2004-02-29. The Movie, “The Passion”, on Atonement
Rio Rancho #85
Topic: The Movie, “The Passion”, on Atonement
Group: Rio Rancho TeaM
Teacher: Tomas, Anatolia
TR: Gerdean, Matthew
Opening
Matthew: Let us place ourselves in the presence of Jesus, the Christ Master Teacher, we come to You again today, as we do every Sunday that our group meets, to call upon You to be with us as we continue with the lessons that are so kindly and ably given from our Spirit Friends. It is an instrumental part of our development, which will lead to the building up of the Kingdom, both within each of us as well as without, that which we can touch and effect. We are grateful for the opportunity, through You and the Teaching Mission and the designated Teachers to our group, and for our on-going development, that we may be able to fulfil our destinies, whatever they may be, and in appreciation for the film which Mel Gibson has produced, which there are some positives which will come from this as well, and we trust that it will be the positives that outlive any negatives, but all are growth opportunities from the infinitesimal to the sublime.
For the lessons today we are grateful and are grateful for the opportunity for this group, for the accompanying growth afforded. For all of those cares and concerns within our hearts, we place before You now. Amen
TOMAS: Good afternoon, my friends. I am Tomas, your friend and companion and occasional teacher in these processes of expansion of your own actualizing from the potential that lies inherent within. We rejoice in your stance of coming forward to embrace those of us who, in our way, advance as well in our reach for you, for this on-going experience of adjusting the finite to the infinite will be with you eternally.
Lesson
Even though, in time, as you ascend, this adjustment will be made less prevalent, even so, your origin, as animal-origin beings of the worlds of time and space, always will influence or color your personality perspective. Only upon arriving at the portals of Paradise will you be able to lay down your remembrance of what was, in order for you to fully give yourself up to what is in the presence of perfection.
But in the process of attaining such perfection in the presence of the Universal Father Himself, there are many, many stopping places along the way in which you are enjoined to connect with that sacred sphere of divinity which suffices to serve your hunger for divinity attainment at that point in time.
This is made experientially true for you in these sessions we enjoy together and in those moments when you, by yourselves, are inclined to take the time to set aside the concerns of your world and your place within it, to re-charge your batteries and replenish the soul by regaining your strength through the power that comes from On High.
The God Within each of you is essentially God Himself, in-as-much-as all you need is provided for you in that Divine Fragment which you hold within your own soul. When you find that “the world is too much with us,” will yourself to step aside from that quicksand which, without regard for your soul, will take delight in consuming you for its own purpose and not for the purpose of becoming more like God, which is your eternal purpose.
The idea of sacrifice, being a very prominent theme in the wake of the film you are talking about, (“The Passion”) calls to our attention how steeped in this mentality your culture is — and I speak particularly to the Christian culture, which worships Jesus as he was and is depicted, albeit incorrectly, by his supposed sacrificial act of dying as an atonement for the sins of Adam.
The error of this thinking is shot through your entire unconsciousness, as if to die for the cause is somehow exalted … that if you sacrifice yourself to some greater purpose, your reward will be felt in Heaven … that there is something noble about sacrificing yourself and all that you are for some real or imagined value.
This is the problem with the atonement doctrine, for all of you are conditioned now to this sense of sacrifice, and when you, through your own sense of self — (healthy self. God-conscious self) — rise up to reflect the truth of what Jesus taught and represented in the exemplary and sterling life experience he lived here, you are made to feel as if you are out of line, as if you were attempting to become assertive and, as you understand, assertiveness is regarded as the sin of Lucifer. And so you find yourself trapped in this position of either being the devil or dying. What kind of choice is that? That is no choice to be forthcoming from a loving God.
Those of you who say you have not been subjected to the theory/the doctrine of atonement are none-the-less quite affected by it. If you could but understand that much of your response to life itself is based upon that cultural conditioning. If you could examine your behavior in this regard and place responsibility for such behaviors on the external pressure that not only invites it but demands it, it will help you clarify how you may be of better service to your world and to your fellow man.
But it is a tremendous, almost overwhelming, project for it is so insidious, and it is so closely tied in with your own reverence for your Creator who incarnated here as a mortal, like you. It is as if you cannot see the forest for the trees. Your empathy for him and compassion for the experience is so emotionally overwhelming, you cannot see how it is that you are being duped.
