Iesous Christos  Theou

Uios Soter" -- "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour."

     Frequent references  to fish  are intended  as symbolic of

The Christ,  having nothing to do with the act of eating a dead

fish. But  the symbol  of  a  fish  did  not  meet  with  Roman

approval. They  preferred the  sign of  the cross,  choosing to

concentrate more  on the  death of Christ than on His brilliant

life. Perhaps  this is  one reason only ten percent of His life

record appears  in the  canonical scriptures. Most of His first

thirty years is omitted.

     How many worshippers go home from church and sit down to a

feast cut  from a  once proud  beast in  defiance of  the  very

commandments they  have just  been advocating? The verses below

should clear  up any  misgivings the  reader may  have in  this

connection.

DISCUSSION OF MEAT IN THE BIBLE (OLD TESTAMENT)

     "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing

seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree, in

which is  the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be

for meat."

     Genesis 1:29

Shows that the true diet of man is vegetarian.

     ________________________________________________

     "But flesh  with the  life thereof,  which  is  the  blood

thereof, shall  ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives

will require; at the hand of every beast will I require it.

     Genesis 9:4-5

Shows that  man is  not allowed  to eat meat, and if he does he

will pay with his own life. And he will be killed by the one he

kills. This is called Karma.

     ________________________________________________

     "To what  purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto

me? Said  the Lord:  I am  full of the burnt offerings of rams,

and the  fat of  fed beasts;  and I delight not in the blood of

bullocks, or  of lambs,  or of goats. When ye spread forth your

hands, I  will hide  Mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many

prayers, I will not hear, for your hands are

full of blood."

     Isaiah 1:11,15

Shows that  God does  not accept  even the  prayers of  a meat-

eater.

     ________________________________________________

"He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man."

     Isaiah 66:3

Shows that cow killing is equated with murder.

     ________________________________________________

     "It shall  be a  perpetual  statue  for  your  generations

throughout all  your dwellings,  that ye  eat neither  fat  nor

blood."

     Leviticus 3:17

A trick  commandment: You  cannot eat  meat and  not eat blood.

This is  the origin  of the  idea of Kosher food (meat with the

blood drained out of it.) It has been compared to passing stool

and not passing urine. Impossible!

     ________________________________________________

     "And whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of

strangers who  sojourn among  you, that  eateth any  manner  of

blood; I  will even  set My  face against that soul that eateth

blood."

     Leviticus 17:10

Note the  term "any  manner of  blood". All  flesh  comes  from

blood.

     ________________________________________________

APPEARANCES OF THE WORD "MEAT" IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

     This section  shows  how  certain  words  were  translated

wrongly in  the King  James Version  of the  Bible. The correct

translation are taken from the Nestle Interlinear Greek-English

New Testament, which also references the King James Version.

     "And the same John (the Baptist) had his raiment of camels

hair, and  a leathern  girdle about his loins; and his meat was

locust and wild honey."

     Matthew 3:4

The word  used here  is trophe, nourishment. Also note that the

word "locusts"  refers to  locust beans,  or carob,  St. John's

bread.

     ________________________________________________

     "And her  spirit came  again (referring  to a  woman Jesus

raised from  the dead),  and she  arose  straightaway:  and  he

(Jesus) commanded to hive her meat."

     Luke 8:55

The word here is phago, to eat.

     ________________________________________________

14) "Therefore  the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold,

a young  woman shall  conceive, and  bear a son, and shall call

his name Immanuel."

15) "Butter  and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse

the evil, and choose the good."

     Isaiah 7:14,15

Christians are  fond of quoting the first part of this verse as

proof that Jesus is the saviour, but they rarely quote the very

next verse, which says he will be a vegetarian.

     ________________________________________________

     "And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he

(Jesus) said  unto them (his disciples), Have ye here any meat?

And they  gave him  a piece of a broiled fish, and a honeycomb.

And took 'it', and did eat before them."

     Luke 24:41-43

The word  here is  brosimos, eatable.  Note the use of the word

"it" (my emphases), which is in the singular. Jesus was offered

fish and  a honeycomb,  but took  only one. Judging from Isaiah

7:15, we know which he chose.

     ________________________________________________

     "For his  disciples were  gone away  unto the  city to buy

meat."

     John 4:8

The word used here is trophe, nourishment.

     ________________________________________________

     "And when he had received meat, he was strengthened."

     Acts 9:19

The word used here is trophe, nourishment.

     ________________________________________________

     "And while  the day  was coming on, Paul besought them all

to take  meat, saying,  this is  the  fourteenth  day  ye  have

tarried  and   continued  fasting,   having   taking   nothing.

