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The
Sacred Hoop 134
"Black Elk Speaks" p. 33;
"...And while I stood there I saw more than I can understand
and I understood more than I saw;
for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit,
and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.
And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people
was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight,
and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree
to shelter all the children of one mother and one father.
And I saw that it was holy."
Black Elk's vision relates to two elements necessary for spiritual healing
between the peoples. They are recognition of the feminine aspect of Godhead
and the relationship between women and men at the End of the Age and in the
1000 year kingdom of Christ on Earth.
Recognizing the Feminine Aspect of the Godhead
In Black Elk's vision the "mother" represents the Earth, and the "father"
represents Wakan Tanka or Great Spirit, the Bible's "Father" and the Qur'an's
"Allãh". This view doesn't make the "mother" equal to the "father" and it doesn't
require them to be entirely separate entities. The prophecy makes known
Female energy is present alongside Male energy in the Godhead. Hinduism has a
similar male/female couple in the Hindu Godhead of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Lakshmi
is referred to as the "mother of India". Because God is in all things and roughly
half of living things are female, God has a feminine aspect as well as a masculine
aspect. If a person loves God with heart, soul, and mind as Jesus suggested
(Matthew 22:37), the "mother" feminine side of God must be recognized along
with the "father" masculine side. As it is written:
Genesis 1:27, Moses; So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
As people see God in all things, they recognize Him and Her in all people.
When that occurs, the following prophecy is fulfilled…
Revelation 22:3, ; 3 No longer will there be any curse…
4 They will see his[/her-- God's total] face,
and his[/her] name will be on their foreheads."
The Relationship between Women and Men at the End of the Age
Sacred books and religion are seen by many people as tools used to impose
servitude and oppression on women. This perception must change if we're to
enjoy heaven on Earth. God's nature is called into question when a God who is 135
supposed to be fair, loving, truthful, and almighty puts unequal laws in the
sacred books. The following is an example of a passage that appears unequal:
Sura 4:34 (Pickthall);
Men are in charge of women,
because Allãh hath made the one of them to excel the other [in physical strength],
and because they spend of their property (for the support of women)."
Sura 4:34 appears to contradict Galatians 3:26-28 (at bottom of the page) where
equality of the sexes becomes the law. There is no contradiction, however, because
scripture is added onto other scripture over time, as God clarifies and updates His
Message to fit those receiving it. The "spirit" of the "law" is what remains constant.
Scripture is Adapted to the People Receiving It
Sura 13:38-39; 38 To each age its book.
39 What He pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm:
for with Him is the source of revelation."
Mark 2:27, Jesus;
…"The Sabbath [law] was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath [the law]."
Sura 4:34 (at top of page) reflects primitive conditions in early times. Men's superior
physical strength and womens' limited mobility when pregnant validated the verse
when it was first given. The Way of Holiness uses God's Hindu Message with its
concepts of reincarnation and evolving souls to resolve this apparent unfairness.
When balancing actions from past lives ("karma") is considered, "unjust" situations
transform into perfect learning experiences. Today, Mankind is ready for equality…
Equality Between Women and Men at the End of the Age
Galatians 3:26-28 Paul;
26 You are all sons [and daughters] of God
through faith in Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma-]Jesus,
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma]
have clothed yourselves with Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma].
[By fully accepting and following Christ's gospel, we "wear" Christ.]
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female,
for you are all one [the same-equal]
in [the 1000 year kingdom of] Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma] Jesus."
Isaiah 42:16;
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths [including equality of the sexes] I will guide them…" 136
THE TREE OF LIFE
by Robert Leon Mendelson
I want you to picture a lovely blue sky.
God created this sky, and the sky...is a part of God.
The air is very thin, and God is present in this thinness.
Beneath the sky lies a grassy field.
The soil is rich, moist, full of minerals, nutrients, and water;
all the things necessary to nourish life.
God created this soil, and the soil...is a part of God.
God is present in its richness. The soil...is the sacred Earth.
In the center of this field is a very special place,
a place where the God essence has gathered very densely.
This special place is a tall and magnificent tree.
Its stout trunk is filled with a pulsing vitality.
The sap flows up from the roots, through the trunk,
up through the limbs to the slender branches, and outward to the twigs.
At the tips of the twigs are the buds,
and we are the buds.
The sap is the essence of God; pure love and life.
If the buds could look back from where they came
they would see they are all interconnected, directly connected to God,
and that in each of them there is divinity.
God's purpose for the bud is to drink of this essence,
open outward to the sun,
and perform the dance of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is creation, freedom of expression, loving and living.
When the bud does this it nourishes itself,
and invigorates the entire tree.
(cont.) 137
THE TREE OF LIFE
(cont.)
As your eyes drink in the beauty of the tree, the field, and the sky,
you notice a subtle change.
A soft golden glow radiates from within all that lies around you.
You see this because your spiritual eyes have opened,
and it is with spiritual eyes that this light is most visible.
Waves of rippling light, in all the colors of the rainbow,
and of rainbows you've never imagined,
wash down over your head, upon your shoulders and body,
filling you with the most delightful warmth you've ever felt,
the warmth of unconditional love,
because you...are in the presence of God.