Just as Jesus was misunderstood, so are you. But I ask you not to sacrifice yourself on that cross, willingly. You are not criminals. You are not living 2,000 years ago. You are not subjected to the same rules, even though they are in many ways the same. You must gather from Jesus’ experience that which you need to take with you – away from that scene at Golgotha – and remember what he came to do and what he did deliver to you through his accomplishment – not dying on the cross for you or for the sins of your forefathers, but for bringing to you the glorious news of the loving Father in heaven … who was not the God of the Hebrews.
Jesus’ God was not a terrible and jealous God. He was not vindictive and destructive. He was not bringing plagues of locusts or famine. He was not smiting races of people, women and children. He was not leading man to war against each other. These are remnants of the animal ascent from the nature of the beast up Jacob’s ladder to the noble estate of Sons and Daughters of a living, loving God.
Ours is the God who has brought to you the peace that passes all understanding, that has delivered his perfection to you through the abundance of life as it can be seen in nature, in the flawless beauty of the physical realm, as it is also seen in and through the Spirit of Truth that has been bestowed upon you since Jesus departed as the Sovereign Son of his Universe.
The idea that God would demand such a sacrifice of his children is a despicable idea and that so many of you in your culture continue to expect you as “Christians” to continue that pattern of laying down your life for the betterment of others, is also a warped idea of the goodness, beauty, and truth of divinity. For God has called you forth, out of the darkness, as Jesus called forth Lazarus, to rise up and live again in the spirit, in the eternal life that is offered in joy of eternal Sonship.
I cannot stress to you enough the importance of getting this straight in your mind and in your heart. It is essential that you who know the Master, you who sit with Him in the privacy of your own prayer life, you who turn to Him for answers to your soul’s questions, clear your mind of that erroneous thinking and give yourself freedom from that taint of your erring ancestors. Give the children of tomorrow the opportunity to look forward to the life that is intended for you – that being peace on earth, goodwill toward all men.
This is my message for today.
Group: Thank you.
TOMAS: Before I relinquish the floor to Anatolia, I would like to remind you that there are changes afoot, even in our own group – all good changes, all growth adjustments, adjustments to the growth and the needs of you yourselves as you aspire to make yourselves more aware and more available to what it is that you can do to support and add to this tremendous challenge we are here to address ~ not as an overriding and burdensome responsibility, no, but as a joyous undertaking for the upliftment of these souls who linger and languish in mistaken identity.
Formatting, we will deal with at a later time. Anatolia, may I pass you the baton?
ANATOLIA: Welcome, all, to our weekly rendezvous with eternal destiny.
This is a delight to participate in, not because I get no opportunity to speak other-wise, but because I join one of our able Teachers, held in esteem, not just within your group but among the other teachers within the Teacher Corps, and am happy to be able to share my amount of breath that I experience in the cosmic environs.
I wish to share with you today good news of that which we have been discussing by the lesson presented today by your Teacher Tomas. I wish to share with you the teaching and good news that occurs as a result of that which has transpired in your world and that which, by otherwise good intentions, is leading to a better under- standing of that which our teaching is about. And that is to convey to you that despite the good intentions or perspectives that a believer in faith has, to be able to share with the world, the outcome of this effort is a grand opportunity for teaching.
This opportunity is being brought about in the discussion that the sacrifice of Jesus was not so much a lesson of sacrifice and selflessness as it was a supreme lesson of love and surmounting / overcoming / resurrecting / eliminating any opposition which would be placed in one’s path.
In other words, it is difficult to present, or to discuss, perhaps, awkward to convey, but that in the discussions that take place, and of those which you may have already heard or shared yourself as a result of seeing and believing the points of view from this movie the people who have seen it, to say that they are brought to a new level of understanding, and are in awe at the sacrifice, are at least able to rise to an occasion, to realize that there was a real movement of supreme effort exerted in the sense of benefiting humankind, that if one were to sweat blood, the effort in doing so is far beyond most humans’ capacity to imagine. So if for no other reason than for mild to non-believers not appreciating, prior to this movie, recognizing that a supreme effort was exerted on behalf of humanity, then the movie serves a purpose.
However, there is limited value in depicting the amount of suffering that took place. In a sense it belittles and denigrates; it is undeserved by Creator Son. Nevertheless, for those who are of the opinion that to denigrate and focus on merely the brutality and depth of despair and despicable treatment — of any human being, let alone a Creator Son – have at least a perspective that perhaps the blood sacrifice was more than what it appeared to be.
