Mary Magdalene | THE CIRCUS . . . . . . . . . AND THE ZOO

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ON LIVING LOVE (PART TWO)

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I have spent a considerable amount of time in the past months studying the Biblical texts that were not included in the Bible. The easiest way to look at the spiritual importance of God and Christ is in terms of the First Covenant and the Second Covenant. The First Covenant was the revelation of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments were restrictive guidelines to live by.

The Second Covenant was the Coming of Christ. Whether you see Jesus Christ as a physical presence that lived on the Earth 2000 years ago, or a symbolic representation of a prophet. It is generally understood his message was ‘love’. So the Second Covenant was the message of love. His message of love was revolutionary because at the time of the Romans, and even before . . . daily life was kill or be killed.

The First Covenant gave humanity restrictive guidelines to live by. These values were not much different then the Native American virtues. These values are thousands of years old and do not change ever! The Second Covenant was NOT restrictive. It was the message of love. It isn’t that the Second Covenant supersedes the First Covenant. It is not a replacement. It is a message clarifying the Word of God. Everything in the Ten Commandments are representative of love. The message of Christ was LOVE. The Word of God is LOVE.

All of the major religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, have been fostering a lie for thousands of years now. Christ taught by example. His followers included women such as Mary Magdalene. My friends that know me have heard me relay this message before. After Christ died, Mary Magdalene told the other Apostles that she was given a teaching that Christ did not share with the other Apostles. The other Apostles did not believe her and would not hear her. There is an important teaching there, too.

One of the Apostles convinced the others to hear her out. She then shared the teaching with the other Apostles. Christ’s message was ‘to teach others how to teach enlightenment’. Read that again. It was not how to teach enlightenment. It was teaching others ‘how’ to teach enlightenment. This was the first most important revelation in my life just ten or so years ago, after all of my years of Catholic upbringing and studying philosophies and religions.

The important significance of the two Covenants of God was my own personal most important second revelation just a few months ago. The life of Christ was a message of inclusion. Christ was inclusive of women as equal in the ministry of his teachings and of the Word of God. This has not been the general practice of Judaism since inception. This was not the practice of Christianity after the Council of Nicaea. In fact it was the opposite. They eradicated any symbolism or text where women where shown to be equal in the ministry of God and Christ.

Islam has always included these restrictions for women. There is only one woman mentioned by name in the Koran. She is Mary, mother of Jesus. Two entire chapters of the Koran are named after her and speak of her. It is important to understand at this point that the Koran is much like the New and Old Testament Bibles. In fact, parts of the Koran are based on the Judaic and the Christian Bible. While all three have gems of truth, knowledge and teachings, they were all written by men. And as such, many of the edicts, fatwa’s, doctrines and traditions were written by men or religious groups or churches with the specific goal of controlling others or the behavior of others.

Which brings me back to the topic of forgiveness and repentance. The Catholic Church early on, and hence, Christianity, focused on Christ’s death on the cross as a form of repentance and forgiveness for original sin. These Christian concepts, along with the idea of resurrection, are all concepts of the early Church, written to gain favors for the early Popes and Bishops. And to reign strict control over followers of Christianity. But let me be clear here. This was not the belief of the earliest Christians. Which were later considered heretics by the Church.

Which leads me to my final point. Christianity as dictated by the Churches, focuses on the dogma surrounding the death of Christ, forgiveness for original sin through the knowledge and belief in Christ, Resurrection, and Ascension into heaven. Many religions believe in a second coming, or the future arrival of a great prophet. My personal belief is Christ never died on the cross. I believe in the Living Christ. Here on Earth right now through others and through love.

Unlike the Christian Doctrine, I do not believe you have to ‘know and believe’ in Christ to attain a paradise in heaven. Good people that know and share love, in even the most remote areas of the world that have never heard of Christ, are just as welcome in the paradise of life after death. In fact, Christ’s own beliefs are in actuality more akin to the Buddhist and Eastern concepts of atonement of the soul and reincarnation.

So the answer is LOVE. It will never give you a strict code of regulation on what you should or should not forgive. It is the flexibility of the Second Covenant that gives you the decisive conscience to make decisions based on the First and Second Covenant. The Word of God as revealed by the Ten Commandments, and love, as taught by Christ in the Second Covenant.