Your soul is in rapture,...bliss.
And as you gaze out upon creation, you are filled with love.
You love the blue of the sky, the velvet green of the grass
and the glorious beauty of the tree—
and now you see mankind through God's eyes.
Welcome Home.
God willing, in future books the connection of Buddhism, Earth-based religions,
and others to the Sacred Hoop will befurther demonstrated through the
Way of Holiness methodology. We'll examine how this new understanding applies
to issues such as Men and Women, Science and Religion, religion laws, and more.
Until that time,
I'd like to thank God for making this knowledge available
and I'd like to thank you for reading this book.
Please put it to good use.
God bless you. 138
APPENDIX
Constantine
Traditional Christian theology contains glaring contradictions. Since Jesus
preached the true Gospel, these heresies must have come from somewhere.
To better understand how Christianity went awry, it’s time we examine the
man who authorized basic Christian theology at the Council of Nicaea.
The following text comes from the Academic American Encyclopedia;
"Constantine I, Roman Emperor…the son of Constantius I... In 305,
Constantius became senior emperor (augustus) in the West. However, when he
died at York in 306 and the British troops proclaimed Constantine augustus in
his place, the Eastern emperor GALERIUS refused to recognize the claim,
offering Constantine the lesser rank of caesar. Constantine survived the civil
war that disrupted the western half of the empire during the next 5 years...
Constantine’s defeat (Oct.28,312) of Maxentius…the self-appointed Caesar
who controlled Italy and Africa. …at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome not only
removed a dangerous rival but secured his share in the new government formed
by LICINIUS, whom Galerius had appointed augustus of the West in 308.
The nature of Constantine’s conversion to Christianity has long been a matter
of dispute—primarily because the sources, all of them Christian, offer conflicting
testimony. The outlines of his religious development, however, are clear enough.
Before 312, Constantine seems to have been a tolerant pagan, willing to accumulate
heavenly patrons but not committed to any one deity. Between 312 and 324,
however, he gradually adopted the Christian God as his protector and on several
occasions granted special privileges to individual churches and bishops. His alliance
with Christianity was strengthened by the political quarrel with Licinius. The
death of Galerius in 311, and that of his successor in the East, Maximinus Daia,
in 313, left Constantine and Licinius in control of both halves of the empire.
The two rulers were soon at odds. In the ensuing civil war, politics and religion
became so entangled that contemporaries described Constantine’s conflict with
Licinius (a pagan) as a crusade against paganism." [Constantine defeated Licinius,
at the battle of Chrysopolis, September 18, 324.]
"Soon after his victory over Licinius…Constantine openly embraced Christianity.
The following year, Constantine assembled the bishops in a council at Nicaea...
to debate the doctrines of Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria in Egypt, who
argued that Christ was a created being and therefore not divine. Although this
was not Constantine’s first attempt to reconcile orthodox and heretical factions
in Christianity, it was the first time he had used the imperial office to impose
a settlement." 139
The following excerpts from "The Age Of Constantine The Great"
by Jacob Burckhardt add insight into Constantine's character;
pp. 261-262 "...a calculating politician who shrewdly employed all available
physical resources and spiritual powers to the one end of maintaining himself
and his rule without surrendering himself wholly to any party."
p. 263 "…Constantine succeeded. It may be too much to spring to the defense
of the wonderfully contrived Diocletianic [Roman law written by the Emperor
Diocletian] ordinances for the succession; but by their strict letter Constantine
was a usurper. He was born to Constantius of his concubine Helena at Nissa in
Serbia in 274, and thus, strictly speaking, was ineligible even according to the
laws of inheritance."
p. 279 "These were the decisive years during which Constantine attentively
observed how Christianity might contribute and be useful to a clever ruler.
When he became convinced by the significant growth of the community, by the
clearly developed character of its hierarchy, by the peculiar form of its
synodic organization, and by the entire character of contemporary Christianity
that a support for the throne might be contrived out of this enormous power—
and that he must assure himself of it betimes because this power had already
begun to assure itself of the Emperor—he realized that he had found an
infallible lever against Licinius."
p. 283 "To pass for a Christian would, indeed, have been a great presumption
on his part. Not long after the Council of Nicaea he suddenly had Crispus, his
excellent son by his first marriage and a pupil of Lactantius, put to death at
Pola in Istria (326), and soon thereafter he had his wife Fausta, daughter of
Maximian, drowned in her bath, The eleven-year-old Licinianus was also
murdered, apparently at the same time as Crispus."