Wherefore I  pray you  to take  some meat:  for  this  is  your

health: for  there shall  not an hair fall from the head of any

of you.  And when  he had  thus spoken, he took bread, and gave

thanks to  God in  the presence  of them  all: and  when he had

broken it,  he began  to eat. Then were they all of good cheer,

and they also took some meat."

     Acts 27:33-36

The word  used here  is trophe,  nourishment.  Note  that  even

though they  say meat,  they show  clearly  that  what  he  was

referring to was bread, which they all took.

     ________________________________________________

     "And when  he had brought them into his house, he sat meat

before them,  and rejoiced,  believing  in  God  with  all  his

house."

     Acts 16:34

The word  used here  is trapesa,  table. It says he set a table

before them!

     ________________________________________________

     "But if thy brother be grieved with that meat, now walkest

thou not  charitably. Destroy  him not  with thy meat, for whom

Christ Died."

     Romans 14:15

Both words  here are  broma, food. This is actually a reference

to spiritual food.

     ________________________________________________

     "For the  kingdom of  God  is  not  meat  and  drink;  but

righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

     Romans 14:17

The word  used here  is  borsis,  act  of  eating.  This  is  a

reference to the fact that the kingdom of God is not material

     ________________________________________________

     "But meat  commendeth us  not to  God, for  neither, if we

eat, are  we the  better; neither,  if we  eat not,  are we the

worse."

     I Corinthians 8:8

The word used here is Broma, food. This verse does not say that

it doesn't  matter if we eat meat or not, but that the activity

of eating has little to do with our relationship of God.

     ________________________________________________

     "Wherefore, if meat makes my brother offend, I will eat no

flesh while  the world  standeth lest  I  make  my  brother  to

offend."

     I Corinthians 8:13

     ________________________________________________

     "And (they) did all eat the same spiritual meat;"

     I Corinthians 10:3

The word here is broma, food.

     ________________________________________________

     "For meat  destroy not  the word  of God.  All things  are

indeed pure;  but it  is evil  for that  man  who  eateth  with

offence. It  is good  neither to  eat flesh, nor to drink wine,

nor anything  whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or

is made weak."

     Romans 14:20-21

A very  good verse.  The word meat used here is Broma, food. It

shows that  it is  not food  which is  wrong, it  is not eating

prasadam, food  offered to  God. The  word flesh  used here  is

kreas, flesh. So it is clear that meat eating is not good.

     ________________________________________________

5)  REINCARNATION

     Under circumstances  that to this very day remain shrouded

in mystery, the Byznatine emperor Justinian in 553 A.D. (at the

Second Council  of  Constantinople)  banned  the  teachings  of

reincarnation from  the  Christian  scriptures.  There  remain,

however, certain  allusions to  reincarnation in the Bible. And

these few are very powerful.

                             * * *

     In the  ninth century  B.C. the  Hebrew prophet  Elijah is

supposed to  have live.  Four centuries later, Malachi recorded

this prophecy  in the  closing  lines  of  the  Old  Testament:

"Behold, I  will send  you Elijah the prophet before the coming

of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."

     The first  book of  the New  Testament, Matthew, refers to

this prophecy  on three  occasions, and  the remaining  gospels

speak of  it seven  times. In the verses that follow, the Greek

form of  the prophet's  name is used. It will be noted from the

remarks  of   the  disciples  of  Jesus  that  there  was  much

speculation and widespread acceptance among the Jews concerning

not only  the return  of Elijah,  but of  other ancient  Hebrew

prophets.

     When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi,  he

asked his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I am? And they

replied, Some  say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias;

and others, Jeremias, or one of the other prophets.

 Matthew 16:13-14

     And as  they came  down from  the mountain,  Jesus charged

them saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be

risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying,

Why then  say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus

answered them,  Elias truly  shall first  come, and restore all

things. But  I say  unto you,  that Elias has come already, and

they knew  him not,  but have  done unto  him  whatsoever  they

listed. Likewise  shall the  Son of  Man suffer from them. Then

the disciples  understood that  he spake  unto them of John the

Baptist [who had already been beheaded by Herod].

