#92. The Gender Identity of God

When a new baby arrives in the home, what is the first question asked? Is it a boy or is it a girl? I have never heard a mother respond to that question, saying, “I don’t know. I forgot to ask … it!”

Apparently, this is becoming a major issue in America for we are hearing more and more about gender identity confusion. Indeed, the soul living in a particular body may have confusing feelings about the gender question. May God richly bless you.

So, I thought I would shed some humorous light upon what may be a serious subject for some. I came upon a poll that tends to show the extent of the matter. It reaches way beyond the United States – all the way up to heaven.

A Harris Poll revealed that 54% of the people in the U.S. believe that God does exist, but they are confused about God’s gender identity. The poll states the following results regarding people’s confusion with the question of God’s gender:

    39% believe that God is male;

    1% believe that God is female;

    31% believe that God is neither Male nor Female; and

    10% believe that God is both Male and Female.

Apparently, the Harris Poll never asked God about … ITS … gender. (notice how I’m very conscientious about God’s feelings here). Why not ask God about Its gender? Maybe the reason is that the Harris Poll people could be among the 46% that do not even believe that God exists! Or, maybe they just do not have ITS current email address.

In any case, the Bible clears up the matter. Although Numbers 23:19 in the Old Testament states: “God is not a man”, Jesus said in the New Testament that God’s gender is male and the church has confirmed it to be unquestionably true. But then the church also believes that the Holy Spirit is a person – a male person at that!

The good news is that no one questions the gender identity of Jesus – I think!.

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#86. Christianity – Not A Religion

Say what? Christianity is not a religion! When unsure of the meaning of particular words, I go a runnin’ to my dictionary. So, recently I found myself speedily turning the pages of my Webster-book. 

Religion is defined as “the expression of man’s belief in and reverence for a superhuman power recognized as the creator and governor of the universe”

Christianity is defined as “the religion taught by Jesus and his followers”

Well, I was right all along. Simply put, Christianity IS indeed a religion; in fact, it is the world’s largest religion of 2.2 billion followers. So I am perplexed by a statement made by fundamental Christians from time to time that … it is not a religion!

It goes something like this:  “Christianity is not a religion – it’s a person.”  Of course, they are implying that their religion – that is, “the expression of (their) belief in and reverence for a superhuman power” – is centered upon and directed toward their relationship with Jesus.

But, that IS … their religion. Their belief is in the deity of Jesus. Their reverence is for the divine Jesus. So I find their need to deny that their religion is a religion … rather strange. After all, Christianity is full of doctrines to learn, commandments to believe, rituals to follow, and practices to complete.

OK, granted that the church has added its own set of ‘rules’ to the religion which gives it powerful authority over its members. Rules such as don’t drink or smoke or dance; don’t sleep in on Sunday mornings; don’t not read your Bible; don’t not tithe; don’t do this; don’t not do that.

Maybe it is their understanding that religion is a set of hard-and-fast rules adherents must follow in order to obtain God’s blessing of getting into heaven when it’s all over down here. This ‘getting into heaven’ is what is meant by the Christian precept called salvation. 

Let’s look that one up under the S’s: 

Salvation is defined as “deliverance”, from the Greek word, soteria

Salvation for a Christian is getting delivered from this earth-life and arriving in heaven-ville ... on time. Under the directive of Paul, salvation in the religion of Christianity has been simplified to:  having faith in Jesus. 

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9 (REV)

Paul seems to be implying that service and good deeds are not necessary for salvation; but helping each other is what life is all about and I’ll bet it is what heaven is all about. He seems to be implying that no effort whatsoever is involved in having-faith-in-Jesus. Not so! For most of the world, having faith calls for a heck of a lot of effort! If having faith was not of our own doing, but a gift of God, everyone would be delivered no matter what! Everyone would be heaven-bound; each and every soul would leave this planet of ours riding on their chariots of fire – free as a bird – into heaven’s realm. The free gift of salvation would include every single soul. Of course, that is not one of the beliefs of the religion called Christianity.

