Well, Rosary, you sound very sure, very confident that a few are going to heaven, most to hell... Apart from your obvious (my assumption) belief in the scriptures, anything more to offer as evidence? Or just belief?
BTW as someone having very strong beliefs myself - based on at least some substance - this is not intended as a criticism or negativity; more genuine curiosity.
(Oops! technically challenged ..this should be under Rosary's comment)
Thanks for that...looks like an interesting read. I'm about to travel for a week or so without a computer and pretty hopeless trying to use a smart phone for this stuff ..phone smart, user not so much..
Yes, where were we? Sorry Prof Nazar, I got distracted..
Well, I looked at your link though there's A LOT of information there that Is going to take quite a while to read. But I get the gist...
And I didn't realise what an authority you are - accomplished in many areas including those of the Catholic Church. So I won't hold back!
Perhaps I can start with your opening statement? I'll put my comments in caps (how DO you underline/bold in these replies? I'm not very bright, I'm afraid..)
"Is the concept of “god” a comfort-blanket for the weak, who can’t cope with the hopeless fact that we were all born to die? Is religion just a community-net for the feeble, needing psychological support for the complete certainty that, in the face all ending in death, our dreams and quests are in vain?
NO. WELL, OFTEN BUT NOT ALWAYS. IN FACT PROF, YOU'VE GOT THAT STATEMENT INSIDE OUT AND THE WRONG WAY AROUND. MANY OF US HAVE THE VIEW THAT GOD IS VERY REAL, IS THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING, SEEN & UNSEEN. THAT THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS IN THE UNIVERSE (HOW COULD THERE BE?)
AND WE WEREN'T BORN TO DIE, WE WERE BORN TO LIVE...AND LEARN.; THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.
I'LL REVERT TO 'I' AS THIS COMMENT IS MINE, NO-ONE ELSE'S - I BELIEVE THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS (GOD HAVING GIVEN ME FREE WILL) BUT ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EFFECT, THE CONSEQUENCES, OF THOSE ACTIONS, GOOD & BAD, OF THOUGHT, WORD & DEED.
(ALMOST ENDLESS) RE-BIRTH ALLOWS ME TO 'TRY, TRY & TRY AGAIN'. THAT'S THE GRACE OF GOD! HOW EQUISITE!
ALL MEN ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL! THEY ARE CREATED - RE-BORN- IN CIRCUMSTANCES PRECISELY MATCHING THEIR ACTIONS IN PREVIOUS LIFE-TIMES. HOW ELSE, PROF., DO YOU EXPLAIN ONE BABY BORN INTO POVERTY AND AN EARLY DEATH, ANOTHER BORN WITH THE PROVERBIAL 'SILVER SPOON'? AN ANGRY, UNCARING OR FORGETFUL GOD? NONSENSE! A PERFECTLY JUST GOD US TO LEARN BY OUR MISTAKES & EVENTUALLY (THE PRODIGAL SON) RETURN TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN (FULL CONSCIOUSNESS)
DEATH, YOU SHOULD BE PLEASED TO UNDERSTAND, IS SIMPLY A CHANGE IN CONSCIOUSNESS. LET ME QUOTE RUMI, A PROPHET & PHILOSOPHER (1307-1375)
'THIS PLACE IS A DREAM AND ONLY A SLEEPER CONSIDERS IT REAL
THEN DEATH COMES LIKE DAWN AND YOU AWAKE
LAUGHING AT WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS YOUR GRIEF"
YEP, OLD RUMI KNEW A THING OR TWO, BACK IN THE DAY. HE DROPS LOTS OF TRUTH BOMBS.
LOTS MORE TO SAY ON THIS, BUT I'LL MOVE ON AS TIME LIMITED..
Or is it that the unbelievers are ignoring the vast unquestionable (???) rational and scientific (???) evidence (???) proving the existence of the immortal soul, unique-ensoulment, Judgement by God, (???) eternal heaven, hell,(???) and true religion?(???)
WHAT!!??!! WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING PROF. NAZAR? OH! WAIT! IT'S THE BIBLE & CATHOIIC CHURCH TEACHINGS, RIGHT?
THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (SP?) ABOUT 120AD DELIBERATELY, WILLFULLY, INTENTIONALLY REMOVED MOST OF THE REAL TEACHINGS OF JESUS. WHY? BECAUSE A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS' TEACHINGS - AND THE BIBLE IN GENERAL- SHOW THAT MAN CAN ATTAIN 'HEAVEN'/IMMORTALITY DIRECTLY BY HIS OWN EFFORTS WITHOUT HELP FROM THE 'CLERGY'. HEY, THERE'S NO MONEY IN THAT!! LET'S INSERT OURSELVES IN THERE - YOU CAN ONLY GET TO HEAVEN THROUGH US, SORRY (AND BRING YOUR MONEY WITH YOU).
YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THE REAL HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH & THE POPES. IT 'AINT PRETTY
PROF NAZAR, 30 + YEARS AGO I HAD 2 OBE'S THAT SET ME ON A CERTAIN PATH AND A DECADE AGO A NDE THAT CONFIRMED MUCH OF WHAT I'D DISCOVERED. I HAVE EVERY RESPECT FOR SOMEONE'S GENUINE BELIEFS INCLUDING YOURS. WE HAVE THE SAME GOAL, THE SAME DESTINATION, JUST A DIFFERFENT ROUTE
Dear IGW. ¿Could you please provide evidence for your claims that don't seem to have any?
"THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (SP?) ABOUT 120AD DELIBERATELY, WILLFULLY, INTENTIONALLY REMOVED MOST OF THE REAL TEACHINGS OF JESUS. "
The Bible never said: "MAN CAN ATTAIN 'HEAVEN'/IMMORTALITY DIRECTLY BY HIS OWN EFFORTS WITHOUT HELP FROM THE 'CLERGY'"
"BRING YOUR MONEY WITH YOU": unlike Protestant Pastors, the Catholic Priests never ask for tithes!
"THE REAL HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH & THE POPES.": it's full of sainthood and heroism, but being conducted by men, it also shows personal sin, because the Church is formed by sinners, yet its sacraments and Mass are sources of pure grace.
As you have done with my comments, I could go through your counter argument, point by point and then you'd respond and on & on it would go, without resolution, just trying to score points, to be 'right'.
Because, at the end of the day, I will never convince you, you never will convince me. Yet, as I inferred earlier, we both believe in God, Jesus & the Bible - but have differing interpretation.
I am not too far from death, from the dissolution of this physical body and have the advantage, due to having had two obe's & a nde, of having an indication of what will happen, at least in general terms.
Death holds no terror, no fear (not that I'm looking forward to the act of dying!) as I KNOW, from my own experience, that it's 'just' a change in level of consciousness. The only judgement is self- judgement. However, let me be clear, all our actions in life have their consequence, during life or after death and, having lived less than a blameless life, I have some trepidation - no, a lot of trepidation in that regard.. Those consequences may be
misinterpreted as 'Hell'. Hopefully I haven't been that bad, but we'll see.
If one has not attained the highest level of consciousness - that may ne most of us - after a period of R & R (rest & reflection), as I understand it, the Essence/Spirit/Soul chooses another body, chooses its parents & circumstances exactly appropriate to its previous actions and descends, once again, from bliss to physicality. No wonder newborns cry and look unhappy!
The veil of forgetfulness between incarnations is a blessing; just imagine remembering all we've done before... the good would be OK, but what about the bad stuff...?
Then off we go again on the wheel of life, in circumstances we created to learn lessons we didn't learn. In each moment, in each situation with which we're confronted, we have, through the grace of God giving us free will.... choice. And the consequence of each choice, in each moment, creates our future. So our lives are, literally, self-created! No blame. No excuses. No 'out there'. Look within. Act appropriately.
Isn't it Wonderful? Isn't it Beautiful & Just & Magnificent? Isn't God Great!!
Prof. Nazar, I quoted Rumi earlier, may I quote something else...it's from long ago & I can't recall the author:
"This is Perfect, That is Perfect, Perfect comes from Perfect. Take Perfect from Perfect and the Remainder is Perfect. May Peace and Peace and Peace be Everywhere".
Good luck & God speed on your journey back to Source, Professor Nazar.
Reincarnation is used as excuse by many for not helping the poor, so that they learn their lesson or get their punishment in this life.
No Memory of Past Lives
The lack of evidence or memory regarding past lives makes the theory philosophically weak, as a person's identity is tied to their experiences.
Absence of Cross-Species or Age-Inappropriate Maturity: Reincarnation theories predict animals or infants might exhibit advanced behaviors from prior lives, but no such widespread evidence exists (e.g., no toddlers composing symphonies or animals displaying human-level skills).