Perhaps his rising above that which was despicable, incomprehensible and vile is what Jesus intended to conquer by his expected and accomplished resurrection from the tomb three days hence. For, after all, is this not the magnificent part of the story? That a limitation that would appear to have squelched, silenced, and eliminated that which people did not want to hear, could not be silenced, could not be vanquished, and is evidence that truth shall prevail and love is unquenchable and unconquerable.
This is the message that underlies all that took place within the week leading up to the resurrection. It is not as if we wish to exempt or gloss over the events of so-called Good Friday, but rather it is because of Good Friday that we know the Resurrection.
One can also argue: would it not have been possible for Jesus to have lived a so-called normal life, to have retired somewhere, to have lived a normal life and died of natural means? But this would not necessarily have proven or indicated the supreme victory over death that he demonstrated on Calvary.
Despite the best efforts of a weak and un-insightful mob scene, he was able to rise above, literally, that which is the worst of fear for anyone in the flesh. This leads us to the conclusion that any and all efforts to love and to serve are beyond reason for fear, hesitation, or reservation as to the ability to leave a gift or a legacy that may be of value.
I contend, or offer to you, that a labor to present a beautiful rose from a child to its mother, which may have entailed sacrifice, strife and effort to reach among the thorns into a bush to secure the flower to leave for one’s prized love destination, this in and of itself has a lasting giftedness and contribution that can not be bought, purchased or otherwise duplicated. For obstacles to be overcome at such cost is truly a magnificent presentation.
I urge you, therefore, to focus on that which Jesus did give, so that all may have eternal life, by recognition and by development of their own internal sources of recognition of who you are and where you hail is worth your time, effort and commitment ~ to no longer have fear that anyone could even put you to death for that which you offer as your gift to humanity and to the sacredness of life.
I leave this then for your consideration as to the ongoing debate and what you may be able to lend to it, not just in terms of discussion, but in terms of your contribution to the Kingdom of God. It is each and everyone’s choice and opportunity to do the most that you can with the gift of life that you have. Not that everyone is called to such demonstration, but whatever it is you are called to, surely it is as real and as powerful to you as what a Creator Son demonstrated by his gift of life.
So be of good cheer to know that you share in the co-creative opportunity that Jesus did, by his demonstration of being and sharing the life that is given each and every one of us. Peace be with you, and may this week be particularly potent in your minds for eliminating the negative connotations and limitations and for rising to the occasion to join in the resurrection of your hearts and your minds to eternal life.
Peace be with you until we meet again.
Group: Amen. Thank you.
TOMAS: Let us now welcome you to the exchange that we so enjoy. Are there questions?
Dialogue
Reneau: There was an interview on Diane Sawyer where Mel Gibson stated that he felt that he was moved and guided by the Holy Spirit in making this movie, which I don’t doubt he was moved by something… so he did this out of his own passion … to pick this. Was there celestial help? A corroboration?
TOMAS: Let me turn your question around and ask you this: as you all approach the work of consciously following what you perceive as the divine will, what about then, those who have become sacrificial lambs to the cause of strapping themselves with bombs to be destructive of those elements that in their perspective are destroying that which they regard as unholy?
The idea of being led and guided by the Spirit is always a frail perspective, for it is subject to human error. The idea of passion itself if fraught with concern, for passion is an emotional condition and the Spirit is not an emotional state of being, although devotees of a religious perspective are often ‘on fire’ with their point of view that it is the most important value in existence.
How can it be that the passion of Mel Gibson is any greater than the passion of Osama Bin Laden, when you look at what their programming is, their conditioning? If you are, to some, “the infidel” in such a degree and to such an extent that entire nations are rising up against you, what scourge does such a passion add to this drama?
Yes, it could be said that anyone who has a passion that is perceived to be divinely sanctioned is augmented by spirit aid and power, but you cannot then say that one is superior to the other. Passions are dangerous, for they are without thinking. This is an intelligent universe. Intelligence is essential to wise planning and to following through to create a stable base of reality for the global environment.
The danger of religious war rises when the passion of the “spirit of man” is committed to his ideals of his idea of what is the “Spirit of God.” Does that shed any light on your question?
Reneau: Um-hum.
TOMAS: “Be still and know that I am God.” In the stillness, in that citadel of the spirit where you repose with the Master in sublime worship of that which is most precious to you, you will not find a need to destroy. You will find no evidence of ranting and raving, raging or railing against – only in praise of, in support of, in service to, in longing for. This is the illumination of the spirit, the divine light that casts a soft loving glow over humanity and not a glaring neon light that seeks to search out and find and destroy an alleged enemy.
