Post by Laurasia on Jun 5, 2011 12:29:49 GMT -5
Hi everyone.
As many of you know my personal spiritual path veers & turns towards one particular religious path (Hindu, Hellenic, Norse, Gnostic Christianity, etc) to another quite often. Recently I have been drawn towards the more Christian aspects of my spiritual path & would like to share some that with all of you.
For those of you who do not know the term, a "Thomasine believer" is a Christian who adheres to the writings in the Gospel of Thomas; one of the Gnostic Gospels that was discovered at Nag Hammadi. The central message of the Gospel of Thomas is that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us & around us in the present. The followers focus is to become the "twin of Jesus" (who is not portrayed as the "Son of God", but who is a messenger). Meaning to gain the same consciousness & understanding of Jesus himself. It is a path of searching & discovering, and the vast majority of that searching is within oneself. The following is an article called "The Faith of a Thomas Believer".
"I believe in one God, a divine mystery
beyond all definition& rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, & that ever will exist.
I believe in Jesus, messenger of God's Word,
bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament of God's
prophets, mystics, & saints.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the life of God that is our innermost life,
the breathe of God moving in our being,
the depth of God living in each of us.
I believe that I am called to be Jesus's twin,
allowing myself to be a vehicle of God's love,
a source of God's wisdom & truth,
and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
I beleive that God's reign is here & now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
I believe in the community of God seekers
in all the religions, as well as outside of them,
the great prophets, mystics, & saints,
and those just beginning their spiritual journey.
I believe in a future on this earth when all
will be God-centered & God-conscious,
when we will learn to live in love & peace,
in the fellowship of brothers & sisters.
I believe that in death, life is changed,
not taken away, & that we will go
from step tp step in God's life, God's love,
& God's glory for all eternity. Amen."
For me one of the most important aspects of this particular path is that it acknowledges other spiritual paths as being just as valid as the Christian one. That it admits that Christianity does not hold all of the answers & it encourages the spiritual seeker to explore these other spiritual/religious paths freely.
The above article was taken from the book "the Gospel of Thomas: A Guidebook For Spiritual Practice" by Ron Miller.
Sincerely,
Laurasia
As many of you know my personal spiritual path veers & turns towards one particular religious path (Hindu, Hellenic, Norse, Gnostic Christianity, etc) to another quite often. Recently I have been drawn towards the more Christian aspects of my spiritual path & would like to share some that with all of you.
For those of you who do not know the term, a "Thomasine believer" is a Christian who adheres to the writings in the Gospel of Thomas; one of the Gnostic Gospels that was discovered at Nag Hammadi. The central message of the Gospel of Thomas is that the Kingdom of Heaven is within us & around us in the present. The followers focus is to become the "twin of Jesus" (who is not portrayed as the "Son of God", but who is a messenger). Meaning to gain the same consciousness & understanding of Jesus himself. It is a path of searching & discovering, and the vast majority of that searching is within oneself. The following is an article called "The Faith of a Thomas Believer".
"I believe in one God, a divine mystery
beyond all definition& rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, & that ever will exist.
I believe in Jesus, messenger of God's Word,
bringer of God's healing, heart of God's compassion,
bright star in the firmament of God's
prophets, mystics, & saints.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the life of God that is our innermost life,
the breathe of God moving in our being,
the depth of God living in each of us.
I believe that I am called to be Jesus's twin,
allowing myself to be a vehicle of God's love,
a source of God's wisdom & truth,
and an instrument of God's peace in the world.
I beleive that God's reign is here & now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
I believe in the community of God seekers
in all the religions, as well as outside of them,
the great prophets, mystics, & saints,
and those just beginning their spiritual journey.
I believe in a future on this earth when all
will be God-centered & God-conscious,
when we will learn to live in love & peace,
in the fellowship of brothers & sisters.
I believe that in death, life is changed,
not taken away, & that we will go
from step tp step in God's life, God's love,
& God's glory for all eternity. Amen."
For me one of the most important aspects of this particular path is that it acknowledges other spiritual paths as being just as valid as the Christian one. That it admits that Christianity does not hold all of the answers & it encourages the spiritual seeker to explore these other spiritual/religious paths freely.
The above article was taken from the book "the Gospel of Thomas: A Guidebook For Spiritual Practice" by Ron Miller.
Sincerely,
Laurasia