Here’s what I want to know though. What about being delivered from the difficulties and sorrows of this earth-life … during this earth-life? Is that not the purpose of all those Christian teachings of Jesus – to save or deliver us in the here and now? Enter your closet and pray; trust God; stop judging; start forgiving; love one another; control your anger; help each another.

Let’s listen in on a conversation about salvation with a woman at the drinking well. Jesus, a Jew, made this rather blunt statement to the lady, a Samaritan: “You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.” – John 4:22 (NAS)

That was then and this is now. In today’s world, salvation is from the Christians and to those of the religion of Judaism (and all other religions), Christendom authoritatively claims: “You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the (Christians)”. Hmmmm.

Well, I have closed up my Webster-book for awhile. I don’t know if those pearly-gates are open for other religions or even for Christians, but my religion tells me that my Jesus  loves every one of us whether we have faith in him or not; and that he was a religious Jew who had a rich faith in God and performed some mighty good deeds here upon our Mother Earth in serving his fellow-man with love. That pretty well sums it all up for me.

Next time, I’ll look that one up under the J’s to see if my dictionary tells it like it really, really is!

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#83. Did Jesus Appear to his Mom?

The earliest testimony of the resurrected Jesus comes from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:5-8. Paul claims that Jesus "was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.  After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him."

Was Peter the first to see the resurrected Jesus? Not according to the Gospels, which were written long after Paul's letters. Mark concludes his gospel with Jesus not appearing to anyone; Matthew and John both agree that he appeared first to Mary Magdalene; in Luke's gospel, Jesus is first seen by two guys walking on the road to Emmaus.

Sometimes, it is what is missing in a story that is the most important thing to pursue. Nowhere in the New Testament does it state that Jesus ever appeared to his mother, Mary, after the resurrection. How can this be? She was present at the crucifixion. Mary became known as the Mother of God and Jesus became known as the Son of God -- deity in the flesh. 

Why would he not appear first and foremost to his mother? Maybe the story got lost in the shuffle. Oh, here it is -- I found it the the Virgilian Version:

And so it was, just as Jesus had prophesied to his disciples, he rose from death in just three days. It was early Sunday morning and the very first item on his agenda was to visit his dear mother, Mary, grieving all alone in her home.

Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the family room, exclaiming, "Mom! I made it! Give me a hug!"

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#77. Little-known Tidbits about Jesus

The following 12 questions about Jesus are based upon passages found in the four Gospels of the Bible. They are not theologically relevant – just tidbits! A tidbit is “a small piece of news or interesting information”. The answers are found at the conclusion of the twelve questions. 

  1. Did Jesus ever spit? 

  2. Did Jesus ever spit in another’s eyes?

  3. Did Jesus ever place his spit on another’s tongue?

  4. Did Jesus ever write down his thoughts? If so, what did he write with? And on what material did he write?
  5. Did Jesus ever tell a whopper of a story?
  6. Did Jesus ever say that rocks can talk?
  7. Did Jesus ever tell a pun about threading the eye of a needle with a rope?
  8. Did Jesus ever tell his disciples to go barefoot?

  9. Did Jesus ever restrict his disciples from ministering to non-Jews?

10. Did Jesus ever cry?

11. Did Jesus ever laugh?

12. Did Jesus ever tell a riddle?

 

Biblical Answers:

  
  1. Yes! “After saying this, (Jesus) spit on the ground” (John 9:6)

  2. Yes! “(Jesus) took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, ‘Do you see anything?’ ” (Mark 8:23)

  3. Yes! “And taking him aside from the multitude, (Jesus) put his fingers into the man’s ears; and spitting, he touched the man’s tongue with the saliva.” (Mark 7:33). Apparently, the saliva of Jesus was used in healing. 

  4. Yes! “But Jesus simply bent over and started writing on the ground with his finger.” (John 8:6 and 8)

  5. Yes! “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit (that is, 20 inches) to his stature?” (Matthew 6:27). A cubit is an ancient unit of linear measure, equal to the length of the forearm from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow, averaging about 20 inches. So Jesus presented a whopper: Can anyone, by worrying, add 20 inches to his height – yes, quite a whopper indeed! Here is another one. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). Can you picture this as a cartoon?

