Comments on: Tacking toward ‘God’ http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/ Where Will meets Spirit Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:05:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Will http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/comment-page-1/#comment-666 Will Sat, 12 Dec 2009 22:49:48 +0000 http://willspirit.com/?p=2179#comment-666 Marian-- I wonder how differently western history would have played out if Christianity had developed like that. Maybe a lot. Maybe very little. Hard to say how much the behavior of Europeans reflected their dominant church, vs how much the church reflected the attitude of the race. (With 75% of my ancestors English, and 25% Dutch, I have standing to criticize this ethnic group.) Or maybe all the conquest, subjugation, and arrogance was just human nature. --Will Marian–

I wonder how differently western history would have played out if Christianity had developed like that. Maybe a lot. Maybe very little. Hard to say how much the behavior of Europeans reflected their dominant church, vs how much the church reflected the attitude of the race. (With 75% of my ancestors English, and 25% Dutch, I have standing to criticize this ethnic group.) Or maybe all the conquest, subjugation, and arrogance was just human nature.

–Will

]]> By: Marian http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/comment-page-1/#comment-661 Marian Wed, 09 Dec 2009 22:49:41 +0000 http://willspirit.com/?p=2179#comment-661 There isn't much in it to create a cult of personality from. No personal life story or anything. What the church wanted when it constituted itself was power. So, it needed to "have" something that they could make people want to "have": Jesus. Christianity would have developed a lot more into a philosophy like Buddhism and Taoism if it had been founded on texts like the Gospel of Thomas. There isn’t much in it to create a cult of personality from. No personal life story or anything. What the church wanted when it constituted itself was power. So, it needed to “have” something that they could make people want to “have”: Jesus. Christianity would have developed a lot more into a philosophy like Buddhism and Taoism if it had been founded on texts like the Gospel of Thomas.

]]> By: Will http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/comment-page-1/#comment-660 Will Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:54:57 +0000 http://willspirit.com/?p=2179#comment-660 Marian-- I once listened to a tape of Joseph Campbell talking about the Gospel of Thomas. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember thinking Christianity would be improved if it were more widely known. --Will Marian–

I once listened to a tape of Joseph Campbell talking about the Gospel of Thomas. I don’t remember much about it, but I do remember thinking Christianity would be improved if it were more widely known.

–Will

]]> By: Marian http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/comment-page-1/#comment-659 Marian Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:38:27 +0000 http://willspirit.com/?p=2179#comment-659 I recently watched a movie - nothing to write home about, rather lousy - that lead my attention to the <a href="http://www.legionofgodministries.org/lgmthomas1ed.pdf" rel="nofollow">Gospel of Thomas</a>, which I didn't know existed. Amazing! I recently watched a movie – nothing to write home about, rather lousy – that lead my attention to the Gospel of Thomas, which I didn’t know existed. Amazing!

]]> By: Will http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/comment-page-1/#comment-652 Will Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:35:34 +0000 http://willspirit.com/?p=2179#comment-652 Yes, Gianna, that is a perfect quote. Whatever it is that's come over me is about releasing barriers, not building trails. I am not qualified to lead anyone to 'God,' but I understand roadblocks. My rationality undermined the inspiration I received from my spiritual experiences in 2000. It has taken this long to find my way past all the 'reasons' my mind used to reject the possibility that our universe has a heart. Best wishes. Will Yes, Gianna, that is a perfect quote. Whatever it is that’s come over me is about releasing barriers, not building trails. I am not qualified to lead anyone to ‘God,’ but I understand roadblocks. My rationality undermined the inspiration I received from my spiritual experiences in 2000. It has taken this long to find my way past all the ‘reasons’ my mind used to reject the possibility that our universe has a heart. Best wishes. Will

]]> By: Gianna http://willspirit.com/2009/12/06/tacking-toward-god/comment-page-1/#comment-651 Gianna Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:01:17 +0000 http://willspirit.com/?p=2179#comment-651 your post made me think of this: "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it." – Rumi peace to you Will. your post made me think of this:

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” – Rumi

peace to you Will.

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