A Course or a Curse in Miracles?

[Zombie]

Re: Gate versus Sheep

These are parables. The parable does not negate the biblical arguments for equality with Christ that i've already listed. Properly interpreted, the sheep are converted goats. The goats symbolize ego(s). The sheep symbolize an ego that can relearn (repent) what Life is all about. For a while, the learner needs a Teacher. The Good Shepherd functions as the Teacher of that which must learn to relinquish the ego entirely. When ego is relinquished, the equality of all Beings is revealed. In laying down his ego, Jesus spoke as the Teacher in first person. This is because the Teacher teaches us the truth of equality until true Self is all we know.

hmmm....

would those be the goat of capricorn and the sheep of aries?

[Zombie]

Zzzzombie,

Only problem with this open mind approach is that you have no way of knowing if you are not getting stuff from the dark side. What protection do you use?

Sincerely,
HH

well,
paranoia give the 'bad guys' a handle so i just trust in myself and go.
laughter, as i posted elsewhere is a good defense.

"Thrice did I slip backwards into strange forms of myself, and thrice did my Soul save me."
-A. O. Spare

[UrbanMonk]

What is your name?

That's too trivial.

I have presented you with the doctrine predestination as an option, over and above your idea that -- we are pre-existent.

Why do you make these concepts an either-or proposition? I've already explained how predestination works in another thread. Briefly, it works universally. The destination of everyone is the same as the origination as everyone. Everyone originated as the one Son of Go(o)d. Therefore, there cannot be any other destination. Because the pre-existent Son of Go(o)d is one among equal Beings, and not many different and unequal beings, conflict cannot stand forever, and therefore is predestined to come to an end. in fact, it has already ended from an eternal point of view. If eternity could be compared to a song, it didn't miss a beat to make way for the illusion of millions of years of time and circumstance. We are destined to learn this as time gives us time to learn it.

However, based upon what you have explained to me since we first began talking, plus what you have just unpacked, I am even more convinced now, that you have nibbled here and nibbled there, and not really got into the meat of the Word.

There's nothing meaty about a book that is 80% ambiguous, and wherever it makes definative statements, 4% conflicts with 16%. Indeed, it is milk for little babies who would cry if someone took it away.

( you are not the first person who has discovered that their ideas are based on defective proof texting ! )

Rock-Paper-Scissors. People would not be proof-texting the bible if it were not already in conflict with itself. Perhaps you think that a majority of proof texts (like 16%) rules over a minority of proof texts (like 4%). What makes you think majority rule works this way? Rather, it could indicate that biblical scribes were mostly wrong. You call your proof texts "meat". But you make no more sense than the raving school-master at the end of Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall: You can't 'ave your pudding unless you eat your meat! How can you 'ave your pudding if you don't eat your meat?

Your brief sojourn into Biblical Languages 301, and your encounter with RonC, on the matter of the Nicean Creed, made it crystal clear that you have a lot to learn, but also that you have been a willing participant in your own deception.

You are misrepresenting what was established there. The only thing that was established was that early creed authors did not authorize the use of the terms created or made to describe the reproductive process of Go(o)d. The creed itself disallows the term made, and is silent on the word created...so it is unclear - from the creed - whether the term created can be used to describe a process whereby the Son of Go(o)d comes from Go(o)d Our Father.

Tell, me, what did i learn that i didn't already know? Merely a trivialilty relative to what the term created meant to theologians 1700 years ago. It does not negate my basic premise that by whatever word you want to use to describe the reproductive process of Go(o)d, Go(o)d is able and willing to produce after Go(o)d's own kind, specifically, "true Go(o)d from true Go(o)d"..."Light from Light". And, if Go(o)d is able and willing to do this once, Go(o)d should be able to do it again. Indeed, the Son of Go(o)d should be able and willing to produce "true Go(o)d from true Go(o)d" in a never ending extention of the perfection that is Go(o)d. What word would you use to describe the reproductive process of Go(o)d? I wanted to use the term Creation. Someone objected to this because, upon closer examination, creedal authors objected to it based on whatever meaning the term had for them in those days. Apparently, creation meant something from nothing (ex nihilo), whereas, the Son of Go(o)d is something from something. I have always maintained the the Son of Go(o)d is something from something, like from like, true Go(o)d from true Go(o)d...an equal in all respects except that he came from the Father.

Therefore, nothing in that inquiry changed the validity of my basic premise. The creed still supports the idea of a reproductive process of Go(o)d. It does not stipulate that there is an end to the reproductive process. Indeed, it affirms that another equal, namely the "Holy Spirit" proceeded from the Father and the Son. This affirms the ability of Go(o)d to reproduce after Go(o)d's own kind. I merely affirm that this is:

A.) possible,
B.) does not end.

This raises the question as to why Go(o)d or the Son of Go(o)d would either make or "create" something that is not like Go(o)d, namely "this world"?

What was learned, imo, is that worldlings are trying to use terms, like "creation", to glorify what does not reflect the glory of Go(o)d. So whose decieving whom? You are decieving yourself when if you think that the "creation" of the world is anything normal, or anything Go(o)d does as a matter of practice.

The fact, your repeated attempts at dismissing essentials, ie. The Authority of the Bible

Biblical authority is a myth supported by trance-like affirmations that make of paper and ink a speaking thing that functions as the oracle of a chosen deity. How is this different from idolatry?

The Old Rugged Cross

You are using the cross as a wall and as a weapon of psychic attack. Basically, you and Mel Gibson are assaulting us with it.

I must now take my tea,
Charles B Winchester III

[headheart]

Hi Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzombie! (yawn)

Do you know that I asked this question in Post 33, and this Post 93 ?

It was in reply to your response to salladfingers' comment (Post 32)


A life time has slipped by...since then....

Here it is again.....

saladfingers wrote:

Or, "one must become as a child to enter the Kingdom..."

I have read quite a bit in course in Miracles, and my opinion is this: If one can actually apply those principles, and beleive in them, then I see no reason why the fruits of the Spirit would not manifest (peace, patience, love, longsuffering, etc.)

Of course, if these fruits were truly manifesting in an individual who took the course into their heart, and believed in it, then all opposed (namely Fundamental Christians) would dimiss the bounty of fruit that this person's life yielded and say "well, that's not real peace...that's not real love...that's just the Devil working in that person's life, deceiving us all with this illusion of peace, patience, love, etc.

So how could someone else ever possibly know if it's dangerous or not, or whether it actually works or not? Repitition creates reality. And if it has become someones reality, and if that is indeed what they think in their hearts, then that is what they will become.

