Thomas Daniel Nehrer

Reality works in this fashion: what you hold in your mind _ the self-image,hopes and expectations, world view, beliefs, fears, feelings and all else _ becomes realized in your life, continuously.

The key realization to delving inwards to deal with the roots of outer symptoms is this: once you have clearly identified the core, inner roots to a problem, you then have authority over the situation. . . If, though, you never delve within. . . you will not eliminate the inner source of theproblem and thus never fully extinguish the external symptom.

You encounter, at its core, a subjective Reality, one based on meaning and value reflective of your own Self, not an objective universe, cold, particle-based and indifferent as science projects.

If you__e come to see that the image you absorbed while growing up is not valid, and you launch out on a prefabricated Journey, you are most likely to simply replace it with another, fancier paradigm _ the mind is that easily fooled by its own base view.

Understanding points Jesus presented to his peers requires exploring how Jews, local Greeks, Romans and other ethnic mixes inhabiting the region perceived reality. Without a clear recognition of the common ancient mindset, regard for precepts presented in the Gospels and Christian tradition becomes distorted by a default _ yet highly flawed _ impression that people back then thought and acted like people today

It is vital to see not only what Christianity asserts, but where its precepts came from _ how they evolved from primitive, superstitious metaphysical claims into __ospel Truth_.

As to __acts_ as a basis of understanding things in this investigative age: if there is anything greatly preferred to valid, reliable information in our culture, it is the appearance of facts _ nice, tidy story lines that seem complete and perfunctory, stories that can be widely circulated in mutual agreement, despite lacking validity. And, as there are absolutely no historical facts concerning the life of Jesus of Nazareth _ not a single word about him recorded during his lifetime _ Christianity provides such a wonderful substitute appearance.

The fact is: Jesus wrote not a solitary word that survives. Equally astounding is historical silence: not a single historical account refers to him during his lifetime from any source whatsoever, Roman or Jewish, official or personal.

Simply put, the relative age of a philosophical perspective has nothing to do with its veracity. It is pure illusion to imagine that just because a view of life was held and put to words long ago, that it is more valid.

Above, in discussing the perceptive notions of Jesus, remarkable concepts of Plato or the highly introspective lessons of Gautama and Lao Tzu, it took considerable discussion to explore the meaning and relate it to How Life Works. Islam presents no such deep pool of thought to pierce.

Of course, the original (anonymous) writer of (the Gospel of) John didn__ use quotes _ as they didn__ exist in written Greek _ but the translator/publisher of the modern Bible does. And that style strongly implies a validity that is pure illusion.

For deep adherents, the Koran would seem to echo great truths given directly to a vaunted and hallowed prophet by a deity of overwhelming power and grandeur. If you don__ hold any such archaic notions, however, the words attributed to Allah come across as harshly self-defensive, crude in reemphasizing old cultural standards, shaky in trying to establish new standards, brutal in places, mostly repetitious and monotonous _ and thoroughly unbelievable. When you have outgrown all such unfounded religious notions, the Koran doesn__ offer much by way of piercing perspective.

Various visionaries through time came to see with some degree of clarity that Oneness, that intrinsic connection between Self and experienced Reality.

The religious and scholarly alike arrive at conclusions as to Jesus_ nature based on the world-view they hold, the belief structure that shapes their interpretation. Inaccurate views of the function of reality can only lead to erroneous conclusions.

The only creative force capable of causally revising your experienced reality is your power to change your Self.

You are the only real authority in your life, but you yield that status to so many externals by believing in them, by having been punished or forced into accepting them.

You never saw an angel, because they don__ exist _ at least not in this Reality. They do exist in the realm of imagination _ but then, just about anything can be conjured up there in a mind steeped in myth and lore.

Judaism, for example, presents itself as monotheistic and retrofits that claim on its history by revising its lore. But in ancient times, Judaism was much more accurately Henotheism, wherein people (particularly common folk) worshipped a principal god while accepting the existence of other deities, or Monolatrism, where many gods were acknowledged, but only one worshipped.