7-9-2018
f j llorente

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ON LIVING LOVE

It is easier to understand if you refer to it as the First Covemant and the Second Covenant. The books of the Old Testament were the First Covenant. The Covenant of Moses, Abraham, God, and His people with the promise of the Arc and the guidance of the Ten Commandments.

The Second Covenant was the coming of Christ. The New Testament.

And the Old Testament is not complete. There are still stories and writings buried somewhere in the Earth. It is a Living Bible. As is the New Testament. The New Testament is a simple message. The message of love. At a time when all was Barbarians and Romans killing each other.

So the Second Covenant was a message of love. Whereas the First Covenant (the Ten Commandments) were strict guidelines of behaviour, the Second Covenant was not so much strict guidelines, as it was a much broader guidance to live by.

Reading more of the texts excluded at The Council of Nicaea, we find the true secondary message of the Second Covenant. This was a most recent Epiphany for me (the second major Epiphany in a decade or so). This is also where all three churches have been lying to everyone for thousands of years now. Including Islam, which although a much more recent belief system, is based on both the Old and New Testament.

Women were an essential force in the Ministry of Christ. The Church Council buried this fact in their male dominated Saviour concept. Women were relegated to second string. As they had been in much of Talmudic and Judaic Law. And certainly are in Islamic practice. As well as in Hindi beliefs

The male/female identity of God is accepted in Hindi, but not so much in others. Mary Magdalene was an Apostle of the Teachings of Christ. The Teaching she received from Christ was not shared with the other Apostles. See this allegorically if you must.

After Christ died, her mission was to reveal the Teaching to the Apostles. None of the Apostles believed Christ had revealed a distinct message to her which they themselves did not receive. One of the Apostles spoke up for her and asked the others to hear her out. There is an important Teaching in this also.

The most important Teaching of course was love. But the New Testament (as it is now) and the Church, focus on the redemption of original sin and the miracle of the Resurrection after death. Hence, Christ as the Saviour of our souls and the promise of eternal life.

On these two points they seemed to have confuscated the message. Christ’s message of love IS the redemption. Live by the message of love and you have fulfilled the Second Covenant (the New Testament). The Old Testament was still important, but the message of the New Covenant had precedence because it was all the more inclusive.

The Council of Nicaea put a chokehold on Christianity that is still held taut by most Christian sects. Confession, Resurrection after death, eternal life through redemption . . . all are based on Church Doctrine, not so much on the Spiritual Teachings of love.

Redemption and Resurrection are actually Buddhist and Hindi Teachings, as well as present in other ancient belief systems. Reincarnation.

The message Mary Magdalene was given by Christ to share with the apostles after his death was much less complex. In so many ways just as important as the message of love. In fact, they are inexorably entwined.

It had little to do with Confession, redemption or Resurrection. All are submissive Church Doctrines.

Her message was to learn to teach others how to teach enlightenment.

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YOUR GOD, MY GOD

I’m not too big on Doctrine, but much more focused on the practical. When a person looks outside of themselves, or up to the heavens and prays, it is God. No differentiation except in the written or oral interpretations of God’s Divinity. Native Americans believe in many ‘spirits’. Each is an embodiment of God, just as Nature is an embodiment of God. As someone in the Muslim world wisely said to me recently, ‘we all have the same father and mother’.

The ‘your God, my God’ argument is ludicrous and goes against the very concept of a ‘religion’. In the same vein, the fear or belief in a heaven or hell, or of an afterlife, is less important than your actions on a second by second basis as long as you are alive. I don’t subscribe to the traditional Christian belief that in order to achieve a Divine right after death you must ‘know’ Christ. I do believe you must ‘know’ Christ, but not necessarily as the New Testament persona.

IMO, to ‘know’ Christ is to ‘know’ love. So that even an aborigine in the outback of Australia can achieve a Divinity after death because they are good people in life and know love. I also very much believe in a ‘Living Christ’. Which means Christ never died on the cross, although his Earthly body at some point did ‘die’. But he is as alive today as he ever was. There are those that see and know him and those that don’t.

