Actually #100, I think... Edition!Christian Esotericism is the inner and/or mystical aspect of the Christian Religion, it includes:>Christian Gnosis (Clement of Alexandria)>Desert Fathers Spirituality (Evagrius Ponticus)>Catholic Contemplative Tradition (Bonaventure)>Hesychasm (Gregory Palamas)>Chivalry (Wolfram von Eschenbach)>Christian Alchemy (George Ripley)>Rhineland Mysticism (Meister Eckhart)>Christian Cabala (Johannes Reuchlin)>Paracelsianism (Paracelsus)>Rosicrucianism (Robert Fludd)>Christian theosophy (Jakob Böhme)>Martinism (Louise Claude de Saint-Martin)>Swedenborgianism (Swedenborg)>Magical Idealism (Novalis)>Romanticism (Baader)>Anthroposophy (Rudolf Steiner)>Sophiology (Sergei Bulgakov)>Christian Hermeticism (Valentin Tomberg)>Fourth Way (Boris Mouravieff)>Christian Traditionalism (Jean Borella)And much more, so let's continue to talk about it!>Resources (WIP)https://www.john-uebersax.com/plato/cp.htmhttps://jacobboehmeonline.com/https://archive.org/details/awakening-to-divine-wisdom-christian-initiation-into-three-worl-nodrm_202202/mode/1uphttps://janelead.org/resources.htmlhttps://archive.org/details/bookofcontemplat00unde/https://archive.org/details/rudolf-steiner-book-collection/https://swedenborg.com/bookstore/free-ebooks-downloads/https://www.giffordlectures.org/books/theosophy-or-psychological-religionhttps://www.gornahoor.net/?page_id=47https://archive.org/details/meditations-on-the-tarot/https://files.catbox.moe/8n4061.djvu (Meditations on the Tarot)https://eliasartista.substack.com/https://passtheword.org>Best Biblehttps://catenabible.com/mt/1
>>38907117Previous thread >>38826602
>>38905615Right after I finished deleting the last of my pirated movies and TV shows, years and years of content I had pirated, there was one image left in my hard drive that I don't remember saving there. It was pic related, I think it's God's way of saying, "Good job."
>>38907117
>>38905451>Are you ex-Buddhist anon?That was a different ex-Buddhist anon, apparently there's two of us here. I agree with what he said, though. There's some value in some Buddhist teachings but ultimately it's dragged down by delusion and hatred of all life.It's sad seeing it kind of catch on with some Christians, but I understand why it does.
>>38907498Buddhism is a mind virus honestly. It makes you "lesser". I spent a long time thinking it was expanding my views when it fact it was disintegrating them. When I realized Christ was the Truth, it felt like being alive again.
>>38907720>I spent a long time thinking it was expanding my views when it fact it was disintegrating them. When I realized Christ was the Truth, it felt like being alive again.This aligns 100% with my experience, too. If there's one thing I have to thank Buddhism for, it's that through it I carved myself out into a near-empty vessel, which in a way prepared me to receive Christ. On my way out of Buddhism I was completely spiritually dead except for my desire for truth and that gut feeling that things should be better than they are, and that's when He reached out to me (or maybe I should say, when I realized He was there).
>>38907815>that's when He reached out to meWe've had similar experiences, huh. I can't really pinpoint a "moment" where I realized Christ's presence, it was progressive and I can't even say what exactly triggered this change, but I felt guided towards Him and before I knew it, it had become evident.I agree with you that emptiness can help in ridding you of some unwanted ideas, but it can also have adverse effects precisely because Buddhism trains you to deconstruct and atomize everything. It has no Logos.
>>38907900Love is what will get you back to Christ
When I was ~12 years old, I had a dream where, during a storm, the earth opened up and I was swallowed up, along with (if I remember correctly) some young teachers and coaches. I believe there were 4-5 of us in total.We found ourselves in a golden labyrinth, full of horrors and holy relics alike. I remember a series of challenges, like a swarm of insects (perhaps locusts?) and tests of our morality. I don't remember the specifics (honestly the fact that I remember anything about it at all is kind of tripping me up...), but only 3 of us made it to the end.In the end, we were purged of our sins and, so long as we lived a holy path free of mortal sin through the remainder of our lives, we would be taken directly to Heaven on death.One of the three of us immediately went to sin to cope with the trauma from the experience. The other two of us were optimistic and had redoubled our relationship with God.It wasn't until nearly 15 years later that I came across depictions of Purgatory as a labyrinth, and only today did I hear of the story of Sir Owain in St Patrick's Purgatory, which has a very similar premise to my dreamI knew the dream was important and wrote the details down when i woke up... but can't remember where I wrote them.Did I experience something real here?? Or is this pure coincidence?
>>38907900It was a gradual buildup of being drawn towards Christ for me, too, but there was a moment where I became certain of it. I don't know when exactly the buildup itself started, I would have to say somewhere between the first time I read through a good amount of the Bible in an attempt to find "ammunition" against it and feel like I had verified my shallow conceptions of Christianity as a Buddhist. Even when I was a Buddhist I got watery-eyed through the first Gospel I read. After that I went through a brief period of interest in Gnosticism because much of it appeals to the same kind of person that Buddhism does, ie:>can't believe in or comprehend a purely good creator god/can't reconcile God in the OT to Jesus in the NT>believes the material world is inherently bad because of aging, illness and death but not connecting this to The Fall>believes they have to make progress purely by their own effortsGnosticism itself didn't really stick with me but it did more firmly lodge Jesus in my mind. The Gospel of Thomas in particular served as a kind of weird bridge between Buddhism/Gnosticism and Christianity proper for me.>but it can also have adverse effects precisely because Buddhism trains you to deconstruct and atomize everything. It has no Logos.Oh definitely. I still have this "chronic doubt" or cognitive dissonance of a sort because of my time in Buddhism. As an example, I'm fully ready to be martyred for Christ if necessary, but at the same time I have an extremely difficult time mentally "registering" the concept of Heaven/New Earth/eternity. Maybe that's normal, though.
>>38908024Nice dream Anon, may God guide you on the correct path as he is trying with dreams
>>38907950A funny thing happened right when I started finding my way to Christianity, where I was walking on the street and wondering about whether it was true or not, and suddenly I stumbled upon a billboard with a picture of a fish on it, which said (translated to English) "he will save you". Never saw that advertisement again.
>>38908047>coincidenceNothing is a coincidence anon i hope you understand that
>>38908046I'd love to find similar examples. When I heard the story of Owain, it blew my mind... I think I need to go back and re-read PurgatorioI want to learn more about what I experienced, and what it may mean
>>38908068you will learn more with more dreams
>>38908034I'm still reading through the OT. What are your favorite parts?I agree with you, there's an emotional quality to the Gospels that I haven't found anywhere else. At best, Buddhism has been intellectually gratifying; interesting, but never truly moving. Jesus' life and death, on the other hand, have to be purposefully disregarded/mocked in order for that emotion to be toned down, if that makes sense.I was (still somewhat am) interested in Gnosticism too, for the reasons you stated. Also the metaphysics and cosmology being particularly interesting. All in all though, Sophia's mistake and the Fall are very similar and can be conceptually reconciled, I think.>"chronic doubt"Yeah. Are you actively fighting against it?>Maybe that's normalMaybe. I feel the same. It's very hard for me to visualize these things. I have intuitions, or impressions, but they fail to capture the grand scheme of things. I guess that's why they're called mysteries.>>38908059Yeah, my rational mind immediately went "nah bro this is a coincidence" and at that moment, as if to make fun of that thought I just had, I saw a car with a 777 on its plate. I don't usually experience synchronicity type events like this, so I'm definitely thinking it was meaningful.
This dream was probably 15 years ago. I need to research with the information that i was given, which i was too young to understand the importance of studying
>>38908083>I saw a car with a 777 on its plateThis is divine intervention, God might want something from you
>>38908088I'm not sure what. This happened not too long ago, like 3 weeks tops, since then I've tried to pray, reading the Bible, and I'm going to attend mass soon and try to talk to a priest in order to get baptized. But I don't know what God could want from me.
>>38908094God want a lot of stuff usually and will give you a set of tasks once you get enlightened
>>38908109>once you get enlightenedWhat does that mean? Baptized?
>>38908112talking freely with the holy spirit
>>38908133I'm still far from that, I think.
>>38908135You might get there at some point, just be good
Is this thread plagued by Satanists like you faggots do when there's a Satanism general up? Yeah that's right didn't think ao
>>38908083>I'm still reading through the OT. What are your favorite parts?I haven't gotten back to the OT yet, I decided I should read through all of the NT first this time. I did re-read Genesis though, because I always loved it even as a Buddhist (and Proverbs, which I probably liked for its practicality) and Genesis 3:15 is something I think about a lot, now that I know what it's referring to.>Jesus' life and death, on the other hand, have to be purposefully disregarded/mocked in order for that emotion to be toned down, if that makes sense.Absolutely. One of the things that lead me of Buddhism was realizing I can't just dismiss all such stories of self-sacrifice as ultimately illusory and meaningless anymore.>I was (still somewhat am) interested in Gnosticism too, for the reasons you stated. Also the metaphysics and cosmology being particularly interesting. All in all though, Sophia's mistake and the Fall are very similar and can be conceptually reconciled, I think.I'm going to have to read through the Nag Hammadi library again once I'm better versed in Christianity, but to me it seems like a mixed bag, some things can be reconciled by shifting terminology slightly and then other things seem to be just completely bizarre and out of place.>Yeah. Are you actively fighting against it?Yes, I've been trying to work more on faith from the heart, rather than just faith from the head. I think I've neglected the heart during my time as an atheist and as a Buddhist.
>>38908185>lead me of Buddhismlead me out of Buddhism*
>>38908185>Genesis 3:15Haha. I liked how it was referenced in the Passion movie. But man, all the subtle allusions to Christ in the OT are insane. Abraham meeting Jesus, the tabernacle foreshadowing the Son of Man, it all comes together.>stories of self-sacrifice as ultimately illusory and meaninglessYeah that's why I think it's demonic. The system will have an effect on your mind, but it leads to death. The most pernicious thing about Buddhism is that it works.>other things seem to be just completely bizarreDepends on the texts. Some are more grounded, others are a metaphysical mess full of extremely strange symbols and events. The Hypostasis of the Archons for example, or the Books of Jeu/Bruce Codex are pure schizoposting from antiquity. On the other hand the Gospel of Philip, Thunder Perfect Mind and the Song of the Pearl are interesting, quite beautiful even. The last one isn't in the Nag Hammadi though I think, and it's even praised by some Orthodox churches today due to being easily reconciled with Christian doctrine.>faith from the heartIt's difficult. As you say, we've learned to rationalize things and kinda mute the heart.
>>38908185>I can't just dismiss all such stories of self-sacrifice as ultimately illusory and meaningless anymore.Self-sacrifice is the very essence of Buddhism. It is amazing that people can become so attached to Buddhism and also completely miss such an obvious and fundamental point. It's great that Christ taught you to appreciate the importance of self-sacrifice, but don't misunderstand the Buddhists when you oppose them, or you will expose Christianity to ridicule.
>>38908544Explain what you mean by self-sacrifice, and explain how I am wrong and what you believe to be right.
>>38907197>>38907230>>38907272I love those.
>>38908616Sacrifice comes from the Latin sacra + facere, "to make holy," thus anything united to the Cross of Christ, the true sacrifice, is made holy and pleasing to God. It is the Cross itself that reveals the deeper meaning. Self-sacrifice is the complete and final surrender of oneself to the will of God: "into Thy hands I commend my spirit."Buddhism teaches that in order to be happy, you ought to renounce everything. In this respect it does not differ from Christianity. In order to lose everything you must lose yourself, inasmuch as yourself is something; and in order to lose yourself, you must also lose everything, inasmuch as there remains no one to whom everything would be available. It might be said that if Buddha was enlightened under the bodhi tree, Christ was enlightened from all eternity, because His enlightenment is one with His generation by the Father. A sincere Buddhist ought to be able to recognize the truth of this.
>>38908826>Self-sacrifice is the complete and final surrender of oneself to the will of God...There is no equivalent of the Christian God in Buddhism. Now my knowledge of Hinduism is weak, so I apologize if I'm wrong as to what Brahma is, but my understanding is that he's the creator deity of Hinduism. When Buddhism approaches the idea of a creator deity, it does so in two ways. The first is "don't ask, don't think about it, that's a distraction from the path" in regards to anybody asking how the universe was formed, or if there is or isn't a creator god, etc. The second is denying that Brahma is a creator deity, and asserting that "someone" reincarnated as Brahma one day. Brahma wanted to share existence with others, and as he was thinking that thought, more "someones" reincarnated into his realm as devas, so Brahma assumed he created them. Buddhism states Brahmas are born, die and reborn. I'm working from memory here and I can find the suttas for you if you want, though it's always a pain trying to navigate the Pali Canon.>Buddhism teaches that in order to be happy, you ought to renounce everything. In this respect it does not differ from Christianity...That's a gross over-generalization that makes the two sound closer than they really are. Jesus says you must be willing to sacrifice what you have to follow Him, and gain eternal life in paradise, the restored creation. Buddha says you must extinguish all passion and desire, so that you can never exist ever again. God says all that He created is good. Buddha compares creation to a burning house, a mountain of bones, or feces under his fingernail.>A sincere Buddhist ought to be able to recognize the truth of this.If there were a way to reconcile Buddhism and Christianity, I would have found it. There are enough like you who try to but do so unconvincingly, or who have a naive and shallow view of what Buddhism is truly about that I feel the need to do what I can to better represent the truth.
>>38909021>There is no equivalent of the Christian God in Buddhism. Now my knowledge of Hinduism is weak, so I apologize if I'm wrong as to what Brahma is, but my understanding is that he's the creator deity of Hinduism.The Creator, according to the Christian conception, in Hinduism is named Ishvara. Brahma is one aspect of Ishvara. God's attributes are reflected in His angels. Thus, the angel that reflects His eternal fecundity is very close in concept to Brahma. So much for the second piece of advice that you mention. As to the first, the same advice is offered to the reader in the Cloud of Unknowing, in which instance it is a matter of words versus things. The thought of God is put under the divine gloom inasmuch as that thought is not identical to Him and therefore ultimately unworthy of the soul's love. This is mystical prayer.>That's a gross over-generalization that makes the two sound closer than they really are.I did specify in precisely what respect they were the same, it was not a generalization. When God says that all He created is good, this is because He is the being of all that He created. At other times He speaks on the utter vanity of this world and sounds more like the Buddha. It is possible to affirm both because of the darkness of the intellect that has issued from original sin. It is also due to original sin that the spirit is subjected to all passion and desire. Extinction as the Buddhists understand it could only come by God's grace because it is the loss of this grace that has resulted in the illusion of "existence" (which is not the same as being).>If there were a way to reconcile Buddhism and Christianity, I would have found it.There is no way to reconcile them and no point in trying. I am not trying to harmonize them, I just don't see the same contradictions you do. The promises of Christ are fundamentally uninteresting to Buddhists because their understanding of the Gospel is shallow or nonexistent and not for ideological reasons.
>>38909131>There is no way to reconcile them and no point in trying. I am not trying to harmonize them...Then what is your purpose with these posts? What you write sounds very much typical of those who approach a religion with the intent to syncretize, reading into them things that are agreeable while being blind to or dismissing major differences.
