New scripture for our day

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Philo Sofee
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New scripture for our day

Post by Philo Sofee »

I'm not so sure Mormons are aware of the astonishing outpouring of new scripture going on right now. I think the idea that I ran into many years ago that no new scripture would ever be allowed by God to anyone other than Mormons since they had the proper Priesthood authority, has long outrun its usefulness. It is simply false on every angle. Someone (a Mormon friend of mine) recently asked me why there is no new scripture, really scripture anymore. Here is my answer.

The Jews, the covenant people, have recently finished, for the first time in history, an entire and valid set of 12 volumes of scripture, (Daniel Matt, The Zohar, Pritzker edition) the most complete to date of the Zohar (not to mention the new analysis of both other books of scripture besides the Torah, the Bahir and Sefer Yetzirah). This ancient book of Medieval scripture has now seen the light of day, and its light is shining throughout the world to all who wish to read it. It was considered scripture for hundreds of years, then was forced underground, and is now back into the full light of day sharing their incredible revelations from Elijah (who HAS returned to them numerous times giving them keys, revelations, and knowledge as the Zohar clearly demonstrates. Mormons saying he only returned to them is just not even true in any manner, nor that he waited only until 1836 to return).

And why not? God is not limited to a mortal Mormon finite and limited understanding and view of how God will carry out his work. God obviously has continually shared revelation and knowledge with the Jews throughout all time in history as the many records we now have demonstrate conclusively. The idea of an apostasy of God stopping revelation apparently was never given to either God or the Jews. If they lost authority from God, someone failed to tell God to shut up, he kept on sharing his knowledge with them for millenia. He has continually blessed them with knowledge, light, truth, and revelation all through the Middle Ages ever since their temple was destroyed. That obviously did not stop God in any way from continually guiding them and building their spiritual power. For any Mormon, layman or leader, to say none of this counts is preposterous.

12 gigantic volumes of scripture have recently been published for the entire world to begin reading in a new day of opening up, of opening up the secret revelations which were not safe to do for the Jews during pogroms, blood libel and persecutions for so long throughout medieval Europe. These are scriptures as the Jews noted for hundreds of years. God has simply never stopped talking to the world in their own mode, as Mormons themselves claim He does so talk. If Mormons don't have continuously published new revelations it does not follow that no one else does. And if they do have new revelations it also does not follow that no one else does except theirs. A comparison of the Zohar to the church's mere handbook of instructions demonstrates the pure quality of the revelations the Jews have received compared to what Mormons have to offer in the last 6 years.

God continues pouring out new light and knowledge all over the world in many, many cultures, some we probably have not heard of. Who dares limit God to what he can do, who he can enlighten, and who he can inspire? The old canard that priesthood authority is necessary just shows, in light of the massive outpouring of scripture from many others besides Mormons, that apparently God has shared his priesthood in a far wider net than Mormons have ever even dared to suppose. Or else, with the massive evidence we now possess, the claim of needed priesthood, is just wrong.

But today, right now... this is impressively something! More scripture has come forth from Judaism than all the other scriptures combined from all the other religions, so far as print has occurred in the last mere 6 years. You want to know why God has stopped talking? Perhaps no one is looking where he has been talking and what instructions await those who wish to read His Good Word after all. God has not stopped inspiring, talking, and revealing, man has just stopped looking, learning, and caring. It's not God's fault no one is paying attention to his words as they come forth.
dastardly stem
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by dastardly stem »

what does god tell us in these scriptures?
God has not stopped inspiring, talking, and revealing, man has just stopped looking, learning, and caring.
That to me suggests it is God's fault. he can't keep people interested so it's their fault? He supposedly has every conceivable means at his disposal to capture attention and yet has refused to do so, so he can find reason to condemn people?
“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Philo Sofee
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by Philo Sofee »

dastardly stem wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 4:24 pm
what does god tell us in these scriptures?
God has not stopped inspiring, talking, and revealing, man has just stopped looking, learning, and caring.
That to me suggests it is God's fault. he can't keep people interested so it's their fault? He supposedly has every conceivable means at his disposal to capture attention and yet has refused to do so, so he can find reason to condemn people?
And man has every conceivable means of finding God's words interesting, enlightening, and worth reading, and does nothing to learn them? God continues bringing out knowledge, and man refuses to find a reason at all for being interested? That sword cuts both ways.

