Monthly Archives: May 2016

Til Death Do Us Part

Posted on 2016-05-31 by jimbelton

“The remedy for most marital stress is not in divorce. It is not in separation. It is in simple integrity that leads a man and a woman to square up their shoulders and meet their obligations. It is found in … Continue reading →

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A Tale of the Kingdom of Heaven

Posted on 2016-05-31 by jimbelton

Peter came to Jesus and asked how many wrongs against him he should forgive one of his fellows, and whether seven was enough. Jesus replied that Peter should forgive them not just seven times, but four hundred and ninety times. … Continue reading →

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The Spectrum of Religious Thought

Posted on 2016-05-30 by jimbelton

“All religions must be tolerated… for every man must get to heaven in his own way.” — Epictetus There is a spectrum of religious thought that goes from animism to atheism. Animism The belief that non-human entities — such as … Continue reading →

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Give ’em Enough Rope

Posted on 2016-05-29 by jimbelton

“Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” –Ronald Reagan What should you do if someone wrongs you? Turn the other cheek? No. That only applies if they strike you. According to … Continue reading →

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The Invitation of Sophia

Posted on 2016-05-29 by jimbelton

The Gnostic goddess Sophia, the incarnation of divine wisdom, was derived from the old testament. She is introduced and makes a long speech in chapter 8 of the book of Proverbs. Chapter 9 has more to say about her, and … Continue reading →

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Heaven Values Us All

Posted on 2016-05-29 by jimbelton

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” ― Oprah Winfrey Jesus put the following question to his disciples: What do you think? … Continue reading →

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Sophia in the Bible

Posted on 2016-05-28 by jimbelton

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing” — Socrates If you have read anything of the Gnostic religion, you have probably come across Sophia, the Aeon who is the incarnation of the creator’s wisdom. In some gnostic … Continue reading →

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Plucking Out the Ego

Posted on 2016-05-27 by jimbelton

“The Ego is a veil between humans and God’.” ― Rumi When his disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, he called a little child over to him, sat the boy in the midst … Continue reading →

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How Old is the Cult of the Virgin Mary?

Posted on 2016-05-27 by jimbelton

I found an interesting post showing the surviving fragment of the oldest known hymn to Mary. Here’s a summary of the facts: The fragment of Papyrus is in the Rylands Library, in Manchester UK. The earliest text of this hymn … Continue reading →

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Faith is not a Magic Bullet

Posted on 2016-05-26 by jimbelton

A man came to Jesus and begged him to have mercy on his son because he was a “lunatic, and sorely vexed, for he often fell into the fire, and often into the water.” These are classic symptoms of epilepsy. … Continue reading →

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