This is a great source book. Other people think so, too;
"This is a book no thoughtful person can afford to miss...not only does it clarify
the deeds and misdeeds of great men and the mystical impulses which spurred
them…to incomparable acts of piety and dreadfulness, it is a touchstone to an art
and literature which transmitted classical antiquity to Christian Europe." —
Saturday Review
"Here is something for one’s bookcase that invites being taken down year after
year and reread." —Christian Science Monitor
And there’s more. The following passages from ARIUS Heresy and Tradition,
written by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales, reinforce Jacob Burckhardt’s 140
assertion Constantine was exploiting God, Christ, religion, and the people,
using Christianity as means of political control—totalitarianism in the name of
Christ. An explanatory word; "Arius" was the name of a man with differing
views, and "Arianism" was his theology. From the introduction—
"Images of a Heresy’ (See page 142 for references): p.14-15
"Samual Laeuchli in 1968 attacked Barth’s trinitarian theology for its loyalty
to the Nicene confession, because that confession not only springs from but
actually articulates and legitimizes a totalitarian and monolithic social schema…"
"Edmund Leach, in a paper on ‘Melchisedech and the emperor’ (…published in
1983), has argued that Arianism represents an egalitarian and anti-authoritarian
strand in early Christianity. The identification of the saviour with the substance
of God serves to remove him from the human realm, so that salvation needs to
be mediated by an authorized social and ecclesiastical hierarchy [Constantine’s
stance]. The separation of the saviour from God implies the possibility of divine
power being communicated directly to creatures in past and present alike, and
this has revolutionary implications: Christ may be unique in degree, but he is
sanctified by the same Holy Spirit as inspires all the elect (pp. 75-7)."
"But here again, a significant question is raised: does the subordination of the
Son to the Father belong naturally with radical sectarian styles of Christianity,
and is Nicene orthodoxy thus a betrayal of the millenarian detachment of the
first believers?"
What he’s saying is Christ’s gospel was hijacked by Constantine’s "theology".
p.70
"Constantine defended the decisive word against just the doubts raised by…
authors of the protesting memorandum; and, judging by the final vote, most…
remaining dissidents were persuaded…In its letter to…Egyptian and Libyan
churches,157 the council recorded its condemnation of Arius’ views and…person:
he was excommunicated and probably degraded from the presbyterate; and
Secundus and Theonas shared his fate.158 All three, together with…one of Arius’
Alexandrian colleagues, the deacon Euzoius,159 were exiled by Constantine at the
conclusion of the council. This dual punishment, ecclesiastical and civil, was…
an ominous precedent…"
p.74
“…when Constantine’s…mother visited the East…in 326, Eustathius made some
tactless or critical remark about her…Eustathius was deposed by an Antiochene
synod and exiled by Constantine, [about] 327.192 A number of bishops who shared
Eustathius’ theological preferences193 were also ejected at the same synod, on a
variety of charges."
141
p.77 "…The emperor wrote, probably in 333,220 an open letter to [Arius] and his
supporters which is extraordinary in its venom and abusiveness, dubbing Arius
an "Ares", a god of war,
221 who seeks to create strife and violence, and quoting
the Sibylline Oracles 222 on the divine judgment threatened for Libya on account
of…Libyans’ sins against heaven.223 Arius’ creed is dissected and found to be
incompatible with Nicaea;224…Clerics and laity who break the peace of the Catholic
church by continuing adherence to Arius are assured of legal retribution.
226"
p.78
"Constantine’s concern was dramatically shown in the edict [accompanying] his
reply to Arius, 228 associating Arius’ supporters with Porphyry, the great pagan
critic of the Church, and ordering that Arius’ works be treated like those of
Porphyry: they are to be burnt, and anyone who does not surrender copies in his
possession is to be executed. This edict—apart from its depressing foretaste
of varieties of intellectual fascism through the centuries down to our own day
explains, to some extent, why Arius’ written works survive in such fragmentary
form, why they are not available for quotation even by later Arians (or perhaps
especially by later Arians: it would be far easier for quotations to survive —
as they have done — in works dedicated to their refutation)."
p.88
"…As the visionary caught up in contemplation of the Logos,33 the emperor has
the right like any authoritarian teacher, to examine and criticize and, where
necessary, discipline or expel his pupils — language and ideas clearly visible in,
for example, Constantine’s correspondence with Arius.34"
p.90-91
"…From Nicaea onwards the Church decided and communicated its decisions,
through the official network of the empire; it had become visible to itself,
as well as to the world, in a new way…to those…enforcing…decisions, whether
for…sake of the empire’s unity like Constantine or…the sake of theological
integrity like Athanasius…, the independent and actually or potential
recalcitrant ‘school’ group was inevitably redefined not merely as a sect,
but as a body outside the framework of civilized society. The Church’s new
‘visibility’ meant that the wrong sort of Christian group was regarded pretty
much as the Church itself had been regarded by the pagan empire, as
something subversive of the sacred character of social life."
142
References from ARIUS Heresy and Tradition
p.70
157 Opitz, U.23, 47-51
158 Ibid. 48.8-9
159 Not explicitly mentioned in the synodical letter;
but he writes later alongside Arius, as if sharing his exile.”
p.74
192 Chadwick (1948), Barnes (1978).
193 Asclepius of Gaza (Chadwick, 1948, pp. 31-2), and perhaps Euphration of
Balanaeae, Cyrus of Beroea and others at the same time (Barnes (1981), p. 228)."
p.77
220 [Opitz] refers to Paterius as prefect of Egypt (ibid. 75.6); the only other
reference to Paterius is in the heading for Athanasius Festal Letter for 333
(PG 26, 1379C), where the name is written ‘Paternus’.
221 Ibid. 69.26. Sibylline Oracles
222 III.323ff; the quotation seems to derive from a Latin version older than the
one we are familiar with.”