>>38908826If there is no God in Buddhism, or God is irrelevant to Buddhism, then the kind of sacrifice you describe does not exist within Buddhism. Love, compassion and mercy - which were what drove God to send His only Son to sacrifice Himself to save mankind - do not truly exist within Buddhism, which claims that all such things are mere illusions and without any inherent existence, value or meaning. Therefore, there is no self-sacrifice in Buddhism, and Buddhism actively mocks Christ's sacrifice.
>>38909215When translating from Greek to Latin, does the translator read into the Greek the Latin words that are agreeable while dismissing the major differences between them? No, because translation is not a sentimental process. Its aim is to take just what is there and make it intelligible. The student of Eastern traditions faces an analogous task. Whence this obsession with agreement or disagreement? The faith is not my personal opinion, it is not what I would prefer to believe. I believe it because God has revealed it. Therefore I don't feel any motive to emphasize either the differences or the similarities between the deposit of faith and any other tradition. However, when someone makes an overall misrepresentation of Buddhism because that emphasizes the contrasts between truth and error, that is absurd. You cannot uphold the truth by distorting it.>>38909393Exhibit A. Imagine a Buddhist claiming that *compassion* is without value! Gtfo.
>>38909436>Exhibit A. Imagine a Buddhist claiming that *compassion* is without value! Gtfo.Please stick to your naive, surface level, cherry-picked interpretation of Buddhism, as I fear that I might lose a brother in Christ (were it possible) if you were to actually study or practice it for very long.
>>38907117Don't forget Christian Identity. Here's a good book about it:>Who Is Esau-Edom?https://archive.org/details/who-is-esau-edom
>>38909473>I fear that I might lose a brother in ChristThis is really the heart of the matter in my opinion. I feel no attraction to Buddhism, but seeing as you once practiced it, it is reasonable to suppose that you still do. But Christian spirituality is complete in itself. What is incomplete is our personal understanding of it. If in the face of our own stupidity we waver in our certainty that it is the ultimate truth, then and only then does it seem a danger to draw attention to anything in any other tradition that might seem meritorious. So the fact that compassion is central to Buddhist practice is now superficial and naive. The possibility, for instance, that Buddhists really benefit from the practice of compassion precisely because of the compassion of Christ is literally unthinkable in such a frame of mind.
>>38909570Buddhist "compassion" is not compassion, for reasons I have already stated.
>>38909654You say that love, compassion, and mercy drove God to sacrifice His only-begotten Son, but let's be clear. Nothing caused God to love His handiwork, to have compassion and mercy on them. God is infinite and therefore beyond the limitations of any principle that you can name. The compassion of creatures is not like the compassion of God. Thus it is not only Buddhist "compassion" that is not compassion. All human "compassion" is not compassion. That is what the Church teaches. Therefore if the Buddhists say that human compassion is illusory, they are exactly correct. If they say that divine compassion is illusory, they are wrong, and they have probably confused the concept of God with His essence.
>>38909683Speak less, say more.
>>38909708Improve your attention span
>>38907117Videos on Gnosis, its various types (SPG, UPG & VPG) and Gnosticism:https://youtu.be/0F7knBtLsNs https://youtu.be/260L-DEZVQ0https://youtu.be/diHf_Tup6tE
anyone here have any opinions on the book "Parzival"? dont reply if you arent going to be helpful please.
Dissociating Christ apart from the man portrayed in images has made me feel closer to God. I believe this is partially the point to the whole "graven images" thing. I also believe unironically that there are Christians who will reject the Lord in heaven because he doesn't look like the man in the paintings. When I was very young, I would consider whether I'd worship the Lord if he looked like one of the random dudes I worked with, and at that time I don't think I would've. But now I've reached a point where I know that it doesn't matter how he looks, but what matters more is that I don't actively associate him with a physical appearance. Icons may look beautiful, but they are ultimately *just* an image of an image and while I'm open minded as to whether or not they are idolatry (perhaps that's something that the individual should confront for themself), I strongly believe that they hold worship and fellowship with God back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgd7QNiX-ts
I have a question from Sitra Achra, the other side :3If Christian were to sit at the right hand of god because of their intense works of charity... What happens with the works of chariry of atheist, satanism and pagans?Many satanic orgs donate generously to charity, so if according to Revelation this will be what defines who goes to Heaven and many satanists did those... Doesn't it mean these people will also land in Heaven? Is Revelation fake?
>>38908764God Bless
Esoteric experience. Bought a new sword. It was filled with might. As if God's power graced the blade. Intense divine power emitted from the sword. Like the sephirot of God's power possessed it. It eventually subsided.
>>38910542Be more specific if you want a helpful response
https://contradictionsinthebible.com/conflicting-portraits-of-israels-deity/
>>38908024Dreams that stand out and stay with you for years, decades even, after the fact should not be viewed as incidental or unimportant. They have great significance and should be remembered and revisited. Sounds like this one aligned quite well with your spiritual journey in waking life.
>>38911390Charity is only charity if it's done for the love of God, otherwise it's altruism or just vanity/pride/whatever
Will I get assraped by demons if I join some Rosicrucian or Martinist order? Is there anyone who is or was a member, even at entry level orgs like AMORC or BOTA? I am a church going Protestant who attends a (non US) pentecostal church, and while I absolutely believe in the gifts as the pentecostals do, I do seek more depth to my religion since Protestantism today is really surface level. I'd like to have some path of practice to follow and I think something like that may offer it to me?
