Brace yourself for the true meaning of "turn the other cheek". Are you sitting down? It means to forgive in such a way that you show you are not hurt. By showing you are not hurt, you release your brother from the guilt you would lay on him by your wounds. You have not forgiven until you remove all sense of guilt. It is a denial of the existence of guilt. The only way to forgive this way is to see this world as unreal. You must have a radically correct viewpoint of it. To show that you are not hurt may require a miracle. But the miracle would not be forthcoming until you were truly ready to forgive this way. You want to forgive this way in order for you yourself to fully realize you are forgiven, because there is a link between his and yours. Forgiveness is only for those who previously invested in ideas about guilt, condemnation, vengeance, attack, etc. God does not forgive because He has never condemned. But for you, it is a necessary mechanism to line yourself up with the laws of perception so you can extract yourself from this mess. The end goal of this type of forgiveness is to realize that there was never anything to forgive. Here is your innocence found. And here is your safety and protection from harm found. So it does indeed end with the thought, "there is nothing to turn the other cheek from". Jesus
Same difference. Pointing out that a problem "exists" is to make it exist for you, unless you point it out for the purpose of denying that it exists. "Turn the other cheek" is not an invitation to become a doormat. You could not have been struck on the one cheek in the first place...unless your perception of reality was distorted. You correct it by forgiving. You will not turn the other cheek until your perception of reality is corrected. Once corrected, you cannot be struck without permission. You do not turn it to be struck again. You turn it to show that you cannot be hurt. This is the restoration of trust and fearlessness...backed up by reality. Otherwise, you will live in a prison of your own making...a prison of fear. What does that look like in practice? If someone "kills" you, it must have been by permission. You turn the other cheek by rising from the dead, and showing your wounds to be healed. In this way, you send the message that your killer is not guilty. Jesus
How comforting to know that if someone kills me, it was my fault. By your logic, it was the Jews' fault that they were massacred in the Holocaust, the Rwandans' fault that they were hacked to death with machetes, the victims of the Serb ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia, etc, etc, etc. Rising from the dead worked for your namesake, but He's the only one I know of.
Ok let's talk about what's possible. There is a way to release all prisoners without fear, and without retribution or recidivism. Meanwhile, who could be free while he imprisons anyone? A jailer is not free, for he is bound together with his prisoner. He must be sure he does not escape, and so he spends his time in keeping watch on him. The bars that limit him become the world in which his jailer lives, along with him. The jailer's freedom depends on the freedom of them both. So, hold no one prisoner. Release instead of bind. This is how you are made free. The way is simple. Every time you feel a stab of anger, realize you hold a sword above your head. And it will fall or be averted as you choose to be condemned or free. Each "criminal" who tempts you to be angry represents your savior from the prison house of death. And so you owe him thanks instead of pain. Your function here on earth is only to forgive him, that you may accept him back as your Identity. He is as God created him (not a criminal). And you are what he is. Forgive him his sins, and you will see that you are one with him. Your Identity is what protects you both. Identify him correctly as the Son of God . It means that you cannot suffer, cannot be in pain; cannot suffer loss. Jesus
Only "Jews" can be massacred. Only "Rwandans" can be hacked. Only "Serbs" can ethnically 'cleanse'. All of these other identities are a denial of the only Identity that can do them any good. Deny your own Identity, and you will not escape the madness which induced this weird, unnatural and ghostly thought - this world - that mocks creation and that laughs at God. Deny your own Identity, and you assail the universe alone, without a friend, a tiny particle of dust against the legions of your enemies. Deny your Identity, and look on evil, sin and death, and watch despair snatch from your fingers every scrap of hope, leaving you nothing but the wish to die. Yet what is it except a game you play in which Identity can be denied? You are as God created you: The holy Son of God Himself. All else but this one thing is folly to believe. In this one thought is everyone set free. In this one truth are all illusions gone. In this one fact is sinlessness proclaimed to be forever part of everything, the central core of its existence and its guarantee of immortality. The Son of God cannot suffer or feel pain. The innocent mind cannot suffer! In that thought, everything is changed for you. With this, you are able to set the world free from your imprisonment. They stay in chains until you are free. They cannot see the mercy of the world until you find it in yourself. They suffer pain until you have denied its hold on you. They die till you accept your own eternal life. You are the holy Son of God Himself. Remember this, and all the world is free. Look about the world and see te suffering there. Is not your heart willing to bring your weary brothers rest? Then join me today. You have been given all power in heaven and earth. Remember this, and all earth and Heaven are one. Jesus
Brilliant stuff I am... One day, hapaboy will realize that his role of personal avenger and vigilante comes from his own pain and fear, as he continues to deny the facts about national incarceration rates and the secular decline in violent crime. Clearly, he wants to "kill" something in his past that gates his own growth and wisdom. But I believe the collective desire for retribution is an artifact of our increasingly hostile and isolated society, expressed physically through gated communities and security details. Somehow, we forgot that life is not without risk, and the terrorist attack reminded us that life is fragile. So how do many of us express our fears? We ask our government to "protect" us from all possible risk, which means sending anyone to jail who sets up a Lite-Brite prank. Go overseas to knock off a tinhorn dictator. Keep number one on top at all costs. We're turning into the United States of Vagina.
I knew myself as the Son of God. At that point, one miracle is not any more difficult than another. I encouraged everyone to Identify with power and magnitude this way. Do you know anyone who has done this? Have you done this? Then how can you question whether it works or not? You can cultivate this Identity. But when you make threads like this, you identify with weakness and powerlessness. This will perpetuate the very status quo you complain about. Technically, according to the law of perception, you are actively imprisoning anyone who would want such identities for themselves, and yourself along with them. Then, you must look for salvation to come from outside yourself; from a government, from a 'good' jailer, a better jailer, a better judge...etc. But there is a high cost attached to this faulty plan of salvation. Instead, your salvation only comes from you, and only you, and it is for your mind. Be the change you want to see. What have you got to lose? Jesus
Please stop pretending to be the Son of God. I suggest you cease with the usage of mind-altering drugs and attempt to live in the here and now, in the Real World. The World of Denial, be it based on religious or political beliefs, is better left behind. Stop trying to deny the way of the world. Your fear of it is palpable. I can understand that religion can be a shield of sorts against fearful things, but you have taken it much too far. You are not the Son of God. Embrace who you are, leave the World of Denial, and try to solve problems in a realistic manner instead of resorting to drug-induced fantasies.