223 Ibid. 71.23-8. 224 Ibid. 71.4-6 226 Ibid. 74.16ff.
p.78
228 Opitz, U.33.
p.88
33 Laus Const. 2-5, passim, esp. 204.18-20, 26-205.9
34 Opitz, U.34
Bibliography
Opitz, Hans-Georg (1934),
‘Die Zeitfolge des arianischen Streites von den Anfangen bis zum Jahr 328’,
ZNTW 33, pp. 131-159.(1937),
‘Dionys von Alexandrien und die Libyer’,
Quantulacumque Studies Presented to Kirsopp Lake,London.
Barnes, Timothy D. (1978)
‘Emperors and Bishops AD 324-344: Some Problems’, AJAHist 3, pp. 53-75.
Chadwick, Henry (1948),
‘The Fall of Eustathius of Antioch’, JThS, o.s. 49, pp. 27-35.
143
Bibliography
The HOLY BIBLE
New International Version
Copyright 1984 by International Bible Society
Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The New American Bible
[Catholic]
World Bible Publishers, Inc., Copyright 1987
The HOLY BIBLE
[King James Version]
The World Publishing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
and International Bible Students Association, Inc.
THE TORAH
THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
The Jewish Publication Society of America
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Jewish Study Bible
TANAKH Translation
Jewish Publication Society, Oxford University Press
THE KORAN
Based on Translation by J.M.Rodwell
Ivy Books Published by Ballantine Books, New York, New York
THE KORAN
M. Pickthall, Translator
Alfred A Knopf, New York Original copyright 1909 — Everyman’s Library
The Qur’an
Translated by M.H.Shakir.
Published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc., Elmhurst, New York
NAHJUL BALAGHA
Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib
Translator: Sayed Ali Reza,
4th Edition 1985 Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., N.Y., N.Y.
144
Bibliography, cont.;
The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih Al-Bukhâri Arabic-English
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan
Darussalam Publishers and Distributors, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Sahih Muslim
Translated by ‘Abdul Hamid Siddiqi
Published by Shaikh Muhammad Ashraf, 1971
Sunan Abû Dawud
Translated by Prof. Ahmad Hasan
Published by Nusrat Ali Nasri for Kitãb Bhavan, New Delhi, India
Sunan Ibn-i-Majah
Translated by Muhammad Tufail Ansari
Published by Lahooti Fine Art Press, New Delhi, India
BHAGAVAD-GITA
AS IT IS
Translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Copyright 1968, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
The Bhagavad Gita
Translated by Eknath Easwaran
Copyright 1985, by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation
The Bhagavad Gita
Translated by Juan Mascaro
Copyright 1962, Penguin Books, Ltd., Middlesex, England
Ramayana
Translated by Krishna Dharma
Copyright 1998, Torchlight Publishing, Inc, Los Angeles, Ca.
Srimad Bhagavatum
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras, India
The Book of Certitude (Kitãb-i-Íqan)
Baha’u’llah
Published by Baha’I PublishingTrust, Wilmette, Illinois
The Book Of Mormon
& Doctrine And Covenants
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. 145
Bibliography, cont.;
Black Elk Speaks
as told through John G. Neihardt by Nicholas Black Elk
University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Ne.
The Sacred Pipe
as told through Joseph Epes Brown by Nicholas Black Elk
University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Ok.
White Roots of Peace
Paul A.W. Wallace
Clear Light Publishers, Santa Fe, New Mexico
Fool's Crow: Wisdom and Power
Thomas E. Mails
Copyright 1991 Council Oak Books, San Francisco,Ca./Tulsa, Ok.
The Gospel of the Redman
Compiled by Ernest Thompson Seton and Julia M. Seton
Seton Village, Santa Fe, New Mexico
A Return to the Spirit:
Questions and Answers by Martin Lings
Fons Vitae, 2005 Louisville, KY
The Signs Before The Day Of Judgement
by Ibn Kathir Translated by Mrs. Huda Khattab
Dar Al Taqwa Ltd., London, Great Britain
The Approach of Armageddon?
Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani
Islamic Supreme Council of America, Washington, D.C.
"Introducing Islam"
Ziauddin Sardar and Zafar Abbas Malik
Copyright 1994, Icon Books Ltd., Cambridge, UK
The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament,
Translated by Robert K. Brown and Philip W.Comfort
United Bible Societies’ Third Corrected Edition with The New Revised Standard Version
Copyright 1990 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, Illinois
The NIV Study Bible - Basic Library ( On CD ROM )
by Zondervan Publishing House which contains the NIV NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE 146
Bibliography, cont.;
Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary
Copyright 1965 by G & C Merriam Co.
ARIUS
Heresy and Tradition
Rowan Williams
Copyright 1987, 2001, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Age Of Constantine The Great
Jacob Burckhardt
Translated by Moses Hadas
University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Academic American Encyclopedia
Copyright 1993 by Grolier Incorporated Danbury, Connecticut
One Last Thing
Matthew 10:8, Jesus;
…Freely you have received, freely give."
Sura 6:91, Muhammmad;
…No pay do I ask of you for this.