They will begin to initite patterns of behavior in themselves and in others around them, that reflect and verify their commitment to the "truth"of their belief system. And the more they beleive, then the more solid the reality they are experiencing becomes. Brain chemicals and physiological responses will soon become aligned with their faith, and all the more mirror the absoluteness of it all.

The person will unconsciously build a new semantic universe around them, redefining words, concepts, even cause and effect phenomena.

At this point, their is no turning back. The only thing...the only thing that the fundametalist can say at ths point, is that "God has turned them over to a reprobate mind." They have been set aside for destruction.

So does course in Miracles work? I would have to honestly say Yes, it probably does work the same alchemical transformations deep within the psyche that the fundamentalist's biblical teaching does. It seems that with the proper devotion and humility, the teachings from the course in Miracles are just as sharp as any other two-edged sword, dividing even unto soul and spirit, joint and marrow.

I suppose that to the pure, all things are pure.


+)Your reply(+

i was thinking along the same lines.

but i highly suggest if one is using visionary techniques, get a few months of practice in before seeking the 'big' questions/topics.

is this evil?
i dont think so, but i pays dividends to stay on the skeptical side pertaining to ones own 'visions'.
otherwise, wrong conclusions can be made without looking for 'proofs' or self consistency.

why would others consider such activities evil? well, a lot of religions/spiritual practices have an esoteric and an exoteric aspect.

there are the 'TEACHINGS' and then there are the 'teachings'.

as far as looking 'inward'? i think more people need to do so. and i think certain aspects of our technology are blindly groping towards such.

re-packaged eastern traditions? maybe. but it could be a fundamental attribute of humanity that the west neglected and is appearing as this.

+)My first question(+

Zzzzombie,

Only problem with this open mind approach is that you have no way of knowing if you are not getting stuff from the dark side. What protection do you use?

Sincerely,
HH

Your reply:

well,
paranoia give the 'bad guys' a handle so i just trust in myself and go.
laughter, as i posted elsewhere is a good defense.

"Thrice did I slip backwards into strange forms of myself, and thrice did my Soul save me."
-A. O. Spare

+)My Second Question(+

Have you ever considered the benefits of using more formidable protection?

ie. A clearer, better signal, from TUL.


Sincerely,
Eric J. Sawyer

[headheart]

I appreciate you attempt at a reply, but you will have to do far better than skattin' or your stream of consciousness stuff. Where are the ACIM quotes of your earlier replies, it seems you just make up this stuff as you go along. Either you are in, or you are out. Either you deliver or just keep on dribbling all over the carpet.

The next time you will see a post from me here, will be the summary and conclusion. So you better bring your side, or slip away dude. Slip away.....

I am feeling nice and mellow as I listen to John Patitucci, Phil Keaggy and Nick Mason

So did you ever get back with your heavy metal brothers?

What is your name?

I have presented you with the doctrine predestination as an option, over and above your idea that -- we are pre-existent. However, based upon what you have explained to me since we first began talking, plus what you have just unpacked, I am even more convinced now, that you have nibbled here and nibbled there, and not really got into the meat of the Word. ( you are not the first person who has discovered that their ideas are based on defective proof texting ! )
Your brief sojourn into Biblical Languages 301, and your encounter with RonC, on the matter of the Nicean Creed, made it crystal clear that you have a lot to learn, but also that you have been a willing participant in your own deception.

The fact, your repeated attempts at dismissing essentials, ie. The Authority of the Bible, The Old Rugged Cross, The Suffering of Jesus, Predestination/Pre-existence and skip to your stream of consciousness repartee about 'The Kingdom of God within you' only reveals that you have a serious gap in understanding the primary doctrines of the Christian Faith.

Assaulting the errors of Rome, as you many do, is something I did in my formative years, but once you begin to put away your prejudices and open up a little more, you will discover that there is a treasure chest of anointed and inspired writings, tradions and when your understanding is opened by the Lord G_d, The Scriptures which are just aching to bring you out of this minor deviation.

These are the questions which are now on the table:

Attachment 79773


Question 1:
Do you think that ACIM ( A Course In Miracles) is something harmful, and if so why?

Question 2:
Are we pre-existent?

Question 3:
Is the Kingdom of God within you?

Question 4:
The Authority of the Bible?

Question 5
The Old Rugged Cross?

Question 6:
The Suffering of Jesus?

Question 7:
Pre-existence/Predestination?



Sincerely,
Eric J. Sawyer.

My Late Night Playlist : Jazz & Oneness

[UrbanMonk]

Question 1: Do you think that ACIM ( A Course In Miracles) is something harmful, and if so why?

The author of A Course In Miracles is well aware that the message it sends will be perceived as a "threat" to the ego. It could only be perceived as harmful to that which is still heavily invested in the "precious" value it has placed on what the ego seems to offer. At the same time, the author explains that it is the ego that is crucifying it's host. And so, which is more harmful? We owe the ego for birth and growth. But we also owe it for sickness, problems, pain, aging and the final dissolution/demise of the body (traditional death scenario). The ego is like poisonous cherry kool-aid in this regard. It is all about self-sabotage. A Course In Miracles intends to liberate us from egoic domination which belittles us in exchange for a chance to be special (a uniquely differentiated being). Can the Course be harmful if this is indeed the situation we are in? Let's not confuse harmful with disturbing.

2. Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all." ~ Gospel of Thomas

The author of A Course In Miracles is well aware that it represents a thought system that is completely reverse of the way worldly invested minds normally think. So there is bound to be some *cognitive dissonance* while traditional thought systems are upset and come undone. Anyone who would be overtly disturbed by it will probably not be involved with it until they are ready for a major change in the course of their life. It's also practical. Until we have overcome the ego, its not against the laws of Go(o)d to look both ways before crossing the street.

Unlike Christianity, there is nothing compelling believers to make public confessions of faith. There are no outward shows of allegiance. The goals of the Course can be accomplished quite privately. Therefore, in countries/regions where a prevalent ideology might be hostile to anything else, it's safer to be a Course student than a traditional Christian. The Course leads one into a Guided lifestyle away from pain and suffering. In fact, this is the safest lifestyle possible in an otherwise hostile world.

If someone is the CEO of a major corporation, a devotion to anything but their company may be harmful to the bottom line of their company. Most CEO's have hobbies. A Course In Miracles could be a hobby. It gradually, gently moves us along a middle path of devotion until we find it within ourselves to be totally devoted and single-minded. A CEO might find it too much to transition from a self-decided agenda to a Guided lifestyle while still involved in day to day management. In such a case, a CEO would probably need to think about an early retirement. If a CEO can manage to hook up to a Guided lifestyle, it just might represent his/her best chance for success in whatever endeavor is undertaken. Oprah is an example of a CEO who has been learning the Course as a hobby. She is now moving toward early retirement. Does it look like Oprah has been harmed? Unable to hold a "normal" conversation? Unable to execute her art?