 Matthew 17:9-13

     Jesus  began   to  say   unto  the  multitudes  concerning

John...this is  he, of  whom it  is written,  Behold, I send my

messenger before  thy face,  which shall prepare thy way before

thee...And if  ye will receive it: this is Elias, which was for

to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 Matthew 11:7,10-11,14-15

     Another reference is to be found in Luke 9:7-9: "Now Herod

the tetrarch  heard of  all that  was done by Jesus, and he was

perplexed, because  it was  said of  some, that  John was risen

from the  dead; and  of some,  that Elias  had appeared; and of

others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. And Herod

said, John have I beheaded; but who is this of whom I hear such

things?" The same incident is related in Mark 6:14-16

     The early  church father  Tertullian offers  the view that

some orthodox  people take concerning all these verses from the

New  Testament  [Although  Tertullian  was  also  an  outspoken

advocate of reincarnation]. In brief, Tertullian's reasoning is

that Elias  never died  in the  first place. God translated him

directly to  heaven. Thus,  his subsequent re-descent was not a

rebirth, but  merely a return visit. It has been described that

Tertullian bases  his reasoning  on the  statement in  II Kings

2:11: "Behold  there appeared  a chariot of fire, and horses of

fire...and Elijah  went up  by a  whirlwind to  heaven" and was

seen no  more. However, if this church father's reasoning is to

be logically  sustained, Elijah's  return to  earth as John the

Baptist should have been in the same miraculous way he left: He

should have been precipitated on earth as a mature man. Yet the

scriptures indicate  that John  was born  in the  ordinary way.

Thus all  serious Christian  theologians  have  concluded  that

Tertullian's theory is not tenable.

     The  nineteenth-century   [North]   American   philosopher

Francis Bowen  of Harvard,  after citing a number of the Gospel

passages already  quoted, remarks  in his  article,  "Christian

Metemphychosis": "That  the commentators  have not been willing

to receive, in their obvious and literal meaning, assertions so

direct and  so frequently  repeated as this, but have attempted

to explain  them away  in a non-natural and metaphorical sense,

is  a  fact  that  proves  nothing  but  the  existence  of  an

invincible prejudice against the doctrine of the transmigration

of souls."

     One final  point. The  rebirth of  saviors and prophets is

clear enough  in Christian  teaching, but  what about  ordinary

men? Do  they return?  That the  disciples of  Jesus  seriously

considered this  possibility is  evident  from  their  question

concerning the  man who  had been born blind. They asked:  "Who

did sin,  this man, or his parents, that he is born blind?" One

can not  evade the  conclusion that the disciples must have had

reincarnation in  mind, for  obviously if the man had been born

blind his sin could not have been committed in this life. Jesus

had a good opportunity to smash the reincarnation idea once and

for all--but  he did  not! He  merely replied  that the man was

afflicted because  he was  destined through  Christ to have his

sight restored  so that  "the  works  of  God  should  be  made

manifest in him."

     That it  may be  legitimate to look to a previous life for

the source  of individual  goodness or badness seems plain from

St. Paul's  comments on  Jacob and  Esau. He says that the Lord

loved one  and hated  the other  before they  were born--Romans

9:10-13; Malachi  1:2-3. How could a nonexistent being be loved

or hated?

     Another illustration is the one in which Christ warns that

those who  live by  the sword  will die  by the  sword [Matthew

26:52]. This  could only  be universally  true--as all  of  the

savior's statements  should be--if  there is more than one life

in which  to experience  the  reaction  for  many  professional

combat soldiers  die quietly  in their  own beds.  This view is

completely consistent  with Newton's  Third Law  of Motion--for

every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction--and with

the Law of Karma promulgated in the Vedic literatures.

     A similar  reference is  found  in  Mark  10:28-31,  where

rewards are  listed that could hardly be fulfilled in one life.

Peter said unto Jesus: "Lo, we have left all, and have followed

thee." And  Jesus answered: "Verily I say unto you, There is no

man that has left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or

mother, or  wife, or  children, or  lands, for  my sake, But he

shall receive  an hundredfold  now in  this time  [in this age]

houses, and  brethren, and  sisters and  mothers, and children,

and lands,  with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal

life. But  many that  are first  shall be  last; and  the  last

first." Certainly  the enumerated rewards could not possibly be

fulfilled in one incarnation.

     Saint John states in Revelation 3:12: "Him that overcometh

will I  make a  pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go

no more out." It seems he had gone out into incarnation before,

otherwise the  words "no  more" could have no place or meaning.

It may  have been the old idea of the exile of the soul and the

need for  it to  be purified by long sojourn before it could be

admitted as  a "pillar in the temple of my God." In Luke 20:35-

36, a  similar idea  again occurs.  Jesus says:  "They who  are

accounted worthy to obtain that world...neither marry...neither

can they die any more."

     It can  be concluded  from both these verses that the goal

to be achieved is of such a transcendent nature, one short life

would be  insufficient to  reach it. Thus, in Professor Bowen's

essay, "Christian Metemphychosis," previously cited, he wonders

whether in addition to the obvious spiritual meaning, there may

be "a  literal meaning  in the  solemn  words  of  the  Saviour

'Except a  man be  born again,  he cannot  see the  kingdom  of

God.'"