Verily it is no other than the teaching for all creatures."
Isaiah 55:1;
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;"
Revelation 21:6;
To him who is thirsty
I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life."
As this is a service for God and humanity, it’s offered free of charge. However,
if you’d like to express appreciation financially, my charity of choice is a non-profit
group called…
I'm currently seeking a charity to donate the book to. For this book to have
maximum positive effect, I believe it's necessary to pass good financial energy to a
good cause. My first choice is a charity that delivers clean water to those needing it.
However, I'm open to considering other possible recipients.
Direct comments and questions to thewayofholinessandthesacredhoop@yahoo.co
Sacred Hoop 134
"Black Elk Speaks" p. 33;
"...And while I stood there I saw more than I can understand
and I understood more than I saw;
for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit,
and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.
And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people
was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight,
and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree
to shelter all the children of one mother and one father.
And I saw that it was holy."
Black Elk's vision relates to two elements necessary for spiritual healing
between the peoples. They are recognition of the feminine aspect of Godhead
and the relationship between women and men at the End of the Age and in the
1000 year kingdom of Christ on Earth.
Recognizing the Feminine Aspect of the Godhead
In Black Elk's vision the "mother" represents the Earth, and the "father"
represents Wakan Tanka or Great Spirit, the Bible's "Father" and the Qur'an's
"Allãh". This view doesn't make the "mother" equal to the "father" and it doesn't
require them to be entirely separate entities. The prophecy makes known
Female energy is present alongside Male energy in the Godhead. Hinduism has a
similar male/female couple in the Hindu Godhead of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Lakshmi
is referred to as the "mother of India". Because God is in all things and roughly
half of living things are female, God has a feminine aspect as well as a masculine
aspect. If a person loves God with heart, soul, and mind as Jesus suggested
(Matthew 22:37), the "mother" feminine side of God must be recognized along
with the "father" masculine side. As it is written:
Genesis 1:27, Moses; So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."
As people see God in all things, they recognize Him and Her in all people.
When that occurs, the following prophecy is fulfilled…
Revelation 22:3, ; 3 No longer will there be any curse…
4 They will see his[/her-- God's total] face,
and his[/her] name will be on their foreheads."
The Relationship between Women and Men at the End of the Age
Sacred books and religion are seen by many people as tools used to impose
servitude and oppression on women. This perception must change if we're to
enjoy heaven on Earth. God's nature is called into question when a God who is 135
supposed to be fair, loving, truthful, and almighty puts unequal laws in the
sacred books. The following is an example of a passage that appears unequal:
Sura 4:34 (Pickthall);
Men are in charge of women,
because Allãh hath made the one of them to excel the other [in physical strength],
and because they spend of their property (for the support of women)."
Sura 4:34 appears to contradict Galatians 3:26-28 (at bottom of the page) where
equality of the sexes becomes the law. There is no contradiction, however, because
scripture is added onto other scripture over time, as God clarifies and updates His
Message to fit those receiving it. The "spirit" of the "law" is what remains constant.
Scripture is Adapted to the People Receiving It
Sura 13:38-39; 38 To each age its book.
39 What He pleaseth will God abrogate or confirm:
for with Him is the source of revelation."
Mark 2:27, Jesus;
…"The Sabbath [law] was made for man,
not man for the Sabbath [the law]."
Sura 4:34 (at top of page) reflects primitive conditions in early times. Men's superior
physical strength and womens' limited mobility when pregnant validated the verse
when it was first given. The Way of Holiness uses God's Hindu Message with its
concepts of reincarnation and evolving souls to resolve this apparent unfairness.
When balancing actions from past lives ("karma") is considered, "unjust" situations
transform into perfect learning experiences. Today, Mankind is ready for equality…
Equality Between Women and Men at the End of the Age
Galatians 3:26-28 Paul;
26 You are all sons [and daughters] of God
through faith in Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma-]Jesus,
27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma]
have clothed yourselves with Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma].
[By fully accepting and following Christ's gospel, we "wear" Christ.]
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free,
male nor female,
for you are all one [the same-equal]
in [the 1000 year kingdom of] Christ[-Jibreel-Brahma] Jesus."
Isaiah 42:16;
I will lead the blind by ways they have not known,
along unfamiliar paths [including equality of the sexes] I will guide them…" 136
THE TREE OF LIFE
by Robert Leon Mendelson
I want you to picture a lovely blue sky.
God created this sky, and the sky...is a part of God.
The air is very thin, and God is present in this thinness.
Beneath the sky lies a grassy field.
The soil is rich, moist, full of minerals, nutrients, and water;
all the things necessary to nourish life.
God created this soil, and the soil...is a part of God.
God is present in its richness. The soil...is the sacred Earth.
In the center of this field is a very special place,
a place where the God essence has gathered very densely.
This special place is a tall and magnificent tree.
Its stout trunk is filled with a pulsing vitality.
The sap flows up from the roots, through the trunk,
up through the limbs to the slender branches, and outward to the twigs.
At the tips of the twigs are the buds,
and we are the buds.
The sap is the essence of God; pure love and life.
If the buds could look back from where they came
they would see they are all interconnected, directly connected to God,
and that in each of them there is divinity.