The Course teaches guilt alleviation techniques to gradually dispel guilt from our mind at the deepest levels. As guilt is alleviated, fewer and fewer incidents of self-sabotage crop up in our daily experience. There are, for example, car accidents that won't happen because we've managed to alleviate the cause of a strange need we feel to punish ourselves. We tend to punish our selves with various kinds of relationships. Guilt alleviation techniques are our best bet for getting along with others. Imagine how things would be if no one blamed anyone else for anything? Imagine what would happen if more people decided that there isn't any justification for anger (and also understood why). Imagine fewer fights over trivial incidents. Imagine fewer murders because people learn not to blame or hold grudges. Imagine more smiles as people begin to invest in the idea that their Reality is Infinite-Abundance-Bliss-Love-Eternal?

The purpose of the Course is to make happy. It says healing is to make happy. It says its the Will of Go(o)d that we be happy. This reminds my of something profound I read in a book many years ago. The author asked the question: "Have you ever heard of a happy criminal"? A happy culture is also the safest culture. Correctional facilities have nothing to lose from a no-guilt paradigm as part of a prisoner's self-help program. People are happier when they don't feel guilty. Happier people are less apt to commit crimes. The Course teaches fear reduction techniques. The more fearful people are, the more vicious they can become. People feel fearful when they feel guilty and vulnerable. Fear is also conjured up when we attack ourselves and others with thoughts. The Course teaches thought management techniques toward total invulnerability and reliance on a benevolent Guide. How would all this affect a what some are not calling a "prison planet"?

Last but not least, is it harmful to take things less seriously? And, is it harmful to cultivate a mindset that offers maximum help?

[headheart]

This is much better.

Since this is your opportunity to present the ideas of ACIM in response to my questions, a less cluttered reply would experdite matters considerably.
Perhaps more of ACIM and less of your ego, for a start.

Nevertheless, I am grateful that you have begun to take this thread more seriously, and attend to the questions on the table. I look forward to your replies to the outstanding questions:

Attachment 79819


Question 2:
Are we pre-existent?

Question 3:
Is the Kingdom of God within you?

Question 4:
The Authority of the Bible?

Question 5
The Old Rugged Cross?

Question 6:
The Suffering of Jesus?

Question 7:
Pre-existence/Predestination?



Sincerely,
Eric J. Sawyer.

[UrbanMonk]

Question 4:
The Authority of the Bible?

"The ego's decisions are ALWAYS wrong, because they are based on a complete fallacy which they are made to uphold. NOTHING it perceives is interpreted correctly. Not only does it cite scripture for its purpose, but it even interprets scripture as a witness for itself. The Bible is a fearful thing to the ego, because of its prejudiced judgment. Perceiving it as fearful, it interprets it fearfully. Having made YOU afraid, you do not appeal to the higher court, because you believe its judgment would be AGAINST you. " ~ A Course In Miracles

A Course In Miracles refers specifically to the Bible 42+ times. Each time, it takes a saying or phrase that has been misunderstood (by egos), and reinterprets it in a way that gives it meaning...the kind of meaning Christ (non-ego) would give it reading the same thing. Here's an example:

"The Bible says, "May the mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus," and uses this as a BLESSING. It is the blessing of miracle-mindedness. It asks that you may think as I thought, joining with me in Christ-thinking." ~ A Course In Miracles

Here's another example:

"The Bible instructs you to "KNOW thyself," or BE CERTAIN. Certainty is always of God. When you love someone, you have PERCEIVED him as he is, and this makes it possible for you to KNOW him. But it is not until you RECOGNIZE him that you KNOW him. Only then are you ABLE to stop asking questions about him. While you ask questions about God, you are clearly implying that you do NOT know Him." ~ A Course In Miracles

And another:

"I have been correctly referred to in the Bible as "The Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world." Those who represent the lamp as blood-stained (an all too widespread conceptual error) do NOT understand the meaning of the symbol. It has been harder for many Christians to realize that this commandment (or assignment) also applies to THEMSELVES. Good teachers never terrorize their students. To terrorize is to attack, and this results in rejection of what the teacher offers. This results in learning failures. Sacrifice is a notion totally unknown to God. This is particularly unfortunate, because frightened people are apt to be vicious. Sacrificing others in any way is a clear-cut violation of God's own injunction that man should be merciful even as His Father in heaven is merciful.Correctly understood, the symbol is a very simple parable, or teaching device, which merely depicts my innocence. The lion and the lamb lying down together refers to the fact that strength and innocence are NOT in conflict, but naturally live in peace." ~ A Course In Miracles

So these are some examples the way Jesus would interpret the Bible sans-ego. The author seems to imply that the main problem with the Bible is ego-interpretation. The ego really doesn't have any authority. To the extent that an ego said something that found it's way into the Bible, it seems as thought Jesus is still able to turn it around and make it say something useful toward salvation.

"You have begun to realize that this is a very practical course, because it means exactly what it says. So does the Bible, if it is properly understood. There has been a marked tendency on the part of many of the Bible's followers, and also its translators, to be entirely literal about fear and its effects, but not about love and its results. Thus, "hellfire" means burning, but raising the dead becomes allegorical. Actually, it is particularly the references to the outcomes of love that should be taken literally because the Bible is about love, being about GOD." ~ A Course In Miracles

The author of A Course In Miracles definitely makes a distinction between literal and allegory and isn't afraid to go against conventional wisdom. The Bible isn't given any special authority, certainly not the kind of authority an ego would give it. An ego would give the Bible special authority for one reason only...to support itself through its fearful interpretations.

Do you think these are examples of proof-texting or just plain old "rightly dividing the word of truth"?

[UrbanMonk]

Correction from above. A sentence was misplaced. Here is the correct reading relative to sacrifice and mercy and how this applies - or ought to apply - to everyone, both Go(o)d and Christian.

"Sacrifice is a notion totally unknown to God. This is particularly unfortunate, because frightened people are apt to be vicious. Sacrificing others in any way is a clear-cut violation of God's own injunction that man should be merciful even as His Father in heaven is merciful. It has been harder for many Christians to realize that this commandment (or assignment) also applies to THEMSELVES." ~ A Course In Miracles

[headheart]

Attachment 79851

Thank for the effort, so far. You are doing and excellent job, Sir!
There is no big rush, so please take your time.



Question 2:
Are we pre-existent?