>>38912266Based
>>38911941Should I read it, why or why not
>>38912352>Will I get assraped by demons if I join some Rosicrucian or Martinist order?Probably not by demons directly, but mundane ass-rape is a real possibility.That's just sort of a occupational hazard when it comes to esoteric organizations in general.Maybe dip your toe with more mystically inclined traditionalists or third orders first, much safer for your rectum and your psyche.
>>38912038Based
>>38910542It's great. Love it, love the opera, love this interpretation too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJa2ct0s8xw
>>38912574Yes because I assume you're interested in Christian esotericism
Religious institutions: yes or no? Pros >Defends the essentials of the faith >Maintains cultural and political leverage for the faith >Easier to find likeminded groups of believers within specific denominations Cons >Dogmatic >Requires money to exist >Full of hypocrites
>>38914289yes, and no if it's bad
>"Who, that loves his brother, would not, upheld by the love of Christ, and with a dim hope that in the far-off time there might be some help for him, arise from the company of the blessed, and walk down into the dismal regions of despair, to sit with the last, the only unredeemed, the Judas of his race, and be himself more blessed in the pains of hell, than in the glories of heaven? Who, in the midst of the golden harps and the white wings, knowing that one of his kind, one miserable brother in the old-world-time when men were taught to love their neighbour as themselves, was howling unheeded far below in the vaults of the creation, who, I say, would not feel that he must arise, that he had no choice, that, awful as it was, he must gird his loins, and go down into the smoke and the darkness and the fire, travelling the weary and fearful road into the far country to find his brother?—who, I mean, that had the mind of Christ, that had the love of the Father?”
>>38914348I love this. Thanks for sharing.
>>38898055That was neat. I'm pretty sure the space rock is nothing to worry about, though it's not a bad idea to live righteously anyways.
https://rumble.com/v5gd3fx-responding-to-darren-beattie.html?e9s=src_v1_ucp
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ix3HMEbOVg
Thoughts on gnosticism
>>38917314Ancient heresy that just won't go away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSanhjYId7Y
>>38918332Bingo
>>38915474Human brain. The saints head represents the pineal gland.
>>38908317Francisco de Hollanda>>38910542Good and important book>>38914289Usually yes>>38917314Very romantic, but inherently false
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44ruz-_KjAM
>>38918615good stuff
>>38918538>inherently falseWhy?Schizoposts like this sincerely got me wonderinghttps://archive.4plebs.org/x/thread/30430624/#q30430624https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapingPrisonPlanet/comments/pyijav/ive_researched_the_afterlife_for_nearly_10_years/All the NDE testimonies and stuff.
>>38918554>>38918551>>38918549
>>38919131NDEs are real, people will interpret their meaning however they please. Also take a downdoot for linking reddit. Tienes que volver
>>38919254>people will interpret their meaning however they pleaseBeing deceived by entities and told "you need to come back" and stuff like that seems ominous to me
>>38919257Mystical theology is important.
>>38919282What does this mean? That paranormal experiences are all deception?
>>38919301No, it means that they are distractions
>>38919199Nice!
>>38919655Yeah but sometimes they seem to pertain to important metaphysical information. Like Robert Monroe for example. Was he being misled by demons? Are all the people who get NDEs suggestive of the "prison planet theory" misled by demons?
How many realms are there?There's this world, and possibly Heaven and Hell. Are there any others?
>>38920334There's God, the world of Platonic forms, the World Soul, and this world, Heaven, Hell and Purgatory are part of the World Soul basically
>>38920500>PurgatoryThat's unorthodox iirc
>>38920511Not for Catholics, also look up the Aerial Toll Houses
>>38920316>Yeah but sometimes they seem to pertain to important metaphysical No metaphysical knowledge can be gained from phenomena
>>38920500So, the realms of existence are finite?
>>38920511No better example of the pointless contentiousness of Christians: prayer for the dead is Biblical, yet the debate over the existence of purgatory rages on.>>38921059>So, the realms of existence are finite?NTA. They are finite; God alone is infinite.
>>38921112>They are finite; God alone is infinite.That's difficult to understand
>>38921126Is it? Infinite means without limits. If there are two infinites then each one is not the other. Therefore there is a limit. Therefore they are finite.
>>38921135One infinity can contain another. There are more real numbers than natural numbers, and yet both are infinite sets.
>>38921167No, one infinity cannot contain another, because the contained infinity would be limited by the containing infinity, and infinite means without limits. Mathematical infinity is different and a misnomer.
>>38921177It seems to me like you're just redefining what infinity means. Infinite just means endless. Countable infinity vs. uncountable infinity.
>>38921189STEMcel cope. 17th century mathematicians redefined what infinity means, not me.
>>38921207Yeah, you're thoroughly unconvincing and incapable of presenting a good counter-argument.
>>38921210Christian esotericism now means arguing semantics.
>>38921227You're the one saying something that's objectively untrue, not me.By the way if you're not a mathematical platonist, you haven't understood Plato
>>38921231I am using the Greek definition of infinity, as the Church Fathers did. When they say God is infinite they do not mean it in the mathematical sense.