God's purpose for the bud is to drink of this essence,
open outward to the sun,
and perform the dance of photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis is creation, freedom of expression, loving and living.
When the bud does this it nourishes itself,
and invigorates the entire tree.
(cont.) 137
THE TREE OF LIFE
(cont.)
As your eyes drink in the beauty of the tree, the field, and the sky,
you notice a subtle change.
A soft golden glow radiates from within all that lies around you.
You see this because your spiritual eyes have opened,
and it is with spiritual eyes that this light is most visible.
Waves of rippling light, in all the colors of the rainbow,
and of rainbows you've never imagined,
wash down over your head, upon your shoulders and body,
filling you with the most delightful warmth you've ever felt,
the warmth of unconditional love,
because you...are in the presence of God.
Your soul is in rapture,...bliss.
And as you gaze out upon creation, you are filled with love.
You love the blue of the sky, the velvet green of the grass
and the glorious beauty of the tree—
and now you see mankind through God's eyes.
Welcome Home.
God willing, in future books the connection of Buddhism, Earth-based religions,
and others to the Sacred Hoop will befurther demonstrated through the
Way of Holiness methodology. We'll examine how this new understanding applies
to issues such as Men and Women, Science and Religion, religion laws, and more.
Until that time,
I'd like to thank God for making this knowledge available
and I'd like to thank you for reading this book.
Please put it to good use.
God bless you. 138
APPENDIX
Constantine
Traditional Christian theology contains glaring contradictions. Since Jesus
preached the true Gospel, these heresies must have come from somewhere.
To better understand how Christianity went awry, it’s time we examine the
man who authorized basic Christian theology at the Council of Nicaea.
The following text comes from the Academic American Encyclopedia;
"Constantine I, Roman Emperor…the son of Constantius I... In 305,
Constantius became senior emperor (augustus) in the West. However, when he
died at York in 306 and the British troops proclaimed Constantine augustus in
his place, the Eastern emperor GALERIUS refused to recognize the claim,
offering Constantine the lesser rank of caesar. Constantine survived the civil
war that disrupted the western half of the empire during the next 5 years...
Constantine’s defeat (Oct.28,312) of Maxentius…the self-appointed Caesar
who controlled Italy and Africa. …at the Milvian Bridge outside Rome not only
removed a dangerous rival but secured his share in the new government formed
by LICINIUS, whom Galerius had appointed augustus of the West in 308.
The nature of Constantine’s conversion to Christianity has long been a matter
of dispute—primarily because the sources, all of them Christian, offer conflicting
testimony. The outlines of his religious development, however, are clear enough.
Before 312, Constantine seems to have been a tolerant pagan, willing to accumulate
heavenly patrons but not committed to any one deity. Between 312 and 324,
however, he gradually adopted the Christian God as his protector and on several
occasions granted special privileges to individual churches and bishops. His alliance
with Christianity was strengthened by the political quarrel with Licinius. The
death of Galerius in 311, and that of his successor in the East, Maximinus Daia,
in 313, left Constantine and Licinius in control of both halves of the empire.
The two rulers were soon at odds. In the ensuing civil war, politics and religion
became so entangled that contemporaries described Constantine’s conflict with
Licinius (a pagan) as a crusade against paganism." [Constantine defeated Licinius,
at the battle of Chrysopolis, September 18, 324.]
"Soon after his victory over Licinius…Constantine openly embraced Christianity.
The following year, Constantine assembled the bishops in a council at Nicaea...
to debate the doctrines of Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria in Egypt, who
argued that Christ was a created being and therefore not divine. Although this
was not Constantine’s first attempt to reconcile orthodox and heretical factions
in Christianity, it was the first time he had used the imperial office to impose
a settlement." 139
The following excerpts from "The Age Of Constantine The Great"
by Jacob Burckhardt add insight into Constantine's character;
pp. 261-262 "...a calculating politician who shrewdly employed all available
physical resources and spiritual powers to the one end of maintaining himself
and his rule without surrendering himself wholly to any party."
p. 263 "…Constantine succeeded. It may be too much to spring to the defense
of the wonderfully contrived Diocletianic [Roman law written by the Emperor
Diocletian] ordinances for the succession; but by their strict letter Constantine
was a usurper. He was born to Constantius of his concubine Helena at Nissa in
Serbia in 274, and thus, strictly speaking, was ineligible even according to the
laws of inheritance."
p. 279 "These were the decisive years during which Constantine attentively
observed how Christianity might contribute and be useful to a clever ruler.
When he became convinced by the significant growth of the community, by the
clearly developed character of its hierarchy, by the peculiar form of its
synodic organization, and by the entire character of contemporary Christianity
that a support for the throne might be contrived out of this enormous power—
and that he must assure himself of it betimes because this power had already
begun to assure itself of the Emperor—he realized that he had found an
infallible lever against Licinius."
p. 283 "To pass for a Christian would, indeed, have been a great presumption
on his part. Not long after the Council of Nicaea he suddenly had Crispus, his
excellent son by his first marriage and a pupil of Lactantius, put to death at
Pola in Istria (326), and soon thereafter he had his wife Fausta, daughter of
Maximian, drowned in her bath, The eleven-year-old Licinianus was also
murdered, apparently at the same time as Crispus."
