Jen, All religions are hardly woven together, nor to they all share a common thread, and all religions do not lead to one God (the God of Abraham).

Our world's religious revelations are indeed woven together, like jigsaw pieces, which together can disclose the full picture of Ultimate Reality.

Our world's religious revelations are indeed woven together, like jigsaw pieces, which together can disclose the full picture of Ultimate Reality.

Andy, can you please give me an example of this?

Where exactly did I SAY it was in any scripture? I simply said that since you can trace the NEED for the Guf to exist back to a nuance of bibilical scripture, you can't really discuss the possibility of it without discussing scripture.

Mr. Baker- I was trying to address this statement:

Because the fact that seems to necessitate the Guf IS based upon the circumstances of scripture; i.e. that God made everything, and everything includes the souls of everyone yet to be. If there is something outside of scripture that lends to this belief I'll gladly focus on it, but it is my understanding we're talking about the Biblical creation story.

...and in particular:

....but it is my understanding we're talking about the Biblical creation story.

The Guf is in fact based on the circumstances of scripture, just not biblical scripture. IMHO, we are not talking about a biblical creation story, we are talking about a myth based upon various Jewish scripture, in a place that resides in both Jewish and Islamic scriptures.

Please keep in mind, not all religious scripture eludes to God as creating everything.

You had mentioned, "...you can trace the NEED for the Guf to exist back to a nuance of bibilical scripture".

In this respect, I believe I have discused the Guf without any nuance to biblical scripture, when I satated my beliefes and conclusions thus far. Am I mistaken?

"In this respect, I believe I have discused the Guf without any nuance to biblical scripture, when I satated my beliefes and conclusions thus far. Am I mistaken?"

Yes, because the origin of this line of thought comes from the question in the previous article, based upon:

"And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all, his work which he had made." (Gen2:2)"

It was my understanding that the Guf was a possible philosophical 'fix' for constantly needing new souls even though creation is already finished. I assume you aren't Islamic or a Jewish mystic, so was I wrong to assume that your interest in this originates in Old Testament scripture? That seems to be where your line of thought began.

I assume you aren't Islamic or a Jewish mystic, so was I wrong to assume that your interest in this originates in Old Testament scripture? That seems to be where your line of thought began.

You are correct that I am not a Islamic or Jewish mystic.

I can understand how you were thinking the Guf was a "fix" seeing the way I opend this article.

Actually, this thought about a repository for unborn souls crosses my mind almost every time I think about souls. However, my instrest was never really sparked by any scripture in the bible as you can see from the first sentence of the second paragraph of the article itself:

"I find no reference to this in the bible. The only hypothesis I can really think of is the Judeo/Christian legend(?) that referrs to the House of Souls."

Our world's religious revelations are indeed woven together, like jigsaw pieces, which together can disclose the full picture of Ultimate Reality.

Andy, can you please give me an example of this?

There’s loads of jigsaw pieces, Xythe. I believe that God wants us to use our brains to seek them out. When our world’s religious revelations are merged together, the final picture will look something like this (see Reply #7 in WWW Link">Link
) How many different jigsaw pieces you can find from the different religions from this picture? (I described one of those pieces in detail on KFC’s thread ‘The Genesis Account' reply #11 in
WWW Link

Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, because Christ is God, incidentally Xythe. There’s only one God (Jesus Christ), and all religions are in touch with exactly the same God, only from a different perspective and cultural context, whether they recognise Him as Jesus or not. If we see contradictions in this, then we’re looking at it through a narrow scope, and we can’t see the bigger picture.

Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, because Christ is God, incidentally Xythe. There’s only one God (Jesus Christ), and all religions are in touch with exactly the same God, only from a different perspective and cultural context, whether they recognise Him as Jesus or not. If we see contradictions in this, then we’re looking at it through a narrow scope, and we can’t see the bigger picture.

Hey Andy this seems convoluted to me. I agree with some of what you say here, but how can you say they can worship him if they don't recognize him?

I look, as an example, of the Pharisees. They worshipped God, but shunned Christ who was God in the flesh. how does that fit into the picture? How does that fit with Islam (for instance) that do not believe God came in the flesh in the person of Jesus.

It seems to me, you're saying, the bigger picture is "all" regardless of what they believe as long as they believe in some form of God are going to heaven. But Jesus himself said "narrow is the way that leads to eternal life. He also said it's only thru him can we get there. So I'd have to think going by his words he means we need to recognize him in doing so. Don't we have to recognize the truth to get to heaven?

So I'd have to think going by his words he means we need to recognize him in doing so. Don't we have to recognize the truth to get to heaven?

This is an interesting point KFC.

Jesus was a mortal when He told us that He is the Alfa and the Omega; that except through Him we will not see heaven. When Christ said these words, he was a human being, the Son of God, not God Himself. According to Christian faith, those who do not acknowledge that Christ the human was the Son of God (not muhammad or any other human), they will not see heaven.

When Christ said these words, he was a human being, the Son of God, not God Himself.

How can that be? Only God knows no sin. Jesus was sinless. He was 100% God and 100% man. When you read the gospels and see his power and his ability to vanish before their eyes, not to speak of "knowing what was in man" spoken of many times by John you see he was much more than mortal man.

I look at Phil 2:6-7 which states: Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.

In the Gk this literally means he emptied Himself (kenosis). The kenosis of Christ during His incarnation does not mean he surrendered any attributes of deity but that He took on the limitations of humanity. This involved a veiling of His preincarnate glory and the voluntary nonuse of some of his divine perogatives during the time he was on earth. It was like he put on a costume. A costume of human flesh. Only he chose a lowly form.

He even said to the Jews...."before Abraham was I AM." which literally means I AM God. John 8:58.

Actually from a Christian perspective our eternal life is hinged on one question. "Who do you say that I AM?"

Ahhhh KFC, it seems I was not thinking well and stand corrected. I suppose that makes my statement flawed.

Thank you:)

Late, and I have not read the comments, but my answer is no. To beleive that all souls were created at one time is predestination. And I do not believe that.

Souls live and are created as needed. It is not a dead God, it is a living God.

Souls ascend (some), so to believe that all were created at one time is to beleive that we are predestined in our fate. Some go to hell, some to heaven. However, I am not beyond believing that some are recycled in order to improve. But since the totality of mankind now exceeds all that has perceeded it, I cannot believe there is a limited amount.

Thank you:)

you're welcome!!

To beleive that all souls were created at one time is predestination. And I do not believe that.

why not? Do we choose God or does God choose us? Now that is the question....  

Actually I chalk this whole subject of souls up to one verse in scripture that says....

"The secret things belong to the Lord but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of the law." Deut 29:29.

Some things God chooses to keep to himself and I'm thinking this must be one of them.

"The secret things belong to the Lord but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of the law." Deut 29:29. Some things God chooses to keep to himself and I'm thinking this must be one of them.

Agreed.

It's my personal beleif that the matter of angels and souls has nothing what so ever to do with my salvation. They are simply philisophical topics I enjoy contemplating....simply like being curious. I do so with the understanding that whatever I deduce can not be shown as fact or otherwise and are topics of "entertainment", unless they come to me directly from God.

Gotcha!!!