"An eternity  of either  reward  or  punishment,"  says  Bowen,

"would seem  to be  inadequately earned  by one brief period of

probation on earth."

6)  CELIBACY

There are  many verses  in the Bible stating that one should be

chaste and  celibate.   The entire  chapter of  I  Corinthians,

chapter 7 deals with this subject comprehensively. Here are the

highlights of that chapter:

1) "Now  concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me (Paul):

it is good for a man not to touch a woman."

2) " Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his

own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."

3) "Let  the husband  render unto the wife due benevolence; and

likewise also the wife unto the husband."

5) "Defraud  ye not one the other (i.e. have sex), except it be

with consent  for a  time, that ye may give yourself to fasting

and prayer;  and come  together again, that Satan tempt you not

for your incontinency."

6) "But I speak this by permission, and not by commandment."

7) "For  I would that all men were even as I myself (celibate).

But every  man hath  his proper  gift of  God, one  after  this

manner, and another after that."

8) "I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for

them if they abide even as I."

9) "But  if they  cannot contain,  let them  marry; for  it  is

better to marry than to burn."

10) "And  unto the  married I command, yet not I, but the Lord,

let not the wife depart from her husband:"

11) "But  and if  she depart,  let her  remain unmarried, or be

reconciled to her husband; and let not the husband put away his

wife."

25) "Now, concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord:

yet I give my judgement, as one that hath obtained the mercy of

the Lord to be faithful."

26) "I  suppose therefore  that this  is good  for the  present

distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be."

27) "Art  thou bound  unto a  wife? Seek  not to be loosed. Art

thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife."

28) "But  and if  thou marry,  thou hast  not sinned:  and if a

virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have

trouble in the flesh: but I spare you."

32) "He  that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to

the Lord, how he may please the Lord:"

33) "But  he that  is married careth for things that are of the

world, how he may please his wife."

34) "There  is a  difference also  between a wife and a virgin.

The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she

may be  holy in  body and  in spirit:  but she  that is married

careth for  the things  of the  world, how  she may  please her

husband."

37) "He  that  standeth  steadfast  in  his  heart,  having  no

necessity, but  hath power  over his  own  will,  and  hath  so

decreed in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doeth well."

38) "So  he that giveth her in marriage doeth well, but he that

giveth her not in marriage doeth better."

 I Corinthians, Chapter 7

     ________________________________________________

"This I  say then, walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfill

the lust  of the  flesh. For  the  flesh  lusteth  against  the

Spirit, and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh:  and  these  are

contrary he  one to  the other: so that ye cannot do the things

that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under

the law.  Now the  works of  the flesh  are manifest, which are

these; adultery,  fornication,  uncleanliness,  lasciviousness,

idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred,  variance,  emulations,  wrath,

strife, seditions,  heresies,  envyings,  murders,  drunkeness,

revellings, and  such like: of the which I tell you before as I

have told  you in  time past,  that they  which do  such things

shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

 Galatians 5:16-21

Compare to  BG [Bhagavad  Gita] 3.37,  where Krishna [God] says

that it  is lust  only that  drives a  person to perform sinful

acts.

     ________________________________________________

    

"But fornication,  and all  uncleanliness, or covetousness, let

it not be once named among you, as becometh saints."

 Ephesians 5:3

Note how  fornication is  linked  with  uncleanliness,  and  is

considered an unsaintly quality

     ________________________________________________

"Mortify therefore  your members  which  are  upon  the  earth;

fornication;   uncleanliness,    inordinate   affection,   evil

concupiscence  (bad   desires),  and   covetousness,  which  is

idolatry;"

 Colossians 3:5

Here also fornication, linked with uncleanliness, is condemned,

and also plain old inordinate affection.

     ________________________________________________

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye

should abstain  from fornication:  that every one of you should

know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor."

 I Thessalonians 4:3-4

This is  a good  verse. It shows that the method of sanctifying

the body  is to  abstain from  sex life; it also shows that the

body is just a vessel for the spirit.

     ________________________________________________

(Paul speaking  to disciples)  "For I  am jealous over you with

godly jealousy:  for I have espoused you to one husband, that I

may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

 II Corinthians 11:2

Note the  implications here that Paul arranged the marriages of

his disciples.

     ________________________________________________

"I (Jesus)  say unto  you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to

lust after  her hath committed adultery with her already in his

heart."

 Matthew 5:32

Shows even subtle sex life is to be considered as adultery.

     ________________________________________________

"It is  reported commonly  that there is fornication among you,

and such  fornication  as  is  not  so  much  named  among  the

Gentiles, that should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed

up, and  have not  rather mourned,  that he hath done this deed

might be taken away from among you."