Of course, a defender of reincarnation could say that although a person’s soul inhabits a new body, his memories and personality do not. But this makes reincarnation the practical equivalent of not surviving death.
Population Growth
Proponents of reincarnation claim that new souls are never created or destroyed. The rapid increase in human population contradicts the idea of a fixed, finite set of souls undergoing continuous recycling.
Total global deaths are projected to outnumber total global births around 2084: where will the souls go when there are less bodies available for reincarnation?
Scriptural Authority
Hebrews 9:27
"...it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment"
Job 14:10-12
"But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep."
Luke 23:43
"And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"
Matthew 25:46
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
2 Corinthians 5:8
"We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
The Bible teaches that the soul will be reunited with its own unique body at the final resurrection, not a new one (1 Corinthians 15). The soul is the "form" of the body, making transmigration into other bodies (human or animal) impossible.
God creates each human soul directly at conception; it is not recycled. Each person has a unique identity of soul plus body, that is not transferable.
Jesus's one-time sacrifice on the Cross redeemed humanity. Reincarnation suggests people save themselves through countless lives, rendering Christ’s death unnecessary.
First Christians authority:
In the second century, St. Irenaeus asked, “If we don’t remember anything before our conception, then how do advocates of reincarnation know we’ve all been reincarnated?” (Against Heresies II.33.1).
In the third century, Origen wrote that reincarnation was “foreign to the church of God, and not handed down by the apostles, nor anywhere set forth in the Scriptures” (Commentary on Matthew, 13.1).
The third-century ecclesial writer Tertullian: “If souls depart at different ages of human life, how is it that they come back again at one uniform age? For all men are imbued with an infant soul at their birth. But how happens it that a man who dies in old age returns to life as an infant? . . . I ask, then, how the same souls are resumed, which can offer no proof of their identity, either by their disposition, or habits, or living?” (A Treatise on the Soul 31).
“If the living come from the dead, just as the dead proceed from the living, then there must always remain unchanged one and the selfsame number of mankind” (A Treatise on the Soul 30). He noted that there has been a “gradual growth of [the human] population.” This growth can be explained only by new souls coming into existence and conflicts with the notion of the perpetual reincarnation of the same souls into different bodies.
In the fourth century St. Ambrose of Milan wrote that it would be impossible that “the soul which rules man should take on itself the nature of a beast so opposed to that of man,” or that man, “being capable of reason should be able to pass over to an irrational animal” (On Belief in the Resurrection 127). In other words, the migration of souls between human and animals is as impossible as the procreation of bodies between humans and animals.
“Past-lives” testimonies
Other defenders of reincarnation offer empirical evidence in the form of “past-lives” testimony. These testimonies, such as those gathered among children by the late psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, are not convincing. For example, many of the subjects of Stevenson’s interviews were children who lived in places such as India, where reincarnation is widely accepted. This suggests that their stories were more likely the products of social conditioning than actual memories of past lives.
Moreover, although the children in these studies were not thought to be capable of deceiving interviewers, they were capable of confusing fantasy with reality (e.g., telling stories about imaginary friends or imaginary adventures). In fact, many of the anecdotes Stevenson shares rely on ambiguous details that are better explained by a child’s imperfect grasp of reality. Skeptic Robert Carroll offers the following example:
One case involved an Idaho girl who at age 2 would point to photographs of her sister, dead from a car accident three years before she was born, and say “that was me.” The believer thinks the two-year-old meant: “I was my sister in a previous life.” The skeptic thinks she meant: “That’s a picture of me.” The skeptic sees the two-year-old as making a mistake. The believer sees her as trying to communicate a message about reincarnation (“Ian Stevenson (1918–2007),” skeptic.com/stevenson.html).
It's good to contemplate these experiences of others. And it certainly is good to pray. However, do not say "if you exist", or "if you are the Son of Yahweh". One needs to believe that the Creator exists, and that is not a hard thing to do given the abundant scientific evidence that proves it.
In your 3 Tips, you say to repent from sin, and ask for guidance when you read the Word of Elohim. Good advice. Sin is the transgression of the law, the Commandments. But do not read only the New Testament. The Old Testament, the Torah, is the basis of the New Testament, and the basis of the faith of the Apostles, who knew the Messiah Yahshua personally, and who lived and preached the Torah.
Love - to love Yahweh with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself, these encompass the law, as Yahshua said.