  6. Yes! “Jesus answered, ‘I tell you that if (the people) keep quiet, the stones themselves will start shouting.’ ” (Luke 19:40)

  7. Yes! “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24). The Aramaic word for 'camel' is written identically to the word for 'rope.' Thus, Jesus most likely said: It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle. Makes more sense, doesn't it?

  8. Yes! "Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' ” (Luke 22:35)

  9. Yes! “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5). Gentiles is a term for non-Jews.

10. Yes! “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35). Some translations say: "Jesus cried."

11. No -- though I'm most certain that he did laugh a lot.

12. Yes! “This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ ”
(Matthew 13:13).

Here is a paraphrase version of verse 13 from The Message:  “That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it.”

How did you do, my friend? How many did you get correct? Would you like to add your own tidbit about Jesus? Thanx for sharing your 2-cents worth of information.

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#75. His Campaign was for CHANGE

Innocent of any crime or wrongdoing, yet their vicious attacks upon him have been relentless. They have hated him simply for who he is. His political enemies have wanted to destroy him at any cost. Therefore, the most vindictive of accusations have they thrust upon this most renown leader -- nothing but lies have they heaped upon his very character.

Yet, a champion for the minorities, he labors on to help the poor and the downtrodden. And he is honored -- even worshiped -- as their savior. In their eyes, he can do no wrong.

But this man has been under continuous attack. The opposing faction is exuberant in its endeavor to crucify him. They simply want him to be gone. Why? Why such brutal force thrust against an innocent man? Why do his enemies hate him so much -- with such passion? Why? The truth: Because of his race! 

Yes, Jesus, they hated you without a cause ... and simply because you're a Jew! As a tribute to the one who was destined to change the world through love and peace -- not through control and war -- I am reminded of a passage from John 15:24. It is a simple statement of fact. Jesus is speaking to his followers: 

"They hated me without a cause."

 P.S. -- Obama and his supporters may take credit for this think-piece as it is the very rationale applied to their Prince of Peace.

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#73. Displaced Aggression 101

Everyone is familiar with the tale of a man who was criticized by his boss. Arriving home, the man yells at his wife who yells at her son who yells at his younger brother who has no one around to blame. So he yells at the dog and kicks his innocent dog.

This story illustrates displaced aggression. The playground bully is another such example. Usually, he chooses a powerless, innocent kid in which to take out his aggression. The victim has become a scapegoat -- a term that goes back thousands of years.

It is recorded in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, chapter 16, where a goat is chosen to be a sacrifice, is symbolically burdened with the sins of the Jewish people, and thrown over a cliff to rid the nation of its guilt.

No, this is not a new phenomenon. When problems occur, people do not like to blame themselves. A scapegoat is a person or group that is forced to take the blame for happenings that are not their fault; in other words, someone upon which to express their displaced aggression.

Scapegoat Theory is a social, psychological term used when a person or group expresses prejudice toward another individual or group in order to vent their anger.

We can see a contemporary illustration of this in the George Zimmerman trial and its aftermath. The facts become irrelevant for, you see, scapegoating is not about the facts, but about pent up emotional stress -- which has heretofore found no release.

  I’m left recalling the words of the Master:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone to death those that God has sent to you. Many, many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me.” (Matthew 23:37)

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#64. Resurrection of the Aloe Plants 2

As a response to some of your comments from part 1, allow me to conjecture on some interesting possibilities. I welcome your comments, as well. Here are a few things to contemplate about the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus: 

1.  Miracle is defined as "an event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a divine or supernatural cause". As our science continues to advance, we discover more and more of the principles involved in miraculous events. Rather than attribute the resurrection of Jesus to a supernatural cause, or that he was God, let us seek to more fully understand the natural laws that can cause an apparent death to become a return to life. 

2.  If God says he wants you to save people from their sins, will you do it? YES! Good! Next, to accomplish this, God asks you to leap off a 100-foot cliff to your death and then allow him to restore your body to life -- now will you do it? NO! 

