Patrick Jane Forums | Anthropology & Theology

Hi,

This is nothing more than form of Gnosticism and new age thought which the apostle John fought to stamp out of the Church.  The only purpose for posting it would be to proselytize seeing that one would have to change allegiances from the plain word of God to the slippery machinations of man made philosophies.

In other words, if we are working off of two different source authorities we can't have meaningful dialog.  If you agreed that the bible had infallible authority and I also agreed, then we could discuss New Thought (which isn't new at all) with a reference point.  Or If I were to abandon my beliefs in the infallibility of the scriptures then we might also be able to discuss.  But as it is, we are at an impasse since the scriptures clearly warn against this type of human wisdom.

Regards,

Grace_Accepted

Divine Science and New Thought in general holds to certain fundamental truths and values, based on the omnipresence of God and the laws of consciousness which govern and direct the creative expression of that universal Mind, - these hold whether you choose the assumption of the Bible being 'innerrant' or 'infallible', which is quite debatable, even being an unnecessary 'belief', since to find value in the Bible or other religious books, it is NOT necessary to believe it is wholly 'inerrant'. (embellishment, editing, interpolations, redactions abound, so that even if divinely inspired what comes thru human minds also may bear the imperfections or biases of such).

 So,...the teachings of DS hold within their own fundamental framework on science (knowledge) based on the OMNIPRESENCE Of 'God', a veritable truth claimed within classical monotheism, upheld in divine science - if you have issue with any of the basic fundamentals of divine science, you're welcome to debate or disprove their truth or relevance. There is no attempt here to 'proselyte' anyone, unlike some forms of evangelical Christianity would attempt, since again....'divine sicence' is but knowledge of the divine, the knowledge of 'God' and the study of it and its operations within the soul, so that the soul may fulfill its divine potential, creative purpose and destiny. It is all for joy and highest expression of God, the INFINITE.

Second, there is nothing wrong with 'gnosticism' per se, since 'knowledge' is key to life, and 'science' is basic to our existence, since all life is based upon and operating within a framework of universal truths, systematic knowledge, light, ethic, principle, and so on....relating to all fields. Knowledge is universal or particular according to the context considered, its about how we comprehend it, and use it.

As far as the Apostle John is concerned - his gospel is the most 'gnostic' in fact, and being the most 'spiritual', contains the universal principles of the 'Christ-mind' (the I AM Presence), our own union with God and Christ as sons of God and sons of light. The themes of the writer of John's gospel are essesntially 'gnostic'! - he focused strongly on love, light, truth and spirit...basing his teaching of Christ in 'faith' in these divine things and principles. All that is born of Spirit is spirit, and so the kingdom of God is spiritual.

 Jesus taught the kingdom is within, and other teachers further confirm we are temples of God, individual containers and expression of God, there being one universal Father and we his sons by extension of himself.  'God' is One, this a fundamental truth, and this omnipresent One is not seperate from any 'other', but is the life, light, essence and context of All That IS. God is One. God is All.

To affirm and acknowledge 'light' and 'truth', you must accept it wherever it is being affirmed, instead of assuming a con-flict somewhere with your own 'belief' system, which may be irrelevant to the truth already being affirmed, namely that God is One, and that God is all (omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient,...and so on). Since 'God' is Spirit, and is the life and light of all,...then we affirm that truth, and the 'knowledge' associated with it.

In truth, we could not be relating or reading this narrative without 'God', since 'God' is the light and truth pervading and permeating the whole of being, since there is no 'other' but 'God'.  Divine Science is just one school among many within New Thought that recognizes these truths, and shares them just as Jesus did.

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