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Date Posted: 21:11:57 04/17/06 Mon
Author: Dolora Zajick
Subject: Re: WORLD'S BEST KEPT SECRET
In reply to: Cathleen 's message, "Re: WORLD'S BEST KEPT SECRET" on 05:20:42 10/04/05 Tue




>
>The Gospel of Thomas is written in the first person
>and believed to be the closest thing to Christ words
>in existance. In this text, Christ is portrayed to be
>much more concerned with and connected to
>nature...saying that if one lifts a rock he is there.
>After reading it my sister said it complimented the
>Bible but at the same time it left her with an image
>of Christ being much more of a naturalist and
>teaching that God is all around us, existing in
>everything. We can find him everywhere...not just in
>a building

Some interesting quotes from "The Gospel of Thomas:
"If they tell you that the kingdom is in the sky, then the birds will precede you. If they tell you that the kingdom is in the the sea, then the fish will precede you. Rather the kingdom is inside you and outside you."
"What you look for has come, but you do not know it, I am the the light that is over all things, I am All. From me all has gone forth and to me all has reached"
Split a piece of wood I am here, lift up a stone and you will find me there."
"I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart."
"The Kingdom is spead out before them on all the earth, but they do not see it."

Contrary to popular opinion, the Gospel of Thomas is not really a Gnostic work. Gnostics believed that some humans were spirits trapped in matter and would eventually escape their entrapment. They also believed that all of the rest of humanity were born of matter only in the first place and had only temporary souls, and therefore when they died that that was it and there was no redemption because they weren't born of God in the first place. It was a very exclusive religion.

Saying from the New Testament, "Love God with all your heart mind and strength, and the other is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. On these hang ALL the laws of the prophets."

Facts about the very first Christians:
They did not possess private property but combined all they owned together, used it communally and used anything left over for the poor. The less owned the better.
Christianity as it is practiced today was put together at the council of Nicea during the reign of Constantine three hundred years after Chritianity was born. There were many widely diverging sects until then. They decided which books to include and destroyed the rest. The "Gospel According to Thomas" was one of the books exculded from the New Testament. Constantine was not a Christian. He was not baptized until he was on his death bed. It was his mother that was the devout Christian. Contantine also worshipped the sun, Sol Invictus, and that was why the Sabbath was changed to Sunday.
The first Christians were Jews, then later Greeks and slaves, which included many people from Africa. In the early stages it incuded many races.
The early Martyrs died for something much different than what Christianity became.


No single civilization has ever lasted. All great countries eventually come to an end. People survive through their progeny. If one in twenty Americans have native American blood, that means that eventually almost all Americans will have Native American blood. It is now becoming a matter of pride that people are beginning to claim their Native American hertage, even if it is only a minute drop of blood. Anglos are reaching out and want to understand. This is something that should be encouraged and celebrated, however naive and clumsy their attempts. Self appointed New Age medicine men who get their kicks being cult leaders should not.
The time is coming when Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Black Elk, Red Cloud and many others will be celebrated alongside their Anglo contemporaries as equals.

Some things a real Christain would never do.
A real Christian would never take children away from their families who love them, beat them for speaking their native language and tell them they were heathen savages.
A real Christian would never go back on their word or break a treaty.
A real Christian would never try to force anyone to their way of thinking or believing.
A real Christian would not exterminate another people.
A real Christian would prove they were compassionate.
A real Christian would have extended good will and would have loved their neighbor as they would themselves.
The mistake many so called Christians make is believing that Christianity is the originator of all these noble things. These very noble things existed and still exist in many Native American cultures. Generosity, humility, compassion and self sacrifice was and is just as valued, and just as selfishly ignored.
I think Black Elk would have had a great appreciation of The Gospel according to Thomas, because his vision of where the center of the earth really was and Thomas's was one and the same. He understood the true meaning of sacred communion with God because he experienced it, and he was troubled by it and plagued with doubts because it defied dogma.
Personally, I hope the Sioux are able to reclaim enough of the prairie so the buffalo can have a home. I believe the health of this country and all the people in it depend on it. The prairie is the real heartland of America. Heal the heart, and you heal the country and everyone in it.
Dolora Zajick

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