The Christian Vision of the New Creation - Part 6

[Guest guest]

Dear All,

 

Part 5 concluded with:

 

A beautiful example of this is given in the famous prophecy of Isaiah where the

destiny of humanity is seen as a return to Paradise. First of all it is said

that the Spirit will be given, " the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the

Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord " .

The fall of humanity came from turning away from the Spirit and centring on the

separate self, and restoration can only come by the gift of the Spirit

reconciling humanity with God. Then it is said, " the wolf shall lie down with

the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young

lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them " . This is the

restoration to Paradise, a state which can only be found when we have passed

through death into the new world, as Jesus promised the thief on the cross,

" This day you shall be with me in Paradise " . (P.86) Then the whole creation will

pass from its present state of extension in time and space with all the

divisions and conflicts which mark this state, and the animal world will be

reconciled with itself and with the human world. Finally it is said, " They shall

not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the

knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea " . (Isaiah 11:1-9) This state of

Paradise comes when humanity emerges into a new state of consciousness, a state

described as the " knowledge of the Lord " , that is the higher knowledge or

'gnosis', known in India as 'jnana', the direct experience of the indwelling

Spirit of God.

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith)

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

Pgs. 82-84

 

Here then is Part 6.

 

Enjoy!

 

violet

 

 

 

The Christian Vision of the New Creation - Part 6

 

(P.86) Another interesting example of this vision of a restored humanity is

found in the prophet Hosea, where it is said, " I will betroth you to me in

faithfulness and you shall know the Lord " . Again it is the " knowledge " of God

which comes through faith which brings about the transformation, and it is said,

" I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth and the earth shall

answer the corn and the wine and the oil and they shall answer Jezreel (that is,

God sows) and I will sow her unto me in the earth " . (Hosea 2:20-23) This passage

reflects that deep sense of the solidarity of humanity with the earth, which is

found in all ancient peoples and which we are seeking to recover today, lest we

should destroy the earth by the violence of our assault on it.

 

But while we recognise this sense of the solidarity of God and humanity with the

earth and the animal world among the prophets of Israel, we must also recognise

that the opposite tendency was always there. Already in the story of Genesis the

human pair were instructed " to fill the earth and subdue it " and there is

throughout the history of Israel an element of violence and domination which has

left a terrible legacy to mankind. The Israelites were a patriarchal people and

their God was always conceived in masculine terms, while the gods of the

surrounding people with their worship of the Earth Mother were totally rejected.

(P.86) Of course, it is true that there were daemonic elements in the religion

of the people of the Middle East as in all religions, but by totally rejecting

the religion of the Great Mother with all its feminine characteristics, Israel

became subject to daemonic forces in its own religion. Even at the time of the

Exodus, the foundational event in Israel's history, the God of Israel is

represented as massacring all the first-born children of the Egyptians and

drowning the armies of Egyptians in the sea without the slightest sense that the

Egyptians as human beings have any rights before God. (Exodus 12:25; 14:24-25)

Again when the Israelites were about to enter the land which had been promised

them, they were told to destroy all the people of the land, " You shall smite

them and utterly destroy them! " (Deuteronomy 7:2) Again in the book of Samuel,

Saul is commanded, " Go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have

and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and

camel and ass " . (1 Samuel 15:3) Of course, we must remember the context of the

civilisation in which this took place, yet what is shocking is that it is

presented as the command of a God who is supposed to be " righteous " and this

attitude of hatred for one's enemies became a permanent feature of the religion

of Israel. The Psalmist never ceases to proclaim his hatred for his enemies and

to ask God to destroy them. When personal or racial enemies are seen as enemies

of God there is no limit to the violence and hatred which they evoke.

Unfortunately this spirit has entered into all the Semitic religions and has

left a terrible record of war and violence behind.

 

A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism and

Christian Faith)

Bede Griffiths

Templegate Publishers - Springfield, Illinois

ISBN 0-87243-180-0

Pgs. 86-86

[Guest guest]

Dear Violet, dear all,

 

Reading this beautiful 6th part of the "Christian vision" i remind one amazing thing that happened a few years ago in India.

 

Shri Mataji was travelling in a jeep through the jungle. Suddenly, the driver saw a tiger running after the jeep. So he accelerated, but the tiger was still running after the jeep. Shri Mataji noticed the tiger and asked the driver to stop the car.

 

Then, She asked the driver to wait for a while and She got out of the jeep. The tiger was standing in front of Her. The driver was frightened, locked in the jeep. Then, the tiger walked away peacefully. and Shri Mataji got back into the car and told the driver that this tiger had told her he could no longer live as he could not bear anymore to have to kill to get his food.... So we can imagine that this tiger got his "samadhi" after that.

 

And some of you remind also this lion protecting an antilope in Kenya.....

