anoninnyc
26-07-2007, 02:56 AM
ABC's of 5 Stages of Consciousness
It is important to remember that, by "consciousness", I mean, the psychological context in which all thoughts take place. This is explained in more detail in the ABC's of Reason and Logic.
Jesus taught that we are all children of God and, therefore, have within us the potential to be perfect and loving, like God. As the Bible says in Gen 1:27 rsv, we are created in the "image of God." This means we are psychologically, not physically, like God.
Jesus himself supports the notion of our potential to be perfect and godlike in Jn 10:34-35 jbv. Here he says that it is not blasphemous, as the high priests claim, for anyone to think that he or she can be like God-"is it not written [argues Jesus that psalms 82:6 rsv says] 'you are gods…all of you'…and the scripture cannot be rejected."
"Jesus is truly normal-that is to say, standard -human being. To become like him is to belong (if one may say so) to his family rather than that of Adam the First, is not to become freakish and abnormal; it is to discover what being human really is." (28A)
Understanding that Jesus' goal is to expand consciousness, we must ask, "Is consciousness, as I now experience it, merely a stepping stone to a perfected stage of consciousness?" The answer is that the nonjudgmental rules of logic which Jesus' Gnostic teachings provide are the key to the fourth and perfected psychological stage in a model of five developmental stages of consciousness.
Paul's five stages in the development of consciousness appear in Romans (8:29-30 kjv).
"For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born [enlightened man] among many [rational, but unenlightened] brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
An introduction to Paul's model follows.
Stage I of Consciousness: The "foreknown" refers to prehistoric beings who were not rationally conscious, but were predestined to develop the potential to reason. Mindless behavior characterizes Stage I. Jude 10 refers to those in this stage as "irrational animals."
Biblically, Stage I begins when God creates mankind and ends when Adam eats from the tree of forbidden fruit.
The key to Stage I is life. Our pre-rational consciousness in infancy exemplifies this stage.
Stage II of Consciousness: Stage II refers to the first stage of rational beings, those of us who are in the "image" of Jesus, meaning rational like Jesus, but do not have a conscience. Narrow-mindedness, intolerance, mean-spiritedness, and prejudicial behavior identify this beginning stage of rational consciousness. Paul uses the terms "base mind" (Rm 1:28 rsv) and "senseless mind" (1:21) for those in Stage II.
Biblically, Stage II begins when Adam chooses to eat the forbidden fruit, and ends when Moses gives the law. The term "lawless" in 2Pt 2:8 rsv and 1Tm 1:9 refers to a conscience-less behavior characterized by those in Stage II.
The key to Stage II is our awakening to self-consciousness through its agent, the "I", or ego, of the reasoning mind. Black and white thinking and actions determined by reward and punishment, not conscience, are typical of our childhood and exemplify this stage.
Stage III of Consciousness: Stage III refers to the "called", who are rational beings with an awakened conscience.
Biblically, Stage III begins when Moses gives the law, which establishes the ethical basis of right and wrong. This awakens our conscience, the inner voice that calls us to do the law. However, we still have the tendency to rationalize what we know is wrong. For that reason, James, in 1:8, refers to those in Stage III as "double- minded." Nevertheless, openness, acceptance, and inclusive behavior generally exemplify Stage III.
In Eph 5:14, Paul calls us to "wake up from your sleep [the belief that we are fully consciousness when we are not], rise from the dead [leading unfulfilling lives], and you will touch Christ [you will find your god-like potentials of higher reasoning]."
The key to Stage III is the introduction of laws, and in turn, our conscience, which is awakened by our moral responsibility to the law. The developing conscience of early Stage III can equate to our adolescence. And the reaching for perfection of later Stage III can equate to our responsible, but not fully mature, adulthood.
Stage IV of Consciousness: Stage IV refers to "the justified," those of us who are righteous or right-minded. Paul speaks of this in Eph 4:21-26, "You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires [that we rationalize in lower Stages of consciousness]. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual [psychological] revolution…so that you can put on a new life that has been created in God's way, in the goodness and holiness [perfection] of the truth [of Jesus' logic teachings]. So from now on there must be no more lies: you must speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one another."