Death - when I was young I believed in reincarnation. Then for a time I believed the Christian Science doctrine. Both are based on the concept of man being an immortal spirit being. The Hebrews did not believe that. The Scriptures teach that we live, then we die, and we "sleep in the grave" until the promised resurrection. Our breath of life returns to the One who gave it, until that time.
Some Hebrew sects didn't believe in immediate spiritual resurrection.
But many believed that those "sleeping in the grave" were not really asleep:
2 Maccabees 12:38-46: where Judah Maccabee prays and offers sacrifice for fallen soldiers who wore pagan amulets, implying they needed atonement for sin after death, so they were not just asleep (hint: purgatory)
Jesus himself rebukes the Sadducees, who didn't believe that those dead were alive:
Matthew (22:23-33) also in Mark (12:18-27), and Luke (20:27-40):
Matthew 22:23–33 (KJV)
23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
Angels aren't sleeping but active in helping those on Earth, as proven by the actions of Raphael, Gabriel and Michael referred in the Old Testament.
In fact, in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Abraham is depicted as a conscious, speaking individual in the afterlife (Luke 16:19-31).
In the Book of Revelation 11:3-12 , it's clear that Moses and Elijah will come back to preach for 3.5 years just before the end: they are not sleeping but preaching!
The apostles preached the Gospel, not the Torah. And after death there is the particular judgment of our soul, which then goes to heaven (very few), purgatory (more) or hell (most). At the end of the world & Last Judgment the body joins the soul for greater glory in heaven or greater torment in hell. This is the teaching of the apostles & the Church from the beginning.
Jesus preached the Torah, and then more, as when He said, "You have heard... but I tell you....," e.g. when speaking of divorce & remarriage, lust being as evil as the immoral act & loving one's enemies.
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
That's why a Jew who recognizes Christ as THE Messiah, is a fulfilled Jew. Jesus fulfilled over 100 prophecies from the Old Testament.
Every one of these prophecy claims can be and have been not only disputed but shown to be false, most of them being mistranslations (some deliberate), and some misinterpreted through lack of context. Many, including the most oft quoted, have caused even most Christian scholars to admit they were not after all prophecies of Jesus. Scholars in the Christian West have a salami slice specialist approach to knowledge so none ever see the wider scope if the texts, let alone all of the books if scripture as your typical orthodox Jewish male does… from the age of seven.
The truth is, God cares about how you conduct your life, not what religion you believe in.
No, many of those prophecies can't be disputed, for example, the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem and be descent of King David and be born from a Virgin, etc. Read the 302 prophecies!
It's true that anyone true to their conscience and choosing good over evil will got to Heaven, yet without the help of the true religion it's very hard not to fall for mortal sins and a distorted conscience leading to hell.
It's no the same to be swimming by yourself in a storm, while attacked by enemies (demons), as to be in small boats (Christian churches) or the big fat ship of Peter. Most drown.
The very reason God came down to earth was to open the gates of heaven closed by original sin and to leave us his teachings, including the urgency to follow his only Church:
1 Timothy 3:15
"...if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of the truth"
Both genealogies in Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage back to King David, but through different sons: Matthew traces through Solomon (the royal line), establishing Jesus's legal claim to the throne, while Luke traces through Nathan (a different son).
One of the genealogies belongs to Joseph and the other to Virgin Mary.
So Jesus was David's descent through both sides, one in the flesh (Mary) and the other by adoption (Joseph).
My guess: nothing prevented God from using the immaterial information of Joseph's DNA when taking Mary's flesh. So he probably did it.
Love this stuff - Great Spirit is real, more real than many know or can conceive.
Speaking of exiting the prison planet, have you heard of the digital coup d'etat being orchestrated by the feds HR 2289?
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/i/181077660/check-or-checkmate
Thank you Roman! great article! good job!
Thank you Professor - just figured I'd leave the info.
Well, Rosary, you sound very sure, very confident that a few are going to heaven, most to hell... Apart from your obvious (my assumption) belief in the scriptures, anything more to offer as evidence? Or just belief?
BTW as someone having very strong beliefs myself - based on at least some substance - this is not intended as a criticism or negativity; more genuine curiosity.
