This is an intentional mistranslation. The confusion comes in in the translation of the word “wayâ€. There are two differing translations: the first is odoß hodos (roadway). The second is λόγος logos which means “word†but in a special sense it also means “way†in a spiritual sense. The greeks used lexis (λÎξις) to mean “word†in a grammatical sense. To a a neoplatonic reader it would refer to logos spermatikos the universal God in all.Despite the fact that all through the Gospel of John he references “logos†in this one passage it is changed to “hodos†so from spiritual path to a universal god to a literal roadway to heaven. In the first sense it means all who would know the universal god “logos†would find salvation. In the later translation it appears Jesus is saying only if you believe in him, meaning Jesus, will you be able to find god. It is very convenient mistranslation by Jerome in the 4th century at the time when Constantine was uniting his empire under the banner of the cross..
It means that Jesus is like a bouncer at the gates of Heaven and if he's feeling nice, he might let you in.
I always took it to mean, you can't be with the Father/Yahweh in heaven unless you follow/live the teachings of Jesus Christ. Even as a christian, I never had trouble with this, and I don't really understand what is so confusing about it.
Because the words of the bible are not literal - they only seem that way for those who can't see them another way. Books like that exist on many levels, and depending on how you look, and in what state of mind, you may find more than you thought was there.
According to Oral Roberts and billy gram, if you do not accept the God of un-conditional love, you will go to the god of unconditional hate. You see, the Earth's core is filled with molten lava. In the bible this is known as the lake of fire. You will rot in it for all eternity. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Now smoke a joint and stop giving a fuck. thank you.
Wow, that God has some serious self-esteem and control issues. I would hope Oral & Billy tell God to see a psychologist to get his problems worked out.
That's the problem with religion, and why I feel the Jesus dude would never have wanted what became of his teachings. It's easier to take things literally when you're using teachings to make yourself appear better than other people, more righteous. Christianity has been the leading culprit in this. Personally, I'd prefer these books vanished along with the religions that surround them, but that's not going to happen any time soon, so I simply choose to live my life, aside from when I mention them here, as if they don't exist. And guess what - it works.
Works just fine.... Any "god" worth finding would provide you with all you need to find it....without the need to follow people to get there.... I can't help but picture the poor Jesus guy feeling the same about his modern followers ...as the founders of the united states would feel about what has been made of what they tried to start.... These books are mens way of defining things beyond our languages ability to describe nevermind define..... People have been using them to hold themselves and those round them back for centuries.... People trying to convince one another they have it figured out....all the while it is passing them by.....again and again....
Put more stock into what feels right to you. Don't waste much time trying to understand ancient fiction.
It means that to dissolve the consciousness into the pre-creation supreme nothingness of God, you must first have united the soul with the highest/first emanation of God that incarnated into the body of Jesus (as well as others such as Krishna and Dionysus), the Christ consciousness. This highest level of consciousness is called Henosis in my lineage, or in Yoga it is known as Sasmita Samadhi (I may be mistaken, someone correct me if there is a higher Samadhi, Yoga is not the system I practice).
Not to sound rude here, but do you think that is how a first century christian might have interpreted that passage?
sounds like some hardcore mafia shit right there. he probably had sunglasses with his arms crossed when he said that.
Praise the lord errday like me n we finna be in this heaven shit all day bruh smoke blunts all day no police all day
The teachings of Christ is alien to those who practice modern Christianity, and to some who criticize it.
Wait jayfoxpox just showed me what it really means. In his post. You have to meet him at the pearly gates where he's in his karate uniform and you here the archangel michael yell. "MORRRTALLL COMBAAAAT" then you have 90 seconds to beat the shit out of jesus and make him resemble the day he was crucified in order to walk into the pearly gates. that quote about getting through him makes so much sense now. yeahhh