 

These are the signs of the future Paradise,

 

with Love

nicole

 

Violet <violetubb The Christian Vision of the New Creation - Part 6 Date: Monday, 17 March, 2008, 6:51 PM

 

 

Dear All,Part 5 concluded with:A beautiful example of this is given in the famous prophecy of Isaiah where the destiny of humanity is seen as a return to Paradise. First of all it is said that the Spirit will be given, "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord". The fall of humanity came from turning away from the Spirit and centring on the separate self, and restoration can only come by the gift of the Spirit reconciling humanity with God. Then it is said, "the wolf shall lie down with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them". This is the restoration to Paradise, a state which can only be found when we have passed through death into the new world, as Jesus promised the thief on the cross, "This day you shall be with me in Paradise". (P.86) Then the

whole creation will pass from its present state of extension in time and space with all the divisions and conflicts which mark this state, and the animal world will be reconciled with itself and with the human world. Finally it is said, "They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea".. (Isaiah 11:1-9) This state of Paradise comes when humanity emerges into a new state of consciousness, a state described as the "knowledge of the Lord", that is the higher knowledge or 'gnosis', known in India as 'jnana', the direct experience of the indwelling Spirit of God.A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism andChristian Faith)Bede GriffithsTemplegate Publishers - Springfield, IllinoisISBN 0-87243-180- 0Pgs. 82-84Here then is Part 6.Enjoy!violetThe Christian Vision of the New Creation - Part

6(P.86) Another interesting example of this vision of a restored humanity is found in the prophet Hosea, where it is said, "I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you shall know the Lord". Again it is the "knowledge" of God which comes through faith which brings about the transformation, and it is said, "I will answer the heavens and they shall answer the earth and the earth shall answer the corn and the wine and the oil and they shall answer Jezreel (that is, God sows) and I will sow her unto me in the earth". (Hosea 2:20-23) This passage reflects that deep sense of the solidarity of humanity with the earth, which is found in all ancient peoples and which we are seeking to recover today, lest we should destroy the earth by the violence of our assault on it.But while we recognise this sense of the solidarity of God and humanity with the earth and the animal world among the prophets of Israel, we must also recognise that the

opposite tendency was always there. Already in the story of Genesis the human pair were instructed "to fill the earth and subdue it" and there is throughout the history of Israel an element of violence and domination which has left a terrible legacy to mankind. The Israelites were a patriarchal people and their God was always conceived in masculine terms, while the gods of the surrounding people with their worship of the Earth Mother were totally rejected. (P.86) Of course, it is true that there were daemonic elements in the religion of the people of the Middle East as in all religions, but by totally rejecting the religion of the Great Mother with all its feminine characteristics, Israel became subject to daemonic forces in its own religion. Even at the time of the Exodus, the foundational event in Israel's history, the God of Israel is represented as massacring all the first-born children of the Egyptians and drowning the armies of Egyptians in the

sea without the slightest sense that the Egyptians as human beings have any rights before God. (Exodus 12:25; 14:24-25) Again when the Israelites were about to enter the land which had been promised them, they were told to destroy all the people of the land, "You shall smite them and utterly destroy them!" (Deuteronomy 7:2) Again in the book of Samuel, Saul is commanded, "Go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and camel and ass". (1 Samuel 15:3) Of course, we must remember the context of the civilisation in which this took place, yet what is shocking is that it is presented as the command of a God who is supposed to be "righteous" and this attitude of hatred for one's enemies became a permanent feature of the religion of Israel. The Psalmist never ceases to proclaim his hatred for his enemies and to ask God to destroy them. When personal or racial enemies are

seen as enemies of God there is no limit to the violence and hatred which they evoke. Unfortunately this spirit has entered into all the Semitic religions and has left a terrible record of war and violence behind. A New Vision of Reality (Western Science, Eastern Mysticism andChristian Faith)Bede GriffithsTemplegate Publishers - Springfield, IllinoisISBN 0-87243-180- 0Pgs. 86-86

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[Guest guest]

Dear Nicole and All,

 

In the following URL, there is evidence from Arwinder that Shri Mataji spoke to

the tiger, which She also rode as a form of transport, and which Arwinder was

also allowed to ride!:

 

http://adishakti.org/new_age_children/i_also_rode_on_the_tiger_of_shri_durga.htm

 

Nicole, animals seem to have a heavenly relationship with Shri Mataji, while

even in Her physical body, as you have given anecdotal evidence, also. i think

it was at Bundilla Scout Camp, that i witnessed this. There were some goats on

the property. On one of the three days that i was there, i witnessed three goats

doing something extraordinary! The three of them were lined up side by side,

facing the hut that Shri Mataji was in. i thought they might be eating grass,

but they looked kind of awkwardly bent down to me, and i had a closer

inspection. On closer inspection, i noticed that their forelegs were bent and

they actually had their heads on the ground. Yes, they were giving Her

obeissance! They were worshipping Her! Can you imagine! This memory has never

left me! Now, people may tell an untruth, but animals do not! Not that i needed

any confirmation; i already knew Shri Mataji was special, but the animals bowing

to Shri Mataji, was something that deeply stirred me.

 

Jai Shri Mataji!

 

violet