Seeing ourselves in others, sharing unconditionally, and always acting in accord with our conscience characterizes the right-thinking of those in Stage IV. Human nature, at this stage, is perfect, loving, and godlike.
Biblically, Stage IV begins when Jesus reveals his Gnostic teachings and ends when everyone reasons accordingly.
The key to Stage IV consciousness is to understand the prevailing theory of nature and the new theory of nature that Jesus reveals in his Gnostic teachings. Understanding both theories allies our reasoning mind with our heart. We, therefore, do the law from within both the head and the heart. Paul refers to those in Stage IV as "men made perfect" (Heb 12:23) and to those who have the "mind of Christ." (1Co 2:16) We can equate this stage to our fully mature and enlightened adulthood.
Stage V of Consciousness: Paul refers to Stage V as the "glory." In the glory, nonjudgmental reasoning will be universal because public and parochial schools will teach Jesus' theory of nature. Theologians of all persuasions will recognize that if our children learn to reason lovingly, they will live the love, peace and joy that religion preaches. Educators will teach Jesus' theory of nature because it is a natural principle that supports brotherly love. We have always known that love is the answer. Jesus' Gnostic teachings make love the rational thing to do.
In Stage V, all will have learned to reason lovingly. We will no longer think it reasonable to look out for ourselves as others suffer. We will see ourselves as one with all others and therefore treat them as ourselves. This is the key that fulfills Jesus' promise that "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This ushers in the Kingdom of God-the glory of Stage V.
Review
The rule of thumb for determining the stages or rational and moral development is, the more our care and commitment becomes inclusive, the higher stage we have reached. When we are at Stage I, or slip back into this level of thinking, we care little about others; our concern is primarily with ourselves. Kindness, compassion, and love are not yet qualities of our minds. On the contrary, as exemplars of the highest levels of Stage IV, the Buddha and Jesus are the very embodiment of compassion and love. Most of us fall somewhere in between. Our mission as human beings is to continue the development of our rational process and our comprehension of the laws of thought upon which our reasoning ultimately depends. My purpose is to demonstrate that with our rational development will come a corresponding advancement in our moral character. When all reach our maximum potentials for reasoning, we will reason morally and create a kingdom of heaven right here on earth.
http://www.gnosticchristianity.com/frameset_CH8.htm
found this website interesting........... any thoughts?
It is important to remember that, by "consciousness", I mean, the psychological context in which all thoughts take place. This is explained in more detail in the ABC's of Reason and Logic.
Jesus taught that we are all children of God and, therefore, have within us the potential to be perfect and loving, like God. As the Bible says in Gen 1:27 rsv, we are created in the "image of God." This means we are psychologically, not physically, like God.
Jesus himself supports the notion of our potential to be perfect and godlike in Jn 10:34-35 jbv. Here he says that it is not blasphemous, as the high priests claim, for anyone to think that he or she can be like God-"is it not written [argues Jesus that psalms 82:6 rsv says] 'you are gods…all of you'…and the scripture cannot be rejected."
"Jesus is truly normal-that is to say, standard -human being. To become like him is to belong (if one may say so) to his family rather than that of Adam the First, is not to become freakish and abnormal; it is to discover what being human really is." (28A)
Understanding that Jesus' goal is to expand consciousness, we must ask, "Is consciousness, as I now experience it, merely a stepping stone to a perfected stage of consciousness?" The answer is that the nonjudgmental rules of logic which Jesus' Gnostic teachings provide are the key to the fourth and perfected psychological stage in a model of five developmental stages of consciousness.
Paul's five stages in the development of consciousness appear in Romans (8:29-30 kjv).
"For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first born [enlightened man] among many [rational, but unenlightened] brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified."
An introduction to Paul's model follows.
Stage I of Consciousness: The "foreknown" refers to prehistoric beings who were not rationally conscious, but were predestined to develop the potential to reason. Mindless behavior characterizes Stage I. Jude 10 refers to those in this stage as "irrational animals."
Biblically, Stage I begins when God creates mankind and ends when Adam eats from the tree of forbidden fruit.
The key to Stage I is life. Our pre-rational consciousness in infancy exemplifies this stage.
