tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35589989611671818472011-11-14T09:56:00.156-08:00Musings Upon Religion, Philosophy, and Mysticismjjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.comBlogger121100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-80013534377166443832011-08-10T09:53:00.000-07:002011-08-10T09:57:03.654-07:00

Here is a link to an article I wrote over at TwitX discussing the premise of the Discovery Channel special "God Universe". Hawking aims to take down Newton's intelligent design theory of creation but leaps from there to the conclusion that God does not exist. I think that's a step too far in his chain of logic.

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-90959965492127166552008-11-19T14:34:00.000-08:002009-01-11T11:29:07.461-08:00

"A team of 20 physicists from four institutions has literally made something from nothing, creating particles of matter from ordinary light for the first time." Link. They've recreated the sequence of the big bang wherein divine light transmuted into matter. All that is came from nothingness. One of these days they'll figure out how to change everything back into what it was before and the

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-69868209109912269242008-05-09T10:28:00.000-07:002011-09-20T16:27:49.283-07:00

"Count it as pure joy my brothers all the trials and tribulations you encounter for they build character." James 1:2-3. At first blush, a nice little proverb such as "Slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God." James 1:19-20. But I think the first point goes much deeper.In a prior article, I discuss Being Broken or Slaying the Dragon. In

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-6554299447283221002008-04-09T14:27:00.000-07:002008-04-13T06:24:33.796-07:00

I don't really know much about Buddhism. One day I'll find the time to study it in depth. One Buddhist concept that interests me is that humans lack a soul, anātman. I saw a post on a message board stating: "A 'soul' implies that a spiritual body is in place but there is no such thing in Buddhism." Link, see 6th post. I'll just riff on that thought a bit (which may or may not have anything

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-22765995967809677942008-02-23T07:14:00.000-08:002008-02-24T08:58:44.437-08:00

In an article about mythology, I wrote: "As a child grows into a man, the soul is gripped ever tighter in the mistaken belief of separateness from all other humans and from God. This belief in individuality manifests itself in dominance of the ego. Our earthly ego is the dragon blocking the gateway from the material world back to the spirit world." Link. Thus, the inner meaning to symbolically

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-13426390495740632322007-12-23T13:51:00.000-08:002010-01-14T12:14:57.934-08:00

A dispute exists between the teaching of Paul (the so-called apostle) and James The Just, the brother of Jesus, on the roll of faith. We know who won this argument within later generations of orthodox Christianity but let's examine the merits.Paul on Faith"In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to the last, just as it is written; the

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-13133611712192325342007-12-12T22:11:00.000-08:002010-09-24T20:45:32.081-07:00

"Jesus said, 'Wretched is the body that depends upon a body. And wretched is the soul that depends upon these two.'"Gospel of Thomas, Logion 87What is the second body?"You cover yourself with light as though it were a robe. You stretch out the heavens as though they were curtains."Psalms 104:2."Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-26295528724380948492007-12-12T20:10:00.000-08:002007-12-25T10:37:19.968-08:00

"[T]he mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."1 Colossians 1:26-27."Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"1 Corinthians 4:16."Or do you

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-25066724009410982032007-12-08T09:16:00.000-08:002007-12-15T08:27:03.086-08:00

"Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you shall not enter the kingdom of heave. Whoever therefore shall humble himself as this child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."Matthew 18:3-4"Jesus said, 'From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is so much greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted. But I have

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-17245662853989588322007-12-05T20:26:00.000-08:002007-12-08T09:26:56.769-08:00

"We know that we have passed from death to life; because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."First Letter of John 3:14"Be thou faithful to death, and I will give thee a crown of life."Revelation 2:10"It is in dying that we are born to eternal life."Prayer of St. Francis"And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be death."Romans 7:10"Verily,

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-50125234108229827282007-11-18T09:07:00.000-08:002008-05-13T06:33:32.106-07:00

The disciples catch exactly 153 fish."And [Jesus] said to them, 'Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch.' So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish."Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not torn."John 21:6, 11.

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3558998961167181847.post-6748256771218397862007-11-16T08:22:00.000-08:002007-11-18T10:47:54.061-08:00

"In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was God."He was in the beginning with God."All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being."John 1:1-3.In the beginning, there was nothing but God. All that came into being was from God because it was God. No other source exists. All that is, is an aspect of God. In the beginning was "an

jjrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09951978285296375634noreply@blogger.com2