Why is it so hard to believe.?

Question

According to the Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Jesus message was to seek enlightenment. He wanted us to live our lives in our quest for knowledge.

Pope Gregory had purely selfish motives. He was only interested on the furtherment and financial success of the Catholic Church.
The very fact that the gnostic gospels have been found when he ordered them to be burned should wake you up.

By portraying Mary Magdalene as a sinful woman saved by Jesus was a stroke of genius. It defeated the gnostics and the female church leaders in one stroke of the pen.

The second coming is NOT an apocolyptic event. It means a revelation from Jesus.

You say that I am not a Christian. No, I am not. I could be if the bible was true to the way that it was intended. I will not be a party to deception and lies perpetrated in the name of greed and control.

Answer 1

I gather you are out having a great New Years - good for you GTW. I had to go back to page 35 to find you. Busy night around here.
If you want Gnostic Christianity, John is pretty close although the much maligned/misused Rev. has much histoircal data behind it. Try the Gospel though. Mary's interp is hardly news given your Red Lettter ediition.
We might want to lighten up on the Pope and consider his VERY limited sphere and what he accomplished up through rest of Italy and Rome. The Gnostic books of Nag number only about 52, hardly earth shattering.
I find Mary as one from whom demons were cast out in the Bible. Making her a hooker must be a non-Bible source by which you are castigating the Bible? Even Texans grant better justice than hear-say evidence. Female church leaders were highlighted, GTW - who first saw the resurrection, testified to the resurrection, and saw Jesus: all duly reported in Scripture as WOMEN. Paul - your favorite NT scourge - accepted Priscilla as a preacher and if you read some of the screen credits at the end of the books, others as well.
As long as you are going to pronounce the 2nd as non-apocalyptic, might you be so kind as to give the background of your Lone Star Lone Stand against 2000 years and 2 billion people? How do you handle Mt. 13, 16, 24 etc? How is that different from Merriam Webster: the expectation of an imminent cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the ruling powers of evil and raises the righteous to life in a messianic kingdom
GTG - Please, can we keep sanity in this? YOU - 2000 after the event are going to decide whether or not something is true to the way it was intended? How would you know?
If you are not a party to lies and deception, then I presume you never read ads and have no interest in the entertainment industry?
All for today GTW - Almost time for you to heft the champaigne. Enjoy.

Answer 2

Wait, what proof do you have for believing that the gospel of Mary Magdalene is any more authentic than those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? Or for your claim about Pope Gregory? OR for your claim to know what Christ really intended when you don't even believe in Him? It seems to me that if you really understood what Christ was "really" trying to do, then you really would be a "Christian."

I find it hard to believe these gospels because the only people who seriously promote them are those who have not seriously studied the four accepted Gospels, and also because NO PROOF has been presented to me for why I should believe the gnostic gospels over the Christian gospels.

Present me with something more than scare tactics and a conspiracy theory, and I may listen.

Answer 3

Hmm. First, you need to read a little about the history of the early church.

Learn about the many, many, many little sects and groups...all jockeying for position in the "I'm right" arena. Then understand that councils were called together to resolve differences and issues, and to decide what was "true" and what was clearly "NOT true" (the "gospel" of Mary Magdalene as one example).

Just because the History channel has a one hour show about the "Gospel" of Mary Magdalene or one of Judas, does NOT make it true, mainstream, or whatever. Just as for print, don't believe everything that you see on TV. There are many reasons why the gnostic writings were banned, shunned, discarded, burnt, destroyed, etc. The primary one being heresy.

Answer 4

Sounds like you were brought up Catholic and now are rebelling. Now if you take a step back in time the Catholic church was formed after the death of Christ. The preachings of the Gospels took up after Jesus Christ had risen. Scientific evidence keeps appearing that is backing the bible. The Catholic church has recently been exposed by it's wrong doings or sins within it's ranks. Pay the church to married pay the church after a divorce to still be a Catholic pay cash to get some departed loved one out of purgatory. I can see why you have so much anger, but discredit other beliefs. Miracles still happen every day we just don't see them as miracles any more we just, take it as luck or chance. To me childbirth is a miracle in itself.

