2001-4-23 11:23:00
Orthodox Christianity seems to be unwilling to even attempt to understand the metaphysical concept of God. The Gurus, prophets, and masters past and present who have taught that man is becoming God, man is God, man is manifesting God, God is in man, Christ is in man, or even that man is to be in control of his destiny have been greatly criticized by black-and-white Fundamentalist believers.
They seem to think that any such teaching strikes at the heart of the authority of God, that we somehow take the Father of Lights off his throne and make him one of the guys. They seem to get the impression that anyone who believes the God-Man concept wants to make himself a God over the universe and have all others bow down and worship him.
Such distorted conclusions is responsible for much of the fear and separateness the religious people have toward the pioneers of the New Age. They seem to want to believe that we are out to become authoritative Gods and rulers over them so they will have a visible devil to fight.
Such is not the case at all. For one thing the New Age concept of God does not present him as an authority figure, but follows the Biblical view that he is an omnipresent life that permeates all things and his breath is the very life that sustains us.
Remember the wave idea we presented earlier? We are like drops of water participating in the wave of life that is God and when we unite with all life we become the wave which is God. All Christian thought teaches the omnipresence of God, that He is everywhere, even in us. Therefore when we look within ourselves we find God. The Bible actually commands us to be one with this life within. Therefore why does Orthodox Christian thought condemn the peaceable people of the New Age for looking within, finding God, uniting or being One with him as commanded.
The scriptures command us to have the mind of Christ and Christ "thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Therefore, why are we condemned for following the Bible in seeking to be "one" or "equal" with God?
The people of the New Age are the one's obeying all the injunctions thundered from the pulpits of the world. Orthodox Christians are afraid to abide by the precepts of their own teachings. If they were not they would recognize that God is in man and that the Bible recognizes men as Gods, not once, but over and over.
It will be impossible for orthodox thought to refute any of the concepts taught here, even from the scriptures they adore for they are verified by them as well as common sense, and the Spirit of God that is within.
The word "God" is generally translated from the Hebrew word ELOHIYM which is the plural form of ELOWAHH. In fact the plural form for ELOWAHH (ELOHIYM) is used consistently through the first half of the Old Testament. The singular ELOWAHH is not used until 2 Chronicles 32:15. Therefore, throughout the first half of the Old Testament this word (if literally translated) is more correctly rendered in the plural: Gods.
ELOHIYM is thought to be derived from the Hebrew EL or AL which literally means "strong, powerful, or mighty". EL is sometimes translated as God (when the text seems to be referring to Deity) and other times rendered literally as "strong, powerful, or mighty," or other similar words. Other scholars think that ELOHIYM is derived from the same source as the Moslem God ALLAH which means "to covenant." Either derivation is a fitting possibility. God is certainly mighty and strong and he is also a God of covenants.
The first verse in the Bible reads: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Gen 1:1)
The word "God" here as in most cases comes from the plural ELOHIYM. Paradoxically it is used with a singular verb so the first verse more literally reads: "In the beginning the Gods creates the heaven and the earth."
The translators here were faced with a dilemma because the literal translation produces incorrect grammar. If we translate ELOHIYM as "Gods" then it should read" "Gods create...." instead of "Gods creates...." Translators, on the other hand, felt that they couldn't render the word "God" in the plural so they changed "Gods" to "God." The verbs in the Hebrew are written in the present tense. Translators usually change the verb to the tense that seems to fit the text. Therefore "creates" was changed to "created."
The one all important question that translators and Bible scholars have not asked and seem unwilling to investigate is: What is the reason for this apparently bad grammar? Is it possible that Moses knew what he was doing when he wrote the first sentence?
Perhaps.
If we examine a key word RESHIYTH which has been translated as "In the beginning" we can come up with a translation which is grammatically correct. RESHIYTH comes from ROSH (as we mentioned earlier) which means "the head." RESHIYTH itself was translated as "chief" in Amos 6:1 & 6. If we use this meaning for RESHIYTH we can translate the first verse literally yet still have correct grammar: "The head of the Gods creates the heaven and the earth."
Here "head" becomes the singular subject so it would keep a singular verb. Normally a plural word will take a plural verb. Nevertheless, there are words in the English that imply more than one, but take a singular verb. Among these are: council, government, body, administration, and others. These words imply that there are numerous entities working together as one. God could be a word like this as we shall see.
The scriptures plainly manifest that it was a mistake to imply that ELOHIYM is a God who is a single entity instead of Gods many for the ELOHIYM said: "Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness...." (Gen 1:26)
"And the Lord God said, behold, the man is to become as one of US, to know good and evil." (Gen 3:22)
Isaiah said: "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for US...." (Isa 6:8)
In Ecclesiastes 12:1 in the King James and most other Bibles the word "creator" is singular. This shows a definite bias for in the Hebrew it reads: "Remember now thy CREATORS in the days of thy youth."
How can one deny that there are many entities united as one who share the name of God and yet still claim to believe the Bible? One wonders.
Questions:
Why do you suppose that may believe the Bible, but reject the Bible's use of the word God?
Why do you suppose most new agers avoid the Bible when it actually supports their view?
-- End Of Part Eighteen --
Copyright 2001 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved