ThePhanastasio

I've never really aligned myself at all with the whole "Good vs. Evil" aspect of many generally practiced religions.

Based on human experience, I don't believe that there is just "Good" and "Evil". There's so much grey area that hasn't even been touched upon.

If there is an afterlife, I feel that it's not as simple as good and evil. There are good people, granted, and evil people, but there are also the in between. To try to quantify existence with no acceptance of any grey area is presumptuous. Any deities would have a far better understanding than even we do, and there would be a just afterlife for those involved. Condemning someone to hell for a few small mistakes or lapses in judgment not only makes no sense, but has little to no merit.

If we consider ourselves to be complex individuals, then our creator would be infinitely more complex, and we'd have so many alternate possibilities for an afterlife that we couldn't even conceive of it.

That is one of my main issues with many standing religions: simplification.

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'Man sees things as good, herein lies evil'

Let us complicate it. Since, this is a Christianity thread, allow me to pose a question.

Why did Christianity purge the doctrine of reincarnation in the 6th century AD, under Roman Emperor Justinian?

My guess is that google will lead you straight to the answer. I'll just post it, and, see what everyone thinks. And, I am not being condescending. This is an area in which I do not possess a psuedo-intellect; nor a lack of substance concerning any matter.

How and why the doctrine of reincarnation was purged from Christianity
Emperor Justinian
In the sixth century A.D., Emperor Justinian and Pope Vigilius disagreed on whether or not the teachings of Origen should be condemned as heresy. The Pope supported the teaching as being consistent with the teachings of Jesus the Messiah. The Emperor was determined to eradicate the belief even though the Pope and the church believed in reincarnation. The fact that the doctrine of reincarnation had been a part of Christian theology for over 500 years did not sway the Emperor.
A powerful group of Cardinal’s and Bishop’s explained that if every soul had once pre-existed with God, then Christ wasn’t anything special to have come from God. These Cardinals convinced the Emperor that if people realized they were the children of God they might begin to believe they no longer needed an Emperor, or to pay taxes, or to obey the Holy Church.
But since they reasoned that only Christ had come from God but God made brand new souls at the time of conception and only the Holy Church could bring these souls to God. Without the protection of the Empire or the guidance of the church, all people would be doomed to be forever cut off from God in Hell. This doctrine was very acceptable to the Emperor. Once Justinian understood the political danger inherent in Origen’s teachings, the rest was simply an Emperor doing what was in his best interest.
The council, as instructed by the Emperor, produced fourteen new anathemas and the very first one condemned reincarnation and the concept that souls pre-existed with God.

https://www.google.com/search?q=empe...ient=firefox-a

This link will lead into more detail if anyone is interested. I hope so. Because, it is a very serious matter, and, quite simple in context of every religious text.

Karma. You reap what you sow. What you sow in this life, will be reaped in another. It's a life-after-life situation. Not a one shot deal, and off to hell they go. And, no super-sized Jesus is going to crash through the clouds anytime soon.

Please ask me questions to clarify. I will be more than happy to answer specifically. I really would like to help

"But one who devotes one's soul and studies the law of the Most High will seek out the wisdom of all the ancients and will be concerned with prophecies. That person will keep in mind the discourse of reputable men and will go into the subtleties of parables. That person will seek out the hidden things of proverbs and will be occupied with the enigmas of parables." (The Gospel of Thomas)

But Jesus said, "No, but I shall go to the place from whence I came. If you wish to come with me, come!" They all answered and said, "If you bid us, we come."
He said, "Verily I say unto you, no one will ever enter the kingdom of heaven at my bidding, but (only) because you yourselves are full. (The Apocryphon of John)

Faith, Grace, and no works. Luther kind of misinterpreted things a bit.

Score one for the Catholics. Not the early 'ecclesia' fathers. They really messed things up for all you good people with Faith. They created a church, not an 'ecclesia', an assembly, or a gathering.

I am not challenging anyone's Faith, or attempting to cause a ruckus. This is my area; for one I did not actually volunteer, I was volunteered.

I have witnessed both the bliss of heaven, and the weeping and gnashing of being suspended in outer darkness. My life has been devoted to this very subject, so, I am qualified to address any and all concerns.

Fire away. Leave the judgment at home. It will come back to bite.

I gotta post Jesus of Suburbia. This guy makes great videos.



peace

steve eden

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