It is that kind of thinking that got Christ crucified! It is in error. It is not noble; it is destructive. Be still and think! Think about the effects of your causes, about the immediate short-term effect as well as the long-range effect. Passion acts now. Without thinking. Only from a sense of urgency and importance. Passion takes what it wants to satisfy a terrible desire. To satisfy itself. This is antithetical to the peace which passes all understanding and to the glory of God.
Beware of fanaticism of this sort. Be wary of these kinds of emotions, for while they speak to the heart of man, they speak to the lesser being. They draw mankind back into the broiling, bubbling cauldron of confusion that is at the root of the problem: that chaos which came from Caligastia’s reign as a result of Lucifer’s unwillingness to allow the natural unfolding of destiny to take place slowly but surely and naturally, according to the divine plan. Thus, you see, impatience is also a dangerous passion.
Being excited does not necessarily mean that you are being touched by the spirit. Think before you act. Think before you respond. Add wisdom to your composition. Remember the lessons of the seven adjutant mind spirits, that five of them are animal, just as 5/7 of your very existence is animal, at the top of which is worship which may worship any number of approaches to divinity, and this, still further, is crowned by the adjutant mind spirit of wisdom, which can perceive that all of the lesser spirits serve a purpose but cannot be the be all and end all of your existence.
If you must sacrifice anything, sacrifice the perspective of the seven adjutant mind spirits to the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth will not tell you to rise up in passion against that which you don’t understand. It will lead you into the ways of peace.
This is very difficult for you to understand and to tolerate, because you are so short-sighted. Borrow upon our perspective. Borrow upon the farther view, the long-range plan. This way, when you lay down your tools and pick up the burden of the Master, you will go forth celebrating his gifts, offering yourself in service to the understanding of this thing called Sonship, this eternal relationship with divinity that defies human passion and ascends into the realm of perfect peace.
Often when Anatolia and I close our session we stress “peace be upon you,” “be of good cheer,” “peace I leave with you.” Peace is the way of the god-conscious son of man.
What else? Are there questions?
Maria: You spoke of healing and transmitting/receiving and we were discussing with other people that we were going to do it.
TOMAS: Yes.
Maria: Could you go into a little more detail about what you mean by healing?
TOMAS: Certainly. Healing is correcting. In order to heal, one assumes there is something that needs healing, something that is out of sorts, out of kilter, out of the fine design. If you pursue a course of healing, you will need to have a greater understanding of what we’ve been discussing – the nature of perfection as compared to the nature of chaos, for chaos is imperfection. Chaos is in a state of not knowing itself, or not being in keeping with its essential need to be.
Healing entails ascertaining where the confusion lies, where the missteps are, even to how they originated, allowing order to enter in and become the prevalent reality. It is a process of prayer, which would seek that the divine will be done in all things, even into the pattern of perfection that is inherent in all of creation, as it was intended, even before the effects of the default and the rebellion, even as it was implanted – perfectly – in the life implantation in you, in your life origin on this world.
The Life Carriers brought perfect pattern and planted it within the living water of your world. It was sparked into life by the Mother Spirit who actuates all of the material creation, and so the Mother ministers as you seek to heal that which is in error. See the pattern that is instilled by Universal Mind, that Third Source and Center which refers to the material worlds. As those disruptions affect the personality and social intercourse, appeal to the Eternal Son, the Second Source. And as it impacts on the relationship between the child and the Father, appeal to the Universal Father, the First Source. In this way you bring the energies of
Paradise into your paradigm of thinking and you ask for the pattern of Paradise to recreate itself in the realms over which you would minister.
In healing, you are simply asking that everything be returned to the pattern for which it was intended. There are those who feel that in being healed or being corrected, (which is just about everything; indeed this is the Correcting Time,) it is an attempt by you to bring the original pattern back into being. It is there. It is at the root of your reality. But it has been scrambled. Defiled. Disheveled. But it is not destroyed. If there is life, then the divine pattern is inherent within and there is no reason why you cannot expect a miracle.
Be, therefore, of good cheer in your approach to healing others and in healing yourself of those perspectives and perceptions that have been distorted by the vagaries of existence and the ill-advised decisions of your prior mentors. You may deal with energy, yes. Energy is a part of the process of invoking healing. But neglect not the personality of the Paradise Trinity, which gives personality to the process. It gives you who are in the process of correcting, associative appreciation since the universe is not entirely mechanistic, but is also personal.
