The Chosen Ones

[Lightkeeper]

In the Old Testament the 12 tribes, descendents of Abraham are the chosen ones who will inhabit Israel.

What does "The Chosen Ones" mean to you? Are there people who are more favorable to God? What would happen to those who are not chosen?

Where is one on their spiritual path if they think they are chosen?

[GlorytoGod]

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

In the Old Testament the 12 tribes, descendents of Abraham are the chosen ones who will inhabit Israel.

What does "The Chosen Ones" mean to you? Are there people who are more favorable to God? What would happen to those who are not chosen?

Where is one on their spiritual path if they think they are chosen?

some good questions, but alas I really have no idea.

I wish I understood scripture better, sigh

[octavius]

Let the "chosen" people of God go home to paradise. I for one will be happier "left behind." Such undeserved pious elitism is why we live in a world of terrorism and war. It breeds intolerance.

[Amergin]

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

In the Old Testament the 12 tribes, descendents of Abraham are the chosen ones who will inhabit Israel.

I do not think that there were 12 tribes. I suspect (without evidence, I admit) that the Hebrews living in Egypt as slaves lost most of any pre-Egyptian tribal structure. When they were led out by Moses in Exodus, the only likely structure for a primarily desert raiders would be military units under several leaders loyal to Moses. I think this might have been remembered a millenium later as "tribes." The number 12 possibly has more to do with the Zodiac than 12 actual tribes. Likewise Jesus had 12 apostles each representing the Zodiac. I think Mithra also had 12 apostles.

The God of Moses was a God specifically to protect the Hebrew People under the command of Moses. In Stone Age and Bronze Age people, it was the rule for their respective gods to be protectors of that specific group of people. All gods were regional not universal although most of those private gods also created everything. So the believer clans considered themselves the chosen ones. Actually they were not the chosen ones of the god. Their God was their chosen god.

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

What does "The Chosen Ones" mean to you? Are there people who are more favorable to God? What would happen to those who are not chosen?

The Jews (or possibly Moses) invented JHWY. Moses designed JHWY giving him personality traits that were like those of Moses. Moses and his designer god both had jealousy, vindictiveness, rage attacks, homicidal demands, performed magic, love, hate, capriciousness, and arbitrary justice. So the Bible Genesis says God created Man in his own image and likeness with the reality being the reverse. The Israelites were Gods chosen people meant that they chose the God offered to them by Moses. Stories of the mythical Abraham were told by Moses to more legitimise JHWY. JHWY was the invention of Moses from the old pagan Semitic Fire God. Abraham was invented by Moses to provide a sense of antiquity and plausibility of Moses' God.

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

Where is one on their spiritual path if they think they are chosen?

It provides many psychological benefits to the "chosen" (i.e. believers). They carry out orders readily because they are obeying God, thus an orderly society. Soldiers eagerly go to war with the protection of a powerful Sky God and perhaps expectancy of Paradise if they are killed while serving in God's Army. This is one of the motives for Christian Proselytising currently debated in America regarding the Military Academies and even in the line troops. The vengeance of this god is a powerful tool in group discipline. People often get solace from praying to this powerful God to save a sick child or bring rain to the dry soil, or to send disease plagues to enemy nations.

One feels he/she is on the right spiritual path if their obedience and conformity earns God's favour and ultimately the promise of immortality in Paradise. Failure on the spiritual path leads to that immortality being in Hell.

Despite the negative aspects of theism, the positive ones do provide social stability. This is why governments generally promote and support religious adherence. This is why they admire piety, devout God worship, and "fear of God.? This is why they demonise unbelievers.

Amergin

[shaw-n]

Chosen by whom?
By an extraterrestrial who uses their technological superiority and our technological naivety to pose as a God.
For certain they are a more advanced being(s).
Does this give them the right to do such things?
Well, who will argue?
Those who do are destroyed by their advanced weaponry (angel of death).


People who believe they are chosen are not necessarily spiritual, they are just religious.
There is world's of difference between the two terms.

Spirituality = awareness

Religious = followers of traditions and laws, with or without understanding as to why, most commonly such person's have no idea why they do what they do, they just blindly follow the path and call it faith.

[aged hippy]

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

In the Old Testament the 12 tribes, descendents of Abraham are the chosen ones who will inhabit Israel.

What does "The Chosen Ones" mean to you? Are there people who are more favorable to God? What would happen to those who are not chosen?

Where is one on their spiritual path if they think they are chosen?

A four-part question, deserving four answers.

"What does "The Chosen Ones" mean to you?" - nothing. In my opinion, there are no "Chosen Ones".

Are there people who are more favorable to God? - certainly not. In my opinion, we are all of equal value to the First Cause.

What would happen to those who are not chosen?" - I don't for a moment think that Deity is so human as to "choose" one person over another.

Where is one on their spiritual path if they think they are chosen? - Lost in the desert, at night, without a light or a guide.


Peace, Love, & Light

[melybee]

Originally Posted by shaw-n

Chosen by whom?
By an extraterrestrial who uses their technological superiority and our technological naivety to pose as a God.
For certain they are a more advanced being(s).
Does this give them the right to do such things?
Well, who will argue?
Those who do are destroyed by their advanced weaponry (angel of death).

Guess they never heard of the prime directive eh? I know it's not in the slightest funny and I probably shouldn't be making star trek jokes

[mooomooo]

Hi
I haven't read the posts in this Thread yet and l will tonight . But just to say hi and be a part of this discussion l want to say for now ,,, that whether you spend your precious life finding a Religion or Faith ,, or not , our Lord judges us by our ''purity of intentions'' and not our actions .

[angeleyes]

Originally Posted by Lightkeeper

In the Old Testament the 12 tribes, descendents of Abraham are the chosen ones who will inhabit Israel.

What does "The Chosen Ones" mean to you? Are there people who are more favorable to God? What would happen to those who are not chosen?

Where is one on their spiritual path if they think they are chosen?

I think as ACIM does on this: "All are chosen. Few choose to listen."

I think the Jewish people were "chosen" in the sense that they had a certain part to play in history, particularly in the development of the concept that God is One. I don't think it negates the role of other religions or spiritualities.

[mooomooo]

Hi octavius .

You stated ,,

''Let the "chosen" people of God go home to paradise. I for one will be happier "left behind." Such undeserved pious elitism is why we live in a world of terrorism and war. It breeds intolerance .''

oc , l feel some anger in you and it is justified anger you have earned in your life long search for truth and not finding it .