 I Corinthians 5:1-2

This shows  that  Paul  felt  that  if  one  of  the  followers

committed  fornication,   he  should   be  kicked  out  of  the

association of other disciples.

     ________________________________________________

"Flee fornication.  Every sin  that a  man dieth is without the

body; but he that committeh fornication sinneth against his own

body."

 I Corinthians 6:18

Very clear  verse. Fornication  is considered  to be  the  main

cause of  material life.  Note  that  the  word  used  here  is

porneiana [meaning]  fornication, not  moicheian, or  [meaning]

adultery. The  purport is  that any  sex life, not just illicit

sex life, causes material consciousness.

     ________________________________________________

"Meats for  the belly,  and the  belly for  meats, but the Lord

shall destroy  both it  and them.  Now that the body is not for

fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."

 I Corinthians 6:13

The words  used here  are  both  broma,  food.  Also  note  the

statement about  the body not being for sex life. The word used

here is porneia, [meaning] fornication, not moicheia, [meaning]

adultery.

     ________________________________________________

THE ADVANTAGE OF CELIBACY

"It is  my opinion,  then, that  in a  time of  stress like the

present this  is the best way for a man to live--it is best for

a man  to be  as he  is (celibate)...If, however, you do marry,

there is  nothing wrong in it; and if a virgin marries, she has

done no  wrong. But those who marry will have pain and grief in

this bodily life, and my aim is to spare you...I want you to be

free from  anxious care. The unmarried man cares for the Lord's

business; His  aim is  to please  the Lord. But the married man

cares for worldly things; his aim is to please his wife; and he

has a  divided mind.  The unmarried or celibate woman cares for

the Lord's  business; her aim is to be dedicated to Him in body

as in  spirit; but  the married woman cares for worldly things;

her aim is to please her husband."

"In saying  this I  have no wish to keep you on a tight rein. I

am thinking  simply of your own good, of what is seemly, and of

your freedom to wait upon the Lord without distraction."

 I Corinthians 7:25-26,28,32,35

     ________________________________________________

CHASTITY

"...The disciples  said to  him, 'If  that is the position with

husband and  wife, it  is better  not to  marry.'  To  this  he

replied, 'That  is something which not everyone can accept, but

only those  for whom God has appointed it. For a while some are

incapable of  marriage because  they were born so, or were made

so by  men, there  are others  who  have  themselves  renounced

marriage for  the sake  of the  kingdom of  Heaven.  Let  those

accept it who can.'"

 Matthew 19:10-12

     ________________________________________________

LUSTY OR GREEDY PERSONS HAVE NO SHARE IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

"Fornication and indecency of any kind, or ruthless greed, must

not be  so much as mentioned among you, as befits the people of

God...no one  given to  fornication or  indecency, or the greed

which makes  an idol  of gain,  has any share in the kingdom of

Christ and of God."

     Eph. 5:3,5

     ________________________________________________

ONE MUST LIVE A PURE LIFE, FREE FROM EARTHLY THINGS

"Agree together,  my friend,  to follow my example. You have us

for a model; watch those whose way of life conforms to it. For,

as I  have often  told you,  and now  tell you with tears in my

eyes, there  are many  whose way  of life makes them enemies of

the cross of Christ. They are heading for destruction, appetite

is their  god, and  they glory  in their shame. Their minds are

set on earthly things."

 Phil. 3:17-19

     ________________________________________________

7)  RENUNCIATION

ONE MUST BE DETACHED FROM THE MATERIAL WORLD

"Do not set your hearts on the godless world or anything in it.

Anyone who  loves the  world is a stranger to the Father's love

Everything in  the world  affords,  all  that  panders  to  the

appetites or  entices the  eyes, all  the glamor  of it's life,

springs not  from the  Father but  from the  godless world. And

that would is passing away with all its allurements, but he who

does God's will stands forever."

 John 2:15-17

     ________________________________________________

ONE "GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT" TRANSCENDS THE LOWER NATURE

"If you  are guided  by the  Spirit you  will not  fulfill  the

desires of  your lower  nature. That  nature sets  its  desires

against the  Spirit, while  the Spirit fights against it.  They

are in  conflict with  one another so that what you will do you

cannot do.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under

law."

 Gal. 5:16-18

     ________________________________________________

ONE WHO HAS THE SPIRIT TRANSCENDS BODILY DEMANDS

"Our lower nature has no claim upon us; we are not obligated to

live on  that level.  If you do so, you must die. But if by the

Spirit you put to death all the base pursuits of the body, then

you will live."

 Romans 8:12-13

     ________________________________________________

RENUNCIATION OF POSSESSIONS

"...none of  you can be a disciple of mine without parting with

all his possessions."