(Oops! technically challenged ..this should be under Rosary's comment)
I pray that this helps in your genuine quest:
http://www.catholic365.com/article/44122/scientific-proof-of-god-immortal-soul-unique-ensoulment-no-reencarnation-heaven-hell-and-of-which-one-is-the-most-true-religion.html
Thanks for that...looks like an interesting read. I'm about to travel for a week or so without a computer and pretty hopeless trying to use a smart phone for this stuff ..phone smart, user not so much..
But I'll save it for my return
Yes, where were we? Sorry Prof Nazar, I got distracted..
Well, I looked at your link though there's A LOT of information there that Is going to take quite a while to read. But I get the gist...
And I didn't realise what an authority you are - accomplished in many areas including those of the Catholic Church. So I won't hold back!
Perhaps I can start with your opening statement? I'll put my comments in caps (how DO you underline/bold in these replies? I'm not very bright, I'm afraid..)
"Is the concept of “god” a comfort-blanket for the weak, who can’t cope with the hopeless fact that we were all born to die? Is religion just a community-net for the feeble, needing psychological support for the complete certainty that, in the face all ending in death, our dreams and quests are in vain?
NO. WELL, OFTEN BUT NOT ALWAYS. IN FACT PROF, YOU'VE GOT THAT STATEMENT INSIDE OUT AND THE WRONG WAY AROUND. MANY OF US HAVE THE VIEW THAT GOD IS VERY REAL, IS THE CREATOR OF EVERYTHING, SEEN & UNSEEN. THAT THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS IN THE UNIVERSE (HOW COULD THERE BE?)
AND WE WEREN'T BORN TO DIE, WE WERE BORN TO LIVE...AND LEARN.; THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING.
I'LL REVERT TO 'I' AS THIS COMMENT IS MINE, NO-ONE ELSE'S - I BELIEVE THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR MY ACTIONS (GOD HAVING GIVEN ME FREE WILL) BUT ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE EFFECT, THE CONSEQUENCES, OF THOSE ACTIONS, GOOD & BAD, OF THOUGHT, WORD & DEED.
(ALMOST ENDLESS) RE-BIRTH ALLOWS ME TO 'TRY, TRY & TRY AGAIN'. THAT'S THE GRACE OF GOD! HOW EQUISITE!
ALL MEN ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL! THEY ARE CREATED - RE-BORN- IN CIRCUMSTANCES PRECISELY MATCHING THEIR ACTIONS IN PREVIOUS LIFE-TIMES. HOW ELSE, PROF., DO YOU EXPLAIN ONE BABY BORN INTO POVERTY AND AN EARLY DEATH, ANOTHER BORN WITH THE PROVERBIAL 'SILVER SPOON'? AN ANGRY, UNCARING OR FORGETFUL GOD? NONSENSE! A PERFECTLY JUST GOD US TO LEARN BY OUR MISTAKES & EVENTUALLY (THE PRODIGAL SON) RETURN TO OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN (FULL CONSCIOUSNESS)
DEATH, YOU SHOULD BE PLEASED TO UNDERSTAND, IS SIMPLY A CHANGE IN CONSCIOUSNESS. LET ME QUOTE RUMI, A PROPHET & PHILOSOPHER (1307-1375)
'THIS PLACE IS A DREAM AND ONLY A SLEEPER CONSIDERS IT REAL
THEN DEATH COMES LIKE DAWN AND YOU AWAKE
LAUGHING AT WHAT YOU THOUGHT WAS YOUR GRIEF"
YEP, OLD RUMI KNEW A THING OR TWO, BACK IN THE DAY. HE DROPS LOTS OF TRUTH BOMBS.
LOTS MORE TO SAY ON THIS, BUT I'LL MOVE ON AS TIME LIMITED..
Or is it that the unbelievers are ignoring the vast unquestionable (???) rational and scientific (???) evidence (???) proving the existence of the immortal soul, unique-ensoulment, Judgement by God, (???) eternal heaven, hell,(???) and true religion?(???)
WHAT!!??!! WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING PROF. NAZAR? OH! WAIT! IT'S THE BIBLE & CATHOIIC CHURCH TEACHINGS, RIGHT?
THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (SP?) ABOUT 120AD DELIBERATELY, WILLFULLY, INTENTIONALLY REMOVED MOST OF THE REAL TEACHINGS OF JESUS. WHY? BECAUSE A PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF JESUS' TEACHINGS - AND THE BIBLE IN GENERAL- SHOW THAT MAN CAN ATTAIN 'HEAVEN'/IMMORTALITY DIRECTLY BY HIS OWN EFFORTS WITHOUT HELP FROM THE 'CLERGY'. HEY, THERE'S NO MONEY IN THAT!! LET'S INSERT OURSELVES IN THERE - YOU CAN ONLY GET TO HEAVEN THROUGH US, SORRY (AND BRING YOUR MONEY WITH YOU).
YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW THE REAL HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH & THE POPES. IT 'AINT PRETTY
PROF NAZAR, 30 + YEARS AGO I HAD 2 OBE'S THAT SET ME ON A CERTAIN PATH AND A DECADE AGO A NDE THAT CONFIRMED MUCH OF WHAT I'D DISCOVERED. I HAVE EVERY RESPECT FOR SOMEONE'S GENUINE BELIEFS INCLUDING YOURS. WE HAVE THE SAME GOAL, THE SAME DESTINATION, JUST A DIFFERFENT ROUTE
Dear IGW. ¿Could you please provide evidence for your claims that don't seem to have any?
"THE COUNCIL OF NICEA (SP?) ABOUT 120AD DELIBERATELY, WILLFULLY, INTENTIONALLY REMOVED MOST OF THE REAL TEACHINGS OF JESUS. "
The Bible never said: "MAN CAN ATTAIN 'HEAVEN'/IMMORTALITY DIRECTLY BY HIS OWN EFFORTS WITHOUT HELP FROM THE 'CLERGY'"
"BRING YOUR MONEY WITH YOU": unlike Protestant Pastors, the Catholic Priests never ask for tithes!
"THE REAL HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH & THE POPES.": it's full of sainthood and heroism, but being conducted by men, it also shows personal sin, because the Church is formed by sinners, yet its sacraments and Mass are sources of pure grace.
Thank you for your reply, Prof. Nazar.
As you have done with my comments, I could go through your counter argument, point by point and then you'd respond and on & on it would go, without resolution, just trying to score points, to be 'right'.
Because, at the end of the day, I will never convince you, you never will convince me. Yet, as I inferred earlier, we both believe in God, Jesus & the Bible - but have differing interpretation.
I am not too far from death, from the dissolution of this physical body and have the advantage, due to having had two obe's & a nde, of having an indication of what will happen, at least in general terms.
Death holds no terror, no fear (not that I'm looking forward to the act of dying!) as I KNOW, from my own experience, that it's 'just' a change in level of consciousness. The only judgement is self- judgement. However, let me be clear, all our actions in life have their consequence, during life or after death and, having lived less than a blameless life, I have some trepidation - no, a lot of trepidation in that regard.. Those consequences may be
misinterpreted as 'Hell'. Hopefully I haven't been that bad, but we'll see.
If one has not attained the highest level of consciousness - that may ne most of us - after a period of R & R (rest & reflection), as I understand it, the Essence/Spirit/Soul chooses another body, chooses its parents & circumstances exactly appropriate to its previous actions and descends, once again, from bliss to physicality. No wonder newborns cry and look unhappy!
The veil of forgetfulness between incarnations is a blessing; just imagine remembering all we've done before... the good would be OK, but what about the bad stuff...?
Then off we go again on the wheel of life, in circumstances we created to learn lessons we didn't learn. In each moment, in each situation with which we're confronted, we have, through the grace of God giving us free will.... choice. And the consequence of each choice, in each moment, creates our future. So our lives are, literally, self-created! No blame. No excuses. No 'out there'. Look within. Act appropriately.
Isn't it Wonderful? Isn't it Beautiful & Just & Magnificent? Isn't God Great!!
Prof. Nazar, I quoted Rumi earlier, may I quote something else...it's from long ago & I can't recall the author:
"This is Perfect, That is Perfect, Perfect comes from Perfect. Take Perfect from Perfect and the Remainder is Perfect. May Peace and Peace and Peace be Everywhere".
Good luck & God speed on your journey back to Source, Professor Nazar.
Please describe in detail your NDE
Reincarnation is used as excuse by many for not helping the poor, so that they learn their lesson or get their punishment in this life.
No Memory of Past Lives
The lack of evidence or memory regarding past lives makes the theory philosophically weak, as a person's identity is tied to their experiences.
Absence of Cross-Species or Age-Inappropriate Maturity: Reincarnation theories predict animals or infants might exhibit advanced behaviors from prior lives, but no such widespread evidence exists (e.g., no toddlers composing symphonies or animals displaying human-level skills).