Then why would Jesus say YES to the crucifixion event? Could it be that he had already demonstrated to himself that he could rise again to life. Is it plausible that Jesus found a way to heal his body and return to life? Is it probable that Jesus had experienced resurrection already? I think so. 

3.  Most likely, Jesus was raised as an Essene at Mt. Carmel in Galilee (not far from Nazareth). This branch of Essenes were known to be accomplished healers. Did the Essenes have a plan for healing the body of Jesus? The 100 pounds of aloe and myrrh had to be acquired, mixed, and transported to the tomb by late Friday afternoon. This would require time, money, containers, candles, means of transportation, and of course, volunteers for the next two or three days. Obviously, there was a plan which had been initiated long before the crucifixion date. 

4.  The Essenes were familiar with plants and herbs having excellent medicinal uses. Aloe is a succulent plant of the lily family with pointed, thick leaves and has the affect of invigorating and restoring the tone and health of the body and its organs. Myrrh is a fragrant gum resin and has the affect of contracting the tissues of the body, and thus, diminishing the discharge of mucus and blood; it can also be used to cleanse the skin and constrict the pores. 

5.  The process of healing the body of Jesus would require several helpers from the Essene community to remove the body from the cross, transport the body to the tomb, clean and prepare the body, and administer the mixture to his body at regular intervals. They probably took turns in the tomb over a period of 36 or more hours. 

6.  The pain from the beating and crucifixion would be enormous – maybe unbearable. People who have near-death experiences (NDE's) leave the physical body but do not experience any pain while out of the body. Had Jesus mastered the ability to astral project at will, and thus, avoid the extreme pain and agony of it all? I hope so! I bet so! 

7.  When the body of a NDE shows no vital signs, he/she is considered dead, only to revive at a later time. Rather than death, we now know that the NDE was in a coma state. The English coma is "a prolonged state of unconsciousness", steming from the Greek koma, meaning "a deep sleep". 

In John 11, Lazarus had been dead for four days. Jesus said to his disciples, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up." Seems to me that Lazarus had been in the coma state. What about Jesus? Did he truly die -- or was he also in a deep sleep -- a coma? 

8.  While Jesus was in the coma state, what did he do? I mean, did he have knowledge that would facilitate the healing process? Was he a highly advanced soul that could alter his consciousness and provide healing energies to his body? Did the cells of his body resonate to his consciousness of wholeness? 

9.  After the resurrection, why did the various witnesses – including Mary Magdalene – not immediately recognize Jesus? Hmmmm. Maybe he was still a little bruised and disfigured, you think? 

10.  What was the purpose of this event? That will have to wait for a future time when I am in my body but out of my mind!

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#61. Reincarnation: Then and Now

“The latest Pew Forum survey of religious beliefs (2009) puts the overall percentage of Americans who believe in reincarnation at 24%.” That is ¼ of the country! WOW! 

The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus stated that the sect of Pharisees believed in reincarnation. Indeed, many of the Jews 2000 years ago believed in reincarnation, including Jesus. However, he did not use the word reincarnation. Instead, Jesus used the word resurrection. It means: “to rise from the dead” or “to come back to life”. Christians of today interpret it to mean a return to the same physical body. They do not believe or understand reincarnation! Nor did Nicodemus, a Jew in Jesus' day. 

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Jesus stated, “Don't be surprised when I tell you, ‘You must all be born again.’” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can this be?” (John 3:4,7,9). 

Consider that Jesus also taught ‘Eternal Life’. The spirit or soul always was and always shall be. The eternal spirit is drawn back to the earth from the ‘spirit’ realm, incarnating into the embryo, and born as a baby human being. As the sojourn is completed, so ends the human experience. “People are destined to die once" (Hebrews 9:27). After a period of preparation, the eternal spirit, or soul, again is drawn back to the earth into an embryo and is born again. When the sojourn is completed, the body dies – destined to die just one time. 