My religious and spiritual philosophic beliefs are not mainstream by any means, but I spent many years searching and talking to people all over the world and was enlightened by the quest for my own world view while I was in college. I did not really recognize the implications until I was at rock bottom. I was broke, without lights and what seemed like no direction to go in. In other words I was completely in the dark. I remember the moment of enlightenment clearly. I was told by a Rastafarian acquaintance to look inside of myself first.

It may sound simplistic, but it was at that moment I experienced both God and Christ as I never had before then. It wasn’t until decades years later, only recently, that I had another moment of deep religious philosophic clarity. My more recent religious experience was realizing the importance of Mary Magdalene in the story of Christ. What is most important in the story of Christ is not the Resurrection on the cross, nor is it the Salvation as many Christians believe. The most important teaching of Christ is ‘to teach others how to teach enlightenment’. It’s that simple. Do that every second of every day and you will achieve the Divinity of the Living Christ, and God’s love. Eternally.

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RELIGION

Religious choice is not an argument. Religion is not about rejecting. It is about accepting. I have seen and met many Christians and Muslims that are very devout and go to church, or pray five times a day. They all follow all the customs and traditions. Yet most of the time they treat other people like dirt.

Religion is a set of doctrines that outlines a belief system. In the end, even though religion does provide a crutch, and even though it does offer solace and charity to many around the world, it is also a major source of divisiveness, hatred and violence.

Religion is mostly a behavioral system. But you don’t need religion to abide by a valuable behavioral system. The most important behavioral values are as old as mankind and will continue to be valuable in perpetuity. They never change and they never diminish in importance, no matter what else is going on in the world.

The 12 Lakota Virtues are a very good example. Prayer is one more of the virtues. If you read these carefully, you will recognize how they are embedded in the parables and teachings of all other religions.

Religion is also a meditative philosophy. The Buddhists consider meditation a form of prayer. Christian, Muslim and Judaic prayers all strive to achieve a unity with God or a higher Divinity. Prayer is a powerful life force because it focuses energy on positive results. Which is also why unselfish prayer very often does work.

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all based on the Old Testament Bible. Many of the core stories in the Old Testament Bible are based on Sumerian mythology. The Old Testament Bible was also based on the writing of at least 4 different authors, rewriting the work of other authors, and then edited and interpreted by more authors in the early Vatican. The New Testament and the Quran were both interpretations of oral or written perceptions both authored, well after the deaths of Christ and Mohammed. And then reinterpreted by the Vatican, or Imams and religious leaders over the centuries.

Ascribing to a religion is less important than ascribing to a behavioral code. Buddhism and Hinduism believe that what you do now will determine the position you will be in when you return to life on Earth. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe that what you do here on Earth will determine your salvation in ‘heaven’ or ‘paradise’ after death. They all employ either reincarnation, heaven, or paradise, to influence how to behave while here on Earth.

How you treat others every second of every day is more important than doctrines, churches, Mosques, Synagogues, heaven, the next life, or paradise. How you treat others every second of every day is more important than religion.

Several years ago an ancient manuscript was found in two different places that claimed to be the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Although pieces of both manuscripts were missing, it revealed an amazing Truth. Mary Magdalene was very close to Christ and after Christ died she told the other Apostles that Christ had revealed to her a message that he had not revealed to the others.

Several of the Apostles did not at first believe her. It illustrates how women were often judged not equal to men in preaching the Word of the Gospel. This continued for generations, supported by the Catholic Church and up to this very day. But it also provides the most critical revelation. The importance of the teachings of Christ is not so much about the ‘resurrection’, nor is the primary importance about ‘eternal life and the abolition of original sin’. The most important revelation from the teachings of Christ is simply ‘to learn how to teach others how to teach enlightenment‘.

Religion is a personal journey. It is a personal revelation. Religion is enlightenment. Knowledge is enlightenment. Knowledge combined with wisdom is true enlightenment. Research all religions. Understand why they believe what they do. Show compassion for others and for their beliefs. Learn to develop a conscious dialog with the Divinity of existence. Treat other people with respect, kindness and compassion . . . always.

Learn to do these things and you will never need organized religion. Yet you will feel comfortable in any religious gathering, assembly, or structure you will ever visit.

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