And what does the 12 volumes of over 6,000 pages say? It says read me and see life differently. That's the brief summary. You will only get out of them whatever effort you put into them, kinda like exercise.... you want 20" arms? It will take more than 3 pushups to accomplish if you are serious about it. Wanna run a marathon? It will take more than a mere jog for 5 minutes every other day, skipping the bad weather days because its too uncomfortable. Wanna learn math? Perhaps more than working 8 problems in a 800 page book could help, with months of serious thinking. Wanna learn what God wants in the Zohar? Perhaps something more can be learned than merely asking someone else what the Zohar says. I'm just sayin.
dastardly stem
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by dastardly stem »

Philo Sofee wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:59 am

And man has every conceivable means of finding God's words interesting, enlightening, and worth reading, and does nothing to learn them? God continues bringing out knowledge, and man refuses to find a reason at all for being interested? That sword cuts both ways.
I don't know...when I think of God I think of a hoax put upon mankind, a concept evolved from our oldest ancestors. Every effort to reasonably uncover his existence comes up short. Words put out claiming to be from him are too peppered with the despicable to be believed, and the good stuff amounts to the trivial and mundane.
And what does the 12 volumes of over 6,000 pages say? It says read me and see life differently. That's the brief summary. You will only get out of them whatever effort you put into them, kinda like exercise.... you want 20" arms? It will take more than 3 pushups to accomplish if you are serious about it. Wanna run a marathon? It will take more than a mere jog for 5 minutes every other day, skipping the bad weather days because its too uncomfortable. Wanna learn math? Perhaps more than working 8 problems in a 800 page book could help, with months of serious thinking. Wanna learn what God wants in the Zohar? Perhaps something more can be learned than merely asking someone else what the Zohar says. I'm just sayin.
It may be a good read, or at least parts of it, for many reasons. Who knows? It may be a huge waste of paper with nuggets of wisdom too infrequent to matter. But this does bring me back to the day when I started to question the concept of scripture. Scripture inspires individuals but in so doing is really subjective. Some fine novels have inspired some people to do good while scripture sounded lame and useless to these same people. If God is intent on condemning based on whether people will be moved by the Zohar then he's resorting back to the petty goof they thought he was millennia ago. It looks to be the same old to me. Color me skeptical, I guess.
“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Philo Sofee
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by Philo Sofee »

Dastardly Stem
Every effort to reasonably uncover his existence comes up short.
I can appreciate this, but it's perhaps our short comings on trial here. There are many multitudinous millions who claim otherwise. And many are great spiritual masters, so I have a little trouble just saying oh you are deceived.
What one brings to the table and exercises one receives back, so if one is just sort of willy nilly, the response will be likewise. That's a paraphrase of the famous Zohar concept that there must be a stirring below before there is a stirring above.

I can sense you are burned out yet wanting more, believe me I know that feeling. What I did was try to keep my mind active, keep learning, pick up something you have always wanted to know, forget about God for the moment, and just go like crazy with something truly new and marvelous and gain your enthusiasm back. Life has so much to offer! Rebuild some momentum with something you have truly wanted to know or do. And then flow out from that positive center from within you. Get an accomplishment under your belt, one in your own mind that you can finally say, Ah, so that's what that idea is all about. Something along those lines. And write down about it, what you did to gain your new knowledge, where you went, who you met, perhaps some conversations, etc. Get some uplift back in your thinking.

The negative is never a good thing to cling to. Sure we all get negative, nothing wrong about that, but don't let it be your guide. Acknowledge it, then go after something you have always wanted to actually know, and do everything you can to learn that. That actually clears your mind from the mud of muck and depressing thinking and gets ya goin!
dastardly stem
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by dastardly stem »

Philo Sofee wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 7:11 pm
Dastardly Stem
Every effort to reasonably uncover his existence comes up short.
I can appreciate this, but it's perhaps our short comings on trial here. There are many multitudinous millions who claim otherwise. And many are great spiritual masters, so I have a little trouble just saying oh you are deceived.
What one brings to the table and exercises one receives back, so if one is just sort of willy nilly, the response will be likewise. That's a paraphrase of the famous Zohar concept that there must be a stirring below before there is a stirring above.

I can sense you are burned out yet wanting more, believe me I know that feeling. What I did was try to keep my mind active, keep learning, pick up something you have always wanted to know, forget about God for the moment, and just go like crazy with something truly new and marvelous and gain your enthusiasm back. Life has so much to offer! Rebuild some momentum with something you have truly wanted to know or do. And then flow out from that positive center from within you. Get an accomplishment under your belt, one in your own mind that you can finally say, Ah, so that's what that idea is all about. Something along those lines. And write down about it, what you did to gain your new knowledge, where you went, who you met, perhaps some conversations, etc. Get some uplift back in your thinking.

The negative is never a good thing to cling to. Sure we all get negative, nothing wrong about that, but don't let it be your guide. Acknowledge it, then go after something you have always wanted to actually know, and do everything you can to learn that. That actually clears your mind from the mud of muck and depressing thinking and gets ya goin!
I really appreciate your advice. Sounds enlivening and just what the doctor ordered. But, I fail to see that I'm being negative. I figured I was being positive in suggesting there's greater hope than what religion and God proposals offer.
“Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.”
― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Philo Sofee
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by Philo Sofee »

dastardly stem wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 9:36 pm
Philo Sofee wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 7:11 pm


I can appreciate this, but it's perhaps our short comings on trial here. There are many multitudinous millions who claim otherwise. And many are great spiritual masters, so I have a little trouble just saying oh you are deceived.
What one brings to the table and exercises one receives back, so if one is just sort of willy nilly, the response will be likewise. That's a paraphrase of the famous Zohar concept that there must be a stirring below before there is a stirring above.

I can sense you are burned out yet wanting more, believe me I know that feeling. What I did was try to keep my mind active, keep learning, pick up something you have always wanted to know, forget about God for the moment, and just go like crazy with something truly new and marvelous and gain your enthusiasm back. Life has so much to offer! Rebuild some momentum with something you have truly wanted to know or do. And then flow out from that positive center from within you. Get an accomplishment under your belt, one in your own mind that you can finally say, Ah, so that's what that idea is all about. Something along those lines. And write down about it, what you did to gain your new knowledge, where you went, who you met, perhaps some conversations, etc. Get some uplift back in your thinking.

The negative is never a good thing to cling to. Sure we all get negative, nothing wrong about that, but don't let it be your guide. Acknowledge it, then go after something you have always wanted to actually know, and do everything you can to learn that. That actually clears your mind from the mud of muck and depressing thinking and gets ya goin!
I really appreciate your advice. Sounds enlivening and just what the doctor ordered. But, I fail to see that I'm being negative. I figured I was being positive in suggesting there's greater hope than what religion and God proposals offer.
Oh my! Yes, perhaps it is my assumptions showing... :lol: You might have been coming across as on the depressed side and that might be entirely my own reading (misreading) of the situation. I shall have to watch that eh? Well good then! If you are on the upside that's the way to go.

Can I give you a for instance in my case? I have thought off and on in my life how cool and useful it would be to learn welding. You know, metal working, repair welding, perhaps even artistic welding. Soooo, a couple years back I said all right, I ain't gettin any younger, so I went and got a welder and have been off and on learning how to do it! Granted it's not something to do with mind and learning, but who cares? It is FUN! And then I did something else I have always wanted to do. I finished purchasing the entire set of Matt's Pritzker edition Zohar. I may never get through it, but I at least have it before some of the volumes go out of print. So that's 2 things I personally have done that have had total positive impact on my own negativity, and I'll be go to heck if they haven't been pulling me up out of my doldrums! No kidding man. Fun stuff. So, now each year I am adding just one extra thing I have always wanted to learn and doing so. One year I did chess, then another welding, now Zohar/Kabbalah, and next year something else. The image in my mind at least is a spiral upward and a smaller bucket list... hee, hee.....there is a method to my madness.
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Moksha
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Re: New scripture for our day

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Philo Sofee wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:59 am
Wanna learn what God wants in the Zohar? Perhaps something more can be learned than merely asking someone else what the Zohar says. I'm just sayin.
Can we use Wikipedia?
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Philo Sofee
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by Philo Sofee »

Moksha wrote:
Sat Feb 13, 2021 1:46 pm
Philo Sofee wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 12:59 am
Wanna learn what God wants in the Zohar? Perhaps something more can be learned than merely asking someone else what the Zohar says. I'm just sayin.
Can we use Wikipedia?
Only in so far as it is translated correctly... :D
honorentheos
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Re: New scripture for our day

Post by honorentheos »

dastardly stem wrote:
Fri Feb 12, 2021 3:46 pm
I don't know...when I think of God I think of a hoax put upon mankind, a concept evolved from our oldest ancestors. Every effort to reasonably uncover his existence comes up short. Words put out claiming to be from him are too peppered with the despicable to be believed, and the good stuff amounts to the trivial and mundane.
I hear you on this. Everywhere one turns there is someone claiming that there is some higher consciousness speaking to humankind through various means, and most importantly, they are here to help you know where the correct place is to find this higher consciousness and it's words. And inevitably one is left disappointed if one takes such claims literally as presented.

So let me pile on as someone with another opinion about it, too, because why not? ;) Somewhere along the way I picked up this idea that when people spoke about God, somewhere behind the arguments for the literal existence of some being that fit whatever description they offered were a few commonalities.

To borrow from a Stoic philosopher: In each good person a god doth dwell, but what kind of god we know not.

In the words of various wisdom traditions both as ancient as the Gita to Joseph Smith's contemporary Emerson to bits from modern prose, poetry, or even a message board there are those that inspire to seek and understand what it means for something to be good; that illuminate the beautiful and it's appreciation as one finds it resonating with ones own individual nature; and to pursue and be able to isolate the true from the false and what some argue ought to be.

Going back to Emerson:

Books are the best of things, well used; abused, among the worst. What is the right use? What is the one end which all means go to effect? They are for nothing but to inspire. I had better never see a book than to be warped by its attraction clean out of my own orbit, and made a satellite instead of a system. The one thing in the world of value is the active soul,—the soul, free, sovereign, active.

...

The eyes of man are set in his forehead, not in his hindhead. Man hopes. Genius creates. To create,—to create,—is the proof of a divine presence. Whatever talents may be, if the man create not, the pure efflux of the Deity is not his; —cinders and smoke there may be, but not yet flame. There are creative manners, there are creative actions, and creative words; manners, actions, words, that is, indicative of no custom or authority, but springing spontaneous from the mind's own sense of good and fair.
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