 Luke 14:33

     ________________________________________________

"If thou  wilt be  perfect, go  sell what thou hast and give to

the poor  and thou  shalt have  treasure in  heaven.  And  come

follow Me."

 Matt. 19:21

     ________________________________________________

SELF-SACRIFICE

"If anyone  wishes to be a follower of mine, he must leave self

behind; day  after day he must take up his cross, and come with

me."

 Luke 9:23, Matt. 16:24, Mark 8:34

     ________________________________________________

"As they  were going  along the road a man said to him, 'I will

follow you  wherever you go.' Jesus answered, 'Foxes have their

holes, birds  their roosts;  but the  Son of Man has nowhere to

lay his  head.' To  another he  said, 'Follow  me,' but the man

replied, 'Let  me go  and bury  my father  first.' Jesus  said,

'leave the  dead to  bury their  dead; you must go and announce

the kingdom of God.'

"Yet another  said, 'I  will follow  you, sir; but let me first

say good-bye  to my people at home.' To him Jesus said, 'No one

who sets  his hand to the plough and then keeps looking back is

fit for the kingdom of God.'"

 Luke 9:57-62

     ________________________________________________

THE DEVOTEE NEED NOT ENDEAVOR FOR MATERIAL NECESSITIES

"I bid  you put  away anxious  thoughts about food and drink to

keep you  alive, and  cloths to cover your body. Surely life is

more than  food, the  body more than clothes. Look at the birds

of the  air; they  do not  sow and reap and store in barns, yet

your heavenly  Father feeds  them. You  are worth more than the

birds!...And why  be anxious  about clothes!  Consider how  the

lilies grow  in the fields; they do not work, they do not spin;

and yet,  I tell  you, even Solomon in all his splendor was not

attired like  on of  these. But  if that is how God clothes the

grass in  the fields,  which is  there today,  and tomorrow  is

thrown on  the stove,  will he not all the more clothe you? How

little faith  you have!  No, do not ask anxiously, 'What are we

to eat?  What are  we to  drink? What shall we wear?' All these

are things  for the  heathen to run after, not for you, because

your heavenly  Father knows  that you  need them  all. Set your

mind on  God's kingdom  and his justice before everything else,

and all the rest will come to you as well. So do not be anxious

about tomorrow;  tomorrow will  look after itself. Each day has

troubles enough of its own."

 Matt. 6:25-34

     ________________________________________________

ONE SHOULD RENOUNCE THE MATERIAL WORLD

"The world is crucified to me, and I to the world."

 Gal. 4:14

     ________________________________________________

AUSTERITY OF THE BODY

"It is  time for  you to  wake out of sleep, for deliverance is

nearer to  us now than it was when first we believed. It is far

on in  the night;  day is  near. Let us therefore throw off the

deeds of  darkness and  put on  our armour  as soldiers  of the

light...give  no   more  thought   to  satisfying   the  bodily

appetites."

 Rom. 13:11,12,14

     ________________________________________________

THE REAL CHRISTIAN CRUCIFIES THE FLESH

"Those who  belong to  Christ Jesus  have crucified  the  lower

nature with  its passions  and desires.  If the  Spirit is  the

source of our life; let the Spirit also direct our course."

 Gal. 5:24-25

     ________________________________________________

RENUNCIATION OF FAMILY

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother,

wife and  children, brothers and sisters, even his own life, he

cannot be  a disciple  of mine.  No one  who does not carry his

cross and come with me can be a disciple of mine."

 Luke 14:26-27

     ________________________________________________

"You must  not think  that I  have come  to bring  peace to the

earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. I have come

to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother,

a son's wife against her mother-in-law; and a man will find his

enemies under his own roof."

"No man  is worthy  of me  who cares more for father and mother

than for  me; no  man is worthy of me who cares more for son or

daughter; no man is worthy of me who does not take up his cross

and walk in my footsteps. By gaining his life a many will loose

it; by losing his life for my sake, he will gain it."

 Matt. 10:34-39

     ________________________________________________

"...anyone who  has left  brother or sister, father, mother, or

children, land or houses for the sake of my name will be repaid

many times over, and gain eternal life."

 Matt. 19:29

     ________________________________________________

MATERIALISTIC PERSON CANNOT UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL THINGS

"The sensual  man perceiveth  not the  things that  are of  the

Spirit of  God, for  it is  foolishness to  him, and  he cannot

understand it."

"A man who is unspiritual refuses what belongs to the Spirit of

God; it  is folly  to him; he cannot grasp it, because it needs

to be judged in the light of the Spirit."