>>38921248You're using a definition that is deliberately unrelated to the question being asked. Infinite in the sense of "infinite realms" is infinite in a spatial sense i.e. obviously the mathematical definition, not the theological notion of limitlessness.
>>38921256Ok. The realms of existence are infinite in the mathematical sense. Proof: God is omnibenevolent and omnipotent. Existence is a good. Therefore God will grant existence to the maximum possible degree. Whatever He can create, therefore, He will. But there are infinitely many possible creatures.
bump
How do you rationalize the part in the Gospels where Jesus calls the gentile woman a dog?I never understood that part
>>38924648Jesus demonstrating to his (likely racist) followers that a gentile woman, who they culturally considered to be lesser, in fact had greater faith than many of them.
How do I convince a girl that I want to not have sex (or at least wait until we are commited to a long relationship) before marriage?
>>38924923ooo you are so edgyyou really sticked it to those Christians, huh?
>>38924977I bet your parents told you, that you were real special.
Anyone familiar with this guy?https://www.youtube.com/@Eridanus333/videosSingle-handedly rekindled my interest in Christianity, very interesting stuff.
>>38911930What is the Christian esoteric meaning of swords?How can I use a sword as a Christian esotericist?
>>38911283Where is this from?
>>38925284https://www.christianforums.com/threads/an-orthodox-critique-of-perennialism-and-ren%C3%A9-gu%C3%A9non.8132734/
>>38925342Thanks!
>>38925356My pleasure! :-)
Thoughts on Edgar Cayce?
Life feels so dull when I'm not in Communion, that I can't even call it Life. Those that have felt the Truth, that have been in Grace for even a brief moment can't never trick themselves again. I don't want to forsake Him never again.
Praying without ceasingVincent Pizzuto"Contemplating Christ"
I need the most powerful catholic prayers\devotions, besides the Rosary and Hours\Psalms. (and besides mass of course). I'm trying to build a sort of stack because I have a noble yet difficult intention I need fulfilled.So far I investigated: 9 month novena, 54 day novena, chaplet of St Gertrude, Divine Mercy. then private-seer revelations (Jacarei, Barnabas Nyowe, rosary of tears of blood). of course I can't pray ALL of it but I need to see my options for prayer power.
>>38925181I just looked through it and I agree that it's pretty interesting
How do I get my Christian friend to stop talking about the apocalypse? He keeps repeating stuff about the rapture, mark of the beast, second coming, etc. I already told him it's interesting, but pretty much irrelevant because you still have to live your life regardless. But of course he thinks it's coming soon maybe a few decades or century at the most. It's starting to annoy me to be quite honest. What are you supposed to do with this knowledge? Spend the rest of your life expecting Armaggedon at every turn? This can't possibly be healthy for you
>>38927807If he's a pre-tribber link him some stuff that deboonks it. Believing in pre-trib rapture sounds dangerous. Educate him on the evil (Rothschilds) behind the Scofield Study Bible (which popularized pre-trib and dispensationalism).>Spend the rest of your life expecting Armaggedon at every turn? This can't possibly be healthy for youIt depends on your approach. I find my faith is strengthened when every morning I wake up ready and willing to be martyred.
What's the OG description of Solomon's Ring/Seal? I'm thinking about getting one now that my WWI metal rosary made in Vatican City is going to be blessed on Oct.7.
>>38928420maybe this: https://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/testamen.htmor josephus?
>>38928741Is this real?
>>38928981No it's a painting
>>38928989So you deny the existence of angels or specifically the existence of Saint Michael the Archangel or his battle and victory over Satan?
>>38928981https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113221796021838061
Why are Archangels the only named angels despite being relatively low in the angelic hierarchy?
>>38932042They are the ones that interacted mostly with humans I think.
https://realnewsandhistory.com/anyt-09-17-24/
>>38932042The named angels aren't the same as the Archangels of the Hierarchy, also the position on the Hierarchy doesn't denote importance
>>38929871Wow
Bump
>>38929290It was a joke dummy gawsh
>>38929911>>38929918>>38929929That looks very consecrated and beautiful.
>>38939402Another anon said it in a previous thread, but photographing these does sort of defeat the purpose.
>>38926640please answer my question ,I need the answer on prayer power and petitions answered
>>38942585A bit of a cop out answer but Meister Eckhart said that all you need to pray is just a simple thank you
>>38926640>>38942585The most powerful prayer is a contrite heartNot vain repetitions
God appeared in Monty Python and was not amused!
>>38943609Also true
>>38907117Bump
>>38946894Jesus being in the Xeno series is pretty interesting considering how usually he isn't shown in that kind of media
"The Holy of Holies symbolised the Source and Centre of the Creation. ‘God in our midst’ was the original purpose of the holy place. Moses was told to erect the tabernacle so that the LORD could dwell [the Greek says ‘be seen’] in the midst (Exod. 25.8). Isaiah saw the LORD enthroned in the Holy of Holies, and heard the seraphim declare that his glory filled the whole earth (Isai.6). Since the glory was deemed to be the heavenly host, Isaiah saw the whole of the temple, and the creation it represented, filled with angels who were the messengers and mediators between the invisible and the visible worlds. This was the vision of God, the vision of the unity at the heart of all creation, and of the glory of God suffused through the whole creation by the angels. The angels were messengers, and their role in the creation was to guide and to teach. "-Margaret Barker
>>38947678Thank you for posting this! :-)
>>38947678Amazing pic.
