Christ's Chapel Insha Allah

It is written that Parthenis, Pythagoras's mother, conceived Pythagoras by immaculate conception; he was called the son of God during his lifetime.

In the fifth century A.D., Pythagoras was discribed as the most learned man in all history; he lived in Crotona, a Greek colony in Italy; he founded his School there in 530 B.C.; Pythagoras taught the elite of his time.

It is written that Mary, Jesus's mother, conceived Jesus by immaculate conception, 600 years later; he was called the son of God during his lifetime; he was described as the most gentle and the most loving man in all history; he lived in Nazareth; Jesus did not establish a school, and he left no written record of his teaching,but he did, more or less, train 12 desciples to carry on his teaching; Jesus taught amoung the poor of his time, for it is written that the poor shall receive the Kingdom of God.

Pythagoras taught: One should possess only those things which no one can take from one; also, it is better for a part of the body to burn than continue in the (sinful) state in which it is; it is better for a depraved man to die than to live.

Jesus, 600 years later taught: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth here where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Also, he taught: "If your hand offends you, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than, having two hands, to go into hell."

Pythagoras said: "The greastest honor which can be paid to God is to know and imitate Him." Jesus, 600 years later, said: "That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, be you therefore perfect (mature) as your Father in heaven is perfect (mature).

Pythagoras said: "You have in yourself something similar to God and therefore use yourself as the temple of God." Jesus, 600 years later, said: "Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God lives in you?"

Pythagoras said: "The moon shines even in the house of the wicked." Jesus, 600 years later, said: "He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust."

Pythagoras said: "What I do not wish men to do to me I also wish not to do to them." Jesus, 600 years later, said: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Pythagoras said: "Those who give have things given to them. Those who withhold, have things taken from them." Jesus, 600 years later, said: "Whosoever has, to him shall be given more, but whosoever has not, (the greedy) from him shall be taken away even that which he has."

Pythagoras said: "Purity of mind alone sees God." Jesus, 600 years later, said: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

Pythagoras taught that before one could enter his school, one must donate all of one's worldly goods to the school. Jesus, 600 years later, said: "Give up all your worldly goods and follow me."

Pythagoras taught vigorously of the one God. He described God as the SUPREME MIND distributed through the universe -- the supreme cause of all things, the intelligence of all things and the power in all things. The body of God was light strewn throughout the universe, the least of which filled the world of matter.

"God," said Pythagoras, is neither the object of sense, nor subject to passion, but invisible, only intelligible, and supremely intelligent. In His body he is like the light, and in His soul He resembles truth. He is the universal spirit that pervades and diffuses itself over all nature. All beings receive their life from Him. There is but one God only, who is not, as some are apt to imagine, seated above the world, beyond the orb of the universe; but being Himself all in all. He sees all the beings that fill His immensity; the only Principle, the light of Heaven, the Father of all. He produces everything; He orders and disposes everything; He is the reason, the Life, and the Motion of all being."

From all the above, we see that God does not spring new knowledge and growth upon man all at once, but He introduces new knowledge and growth of Himself and His universe in gradual,measured steps: Many men taught the same ideas that both Jesus and Pythagoras taught, but hundreds of years earlier.

If there is one thing we can know about God, it is the fact that He expects us to keep learning and to keep growing in the knowledge of him in ourselves: Jesus said: "The kingdom of God is within and around you." (God lives in every individual -- when He moves out: our physical body dies). God wants to claim His home within man and for Him and man to walk together as one, and I believe that civilazation, mankind, will never heal itself until every human being strives to accomplish this goal within himself to the best of his conscious abilities and within God's desires; but there is just one big problem:

We, because of fear and self-hatred imagine that our salvation will come through a fudamentalism based on child-like, intentional blindness, much like the ostrich sticking his head in the sand and believing no one can see him. But our salvation can be obtained only through an open-ended, one-to-one relationship with God within us:

However folks it seems: "We would rather be ruined than changed; we would rather die in our dread, than climb the cross of the moment, And let our illusions die."--W.H. Auden.

AMEN

Rev. Lewis Atchley, D.Th., Msc.D., Ph.D.
*******Doctor of the Soul*******
Free Booklet: A NEW AGE RELIGION: CHRISTIANITY...on request. e-mail postal address to: WebChapel@webtv.net

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