 I Cor. 2:14

     ________________________________________________

AUSTERITY AND RENUNCIATION

"The young  man saith unto him (Jesus), All these things have I

kept from  my youth  up: what  lack I  yet? And Jesus said unto

him, If  thou wilt  be perfect, go and sell what thou hast, and

give to  the poor,  and thou  shalt have treasure in heaven and

come and follow me."

 Matthew 19:20-21

This clearly  says to  give away everything you own and take up

spiritual life, if you want to become perfect.

     ________________________________________________

"And it  came to  pass, that as they went in the way, a certain

man said  unto him,  Lord, I  will follow thee wheresoever thou

goest. And  Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of

the air  have nests,  but the  Son of Man hath not where to lay

his head.  And he  said unto  another, Follow  me. But he said,

Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto

him, Let  the dead  bury their dead; but thou go and preach the

kingdom of  God.   And another  also said,  Lord, I will follow

thee; but  let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home

in my  house. And  Jesus said  unto him, No man, having put his

hand to the plough, and looking back, it fit for the kingdom of

God.

 Luke 9:57-62

     ________________________________________________

"Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he

cannot be my disciple."

 Luke 14:33

     ________________________________________________

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live

after the  flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die;

but if  ye live  through the spirit do mortify the deeds of the

body, ye shall live."

 Romans 6:12-13

     ________________________________________________

"Love not  the world, neither the things that are in the world.

If any  man love  the world,  the love  of the Father is not in

him. For all that is this world, the lust of the flesh, and the

lust of  the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,

but is  of the  world. And the world passeth away, and the lust

thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever."

 I John 2:15-17

     ________________________________________________

STATEMENTS SHOWING  THE NECESSITY  OF RENOUNCING  THE FAMILY TO

TAKE UP SPIRITUAL LIFE

"And everyone  that  hath  forsaken  houses,  or  brethren,  or

sisters, or  father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands,

for may  name's sake,  shall receive  an hundredfold, and shall

inherit everlasting life."

 Matthew 19:29

     ________________________________________________

8)  "THERE IS MUCH I HAVE TO TELL YOU..."

STATEMENTS SHOWING THAT THE BIBLE IS NOT THE ONLY OR FINAL WORD

OF GOD

"I have  yet many  things to  say unto  you, but ye cannot bear

them now."

 John 16:12

Here it  is clear  that there  is more knowledge to be had, but

the disciples  were  not  purified  enough  to  receive  it  or

understand it.

     ________________________________________________

"These things  I have spoken unto you in proverbs; but the time

cometh when  I shall  no more speak unto you in proverbs; but I

shall show you of the father

 John 16:25

Here also  Jesus is saying that there is more to come, and that

the disciples have not yet learned anything of God Himself, but

that more  teachings were  to  come  that  would  describe  God

Himself clearly.

     ________________________________________________

"And there  are also  many other  things which  Jesus did,  the

which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even

the world  itself could  not contain  the books  that could  be

written."

 John 21:25

Here it  is shown  that not all of Jesus' activities are known;

in fact, it is intimated that only a small fraction of them are

known.

     ________________________________________________

"All  scripture   is  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  and  is

profitable for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for

instruction in  righteousness, that  the  man  of  God  may  be

perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."

 II Timothy 3:16-17

Here it  is clearly  shown that  any bonafide scripture must be

accepted, at least on the basis of instruction, even if it does

not describe Jesus. Therefore, the Christians should all accept

Bhagavad-gita [the Koran, and any other bonafide scriptures].

     ________________________________________________

"If you  do not believe when I tell you of material things, how

will you believe if I tell you of spiritual things?"

 John 3:12

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9)  JESUS AND GOD MAY BE ONE--BUT THEY ARE ALSO DIFFERENT

"I do nothing of myself."

 John 14:2

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"My Father is greater than I."

 John 14:2

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"The Lord our God is one Lord."

 Mark 12:29

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My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

 Matt. 27:46

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"Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit."

 Luke 23:46

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"As You and I are one, let them also be one in Us."

 c.f. John 17:21

Thus, Jesus  implies that  his "oneness"  with God is something

that can be achieved by others.

     ________________________________________________

"But of  that day  and that  hour knowth  no man,  no, not  the

angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

 Mark 13:32

     ________________________________________________

It is  also written  of Jesus:  "Behold my servant, whom I have

chosen,"

 Matt. 12:18

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"God...glorified His servant, Jesus."

 Acts 3:13

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10)  MISCELLANEOUS

GOD IS NOT AN OLD MAN WITH A FLOWING WHITE BEARD

10) My  beloved is  white and  ruddy, the  chiefest  among  ten

thousand.

11) His head is as the most fine gold, his locks are bushy, and

black as a raven.