Question 3:
Is the Kingdom of God within you?

Question 4: Answered!
The Authority of the Bible?

Question 5
The Old Rugged Cross?

Question 6:
The Suffering of Jesus?

Question 7:
Pre-existence/Predestination?



Sincerely,
Eric J. Sawyer.

[UrbanMonk]

Question 3:
Is the Kingdom of God within you?

If you read the gospels, you should be able to see clearly that the gospel is about the Kingdom of Go(o)d. This is good news. What other good news could there be? The Kingdom of Go(o)d is restored to us as we relinquish another kind of kingdom that we have built in (in our mind) in opposition to the Kingdom of Go(o)d. Therefore, even though the Kingdom of Go(o)d is here all around us, we can't see it or experience it while we believe against it. That which rules our own little kingdom - the "ego" - must die in order for our doubts about the the Kingdom of Go(o)d to disappear. When the ego is dead, the Kingdom of Go(o)d will appear to us, and we will be able to see. This is the only kind of prerequisite "death" necessary to reclaim what was ours to begin with.

The ego is a permanent resident, who needs to find his way to the old rugged cross.

Contrary to what you've said here, the ego is permanent only so long as you are vigilant on its behalf. If, on the other hand, you were vigilant only for the Kingdom of God, the ego would be exposed as temporary and unbelievable. When faith in it is withdrawn, it's so-called reality will vanish. Jesus brought his ego to death before the cross. But we can let his cross be the symbol of the death of his ego, of our ego, of all egos. Jesus cannot put our egos to death for us. That is a choice we must all make. What he could do was set an example, and explain why this is important. Therefore, let us take up our cross, and put our egos to death...if we would have the Kingdom of God restored to our awareness. The "cross" we take up is, as we shall see, a process of learning and vigilance and relinquishment, until the alien resident within us is no more.

Having said all that, i will now let A Course In Miracles articulate some of the finer points to be aware of. Here is what the Kingdom of Go(o)d really means...what it really IS:

"When Helen reads this to you, Bill, try to listen very carefully. You have never understood what "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you" means. The reason you cannot understand it is because it is NOT understandable to the ego, which interprets it as if something outside is inside, which does not mean anything. The word "within" does not belong. The Kingdom of Heaven IS you." ~ A Course In Miracles

As you can see, whether we say it is within us or whether we way it IS us...this phrase functions as a wake up call. It's telling us we are not who we have believed we were. In fact, we remain what we have always been: The Kingdom of Go(o)d.

This is emphasized over and over in A Course In Miracles. The author thinks of his Self as The Kingdom of Go(o)d...and is also willing to extend that Identity to the reader. In extending what the Kingdom of Go(o)d is, he also explains what the Kingdom of Go(o)d is not...namely, everything we've believed since receiving what we know. Whatever the Kingdom of Go(o)d is - whatever we know about it - we have already pre-recieved it. This is a gift...an irrevocable birthright/inheritance. It is not given us in the future. It is restored to those of us who have thrown it away in favor of trivial pursuits.

Here, again, is what the Kingdom of Go(o)d IS:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is you. What else but you did the Creator create, and what else but you is His Kingdom? There is nothing outside you. That is what you must ultimately learn, for it is the realization that the Kingdom of Heaven is restored to you. For God created only this, and He did not depart from it nor leave it separate from Himself. " ~ A Course In Miracles

Does the word "only" ring a bell? Have you ever heard of the "only begotten Son"? The ego thinks there are many of us. Rather, Our Father has only one Son. The author of A Course In Miracles makes it clear that the terms Son and Kingdom of Go(o)d are speaking of the same Being.

Here it's made a little more clear as to what the Kingdom of Go(o)d IS:

"The Kingdom of Heaven is the dwelling place of the Son of God, who left not his Father and dwells not apart from Him. Heaven is not a place nor a condition. It is merely an awareness of perfect oneness, and the knowledge that there is nothing else; nothing outside this oneness, and nothing else within." ~ A Course In Miracles

So, here are two ways to look at this phrase. We can say, "The Kingdom of Go(o)d is within you". Or, we can say, "There is nothing outside of you". The Kingdom of Go(o)d, therefore, is infinitely unlimited in scope. If that which is infinitely unlimited in scope is within us, then there can be nothing outside of us. It's a very simple idea that anyone can understand.

The author of A Course In Miracles challenges the reader to believe it...to believe in the Kingdom of Go(o)d...to believe in the Son of Go(o)d. The author claims to be the The Kingdom of Go(o)d-Son of Go(o)d, and also extends this Identity to the truth about the reader.


"What else BUT you did the Creator create, and what else but you IS His Kingdom? This is the whole message of the Atonement, a message which in its totality transcends the sum of its parts which we have covered before. Christmas is not a time; it is a state of mind. The Christ Mind wills from the Soul, not from the Ego, and the Christ Mind IS yours. You who could give the Love of God to everything you see and touch and remember, are literally denying Heaven to yourself. I call upon you to remember that I have chosen you to teach the Kingdom to the Kingdom. I gave ONLY love to the Kingdom, because I believed that was what I WAS." ~ A Course In Miracles

Now the author has added a few more terms to the mix:
Christmas = A State of Mind = the Christ Mind = Your Mind
Your Mind + Your Soul = The Kingdom of Go(o)d = The Son of Go(o)d = Heaven.
The Whole Message of The Gospel of Atonement-Oneness = You Are The Kingdom of Go(o)d.

So let's talk about the parts of the Gospel (of Atonement). For example, how is it that if we are really One, and if we are really The Kingdom of Go(o)d, how has it come about that we do not know that, and how can we know that again? So here is the beginning of an explanation as to why we do not know our Self as The Kingdom of Go(o)d:

"You ARE the Kingdom of Heaven, but you have let the belief in darkness enter your minds, and so you need a new light. The Holy Spirit is the radiance that you must let (in to) banish the idea of darkness. His is the glory before which dissociation falls away, and the Kingdom of Heaven breaks through into its own." ~ A Course In Miracles

So it has to do with what we've subsequently decided to believe, rather than what we already knew. Stated simply, we decided to believe in what was not true, and disbelieve what IS true. This functions to bring on a kind of darkness that blinds us to the light of the Kingdom of Go(o)d. In the darkness, we see everything that is not true. The darkness is called "the world".

"Forget not the Kingdom of God for anything the world has to offer. The world can ADD nothing to the power and the glory of God and His Holy Sons, but it can blind the Sons to the Father if they behold it. You cannot behold the world and know God. Only one is true." ~ A Course In Miracles

Here, the author is using the term "world" for the darkness we have decided to believe in. Believing in the world blinds us to the knowledge of Go(o)d, and therefore, to the knowledge of our Self as the Son of Go(o)d. We cannot know Go(o)d nor Self and see that world at the same time.