Answer 5

As for the question, Why is it so hard to believe? My answer is that people feel threatened. The myth that the Magdalene was a prostitute was around for so long, some people (including one who answered your question!) have a hard time letting go of it, despite that her name was cleared some time ago! And some people are only comfortable reading the canonical gospels, and so don't believe the apocryphal gospels (like those of the Gnostics) are worth exploring, even if it's just to read them, consider them, and discount them. Their loss, I say. Have you read works by Margaret Starbird? I think you'd like them.

Answer 6

Jesus message was not to seek enlightenment but rather to do the will of God. judge not that ye be not judged, by the same measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Mary Magdalene was a sinner, as we all are or were at one time, Jesus refused to condemn her as the other religious leaders had and showed by His actions that God is merciful and loves us all.

The second coming is indeed a literal event and will take place when Christ Himself comes back to set up His Kingdom on this earth.

We live in a fallen world where confusion is everywhere and Satan is lying to all to keep them away from the Truth. Without Christ, we are all heading for a hell that we cannot even imagine. the term "hell" is simply seperation from God. Whether you believe it or not, it is coming... let's say you decided in your heart that you don't believe in gravity,,,try jumping out of an airplane and just see what happens// are you willing to bet your eternal soul? Eternity is a long time....Think about it...........

Answer 7

The Gospel of magdalene? THAT gospel is 100% crap. Mathew, Mark, Luke, John now those are what I call Gospels.

Answer 8

If you have difficulty believing, it's probably because you're dangerously low on your rechargeable Hierarchical Religion Pow-R-Pak batteries.

This lack of "glory juice" causes the rational part of your brain to doubt that a bearded man sits on a throne in the sky and watches you pee.

Answer 9

3. Mary Magdalene. Her distinguishing name (meaning “Of (Belonging to) Magdala”) likely stems from the town of Magdala (see MAGADAN) on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee about halfway between Capernaum and Tiberias. There is no record of Jesus’ ever visiting this town, though he spent a great deal of time in the surrounding area. Nor is it certain that it was Mary’s hometown or place of residence. Since Luke refers to her as “Mary the so-called Magdalene,” some think he implies something special or peculiar.—Lu 8:2.

Jesus expelled seven demons from Mary Magdalene, reason enough for her to put faith in him as the Messiah and for her to back up such faith with outstanding works of devotion and service. She is first mentioned in the account of Jesus’ second year of preaching, when he and his apostles were “journeying from city to city and from village to village, preaching and declaring the good news of the kingdom of God.” Together with Joanna the wife of Herod’s man in charge, Susanna, and other women, Mary Magdalene continued ministering to the needs of Jesus and his apostles out of her own belongings.—Lu 8:1-3.

The most prominent notice of Mary Magdalene is in connection with the death and resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus, as the Lamb of God, was led to the slaughter, she was among the women “who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee to minister to him” and were “viewing from a distance” as Jesus hung on the torture stake. In her company were Jesus’ mother Mary, Salome, and also “the other Mary” (No. 4).—Mt 27:55, 56, 61; Mr 15:40; Joh 19:25.

After Jesus’ burial, Mary Magdalene and other women went to prepare spices and perfumed oil before the Sabbath began at sundown. Then following the Sabbath, at the break of dawn, on the first day of the week, Mary and the other women brought the perfumed oil to the tomb. (Mt 28:1; Mr 15:47; 16:1, 2; Lu 23:55, 56; 24:1) When Mary saw the tomb was open and apparently empty, she rushed off to tell the startling news to Peter and John, who ran to the tomb. (Joh 20:1-4) By the time Mary got back to the tomb, Peter and John had left, and it was now that she checked inside and was stunned at seeing two angels in white. Then she turned back and saw Jesus standing. Thinking him to be the gardener, she asked where the body was, that she might care for it. When he replied “Mary!” his identity was immediately revealed to her and she impulsively embraced him, exclaiming, “Rab·bo´ni!” But there was no time now for expressions of earthly affection. Jesus would be with them only a short time. Mary must hasten to inform the other disciples of his resurrection and that Jesus was ascending, as he said, “to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.”—Joh 20:11-18.

Answer 10

If these people wanted to expand their normal purview past the boundaries of the King James Version, they would have already read the torah and the talmud--they like their little playpen and don't want to leave