This is a great source book. Other people think so, too;
"This is a book no thoughtful person can afford to miss...not only does it clarify
the deeds and misdeeds of great men and the mystical impulses which spurred
them…to incomparable acts of piety and dreadfulness, it is a touchstone to an art
and literature which transmitted classical antiquity to Christian Europe." —
Saturday Review
"Here is something for one’s bookcase that invites being taken down year after
year and reread." —Christian Science Monitor
And there’s more. The following passages from ARIUS Heresy and Tradition,
written by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Wales, reinforce Jacob Burckhardt’s 140
assertion Constantine was exploiting God, Christ, religion, and the people,
using Christianity as means of political control—totalitarianism in the name of
Christ. An explanatory word; "Arius" was the name of a man with differing
views, and "Arianism" was his theology. From the introduction—
"Images of a Heresy’ (See page 142 for references): p.14-15
"Samual Laeuchli in 1968 attacked Barth’s trinitarian theology for its loyalty
to the Nicene confession, because that confession not only springs from but
actually articulates and legitimizes a totalitarian and monolithic social schema…"
"Edmund Leach, in a paper on ‘Melchisedech and the emperor’ (…published in
1983), has argued that Arianism represents an egalitarian and anti-authoritarian
strand in early Christianity. The identification of the saviour with the substance
of God serves to remove him from the human realm, so that salvation needs to
be mediated by an authorized social and ecclesiastical hierarchy [Constantine’s
stance]. The separation of the saviour from God implies the possibility of divine
power being communicated directly to creatures in past and present alike, and
this has revolutionary implications: Christ may be unique in degree, but he is
sanctified by the same Holy Spirit as inspires all the elect (pp. 75-7)."
"But here again, a significant question is raised: does the subordination of the
Son to the Father belong naturally with radical sectarian styles of Christianity,
and is Nicene orthodoxy thus a betrayal of the millenarian detachment of the
first believers?"
What he’s saying is Christ’s gospel was hijacked by Constantine’s "theology".
p.70
"Constantine defended the decisive word against just the doubts raised by…
authors of the protesting memorandum; and, judging by the final vote, most…
remaining dissidents were persuaded…In its letter to…Egyptian and Libyan
churches,157 the council recorded its condemnation of Arius’ views and…person:
he was excommunicated and probably degraded from the presbyterate; and
Secundus and Theonas shared his fate.158 All three, together with…one of Arius’
Alexandrian colleagues, the deacon Euzoius,159 were exiled by Constantine at the
conclusion of the council. This dual punishment, ecclesiastical and civil, was…
an ominous precedent…"
p.74
“…when Constantine’s…mother visited the East…in 326, Eustathius made some
tactless or critical remark about her…Eustathius was deposed by an Antiochene
synod and exiled by Constantine, [about] 327.192 A number of bishops who shared
Eustathius’ theological preferences193 were also ejected at the same synod, on a
variety of charges."
141
p.77 "…The emperor wrote, probably in 333,220 an open letter to [Arius] and his
supporters which is extraordinary in its venom and abusiveness, dubbing Arius
an "Ares", a god of war,
221 who seeks to create strife and violence, and quoting
the Sibylline Oracles 222 on the divine judgment threatened for Libya on account
of…Libyans’ sins against heaven.223 Arius’ creed is dissected and found to be
incompatible with Nicaea;224…Clerics and laity who break the peace of the Catholic
church by continuing adherence to Arius are assured of legal retribution.
226"
p.78
"Constantine’s concern was dramatically shown in the edict [accompanying] his
reply to Arius, 228 associating Arius’ supporters with Porphyry, the great pagan
critic of the Church, and ordering that Arius’ works be treated like those of
Porphyry: they are to be burnt, and anyone who does not surrender copies in his
possession is to be executed. This edict—apart from its depressing foretaste
of varieties of intellectual fascism through the centuries down to our own day
explains, to some extent, why Arius’ written works survive in such fragmentary
form, why they are not available for quotation even by later Arians (or perhaps
especially by later Arians: it would be far easier for quotations to survive —
as they have done — in works dedicated to their refutation)."
p.88
"…As the visionary caught up in contemplation of the Logos,33 the emperor has
the right like any authoritarian teacher, to examine and criticize and, where
necessary, discipline or expel his pupils — language and ideas clearly visible in,
for example, Constantine’s correspondence with Arius.34"
p.90-91
"…From Nicaea onwards the Church decided and communicated its decisions,
through the official network of the empire; it had become visible to itself,
as well as to the world, in a new way…to those…enforcing…decisions, whether
for…sake of the empire’s unity like Constantine or…the sake of theological
integrity like Athanasius…, the independent and actually or potential
recalcitrant ‘school’ group was inevitably redefined not merely as a sect,
but as a body outside the framework of civilized society. The Church’s new
‘visibility’ meant that the wrong sort of Christian group was regarded pretty
much as the Church itself had been regarded by the pagan empire, as
something subversive of the sacred character of social life."