Of course, a defender of reincarnation could say that although a person’s soul inhabits a new body, his memories and personality do not. But this makes reincarnation the practical equivalent of not surviving death.
Population Growth
Proponents of reincarnation claim that new souls are never created or destroyed. The rapid increase in human population contradicts the idea of a fixed, finite set of souls undergoing continuous recycling.
Total global deaths are projected to outnumber total global births around 2084: where will the souls go when there are less bodies available for reincarnation?
Scriptural Authority
Hebrews 9:27
"...it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment"
Job 14:10-12
"But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? As waters fail from a lake and a river wastes away and dries up, so a man lies down and rises not again; till the heavens are no more he will not awake or be roused out of his sleep."
Luke 23:43
"And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"
Matthew 25:46
"And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
2 Corinthians 5:8
"We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
The Bible teaches that the soul will be reunited with its own unique body at the final resurrection, not a new one (1 Corinthians 15). The soul is the "form" of the body, making transmigration into other bodies (human or animal) impossible.
God creates each human soul directly at conception; it is not recycled. Each person has a unique identity of soul plus body, that is not transferable.
Jesus's one-time sacrifice on the Cross redeemed humanity. Reincarnation suggests people save themselves through countless lives, rendering Christ’s death unnecessary.
First Christians authority:
In the second century, St. Irenaeus asked, “If we don’t remember anything before our conception, then how do advocates of reincarnation know we’ve all been reincarnated?” (Against Heresies II.33.1).
In the third century, Origen wrote that reincarnation was “foreign to the church of God, and not handed down by the apostles, nor anywhere set forth in the Scriptures” (Commentary on Matthew, 13.1).
The third-century ecclesial writer Tertullian: “If souls depart at different ages of human life, how is it that they come back again at one uniform age? For all men are imbued with an infant soul at their birth. But how happens it that a man who dies in old age returns to life as an infant? . . . I ask, then, how the same souls are resumed, which can offer no proof of their identity, either by their disposition, or habits, or living?” (A Treatise on the Soul 31).
“If the living come from the dead, just as the dead proceed from the living, then there must always remain unchanged one and the selfsame number of mankind” (A Treatise on the Soul 30). He noted that there has been a “gradual growth of [the human] population.” This growth can be explained only by new souls coming into existence and conflicts with the notion of the perpetual reincarnation of the same souls into different bodies.
In the fourth century St. Ambrose of Milan wrote that it would be impossible that “the soul which rules man should take on itself the nature of a beast so opposed to that of man,” or that man, “being capable of reason should be able to pass over to an irrational animal” (On Belief in the Resurrection 127). In other words, the migration of souls between human and animals is as impossible as the procreation of bodies between humans and animals.
“Past-lives” testimonies
Other defenders of reincarnation offer empirical evidence in the form of “past-lives” testimony. These testimonies, such as those gathered among children by the late psychiatrist Ian Stevenson, are not convincing. For example, many of the subjects of Stevenson’s interviews were children who lived in places such as India, where reincarnation is widely accepted. This suggests that their stories were more likely the products of social conditioning than actual memories of past lives.
Moreover, although the children in these studies were not thought to be capable of deceiving interviewers, they were capable of confusing fantasy with reality (e.g., telling stories about imaginary friends or imaginary adventures). In fact, many of the anecdotes Stevenson shares rely on ambiguous details that are better explained by a child’s imperfect grasp of reality. Skeptic Robert Carroll offers the following example:
One case involved an Idaho girl who at age 2 would point to photographs of her sister, dead from a car accident three years before she was born, and say “that was me.” The believer thinks the two-year-old meant: “I was my sister in a previous life.” The skeptic thinks she meant: “That’s a picture of me.” The skeptic sees the two-year-old as making a mistake. The believer sees her as trying to communicate a message about reincarnation (“Ian Stevenson (1918–2007),” skeptic.com/stevenson.html).
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/three-arguments-against-reincarnation
It's good to contemplate these experiences of others. And it certainly is good to pray. However, do not say "if you exist", or "if you are the Son of Yahweh". One needs to believe that the Creator exists, and that is not a hard thing to do given the abundant scientific evidence that proves it.
In your 3 Tips, you say to repent from sin, and ask for guidance when you read the Word of Elohim. Good advice. Sin is the transgression of the law, the Commandments. But do not read only the New Testament. The Old Testament, the Torah, is the basis of the New Testament, and the basis of the faith of the Apostles, who knew the Messiah Yahshua personally, and who lived and preached the Torah.
