Happy Easter to all who observe. With all of the open-minded spiritual interpretations around here, I have been ruminating on this thought of, "Who is Jesus?" I'm wondering if we can have a chat on these boards as to who you think Jesus is/was. As for me, I believe in Jesus. But I've dropped the Christ and refer to him as Jesus of Nazareth--as he would have reportedly referred to himself. I gravitate to the stories of the Miracles--as that sort of energy shifting is what is most interesting to me. Most of the other stuff of "Jesus and religion--or church" seems to not move me. You?

According to the gospels Jesus was a good man who spoke of peace, love and forgiveness.

Now whether his mum carried him in her tummy while still a virgin i'm not so sure but then again life is mysterious and who knows maybe the son of a higher power popped into this world for a reason.

He's certainly good looking in the drawings and paintings even though I saw a documentary once describing him as a little sad lonely man. I suppose there are many theories about him.

I believe Jesus had the power to do miracles, a prophet who could forsee the future and that made him special.

All I can say is he would weep if he saw the hypocrisy in churches today such as priests abusing altar boys, even the pope was forced to apologise.

I do think there was a man named Jesus who did extraordinary things. I also think that after he was persecuted for having an influence over people, that the authorities of that time could not control, his death and power was used to further the agenda of those seeking power.
Did he carry the message of the Christ consciousness? What exactly is Christ consciousness?
It seems that the claims of what he said and did have moved and touched generations upon generations of people who came after him.
Interesting topic.
xo Froggie

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Paula and all:
I just saw on a documentary on Jesus, this Easter season, an historical discussion about the fact that "the face of Jesus" had never, never, been projected throughout society for centuries. Then, there came an order (from whom I don't recall) for a painted depiction of the face of Jesus. The commentary was about what sources of information the artist used to come up with what is now broadly accepted as "the face of Jesus." Commentary was also about the pressure on the artist to come up with an image that would be "acceptable" to the higher-ups and society on the whole. One point being that for centuries, there really was "no known image of the face of Jesus." It was conjured up from a variety of pieces of information. It is interesting because we all act as if we "know" what Jesus looked like. Again, it is an "agreed up perception." Aspected used for the "face of Jesus" were his Jewish heritage, his age at death, aspects that would be pleasing to the people. Then, this imagined image of Jesus, essentially, has been passed down from artist to artist through the ages. We could all be wrong. Maybe he wasn't so pleasing to the eye. We're just guessin'!

For me, Jesus is an incarnation of the Christ Logos. I believe that it is powerful transpersonal energy that for me helps make life bearable on planet Earth.

I just recently went to a talk about Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The speaker told about praying to be shown about who he is really is. He was deeply depressed for months. He told an elder monk about his experience. The monk told him that not even the advanced monks pray for that. The reason he had that experience is because we live in duality. The psyche is composed of both polarities light and dark. To be shown who really are is to be shown a lot of darkness. But I believe as a god we live closer to incarnate into the fallen state to grow and evoke. But at times it seems very hard here. The grace I get from the Christ energy which I experience at a church I attend opens my heart and strengthens my faith in the transpersonal. I believe God has sent different angels to the earth which assist the Christ energy to help humanity so it doesn't get completely taken over by the dark side.

Beana: All of that makes perfect sense to me. It is well said, also. Worth keeping. I came into this world as a little girl believing in spirits, angels, energies, energy of nature, metaphysical--it was how I was preprogrammed. So when I was taught about Jesus in the Catholic church I was raised in, I had no problems at all with the spirits, the angels, the rising from the dead, the messages from the beyond. That all made perfect sense to me. It was, and is, the extreme confines of any religion or organization that instantly makes me squirm. Freedom. I've got to have it. So I have always personalized Jesus and "the Jesus stories." Which I was fine with...until I learned about Asklepios. It seems the Greeks beat "the Jesus story" to the punch several thousand years before Jesus was supposedly born. Now that bothers me. I like authenticity, too. Askelpios: Born of god father and human mother. Came to "Heal the sick." DREAM healing is all in the Asklepios wheel house. Prayer and meditation to Asklepios will bring healing to you. Temples to Askelpios throughout Greece. Sound familiar? Askelpios, the Father of Modern Medicine. Now, what I would like to have done is make a pilgrammage to an Askelpian Healing Temple for an originial healing session--and dream interpretation. Then, about 3,000 or 4,000 years later (I'm bad with numbers), this guy Jesus is reportedly born in Israel. EXACT same story. Except the Ressurection. That was new. And, if you are truly a Christian, it is THAT Ressurection into Heaven that makes all the difference. But, with Askelpios, he was saying that if you are born of Heavely Father in the first place, you don't need to worry about Eternal Life. You're good. You're covered. Nobody else has the "Jesus' story" except Askelpios. Not the Buddah. Not the Dali Lama. Not Mohammed. They came, but they brought their own story. See what I mean? It is not far flung to think that in Israel they were hearing in their society the THEN Ancient stories of Greek Gods. Bothers me. Do you think it was the same healing entity coming back throughout linear time to always have some presence here that humans could hold onto for spiritual guidance? A lot of reincarnation talk is just way to "pat" for me. Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the expression of our best selves. LOVE in it's truest form. Unconditional acceptance of self, enabling us to accept all else, appreciating and living in gratitude everyday. Knowing that the Kingdom of God is within us; therefore we are the extension of the God Source - Source Energy. We are the expression of God, living through our experience.

Our best selves are the expression of Jesus. LOVE. Love is above manmade religions that separate. LOVE unites all peoples. LOVE is the pure SPIRIT of all.

I am comforted in this knowing.

Love, Deb

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