"When you awake, you will see the Truth around you and in you, and you will no longer believe in dreams, because they will have no reality for you. But the Kingdom and all that you have created there will have great reality for you, because they are beautiful and true. In the Kingdom, where you are and what you are is perfectly certain. There is no doubt there, because the first question was never asked." ~ A Course In Miracles

So, since we've been given the Kingdom of Go(o)s as a Self to Be...we've subsequently believed in the "darkness" of what is not true. This has functioned like a sleeping pill, causing us to dream about everything that is not true. And believing in our dreams, they seem real to our mind. This is the whole basis of the "reality" of "this world". When we decide to believe in The Kingdom of Go(o)d, we will awaken to a yet greater reality that shows us a beautiful Self. And we will know that Self without a doubt.

The first question was something like, "What am I"? This raised a doubt as to Who/What we Are. These doubts led to a belief in another kind of self, a dark self called "the world" which answers the question in the negative. Negatively stated, the world is what we are not. Finally, this primeval question is answered positively and truthfully by the Gospel of Atonement: You Are The Kingdom of Go(o)d...You Are The Son of Go(o)d. Unless we are the Son of Go(o)d, we default to an "unknown landscape" for another "self". And we can believe in another self. But the author of A Course In Miracles would have us understand that another self is the experience of misery.

We may believe this or not. But this is really the only choice anyone ever really faces.

"Reason will tell you that there is no middle ground where you can pause uncertainly, waiting to choose between the joy of Heaven and the misery of hell. Until you choose Heaven, you are in hell and misery." ~ A Course In Miracles

The Gospel of The Atonement explains how we can exchange the misery of the hell we believe in for the joy of the Heaven we once knew:

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven, because that is where the laws of God operate truly, and they can operate only truly because they are the laws of truth. But seek this only, because you can find nothing else. There is nothing else. To be IN the Kingdom is merely to focus your full attention ON it. As long as you believe that you can ATTEND to what is NOT true, you are accepting conflict as your CHOICE. Heaven itself is reached with empty hands and open minds, which come with nothing to find everything and claim it as their own." ~ A Course In Miracles

To begin seeking the Kingdom, let us remember who we are, and why we are not experiencing the joy of who we are. Let's start with scope. There is nothing outside of you. Therefore, whatever you have sought for outside of you is...nothing. Another word for nothing is "illusion":

"Everything OUTSIDE the Kingdom IS ILLUSION. But you must learn to ACCEPT truth because YOU THREW IT AWAY. You therefore saw yourself AS IF you were WITHOUT it. By making another Kingdom WHICH YOU VALUED, you did NOT keep the Kingdom of God alone in your minds, and therefore placed part of your mind outside of it. What you have made has thus divided your will and given you a sick mind that MUST be healed. Your vigilance AGAINST this sickness IS the way to heal it. " ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so far here's what i've got. This world we call "the world" is another kind of kingdom which we have valued more than the Kingdom of Go(o)d which is our Self. The world symbolizes all of the NOTHINGNESS that is outside an otherwise infinitely unlimited Self, within which is the EVERYTHING called The Kingdom of Go(o)d. Both of these kingdoms are "within" the same mind, creating a conflict of interest and making it sick. One of these kingdoms is the concept of what is outside our mind. By thinking about it, and believing in it, we are virtually *out of our minds*. That would explain why this world seems so chaotic and crazy. It's sick, or rather, a sick state of mind.

Ok, so now let's learn more about getting back to a Christmas State of Mind:

"Have faith in only one thing, and it will be sufficient: God wills you be in Heaven, and nothing can keep you from it, or it from you. Your wildest misperceptions, your weird imaginings, your blackest nightmares all mean nothing. They will not prevail against the peace God wills for you." ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so we need to believe in it. Let us believe that Go(o)d has promised it to us. Let us believe that the Will of Go(o)d is stronger than any other wish no matter how black the darkness has become. What else?

"If you will keep in mind what the Holy Spirit offers you, you cannot be vigilant for anything BUT God and His Kingdom. The ONLY reason why you find this difficult is because you think there IS something else. Belief does not require vigilance UNLESS it is conflicted. If it IS, there ARE conflicting components within it which have engendered a state of war, and vigilance has therefore BECOME essential." ~ A Course In Miracles

For those of us who are conflicted about what we want to believe in, we need VIGILANCE until our conflict of interests is resolved. As long as we believe in anything else beside the Kingdom of Go(o)d, we will be conflicted. So, we are reminded again:

"Be vigilant ONLY for God and HIS Kingdom. You have believed that you are WITHOUT the Kingdom, and have therefore excluded yourself FROM it in your belief. It is therefore essential to teach you that YOU must be INCLUDED, and the BELIEF THAT YOU ARE NOT is the ONLY thing that you must exclude. As long as belief in God and His Kingdom is assailed by ANY doubts in your minds, His perfect Accomplishment is NOT apparent to you." ~ A Course In Miracles

By "Accomplishment" the author is talking about a better understanding of the *finished work of Christ*. We are asked to have faith in a predestined destiny that arrives back at the PERFECTION we left in the first place. This destiny has already been worked out. The steps have already been taken. How they have been taken is hard for an ego to understand. But from here on out, every step, perhaps even any step, is guaranteed to get us back to what we wandered away from. And when we get back, we will be able to share credit for the accomplishment.

" He would but have you accept His accomplishments AS YOURS, because He did them FOR you. And because He did, they ARE yours. He has MADE you free of what you made. For HIS promise is always, "Seek and you will find," and under His guidance you cannot BE defeated. His is the journey to ACCOMPLISHMENT, and the goal HE sets before you He will GIVE you. For He will never deceive God's Son, whom He loves with the love of the Father." ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok so we want to have faith in DESTINY or A Predetermined Destination Back To The Kingdom of Go(o)d. Beware, however because the ego will drag its feet.

"The ego can accept the idea that RETURN is necessary, because it can so easily make the idea seem so difficult. God made nothing either necessary OR difficult. But YOU have perceived both AS IF they were part of His perfect creations. Yet it is surely clear that the perfect NEED nothing, and CANNOT experience perfection as a difficult accomplishment because that is what they ARE." ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so it shouldn't be difficult to be who we are, even if that means being perfect. God made nothing difficult, and so it should not be difficult to be "perfect". We can do it!

