Okay, I think I now know what to say. I will quote what you have said and add corrections in
brackets [ ].
'2000 years ago, the Hebrew culture had become sexist [[[yes and no]]] and overly conservative [[[
]]]. Many of the religious leaders at the time were hypocrites [[[Yes]]] who thought more highly
of their own authority and righteousness than they did of God [[[true]]]. One of the goals of Jesus
was to help humanity become more sensible [[[more sensible yes, but the main reason was to
offer atonement for sins]]], and to recognize that God is at least as much a Mother as it [[[IT? you
referred to THE ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE AS AN 'IT'?]]] is a Father[[[NO, when the bible
{words that are inspired by God} mentions God, it says 'He', not He/She, or It]]]. This was
represented indirectly through the Virgin Mary, and directly through the Holy Spirit[[[ Matthew 1:18 'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit basically "went into" Mary and gave her a child. The Bible says nothing about God "doing" the Holy Spirit and the Spirit having the baby through Mary. ]]]. The Jews of the time found this
idea to be
revolutionary and offensive, which was part of the reason they wanted to crucify their own
Messiah[[[ No, the main reason was because Jesus told the Pharisees that He was kin of God, the
Pharisees thought he was a blasphemer. ]]] . Even though most Christians today don't consciously
realize it, the Holy Spirit is God's female side. You can't have a Father, and a Son without a Mother now can you [[[Correct, but Mary was the mother]]] ? Obviously that wouldn't be a proper family. Anyway, that's actually where the modern Christian idea of the Holy Trinity comes from[[[Totally false]]]. The Father (male), the Son (androgynous), and the Holy Spirit (female). God is still called "he" because the sexist culture persisted even after Jesus's death, and still does to a small extent. Thanks to the early church fathers, most Christians tend to be light-side worshippers, and thus place the greater emphasis on the male half of God. Even I have trouble thinking of God's feminine qualities sometimes.
The Holy Spirit, resides in us, (christians) when we accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross (and eventually His rising from the grave [ because hell could not accept Jesus's sinlessness]) that he made for us as an atonement for our sins, and as a bridge to God, across the chasm of our (mankind's) sinfulness.
I hope I have explained it all, if you have any questions, please ask them.
brackets [ ].
'2000 years ago, the Hebrew culture had become sexist [[[yes and no]]] and overly conservative [[[
]]]. Many of the religious leaders at the time were hypocrites [[[Yes]]] who thought more highly of their own authority and righteousness than they did of God [[[true]]]. One of the goals of Jesus
was to help humanity become more sensible [[[more sensible yes, but the main reason was to
offer atonement for sins]]], and to recognize that God is at least as much a Mother as it [[[IT? you
referred to THE ALMIGHTY GOD OF THE UNIVERSE AS AN 'IT'?]]] is a Father[[[NO, when the bible
{words that are inspired by God} mentions God, it says 'He', not He/She, or It]]]. This was
represented indirectly through the Virgin Mary, and directly through the Holy Spirit[[[ Matthew 1:18 'Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit basically "went into" Mary and gave her a child. The Bible says nothing about God "doing" the Holy Spirit and the Spirit having the baby through Mary. ]]]. The Jews of the time found this
idea to be
revolutionary and offensive, which was part of the reason they wanted to crucify their own
Messiah[[[ No, the main reason was because Jesus told the Pharisees that He was kin of God, the
Pharisees thought he was a blasphemer. ]]] . Even though most Christians today don't consciously
realize it, the Holy Spirit is God's female side. You can't have a Father, and a Son without a Mother now can you [[[Correct, but Mary was the mother]]] ? Obviously that wouldn't be a proper family. Anyway, that's actually where the modern Christian idea of the Holy Trinity comes from[[[Totally false]]]. The Father (male), the Son (androgynous), and the Holy Spirit (female). God is still called "he" because the sexist culture persisted even after Jesus's death, and still does to a small extent. Thanks to the early church fathers, most Christians tend to be light-side worshippers, and thus place the greater emphasis on the male half of God. Even I have trouble thinking of God's feminine qualities sometimes.
The Holy Spirit, resides in us, (christians) when we accept the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross (and eventually His rising from the grave [ because hell could not accept Jesus's sinlessness]) that he made for us as an atonement for our sins, and as a bridge to God, across the chasm of our (mankind's) sinfulness.
I hope I have explained it all, if you have any questions, please ask them.
I understand where you're coming from, but it seems you're still only an outer-layer worshipper. I'm not disagreeing about Jesus being the living sacrifice for our sins, but that wasn't the only reason he came to Earth, it was just the most important one. Yes, I did refer to God as an It. If I were only talking about the Father, or masculine side, I would say "He", but a lot of things like that depend on what Bible version you're reading and how it was translated. Your particular Bible may have, either intentionally or not, been influenced by a male-dominant bias. It's also true that the Pharisees and Sadducees didn't like being told that Jesus had authority from God, but I'm sure the fact that Jesus would admonish them and point out their flaws also helped them make their decision.
I also agree that the Holy Spirit resides in us, and we need to have a connection to it, because humanity is the bride (female) of Christ. Through the example of Jesus, we are shown the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to get to the Father is by combining our darkness with its light, so we can ascend to our ultimate form, and join our voices to the eternal chorus. Jesus was indeed a symbol of the bridge. The bridge that will lead us all not to simply being with God, but becoming God, or partaking in the divine nature as some would say.