12) His  eyes are as the eyes of doves by the rivers of waters,

washed with milk, and fitly set.

13) His  cheeks are  as a  bet of spices, as sweet flowers; his

lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh.

14) His  hands are  as gold rings set with the beryl; his belly

is as bright ivory overlaid with sapphires.

15) His  legs are  as pillars of marble, set upon socks of fine

gold; his countenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.

16) His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely. This

is my beloved, and this is my friend.

 Song of Solomon 5

Compare to Vedic description in Brahma Samhita.

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THE GREATEST COMMANDMENTS: TO LOVE GOD AND ONE'S NEIGHBOR

(It is  thus also  indicated that to love God and to love one's

neighbor are two separate things)

"'Master, which  is the  greatest commandment  in the  Law?' He

answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all

your  soul,   with  all   your  mind."  That  is  the  greatest

commandment. It  comes first. The second is like it: "Love your

neighbor as  yourself." Everything  in the Law and the prophets

hangs on these two commandments'"

 Matt. 22:36-40

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SELF-SURRENDER

"Father...Thy will be done."

 Matt 26:42

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CONTINUAL PRAYER

"Pray without ceasing."

 Thess. 5:17

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THE SINFUL PERSON HATES GOD, TRUTH. HONEST PERSON OTHERWISE

     "Here lies  the test:  the light  has come into the world,

but men  preferred darkness  to light  because their deeds were

evil. Bad  men all  hate the light and avoid it, for fear their

practices should be shown up. The honest man comes to the light

so that it may be clearly seen that God is in all he does."

 John 3:19-21

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ON THE UNPOPULARITY OF POTENT PREACHERS

"If the world hate you, know that it hated me (Jesus) before it

hated you.  If ye  were of  the world, the world would love its

own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you

out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

 John 15:18-19

     ________________________________________________

ON LISTENING  TO GOD  FROM WITHIN  THE HEART  (INSTEAD OF  FROM

AUTHORITY)

"Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but His

that sent  me. If  any man  will do  His (God's) will, he shall

know of  the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak

of myself.  He that  speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory;

but he  that seeketh  His (God's) glory that sent him, the same

is true  and no  unrighteousness is  in him. Did not Moses give

you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?"

 John 7:16-19

This clearly  says that  we must  not follow our own ideas, but

just obey  the law  and try  to understand what the authorities

say. This  defeats the people who day "Jesus speaks to me in my

heart."

     ________________________________________________

11)  AFTERWORD

     The merits  of this pamphlet can easily be obscured by the

Christian  exclusivity.   Dogmatic  denial   of   non-Christian

religions seems  to be  a tenet  of popular  Christianity. Such

prejudice is  largely based on the following verse from the New

Testament:

     ego eimi  ha hodos  kai ha  alatheia kai  ha  zoa;  oudeis

erketia pros ton patera ei ma di emou

     "I am  the way,  the truth,  and the life; no one comes to

the Father except through me." )Matt. 14:6)

     However, this  is a  rather slender  peg on  which to hang

one's religious  intolerance.  Especially  since  the  original

Greek renders  the verse  a bit  differently than cited above--

although the  above translation  is the  one you would probably

find in your Bible.

     The Greek  work erketai  is extremely  present tense.  So,

rather than  "comes" as  the word  is rendered  above, it would

more accurately  be "can  presently  come."  This,  of  course,

changes the  whole meaning. Jesus is actually saying, "I am the

way, the  truth, and the life; no one can presently come to the

father except  through me." Thus, Christian exclusivity becomes

absurd. Unlike the interpretations pushed upon us by the Bible-

thumpers--who say  that surrender to Jesus is the only way, for

all time--Jesus  simply said  that eh was the way presently, at

that time,  in Palestine--  2,000  years  ago.  Says  Dr.  Boyd

Daniels of  The American  Bible Society,  "Oh,  yes.  The  word

erketai is definitely the present tense form of the verb. Jesus

was  speaking   to  his   contemporaries."  (From   a  personal

conversation with the author.)

     ________________________________________________

     The  Codex   Sinaiticus,  our   earliest  existing   Greek

manuscript of  the New Testament, can presently be found in the

British Museum.  Interestingly, this  manuscript was written in

the year 331 A.D. - Just six years after the Council of Nicaea.

We have no New Testament manuscripts from before this council.

     Why is  this interesting?   Because  history reveals  that

everything was  rearranged at  the  council--and  at  the  many

councils that  followed.   No one  knows what  Christianity may

have been  like before this first ecumenical synod.  And no one

is ever likely to find out--for the Christian tradition has not

been preserved.   Rather,  it has  been subject  to change  and

decay

This pamphlet was keyed by Skosch Penrose.