" Your ego can keep you in exile FROM the Kingdom, but in the Kingdom itself it has no power." ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so when we get back to the Kingdom, we should have no problem being a perfect Being because the ego won't be there to mess things up.

"The Holy Spirit guides you into Life Eternal, but YOU must relinquish your investment in death, or you will not see it, though it is all around you." ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok. So what is all around?

"The kingdom of heaven is at hand. ~ The Bible

All around...at hand...within...in our midst. These all pretty much speak of the same thing.

The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." ~ The Bible

It sounds like the Kingdom of Go(o)d is not seen in the darkness, the way we normally see as egos. Rather, it is seen when we learn that it is within us, and that there is nothing outside of us. That would explain why it is "all around", or "in your midst". Everything that seems to be outside is still...inside! It's just that we can't see what is "within" while we still value what shows us the death of everything (constant change), namely, "this world".

So, what does it mean The Kingdom of Go(o)d is "at hand"? It means it is ready to be received/seen/experienced/known/restored NOW.

"Why wait for Heaven? It is here today. Time is the great illusion it is past or in the future. Yet this cannot be, if it is where God wills His Son to be. How could the Will of God be in the past, or yet to happen? What He wills is now, without a past and wholly futureless." ~ A Course In Miracles

The author makes yet another appeal to believe him.

Beautiful child of God, you are asking only for what I promised you. Do you believe I would deceive you? The Kingdom of Heaven is within you. Believe that the truth is in me, for I know that it is in you. Together we will disappear into the Presence beyond the veil, not to be lost but found; not to be seen but known. I bring God's peace back to all His children because I received it of Him for us all. Nothing can prevail against our united wills because nothing can prevail against God's. ~ A Course In Miracles

So let's rephrase something:

"The ego is a temporary resident, who needs to find his way to the old rugged cross." ~ Urban Monk

[headheart]

Attachment 79868


I must say, I am really impressed with your efforts, and this last one is really a full-bodied reply. Thank you.
As I said, there is no big rush, so please take your time.



Question 2:
Are we pre-existent?

Question 3: Answered!
Is the Kingdom of God within you?

Question 4: Answered!
The Authority of the Bible?

Question 5
The Old Rugged Cross?

Question 6:
The Suffering of Jesus?

Question 7:
Pre-existence/Predestination?



Sincerely,
Eric J. Sawyer.

[UrbanMonk]

Question 5
The Old Rugged Cross?

There's a line from A Course In Miracles that gnashtic legions like to quote and gasp at as though it were some kind of blasphemy. Here it is:

Do not make the pathetic human error of "clinging to the old rugged cross." ~ A Course In Miracles


I suppose this serves as a kind of "proof text" that is supposed to make the Course look strange and easily dismissed by the legions who depend on their own version of interpretation in order to be saved by the cross. These legions are usually the most vociferously arguing in favor of "context" when others try to proof text their preferred textual references. So, let's, maybe for the first time, look at the context of this shocking statement.

"The journey to the cross should be the LAST foolish journey for every mind. Do not dwell upon it, but dismiss it as accomplished." ~ A Course In Miracles

So as you can see, it's not saying don't go to the cross. It's just saying don't dwell on it or otherwise "cling" to it like the gnashtic legions.

"If you can accept that as YOUR OWN last foolish journey, you are free also to join My Resurrection." ~ A Course In Miracles

So, what is this "foolish journey" he speaks of, and why would we want our last journey to pass by "the old rugged cross"?

The journey he speaks of is our foolish journey away from the Kingdom of Go(o)d led by our ego(s). The author quotes Chesterton to lend some poetic perspective:

Chesterton wrote an excellent description of Cervantes and his perception of his "unheroic hero," a view of man which the ego tolerates all too frequently, but the Soul NEVER countenances:

"And he sees across a weary land, a straggling road in Spain,
Up which a lean and foolish knight forever rides in vain."

~ A Course In Miracles

The author is not talking about any one individual. The author is talking about the ego in all individuals that drives them to wander down lonely roads. Upon these roads we defend ourselves as best we can from the dogs of poverty and foolishly make plans to keep traveling.

Do not embark on foolish journeys because they are indeed in vain. The ego may will them because the ego IS both lean and foolish. But the Soul CANNOT embark on them because it is forever UNwilling to depart from its Foundation. ~ A Course In Miracles

So, while the ego goes everywhere, the Soul stays put.

So he's talking about the ego's foolish journey away from the fixed, immovable foundation of our Soul, namely, the Kingdom of Go(o)d. He's talking about the "prodigal son". The implication is that the foolish journey, and the cross are the same. Until we realize they are the same, we will perhaps keep on going (or keep on truckin').

"Human living has indeed been needlessly wasted in repetition compulsion. It re-enacts the Separation, the loss of power, the foolish journey of the ego in its attempt at reparation, and finally the crucifixion of the body, or death. Repetition compulsions can be endless, unless they are given up by an act of will, or, more properly as active creation." ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so he's talking about a life of futility punctuated by "repetition compulsion". Could be talking about addiction(s). Could also be talking about a "slave driver" type mentality that makes us keep going. Talking about how the journey is all about repeating, over and over the original theme of separation from the Kingdom of Go(o)d-Soul-Foundation. It's talking about how the ego makes foolish attempts to make it all good or right, only to succumb, over and over again, to some kind of cross that kills our body to death. Talking about how the foolish journey is a cross...until we bring the ego (and not just our bodies) to the cross. The death of the ego is also the death of these endless repetitive compulsions to die and separate ourselves from our loved ones . The ego is given up (killed) by an act of will. The author is implying that the death of the ego is the most intentionally creative act we can ever accomplish on a foolish journey that is driving us mad under the compulsions of a mad slave-driver.

The correlation between a "life" of egoic exploration and "the cross" should be apparent by now.

You have nailed yourself to a cross, and placed a crown of thorns upon your own head. ~ A Course In Miracles

If that isn't clear enough, here's another line that makes the connection between leaving the Kingdom of Go(o)d to go on foolish journeys and suffering:

But Do you realize that the ego must set you on a journey that cannot BUT lead to a sense of futility and depression? ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so now let's look at that line one more time in context:

"Do not make the pathetic human error of 'clinging to the old rugged cross.' The only message of the crucifixion is in respect for man's ability to OVERCOME the cross. Unless he does so, he is free to crucify himself as often as he chooses. But this was NOT the gospel I intended to offer him." ~ A Course In Miracles

So, "clinging to the old rugged cross" is about crucifying ourselves over and over and over again...by staying on this foolish journey we've been on since the beginning of time. Clinging to the old rugged cross is about clinging to this world. Indeed, this world is a "foolish journey" is a "cross" we bear. To overcome the cross is to overcome the world is to overcome the ego that sets us on this foolish journey. When the author asks us to "go to the cross", he simply means that unless we bring our egos to death, the ego will bring our bodies to death over and over again...endlessly. The journey ends when the ego is dead. Going to the cross also means to see the world for what it is: A miserable death machine for everything. The sooner we see this, the sooner we may begin taking ourselves down from the cross, by actively intending to end our ego(s)...and then ending them. The ending of the ego is also like a journey. The author asks that it be our last journey now. If we begin the ending of the ego, it will indeed by our last foolish journey.