Love - to love Yahweh with all your heart and to love your neighbor as yourself, these encompass the law, as Yahshua said.
Death - when I was young I believed in reincarnation. Then for a time I believed the Christian Science doctrine. Both are based on the concept of man being an immortal spirit being. The Hebrews did not believe that. The Scriptures teach that we live, then we die, and we "sleep in the grave" until the promised resurrection. Our breath of life returns to the One who gave it, until that time.
Thanks Dave, I corrected accordingly.
Some Hebrew sects didn't believe in immediate spiritual resurrection.
But many believed that those "sleeping in the grave" were not really asleep:
2 Maccabees 12:38-46: where Judah Maccabee prays and offers sacrifice for fallen soldiers who wore pagan amulets, implying they needed atonement for sin after death, so they were not just asleep (hint: purgatory)
Jesus himself rebukes the Sadducees, who didn't believe that those dead were alive:
Matthew (22:23-33) also in Mark (12:18-27), and Luke (20:27-40):
Matthew 22:23–33 (KJV)
23 The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him,
24 Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.
25 Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother:
26 Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh.
27 And last of all the woman died also.
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
31 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying,
32 I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
33 And when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine.
Angels aren't sleeping but active in helping those on Earth, as proven by the actions of Raphael, Gabriel and Michael referred in the Old Testament.
In fact, in the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Abraham is depicted as a conscious, speaking individual in the afterlife (Luke 16:19-31).
In the Book of Revelation 11:3-12 , it's clear that Moses and Elijah will come back to preach for 3.5 years just before the end: they are not sleeping but preaching!
The apostles preached the Gospel, not the Torah. And after death there is the particular judgment of our soul, which then goes to heaven (very few), purgatory (more) or hell (most). At the end of the world & Last Judgment the body joins the soul for greater glory in heaven or greater torment in hell. This is the teaching of the apostles & the Church from the beginning.
But Jesus, whatever and whoever he was, preached the Torah.
Jesus preached the Torah, and then more, as when He said, "You have heard... but I tell you....," e.g. when speaking of divorce & remarriage, lust being as evil as the immoral act & loving one's enemies.
Okey dokey. When you say “more “ doesn’t Jesus also confirm its teaching, eg do not add or abstract from Torah, from Moses? 🤔
Eg - beyond Torah - his authority?
True. Mathew 5
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
18 Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.
That's why a Jew who recognizes Christ as THE Messiah, is a fulfilled Jew. Jesus fulfilled over 100 prophecies from the Old Testament.
Every one of these prophecy claims can be and have been not only disputed but shown to be false, most of them being mistranslations (some deliberate), and some misinterpreted through lack of context. Many, including the most oft quoted, have caused even most Christian scholars to admit they were not after all prophecies of Jesus. Scholars in the Christian West have a salami slice specialist approach to knowledge so none ever see the wider scope if the texts, let alone all of the books if scripture as your typical orthodox Jewish male does… from the age of seven.
The truth is, God cares about how you conduct your life, not what religion you believe in.
No, many of those prophecies can't be disputed, for example, the Messiah had to be born in Bethlehem and be descent of King David and be born from a Virgin, etc. Read the 302 prophecies!
It's true that anyone true to their conscience and choosing good over evil will got to Heaven, yet without the help of the true religion it's very hard not to fall for mortal sins and a distorted conscience leading to hell.
It's no the same to be swimming by yourself in a storm, while attacked by enemies (demons), as to be in small boats (Christian churches) or the big fat ship of Peter. Most drown.
The very reason God came down to earth was to open the gates of heaven closed by original sin and to leave us his teachings, including the urgency to follow his only Church:
1 Timothy 3:15
"...if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and foundation of the truth"
Only Joseph’s line goes back to David.
Both genealogies in Matthew and Luke trace Jesus' lineage back to King David, but through different sons: Matthew traces through Solomon (the royal line), establishing Jesus's legal claim to the throne, while Luke traces through Nathan (a different son).
One of the genealogies belongs to Joseph and the other to Virgin Mary.
So Jesus was David's descent through both sides, one in the flesh (Mary) and the other by adoption (Joseph).
My guess: nothing prevented God from using the immaterial information of Joseph's DNA when taking Mary's flesh. So he probably did it.