Ataraxia wrote:Kevin Solway wrote:Can you give me an example of some things that Jesus has said about God that would not fit with the interpretation of God as being the All of Nature?
Well all the 'miracles' for a start.
I think the miracles are just traditional stories that were inserted into the record by some fool. Keep in mind that a great many of the stories used in the New Testament were copied directly from Judaism and other religions of the time, sometimes almost verbatim.
On the other hand, it may have been that Jesus was some kind of charlatan, like the evangelical priests in the U.S. But in my judgement Jesus showed a lot more philosophical depth and mettle than any evangelical priest.
How could Jesus (assuming he was the son of God) make a special exception to the laws of nature
I don't think he did. The miracles are just the stories of fools.
Theres any number of examples in the Bible where God 'acts upon' the earth.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"; Does Jesus every contradict this misconception by the Hebrews?
Let's interpret "the heavens" as "enlightnment" or "nirvana" (the realm of wisdom and truth), and "the earth" as "samsara" (the realm of ignorance and untruth). So we have nirvana and samsara, consciousness and unconsciousness, and together they make up the Totality, or God, which is their source.
So if you interpret it this way, then its just poetic language, and not necessarily a misconception.
James 5 :11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
Since when does nature show mercy?
Firstly, we have to be careful of what may have been lost in translation from the original language in which it was written. Words such as "pity" and "mercy" can very easily lose shades of meaning when translated from one language into another, and many people aren't clear about what these words mean even in their own language, let alone how to translate them into another language.
They may have been saying that effects are always in accordance with their causes. If you do what is right, the end result will not be bad. And if you do what is wrong, you will be doing so because that is what you were caused to do. It's not your fault, and Nature "knows" this. The wise know this.
It is a common thing to personalize Nature. For example, we often hear people speak of "Mother Nature." I think Jesus was doing the same kind of thing.
You're entitled to think that. Personally i can't see the logic in it though.
Jesus probably didn't refer to God as a person very often. We don't know, since we know virtually nothing about his life or his teachings.
Since the Bible was composed by relatively foolish people, they would have a prefererence for the more foolish forms of expression.
The more wise expressions of Truth, such as those found in the Gospel of Thomas, were thought to be unfit for inclusion in the Bible.
When Jesus goes into the wilderness for forty days to commune with his Father, is it not obvious that he is attempting to reconnect to Nature?
Sure. But what seeker, philosopher, thinker hasn't sought out quiet time to collects his thoughts. This is not evidence he considers God IS nature.
Consider the following from the Gospel of Thomas:
Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the Kingdom of God is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you."
Jesus said, "It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the All. From me did the All come forth, & unto me did the All come forth, & unto me did the All extend. Split a piece of wood, & I am there. Lift up the stone, & you will find me there."