resp. to Alobar

[Guest guest]

Alobar,

 

Thanks for your great resp. Here's me chopping up your letter and

spitting out some responses. I forget if it was in this letter, but I

thought you said something about Christ consciousness. If that was

you I guess I'll mention that the whole Christ consciousness idea is

rather a novely among classic Christians. There are som who might

embrace it though. we usually look at Christ not as a man pregnant

with a consciousness, but as a man who is God. But, I certainly know

that not all Christians are classic and do not hold to the same

beliefs. By the way, thanks for your defs. of pantheism, polytheism

and monotheism. One I really like is panentheism. Well, now for me to

respond to your great statements:

 

> I like your question, Bill -- but I'd like to broaden it

out, if you don't mind.

 

Not at all, as long as we hover respectfully around the topic of

Ganesh as that is why we have gathered here. I think broad is good.

 

> The monotheists confuse me the most. I live in the US &

have had strong contact with both Catholics & Protestant sects for

decades. After moving to the South I began to hear fundamentalists

say that Catholics were not Christian. In the North, Catholics

sure considered themselves Christians.

 

Too me, the variety in Hinduism seems like a wild growth, while the

variety in Christianity seems sort of like a broken vase.

 

 

But I digress. I was raised Catholic. They claim to be

monotheistic, but with their tri-une godhead I would say they are

more trinitarians than monotheists.

 

well that Trinitarian stuff gets pretty hairy.

 

Then there are the fundamentalist sects. On one level, I

perceive all Christian sects as dualistic. God /Devil, good /evil,

divine/human, etc. Their whole focus seems on the dualistic

struggle. Not very monotheistic from my perspective. The

Christians say there is but one God, but they always seem to need to

put something which is *not god* into the picture someplace.

 

 

Actually, Christians don't posit an equal and opposite to God. The

Devil, who we believe is an angelic being, is not God's opposite. We

actually teach against that and it was one of Saint Augustine's main

efforts to combat that type of thinking. This reminds me of other

misinformation about Christians, like the idea that we think

sexuality and sex is wrong, and that we think that original sin had

alot to do with sex. This is a bizarre misreading of the text of

Church history.

 

Back to how I relate to the gods & goddesses. I perceive an

ecology of entities. I see there are many differences between myself

& Ganesh (for example). But I do not worship. I interact. We

love each other.

 

I still do not fully understand my relationship with Ganesha. All I

know is that I am a Christian who believes God incarnated in Christ.

But, nevertheless I have a strong respect and admiration for the gods

and goddesses in other religions. Ganesha's image figures prominently

in my life over the last two years. It seems to me that there is a

presence of Ganesh that is consistently and tenderly making itself

known. Ofcourse alot of Christians would downplay these type of

comments. However, I cannot deny the way God might choose to come to

me. Who am I to solve all spiritual mysteries? I don't speak of

worshipping Ganesh for several reasons. I do not know how Hindus

conceive of God, beyond the little I have learned in a few books. For

me the best way I can describe it is that I see in Ganesh a perfectly

good form of God for many reasons. I can see in his many forms, the

same God that I had always been taught about as a Christian--the only

problem being that the religious system or strutures associated with

Ganesha and Christ are at variances with each other. I don't know if

this is a huge problem, or a little puzzle. It's been interesting

though.

 

I feel we (all of us on the physical plane & beyond) are building

something. We are evolving what we are building as we build it.

 

I see this as well.

 

But, then again, I am an evolutionist. I believe it is the nature

of all of us to work together to make more interesting games.

Mayhaps I am just deluded.

 

Maybe you are just an evolutionist who likes interesting games. That

seems valid to me.

 

I work in concert with all of manifest creation to evolve & grow &

liberate myself. I work in concert with all the others whose lives I

touch -- human, animal, gods, & all else. Not me working alone. I

would not know how to be alone. I am part of the matrix. As is

Ganesh & Christ & Satan & Kernunos & Isis & the Elemental Forces and

the chair upon which I sit & the computer who toils with me daily to

spread interesting ideas throughout the cosmos. My perceptions

spread wide -- but they are but the minutest fragment of the matrix

as a whole. All -- in my view -- are connected & seeking

liberation.

 

you sound native american.

 

Bill