In fact, the Gospel is an excellent example of the light-darkness cycle. Jesus died on the cross (light), rose from the grave (aether), and lived again, rising to heaven (darkness). In the same way, we must also die in a flash of "light", rise again from death, and live lives as peaceful, majestic, and eternal as the very darkness between the stars.
I also agree that the Holy Spirit resides in us, and we need to have a connection to it, because humanity is the bride (female) of Christ. Through the example of Jesus, we are shown the way, the truth, and the life. The only way to get to the Father is by combining our darkness with its light, so we can ascend to our ultimate form, and join our voices to the eternal chorus. Jesus was indeed a symbol of the bridge. The bridge that will lead us all not to simply being with God, but becoming God, or partaking in the divine nature as some would say.
In fact, the Gospel is an excellent example of the light-darkness cycle. Jesus died on the cross (light), rose from the grave (aether), and lived again, rising to heaven (darkness). In the same way, we must also die in a flash of "light", rise again from death, and live lives as peaceful, majestic, and eternal as the very darkness between the stars.
If the Translators, or even the Men that put the bible together, were bias. They would have taken out the part with the lady at the well. In that time, no one, even talked to women, especially a Samaritan woman. If you do not know the relationship between Hebrews and Samaritans, please ask me about it.
You sound like you know the basic gist of Christianity, but on some issues you are mixing in other belief systems.
You might not know, but several times in the Bible, the 'Church' is referred to as the bride of God.
-------------------
'The bridge that will lead us all not to simply being with God, but becoming God, or partaking in the divine nature as some would say.'
--------------------
Becoming God? May I ask what domination of believer you are, so I don't offend you, by jumping to a conclusion?
You sound like you know the basic gist of Christianity, but on some issues you are mixing in other belief systems.
You might not know, but several times in the Bible, the 'Church' is referred to as the bride of God.
-------------------
'The bridge that will lead us all not to simply being with God, but becoming God, or partaking in the divine nature as some would say.'
--------------------
Becoming God? May I ask what domination of believer you are, so I don't offend you, by jumping to a conclusion?
There's only so much liberty a translator would be able to take with certain words of the scripture. Something like the woman at the well would be way too obvious if it was missing. The best they could have done is try to tone it down, since getting rid of it ocmpletely wouldn't be an option. Taking out an entire event like that would have been considered nothing short of blasphemous.
Ok, so maybe not all of humanity, but "the Church" is the bride of God the Father. That only brings us to the question of where the church ends, and those who will die begins. I think many are part of the Church without even realizing it. It takes actual effort and willful evil to be permanently blocked off from ascension. There will be some who fall, even the occasional fool who thinks they can 'trick' God, but probably very few.
It isn't so much that I take beliefs from other religions, rather I read beyond the actual words of the scripture, and see more hidden meanings than those things which are openly stated. To the best of my knowledge, nothing I've said is in direct contradiction with the Bible. If I do borrow anything from another tradition, it's only because I think it can reinforce the scriptures and help me put them into better context.
As for "partakers in the divine nature", that's actually quoted from 2nd Peter 1:4. It's true that we'll never be equals of the original God, and we won't all be separate gods either. It's more like everyone who goes to heaven becomes a cell in God's body. That's the purpose humanity was made for. To have an honor beyond that of the greatest angel, so God would have other beings that know and understand for themselves through experience what it means to be divine and perfectly holy, to experience theosis. It's the higher mystery that we'll be one with God, yet separate beings at the same time, for what is the purpose of Heaven if not to feel the eternal ecstasy of the Source itself? It will be a consecrated and eternal intercourse beyond any that our flesh in its current state could know. Why do we call each other "brother" and "sister" unless we ourselves are the Sons and Daughters of God? One day, we're going to understand exactly what that means, and how greatly the Universe values us.
If you must know, I was raised Catholic, the Latin rite to be very specific, but I think I've cared enough to go deeper into the mystical teachings than most of my peers, not simply to be rebellious, but because I want to make sure I understand the reality of what's truly going on.
Ok, so maybe not all of humanity, but "the Church" is the bride of God the Father. That only brings us to the question of where the church ends, and those who will die begins. I think many are part of the Church without even realizing it. It takes actual effort and willful evil to be permanently blocked off from ascension. There will be some who fall, even the occasional fool who thinks they can 'trick' God, but probably very few.
It isn't so much that I take beliefs from other religions, rather I read beyond the actual words of the scripture, and see more hidden meanings than those things which are openly stated. To the best of my knowledge, nothing I've said is in direct contradiction with the Bible. If I do borrow anything from another tradition, it's only because I think it can reinforce the scriptures and help me put them into better context.
As for "partakers in the divine nature", that's actually quoted from 2nd Peter 1:4. It's true that we'll never be equals of the original God, and we won't all be separate gods either. It's more like everyone who goes to heaven becomes a cell in God's body. That's the purpose humanity was made for. To have an honor beyond that of the greatest angel, so God would have other beings that know and understand for themselves through experience what it means to be divine and perfectly holy, to experience theosis. It's the higher mystery that we'll be one with God, yet separate beings at the same time, for what is the purpose of Heaven if not to feel the eternal ecstasy of the Source itself? It will be a consecrated and eternal intercourse beyond any that our flesh in its current state could know. Why do we call each other "brother" and "sister" unless we ourselves are the Sons and Daughters of God? One day, we're going to understand exactly what that means, and how greatly the Universe values us.
If you must know, I was raised Catholic, the Latin rite to be very specific, but I think I've cared enough to go deeper into the mystical teachings than most of my peers, not simply to be rebellious, but because I want to make sure I understand the reality of what's truly going on.