If this process should seem so unbelievable, consider Jesus. He left heaven, entered into the embryo, was birthed in 9 months, died at 33 years, then returned to heaven. “I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” (John 16:28). Why is the word again there? Again and again, Jesus left the world and returned to the Spirit realm. If Jesus can do it, then we all can do it. It’s a piece of cake. 

Such is indicated in this story: 

“And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, ‘Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither’” (John 9:1-3).

How could the man have sinned before he was ever born? Obviously, the disciples question shows clearly that the disciples of Jesus believed the man born blind had lived before. This would have been a perfect opportunity for Jesus to pooh-pooh the doctrine of reincarnation, if he did not adhere to it. 

Jesus was quite explicit about reincarnation in his reference to John the Baptist.

“And if you are willing to accept it, he (John the Baptist) is the Elijah who was to come. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” (Matthew 11:14-15). 

Do you believe in reincarnation ... now? And did you believe in reincarnation ... the last time? 

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#45. Jesus Had a Sense of Humor

Dare I ask? "Was Jesus a standup comic?" The Gospels paint a portrait of Jesus as over-flowing with humor and wit, full of irony and satire, and over the edge with mocking exaggerations. Can you just picture in your mind’s eye the cartoon caricatures Jesus created, such as the “blind leading the blind and both falling into the ditch”! Or how about “straining out a gnat, but swallowing a camel”? Or better still, consider “having a log in your eye while trying to remove a splinter from another’s eye”. Do you see his humor?

Jesus told Peter that one should forgive a friend -- not seven times -- but 70 times 7 (ie, 490 times). To his followers, he posed the following question: “With all your worrying, which of you can add 18 inches to your height?” To the religious leaders, Jesus stated, “You are so careful to polish the outside of the bowl, but the inside is foul with extortion and greed.” And that is just the beginning. There is much, much more in your Bible.

Lots of religious humor has been created about Jesus. Do you suppose he would be offended by it? I think not. Here is my own picture of Jesus returning to the earth, saying to his fellow-Christians:

 

 “I said WHAT ???”

Here is one of my favorite jokes:

A Jewish Rabbi congratulated a newly ordained Catholic Priest. The former said to the Priest, "By the way, can you work your way up the ladder?" The priest stated that indeed some priests do become Bishops. “How about Bishops – can they advance?” continued the Rabbi. The priest was taken back, but added that a few can advance to become Archbishops. The Rabbi was relentless: “And beyond that?” The poor priest was shaking, but uttered that the Pope would be the highest honor. The Rabbi asked, “Is that all?”

The Priest blurted out defensively, “What in the world do you expect -- that the Pope could someday become God?

The Rabbi concluded, “Well, sure! One of our guys made it!”

Now it's your turn . . .

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#43. Jesus, Dalai Lama, & YOU

What do you know about the Dalai Lama? According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the Dalai Lama is an enlightened spiritual being who chooses to come to the earth again and again to serve humanity. So, after he dies, it is believed that he will return to the earth in a new baby's body.

If a monk has a dream or vision that he has been reborn, the senior Buddhist monks will begin searching for the youngster. The monks then present such a boy with possessions (including toys) of the previous Dalai Lama to determine whether the boy is familiar with them.

It is believed to be proof that the child is the reincarnation if he chooses the items that belonged to the previous Lama. In 1937, at the age of two, the present 14th Dalai Lama was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.

Is Jesus also an advance spiritual being, who chose to come to the earth to serve humanity?

"(Jesus) has come from heaven” - John 3:31
“(Jesus) was taken up to heaven” - Mark 16:19

These two Bible verses point to the beginning and ending of the life of Jesus. It implies that he pre-existed before his birth and that he continued to exist after his death.

In the western world, most people do believe the soul lives on after death, but that the soul is not created until conception (or at birth). But if one person – Jesus – lived in the spirit world before birth and returned to the spirit world after death, then WHY would this not be true of us all?

OK, Jesus was called the Son of God. But is not every soul a child of God? Does not each have a spark of divinity? If we can live for eternity after death, what prevents us from pre-existing our birth? Is it possible we all have come from the spiritual realm ... and shall return ... again and again and again? Would you recognize your toys?