142
References from ARIUS Heresy and Tradition
p.70
157 Opitz, U.23, 47-51
158 Ibid. 48.8-9
159 Not explicitly mentioned in the synodical letter;
but he writes later alongside Arius, as if sharing his exile.”
p.74
192 Chadwick (1948), Barnes (1978).
193 Asclepius of Gaza (Chadwick, 1948, pp. 31-2), and perhaps Euphration of
Balanaeae, Cyrus of Beroea and others at the same time (Barnes (1981), p. 228)."
p.77
220 [Opitz] refers to Paterius as prefect of Egypt (ibid. 75.6); the only other
reference to Paterius is in the heading for Athanasius Festal Letter for 333
(PG 26, 1379C), where the name is written ‘Paternus’.
221 Ibid. 69.26. Sibylline Oracles
222 III.323ff; the quotation seems to derive from a Latin version older than the
one we are familiar with.”
223 Ibid. 71.23-8. 224 Ibid. 71.4-6 226 Ibid. 74.16ff.
p.78
228 Opitz, U.33.
p.88
33 Laus Const. 2-5, passim, esp. 204.18-20, 26-205.9
34 Opitz, U.34
Bibliography
Opitz, Hans-Georg (1934),
‘Die Zeitfolge des arianischen Streites von den Anfangen bis zum Jahr 328’,
ZNTW 33, pp. 131-159.(1937),
‘Dionys von Alexandrien und die Libyer’,
Quantulacumque Studies Presented to Kirsopp Lake,London.
Barnes, Timothy D. (1978)
‘Emperors and Bishops AD 324-344: Some Problems’, AJAHist 3, pp. 53-75.
Chadwick, Henry (1948),
‘The Fall of Eustathius of Antioch’, JThS, o.s. 49, pp. 27-35.
143
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New International Version
Copyright 1984 by International Bible Society
Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, Michigan
The New American Bible
[Catholic]
World Bible Publishers, Inc., Copyright 1987
The HOLY BIBLE
[King James Version]
The World Publishing Company, Cleveland, Ohio
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
and International Bible Students Association, Inc.
THE TORAH
THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
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The Jewish Study Bible
TANAKH Translation
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THE KORAN
Based on Translation by J.M.Rodwell
Ivy Books Published by Ballantine Books, New York, New York
THE KORAN
M. Pickthall, Translator
Alfred A Knopf, New York Original copyright 1909 — Everyman’s Library
The Qur’an
Translated by M.H.Shakir.
Published by Tahrike Tarsile Qur’an, Inc., Elmhurst, New York
NAHJUL BALAGHA
Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib
Translator: Sayed Ali Reza,
4th Edition 1985 Tahrike Tarsile Qur'an, Inc., N.Y., N.Y.
144
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Sahih Muslim
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Published by Shaikh Muhammad Ashraf, 1971
Sunan Abû Dawud
Translated by Prof. Ahmad Hasan
Published by Nusrat Ali Nasri for Kitãb Bhavan, New Delhi, India
Sunan Ibn-i-Majah
Translated by Muhammad Tufail Ansari
Published by Lahooti Fine Art Press, New Delhi, India
BHAGAVAD-GITA
AS IT IS
Translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Copyright 1968, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
The Bhagavad Gita
Translated by Eknath Easwaran
Copyright 1985, by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation
The Bhagavad Gita
Translated by Juan Mascaro
Copyright 1962, Penguin Books, Ltd., Middlesex, England
Ramayana
Translated by Krishna Dharma
Copyright 1998, Torchlight Publishing, Inc, Los Angeles, Ca.
Srimad Bhagavatum
Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras, India
The Book of Certitude (Kitãb-i-Íqan)
Baha’u’llah
Published by Baha’I PublishingTrust, Wilmette, Illinois
The Book Of Mormon
& Doctrine And Covenants
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. 145
Bibliography, cont.;
Black Elk Speaks
as told through John G. Neihardt by Nicholas Black Elk
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The Sacred Pipe
as told through Joseph Epes Brown by Nicholas Black Elk
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The Gospel of the Redman
Compiled by Ernest Thompson Seton and Julia M. Seton
Seton Village, Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Questions and Answers by Martin Lings
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by Ibn Kathir Translated by Mrs. Huda Khattab
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The Approach of Armageddon?
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"Introducing Islam"
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Translated by Robert K. Brown and Philip W.Comfort
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Copyright 1990 Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, Wheaton, Illinois
The NIV Study Bible - Basic Library ( On CD ROM )
by Zondervan Publishing House which contains the NIV NAVE’S TOPICAL BIBLE 146
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Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary
Copyright 1965 by G & C Merriam Co.
ARIUS
Heresy and Tradition
Rowan Williams
Copyright 1987, 2001, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Age Of Constantine The Great
Jacob Burckhardt
Translated by Moses Hadas
University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Academic American Encyclopedia
Copyright 1993 by Grolier Incorporated Danbury, Connecticut
One Last Thing
Matthew 10:8, Jesus;
…Freely you have received, freely give."
Sura 6:91, Muhammmad;
…No pay do I ask of you for this.
Verily it is no other than the teaching for all creatures."
Isaiah 55:1;
"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;"
Revelation 21:6;
To him who is thirsty
I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life."
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