Next, the author talks about the beginning of the end of the ego, our "last foolish journey to the cross", indeed, the last time we ever go to the cross. This journey is a little different from all previous journeys.

"We have another journey to undertake, and I hope that, if both of you will read these notes carefully, they will help to prepare you to undertake it. " ~ A Course In Miracles

Upon this journey, beware of substitutes. Our body substitutes for our ego. Our body dies...over and over...while our ego journeys onward. So long as we have an ego, we will get another body through which it can express its special self. And that body will go to another cross where it will die again. Therefore, let us beware of substitutes. There are two kinds of death:

1.) Death of the body
2.) Death of the ego

You think that death is of the body. Yet it is but an idea, irrelevant to what is seen as physical. A thought is in the mind. ~ A Course In Miracles

The idea of death is the domain of the ego. The body is not making the decision to die. Nor is it an idea of Our Father.

My brother, child of our Father, this is a dream of death. ~ A Course In Miracles

In the dream, the body dies, but the ego lives on to die another day. So does the death of the body really accomplish anything?

Ask not release from the body. But free it from the merciless and unrelenting orders you laid upon it, and forgive it what you ordered it to do. In its exaltation you commanded it to die, for only death could conquer life. And what but insanity could look upon the defeat of God, and think it real? ~ A Course In Miracles

Once again, it is not the body that is our adversary. It is being ordered about by a merciless, unrelenting, ruthless slave driver called "ego".

The author asks us to own the ego by understanding where it is and what it represents. It represents a kind of insane belief system that is trying to conquer truth and life by imposing death on the mind that hosts it. It does this by imposing death on substitutes, primarily bodies. But it will also impose death on a body's source of light, namely the sun. Where is all this taking place? If it is happening at all, it is happening in our own mind as if we are sleeping and dreaming.

The dream of crucifixion still lies heavy on your eyes, but what you see in dreams is not reality. ~ A Course In Miracles

So now we have a correlation between sleeping, dreaming, egoic conquest, and "the old rugged cross". The ego is a thought - an idea - lurking in our own Christ Mind. It just keeps going like the Energizer Bunny as long as we allow it to draw battery power from our Mind. We want to clear it from our minds, one mind at a time until One Mind is restored to its original, pristine condition.

Our minds are joined. Now is the time of salvation, for now is the release from time. Accept my confidence, for it is yours. ~ A Course In Miracles

The author of A Course In Miracles invites us to lean on his confidence in our quest to come down off our crosses by bringing the ego to an end. Because our minds are joined, we can rely on the authors confidence as if it were our own.

The body neither lives nor dies, because it cannot contain you who are life. If we share the same mind, you can overcome death because I did. ~ A Course In Miracles

Ok, so once again, its not about the body. Death is of a state of mind that we are asked to "overcome". This is accomplished through the psychological strength of minds that are willing to be of the "same mind", rather than separated individualists. The author makes a connection between joining and living >>> separating and dying. The ego is the primal separation device we use to make and break bodies. The ego represents a desire for death.

When you are tempted to yield to the desire for death, remember that I did not die. His Son has been redeemed from his own crucifixion, and you cannot assign to death whom God has given eternal life. ~ A Course In Miracles

Therefore, if we are joined with the Son in a way that we are indeed that Son, we should be able to muster the psychological strength to resist the temptation to die by our own hand, by asserting the truth, and believing in the immutability of eternal life as it has already been given by Go(o)d. Death represents some kind of *fatal attraction*...a temptation to be what we are not.

So, the second death (death #2, death of ego) is the death we should most be interested in, if we are interested in ending this foolish journey. The first death (the death of the body) is recommended by those gnashtic legions who are still foolishly pressing onwards with their slave-driving ego(s).

What kind of religion would ask us to succumb to the death of the body...for any reason whatsoever? Indeed, the death of the body saves the ego for another day because the death of the body accomplishes nothing.

Everything is accomplished through life, and life is of the mind and in the mind. The body neither lives nor dies, because it cannot contain you who are life. If we share the same mind, you can overcome death because I did. ~ A Course In Miracles

Whether the body lives or dies, it is our task to overcome that which makes it live and/or that which makes it die, namely, an egoic state of mind called "death". So beware the gnashtic legions who ask us to drink the cherry kool-aid of the first death...the death of the body. The death of the body accomplishes nothing. But the death of the ego is an Accomplishment indeed. And it is accomplished "of the mind and in the mind". Resurrection is about a psychological transcendence over psychic dependence on death dealing inner demons of doom.

So, what does the author of A Course In Miracles recommend as a first step in our last useless journey to the cross? The author asks us to understand something, and understand it well by repeating this simple fact:


“It can be but myself I crucify.” ~ A Course In Miracles

The author wants us to understand that the foolish journey(s) of the ego are forms of voluntary self-crucifixion. But he also wants us to know that our only chance of ending our crucifixion is by understanding fully that we are doing this to one-self.

"If it can but be you you crucify, you did not hurt the world and need not fear its vengeance and pursuit. " ~ A Course In Miracles

This is a deeply psychological remedy. It get's to the root of fear. It is supposed to help us banish guilt and fear from our minds. Deep down we all feel responsible for the making of this world.

The world was made as an attack on God. It symbolizes fear. ~ A Course In Miracles

God is the "everything" that this world is intended to kill. Consequently, everything in this world dies, even the light of our beloved sun.

For death is total. Either all things die, or else they live and cannot die. No compromise is possible. ~ A Course In Miracles

In making this world up, and in believing in it, we have psychologically traumatized our minds. The author of A Course In Miracles sees the solution as psychological, for a mind that is deeply in denial, dissociation, repression and suppression. Clues are here and there. For example, we seem bent on crediting God with the making of this world. We go to battle with anyone who says it isn't. This is really a symptom of dissociation, denial, repression and suppression. If it is made at all, we made it. If not, there is no good Go(o)d. Dissociation, therefore, does not allow a good Go(o)d to be true or real. Theists and deists say God made this world. Atheists say God is non-existent. In other words, Go(o)d is not Go(o)d or Go(o)d is dead. It's really saying the same thing for the same reason: We feel guilty and fearful for making up this world and making it substitute for "reality". We don't want to own up to it.

