[arreskslarlig]

hi kac527,

i also come from a christian background. quite a few years ago, i had a powerful and transforming experience of the holy spirit. for several months, i was so happy and in love with god that i didn't question anything. but eventually i realized that my dogma did not fit with the nature of god as revealed to me inwardly. this was a wrench but i developed the strength to feel my way without reliance on authority structures.

i can see that you also are developing this strength by your comment that you are trusting that your sincere quest to be shown the truth will bear fruit.

the negative entities use deception everywhere. where christianity has erred, in my opinion, is that they have assumed that their religion(s) are somehow immune to this deception. jesus named the two key tools of the negative entities, violence (fear, force, etc.) and deception. [the devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning]

try googling universal salvation. or pm me and i'll tell you a website that completely undoes the punitive and hell teachings, using scripture. i would never have believed it could be done. people are so sure the bible teaches all this negativity, but it is mostly deliberate plus honestly mistaken mistranslations that are the culprit.

additionally, i have come to believe that negative entities have encouraged us to twist the teachings.

for more than ten years i abandoned christianity as hopeless. but now i see that it can easily be uplifted, and that the teachings of jesus are pure. i see no conflict with what is taught by ra or this website.

here is the way i understand jesus' teachings: (i can provide scriptural references if you're interested) :

religion is controlled by authorities that have misunderstood true spirituality and therefore prevents/hinders the people from reaching the inner wisdom.

in order to quicken the spiritual faculty of true discernment you must have an experience of inner contact with the divine (i.e., be born again of the holy spirit). the holy spirit is the living waters after which you never thirst again. [you never feel really separated from god again.] it is also from this that you begin to have enough wisdom and confidence to not be easily deceived by materialistic and negative teachings.

god's love never falters or alters toward any being at any time. this is perfection, and is our own goal as well.

therefore the key into heaven is not about signing a contract with god, and heaven is not a place under guard by a gate. the key into the kingdom of heaven is love. it won't work to love only god and not your fellow man. until you love all mankind, unconditionally - not as a command but from your own uplifted understanding - you are not living in heaven.

this is a description of how things work and are mistakenly taken for commands. you cannot love your enemies by command - you must have your inner nature transformed. the holy spirit together with the inspiring words of jesus can do it but you must always give your assent and surrender. god never, never uses any force or manipulation of any being. that is why god is good. goodness is the complete allowing and acceptance and noninfringement toward other beings.

the process of surrendering to god, letting go of ego's hold so that it can expand into universal love is what jesus referred to as the bridal chamber. it is intensely personal and a path of joy. thus the metaphor.

i call it 'saying yes to god.'

just to enter the bridal chamber requires some readiness. in the gospel of thomas, which i admire greatly, he makes a statement to the effect that only those who "stand alone" can enter the bridal chamber. to me, this means that you must have developed a modicum of inner contact with the divine so that you can have the trust to be the bride in the chamber. you also have to be able to trust what you are being taught even if it conflicts with what the authorities are teaching.

the sheeple aren't ready. there's something missing. basically, you're ready when you're ready.

another gospel of thomas favorite, when the apostles asked him where his kingdom was:

"the kingdom of heaven is already spread out upon the earth, but people don't see it."

heaven is a state of consciousness. it is not won by faith or works and certainly not because "god demanded a death" (billy graham said that) but from expanding your soul into the ability to love.
i.e., nonseparation, unity, service to others as taught by ra.