>>38948064Looking for a higher res version. It's really good.
can anyone answer some questions of mine without saying something like "god works in mysterious ways" or "it's part of his plan" 1. Why does sin exist? why doesn't god just get rid of it? If the answer is "free will", then why make humans so prone to causing suffering? Why make creatures who would use their free will to do harm? Couldn't god have created creatures who have free will but also are unlikely to use it for evil? Why would god make psychopaths and people incapable of feeling empathy?2. Why must somebody "pay" for this sin? why must there be a sacrifice? surely god makes the rules, right? can't he just forgive sin without some big show in the form of jesus' crucifixion?3. What if I don't want free will, what if I would prefer to just be happy and content all the time against my will? why don't I get to make that choice?4. Why must I suffer for the sins of Adam and Eve? I was never even given the chance to reject sin5. If satan is the root of all evil, why does god not just destroy him? everyone would surely be better off if he didn't exist, right?5. why would god allow the true religion to be hidden amongst so many others, never revealing the truth to his creations, and then demand that they make the correct choice or suffer for eternity? This doesn't quite seem fair. There are countless people who are born into other religions and have had everyone they've ever loved tell them that their religion is correct. God has given them no sign or reason to convert or believe that their religion is wrong6. Why is there so much senseless death and suffering in the world that isn't even caused by humanity? things like mosquitos that spread malaria, natural disasters, cancer, deformities and defects, etc. 7. why should ANYBODY suffer for ETERNITY? I don't think even the worst humanity has to offer deserves eternal suffering. It's simply impossible to do evil in our time on earth that is proportionally deserving of eternal suffering.
>>38948257These are all good, reasonable questions, and I say that as a believer. Without addressing each of your questions, I'll try to answer them all by saying the main thing to understand is that our lives should be an act of transcendence and ultimately submission to the awesome power and love of God. The "test" of life is getting to a point where you can see through the "self" and what you might call materialist concerns, and understanding the "oneness" of everything, the Logos of reality. In this sense, sin isn't just wrong or evil. It's a block; a distraction from attaining this elevated perspective. It gets in the way. Disconnecting (or "repenting" if you prefer) from sin doesn't just make us "good." It helps us clarify a higher reality that can elude our insufficient intellect and physical senses.Most other major religions speak to this somehow. Which is why they're generally correct even if I might disagree with some of the particulars. And the faithful, righteous followers of these religion can experience transcendence and draw nearer to God.
>>38948178Are you on drugs?
>>38948064Dude tottaly trippen man
>>38949049not currently, no
>>38949792coffee and weed, tottally addict wake and bake then drink until beer time, so sad i am stuck
>>38948870>Which is why they're generally correct even if I might disagree with some of the particulars. And the faithful, righteous followers of these religion can experience transcendence and draw nearer to God.Except that those religions in most cases explicitly deny the deity or resurrection of Christ, which is an essential to tenant of salvation
>>38948257>1When God creates he creates something that is distinct from himself, so for something to have free will that means that they're distinct from God, if there were no free will there would be no separation from God and so no Creation Free Will is a single category, not a spectrum where you can have 'some free will', you either have free will or you don't>2God is by Nature loving and righteous, the rules aren't arbitrary, they reflect God himself, so God forgives us for our sin yet because of his Justice also needs everything to be 'made right', that's why the Crucifixion has to occur>3For you to desire to not have free will requires you to have free will, but if you don't have free will then you can't complain when God gives you free will without you agreeing to itWhy you can't not have free will is explained in >1>4Adam has all of humanity in Potential, meaning that he is all of Humanity and his Original Sin is also our ownFor a straighter answer, you are given the chance to not sin, right now, try it and see how long you last>5Even if there were no Satan Mankind would still Sin, he isn't the cause, he is the symptomHis time will come though, until then Mankind is Satan's 'Prison Guard' our world being his Prison, see: Jakob Böhme and the theosophersAlso, Satan's demise will -come- instead of it already having happened is because, creation is the opposite of God, since God is timeless and spacelessness, creation is time and space, and so things in creation occur throughout a period of time, everything has a beginning and end, if there was no beginning and no end then creation would be God, as only he can have no beginning and end
>>38950016>Second 5The true religion is always hidden in the soul, and the Pre-Incarnation Religions were in one way or another Preparatory for the Gospel, and as Augustine says, to heavily paraphrase, who knows how many are saved outside the church and how many are damned within it, everyone is given a chance to accept God in one way or another, it's their choice to respond or not>6Just as Adam brought evil to Mankind, Satan brought evil to the world, again, see Jakob Böhme and the theosophers >7There are multiple valid stances concerning Eschatology, see Maximus the Confessor for example
>>38948257>1,2,4,5(1),6These have been answered many times before. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you're not the typical bad faith poster who doesn't actually want answers and just wants to pretend all his questions are perfect refutations of Christianity. Here's my advice as a convert who had similar questions: think about these questions for yourself. Use a search engine. Read some books. A few of these questions are the result of trying to grasp the extent of God with a fallen human mind, and you won't find answers with a "well, if I was God, I could have done it better!" mindset.>3. What if I don't want free will, what if I would prefer to just be happy and content all the time against my will? why don't I get to make that choice?Do you realize how ridiculous it is for a being of free will to even try to imagine what it would be like to not have free will? Your entire structure of thought/consciousness is built upon it.>5. why would god allow the true religion to be hidden amongst so many others...It's the single most widespread religion in the world. Now when it comes to accounting for edge cases, ie. abortions, dead children, the mentally handicapped and people who never had the opportunity to accept or deny Christ, we have a safety net: God is compassionate and merciful. Even if we don't always have specific examples in scripture, we can return to God's nature.>7. why should ANYBODY suffer for ETERNITY?Look into Conditional Immortality/Annihiliationism or Purgatorial Universalism. Again, return to God's nature.
>>38949836For me it's weed and cooming My day literally revolves around it Pray for me bros :(
>>38949987Yes, that's one of the particulars I disagree with. But a deep, transcendent connection to God isn't out of reach for them.
>>38950165>But a deep, transcendent connection to God isn't out of reach for them.Depends how we define "deep and transcendent". I don't doubt that God can have mercy on whoever he pleases, but the scripture explicitly teaches against religious pluralism in the sense that salvation can be found through worship of other gods
>>38950164OK, but you should also pray for your self.https://youtu.be/rROtyA6MtWU?si=EEeMnoLs4lSWiqyn
>>38948257Everything God does, He does for the benefit of man, which includes keeping knowledge obscure and allowing suffering. You're asking the wrong questions, by treating God as some cosmic tyrant instead of the perfect good, you are asking a lot of totally meaningless questions that do not apply to God, only to a caricature of Him. When we speak of God and Providence, we speak of what is perfect and necessary by definition, thus it's clear your concerns are entirely unrelated to God. You are letting your excessive distaste with the negative aspects of the world turn you everything that is good.>God has given them no sign or reason to convert or believe that their religion is wrongYou sure assume a lot about God, don't you? But like most people, you choose to make the wrong assumptions. God is always helping everyone all the time, always trying to push all of us towards the truth, and if it bothers you so much that he requires your cooperation to do so, then I hope you're prepared for the consequences of your pettiness.>It's simply impossible to do evil in our time on earth that is proportionally deserving of eternal sufferingI won't answer this directly, but contemplate how everything God does or allows, it is for the good of all.Ultimately you're asking to be spoonfed spiritual wisdom. That is not how this works. You ask Heaven for it, and you receive. Those who waste their time asking questions like this *never* get answers.
>>38950414>Everything God does, He does for the benefit of manassumption. if god doesn't want to prove to people that he is this perfect good (and in fact seems to prove the contrary) then he should not be vindictive when people don't simply believe that he is perfect good.>you are asking a lot of totally meaningless questions that do not apply to Godstop trying to gaslight me into thinking the questions don't even make sense. You just dodged my questions with some pseudo-esoteric mumbo jumbo. >You sure assume a lot about God, don't you?and why shouldn't I? if god doesn't want people assuming things about him, maybe he should come and clear things up for us. Everything you think you know about god is an assumption, too.>I won't answer this directlyamazing. who could have forseen this? You haven't answered any of my questions directly, or even tried to. >Ultimately you're asking to be spoonfed spiritual wisdomyou think I haven't prayed and asked these same questions? I have received no answer. why not ask those who purport to have been answered, like people in this thread. Unfortunately you would rather spiritually high-road me for having the audacity to ask questions that you can't admit you don't have the answer to. It's fine that you don't have the answers, but you should at least be able to have a discussion about them without deflecting so hard
>>38950143>Do you realize how ridiculous it is for a being of free will to even try to imagine what it would be like to not have free will?If god knows everything that will ever happen, then perhaps we are not beings of free will after all.>It's the single most widespread religion in the world.and yet, if you were born into a muslim family, in a muslim country, with muslim news and culture, you would most likely never even consider converting to christianity. would that be your fault? no, you would simply be doing what any normal person would do. billions of muslims will never convert to christianity and will never be given any sort of revelation by god revealing to them the truth of christianity. They were doomed to eternal suffering the moment they were born.
>>38947557True, even if it's a weird Gnostic version of Jesus (the one where there's Jesus the man and Jesus the spirit, I forget the term). I love Xenosaga, it's so weird and ambitious.
>>38948257God works in mysterious ways. It's part of His plan. Sorry not sorry.
I just can't do church. The music stinks everywhere. :( I'm sorry. God already knows my thoughts. I may as well be honest with people too. I can't get away from either maudlin hippy or CCM tunes. But unlike other bad music, they have this barrier to criticism where you're made to feel guilty since it's praise music. I don't want to tell anyone the music is bad...even though it is to me. I don't even see it as praise music. They're all buddy Jesus and divine boyfriend type of lyrics. I'm not awed, rarely does it feel holy. Give me old hillbilly or African American spirituals over this. Give me Latin chants, give me Anglican hymns.. but for the love of God, I don't want to sing any of that and I'm not going to go to any church. Even the Anglican church I otherwise enjoy is doing this.. And they just read out the Psalms for the Psalm part of liturgy. :(/rant
>>38950645I think you're starting with the assumption that God must be like you instead of you must be like God and it's clearly making you quite unstable. Christ preserve you.