In denial, our psychological defense mechanisms get complicated, so the remedy may not be obvious or clear at first. Nevertheless, the author sticks with his prescriptions.

Teach not that I died in vain. Teach rather that I did not die by demonstrating that I live in you. For the undoing of the crucifixion of God's Son is the work of the redemption, in which everyone has a part of equal value. You have nailed yourself to a cross, and placed a crown of thorns upon your own head. Yet you cannot crucify God's Son, for the Will of God cannot die. ~ A Course In Miracles

So, let's say we were willing to accept the idea that this world is one "self". How can understanding that help us to alleviate a sense of guilt and fear for making it? Well, think about it this way: If the world is one self, then we have not done this to anyone else. If we have not done this to anyone else, we need not fear retribution, if we are willing to forgive our self. Does that make sense? There isn't anyone to judge us but our self. And we can change what we think about what we think we've done do our self.

By clinging to the old rugged cross, we are really just clinging to pathetic psychological mechanisms that defend us against the fear of "the wrath of God". But if crucifixion is something we do to our self, and not to anybody else, then we don't need to fear the wrath of God. Nor would we feel a need to project the concept of wrath on God in the first place.

"Nor need you hide in terror from the deadly fear of God projection hides behind." ~ A Course In Miracles

Instead, we can call upon the Love of Go(o)d to help us with this cross we've place upon our shoulders. Until we can get past the fear of Go(o)d, we will fear what Go(o)d offers.

The thing you dread the most is your salvation. ~ A Course In Miracles

We have not done anything to God. We have not hurt God. We cannot hurt God.

There is no death because what God created shares His life. There is no death because an opposite to God does not exist. There is no death because the Father and the Son are one. His Son has been redeemed from his own crucifixion, and you cannot assign to death whom God has given eternal life. ~ A Course In Miracles

So, although we can but crucify our own self, we really can't assign death to whom Go(o)d has given eternal life.

Swear not to die, you holy Son of God! You made a bargain that you cannot keep. The Son of Life cannot be killed. He is immortal as his Father. What he is cannot be changed. ~ A Course In Miracles

It that's true, do we really have reason to feel guilt and fear? If not, do we need to continue fearing our own salvation? Do we need to fear the Love of Go(o)d? If not, do we really need to keep clinging to the old rugged rhetoric of ruthless retribution and ridiculous religious repression?

We have merely decided to embark on a useless journey away from our Home naive as to what it involved.

"Do you realize that the ego must set you on a journey that cannot BUT lead to a sense of futility and depression?" ~ A Course In Miracles

The author of A Course In Miracles favors the "prodigal son" paradigm throughout. That parable ends with a happy homecoming. Meanwhile, the prodigal son is dealing with cognitive dissonance.

"You are strong and it is strength you want. And you are free, and glad of freedom. You have sought to be both weak and bound, because you feared your strength and freedom. Yet salvation lies in them." ~ A Course In Miracles

The author is telling us that the prodigal son is a psychological oddity (a basket case) that, in fearing it's own strength and freedom, has sought to become weak and bound. Yet despite our fears, we are asked to tap into our strength and freedom in order to extricate ourselves from this sad situation. The author challenges us to use our strength of mind to understand how our mind works to either harm us or keep us safe.

“It can be but myself I crucify.”

If we hold this thought in our mind, it may, at first make us fearful.

Now, for an instant, is a murderer perceived within you, eager for your death, intent on plotting punishment for you until the time when it can kill at last. ~ A Course In Miracles

And if we stick with it...

There is an instant in which terror seems to grip your mind so wholly that escape appears quite hopeless. ~ A Course In Miracles

Yet if we stick with it...

Yet in this instant is the time as well in which salvation comes. When you realize, once and for all, that it is you you fear, the mind perceives itself as split. And this had been concealed while you believed attack could be directed outward, and returned from outside to within. It seemed to be an enemy outside you had to fear. ~ A Course In Miracles

Enemy outside = god of wrath outside
Enemy outside = dangerous people outside
Enemy outside = perceived need to build defenses, psychological and otherwise.

This is a self-reinforcing cycle of spy versus spy.

And thus a god outside yourself became your mortal enemy; the source of fear. ~ A Course In Miracles

But when we realize that the enemy is within...

When this is firmly understood and kept in full awareness, you will not attempt to harm yourself, nor make your body slave to vengeance. You will not attack yourself, and you will realize that to attack another is but to attack yourself. ~ A Course In Miracles

Exactly how that works, or why that works would require a little more study and practice. But for now let's entertain the idea that it does work. If this is the solution to taking ourselves down from the cross, then we will no longer feel compelled to put another brother, namely Jesus, up on a cross to save us. Nor will we feel compelled to crucify any other brother to save us. For in doing so, we only save the enemy within...that thing that clings to the old rugged cross.

You will be free of the insane belief that to attack a brother saves yourself. And you will understand his safety is your own, and in his healing you are healed. For fear of God has disappeared. And you can call on Him to save you from illusions in His Love, calling Him Father and yourself His Son. Pray that the instant may be soon, - today. Step back from fear and make advance to love. ~ A Course In Miracles

[brother malachi]

Do not make the pathetic human error of "clinging to the old rugged cross." ~ A Course In Miracles

If a man's heart is bent on seeing God, God will bring him to a place that he can look no other place than heavenward. Even if it means driving him from among men, and making his dwelling with the beast of the field and making him to eat grass as an oxen and to wet him with the dew of heaven, until seven times pass over.

I knew a man that shall give this testimony...."He was driven from man, did eat grass as an ox. Made his bed with the beast of the field. He was wet with the dew of heaven until his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds claws." If you could talk to this man today, he would tell you don't make the pathetic human error and cling to ANYTHING but the old rugged cross!

“It can be but myself I crucify.” ~ A Course In Miracles

Ask the man that ate grass like an ox, that was hewed down and left only a stump..........

brother malachi

[headheart]

Attachment 79888

I see that your recent reply has 'unleashed the Lion'. I look forward to your replies to Question 2, 6 & 7.
Once again, please take your time.



Question 2:
Are we pre-existent?

Question 3: Answered!
Is the Kingdom of God within you?

Question 4: Answered!
The Authority of the Bible?

Question 5: Answered!
The Old Rugged Cross?

Question 6:
The Suffering of Jesus?

Question 7:
Pre-existence/Predestination?



Sincerely,
Eric J. Sawyer.