Much like the patient gives himself up to the care of the physician, encourage those you would assist to give themselves up to the care of that Dear and Glorious Physician which you represent and have interceded on behalf of, for in this way you are a channel of assistance. You are representative of the willingness of the Divine to reach down to and into its child and set right the wrongs which have been implanted. This will add another dimension and courage to that individual who seeks to rise above his limitations and deficiencies, to greater health, wholesome fulfillment, and radiant joy of being.
We had indeed talked of learning how to tap into that Source. This gets me back to the paragraph I inserted earlier, the logistics that this will entail. This group is coming up on its two-year anniversary, and thus this is a good time to review the patterns that we have established and, where appropriate, up-step our program of learning without disrupting the foundations that have already been well established.
We need your input on how to go about the adjustments, rather than merely telling you how we will comport ourselves for the next period of time, for this is your learning platform. And while we are delighted to come, and honored to serve, it will be you who ultimately makes the choices that you can live with and which will allow you to continue advancing in your spirit tutelage, without succumbing to the lure of the worldly ways which would leave us swept ashore, beached, disembarked from our sojourn.
What I would suggest is that in your social time you give voice to your preferences and your needs. I urge you to continue to meet weekly. I think, without being invasive, it is evident that the weekly pattern has not hurt anyone, even though there are variations within that pattern which give everyone an opportunity now and again to venture away for various and sundry reasons.
There is no quota required, although with varying needs, both on your side and our side, it may do you well to structure your weekly gatherings such that we can take care of all our needs and desires in terms of what we meet for with a structure which will benefit you all.
Work with that prospect in mind, with alternate weeks or associative choices. For example, Anatolia might take a Sunday and I take a separate Sunday, so as to give Anatolia an opportunity to extend her expression beyond that of being my assistant or associate but developing herself in her own right. It would also provide me an opportunity to forego my pattern with you such that you find more variety in your gatherings.
Each of you ought to learn this technique, and you could sacrifice your social session for group practice on a weekly basis or choose a week or two per month to engage in that process, remembering that as you opt to learn the process of transmitting/receiving, you are also accessing the realms of spirit energy and divine personality which will in turn help you to better understand the association we enjoy. From that experiential standpoint, you will better understand the process of healing. And so all of us benefit from this expansion of our normal platform.
After two years of quality association, it is our sense that the expansion is necessary.
It is up to you, however, how we will go about that and, referring to my earlier admonishment, I will ask you to think. Think about what it is you want to get from this reality we share and seek within yourself that which your soul yearns for, and if we may be of service. We are here for that purpose.
Within these remarks is the necessity to point out to you that there are many other teachers in this mission and throughout the galaxy that are aware of our experiment here on Urantia and attend these gatherings apropos of their being able to also contribute. Thus, there are visiting students and visiting teachers, not to overlook the constancy of the midwayer corps who are always in attendance, the various orders of angels who are also aware of our efforts, in hopes of your eventual development to put them to greater use in constructive methods of uplifting your world, and other members of the Teacher Corps who also are available for augmenting your sense of perception.
Abraham almost always attends, as does Machiventa Melchizedek, although they are not pressured into speaking. We are very prosperous in our resources.
There are many who would willingly come and engage you in the process of learning to transmit, and as you get to know their personality, your working association with them will be enhanced in more ways than you would imagine from the inexperienced position you hold as a non-T/R as compared to those who have learned this art of communication. What else can I say?
What I can also say is how much we enjoy your company and, without intending to overlook your personal guides, and your guardian angels, you are a vast host of ministering spirits, even as we sit here today in this amphitheater in the round. Even though you think you are a handful of mortals, we are legion.
We have tentacles that reach out, not only into your community, but into the spheres, sister planets, and distant points of light, all focusing on your growth in the spirit, for your growth in spirit reality is part of the scaffolding and structuring that will lend impetus to the furtherance of god consciousness in your arena that extends to the age of light and life, which will also enhance the system and the constellation and Michael’s universe of Nebadon, which then reflects its light even into Paradise itself.
While you enjoy your limited perspective most of the time, remind yourself on occasion of how far into infinity your influence extends, and for which Anatolia and I are supremely grateful, for as you grow, we are made to look better, and all the worlds of time and space are able to see the light of Urantia growing stronger, growing brighter, and growing more and more beautiful as these sundry lights come on as stars twinkling in the night sky.
Closing
TOMAS: Precious students, we bid you good afternoon. Be of good cheer. Peace be upon you. Amen and farewell.