Stage II of Consciousness: Stage II refers to the first stage of rational beings, those of us who are in the "image" of Jesus, meaning rational like Jesus, but do not have a conscience. Narrow-mindedness, intolerance, mean-spiritedness, and prejudicial behavior identify this beginning stage of rational consciousness. Paul uses the terms "base mind" (Rm 1:28 rsv) and "senseless mind" (1:21) for those in Stage II.
Biblically, Stage II begins when Adam chooses to eat the forbidden fruit, and ends when Moses gives the law. The term "lawless" in 2Pt 2:8 rsv and 1Tm 1:9 refers to a conscience-less behavior characterized by those in Stage II.
The key to Stage II is our awakening to self-consciousness through its agent, the "I", or ego, of the reasoning mind. Black and white thinking and actions determined by reward and punishment, not conscience, are typical of our childhood and exemplify this stage.
Stage III of Consciousness: Stage III refers to the "called", who are rational beings with an awakened conscience.
Biblically, Stage III begins when Moses gives the law, which establishes the ethical basis of right and wrong. This awakens our conscience, the inner voice that calls us to do the law. However, we still have the tendency to rationalize what we know is wrong. For that reason, James, in 1:8, refers to those in Stage III as "double- minded." Nevertheless, openness, acceptance, and inclusive behavior generally exemplify Stage III.
In Eph 5:14, Paul calls us to "wake up from your sleep [the belief that we are fully consciousness when we are not], rise from the dead [leading unfulfilling lives], and you will touch Christ [you will find your god-like potentials of higher reasoning]."
The key to Stage III is the introduction of laws, and in turn, our conscience, which is awakened by our moral responsibility to the law. The developing conscience of early Stage III can equate to our adolescence. And the reaching for perfection of later Stage III can equate to our responsible, but not fully mature, adulthood.
Stage IV of Consciousness: Stage IV refers to "the justified," those of us who are righteous or right-minded. Paul speaks of this in Eph 4:21-26, "You must give up your old way of life; you must put aside your old self, which gets corrupted by following illusory desires [that we rationalize in lower Stages of consciousness]. Your mind must be renewed by a spiritual [psychological] revolution…so that you can put on a new life that has been created in God's way, in the goodness and holiness [perfection] of the truth [of Jesus' logic teachings]. So from now on there must be no more lies: you must speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one another."
Seeing ourselves in others, sharing unconditionally, and always acting in accord with our conscience characterizes the right-thinking of those in Stage IV. Human nature, at this stage, is perfect, loving, and godlike.
Biblically, Stage IV begins when Jesus reveals his Gnostic teachings and ends when everyone reasons accordingly.
The key to Stage IV consciousness is to understand the prevailing theory of nature and the new theory of nature that Jesus reveals in his Gnostic teachings. Understanding both theories allies our reasoning mind with our heart. We, therefore, do the law from within both the head and the heart. Paul refers to those in Stage IV as "men made perfect" (Heb 12:23) and to those who have the "mind of Christ." (1Co 2:16) We can equate this stage to our fully mature and enlightened adulthood.
Stage V of Consciousness: Paul refers to Stage V as the "glory." In the glory, nonjudgmental reasoning will be universal because public and parochial schools will teach Jesus' theory of nature. Theologians of all persuasions will recognize that if our children learn to reason lovingly, they will live the love, peace and joy that religion preaches. Educators will teach Jesus' theory of nature because it is a natural principle that supports brotherly love. We have always known that love is the answer. Jesus' Gnostic teachings make love the rational thing to do.
In Stage V, all will have learned to reason lovingly. We will no longer think it reasonable to look out for ourselves as others suffer. We will see ourselves as one with all others and therefore treat them as ourselves. This is the key that fulfills Jesus' promise that "thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This ushers in the Kingdom of God-the glory of Stage V.
Review
The rule of thumb for determining the stages or rational and moral development is, the more our care and commitment becomes inclusive, the higher stage we have reached. When we are at Stage I, or slip back into this level of thinking, we care little about others; our concern is primarily with ourselves. Kindness, compassion, and love are not yet qualities of our minds. On the contrary, as exemplars of the highest levels of Stage IV, the Buddha and Jesus are the very embodiment of compassion and love. Most of us fall somewhere in between. Our mission as human beings is to continue the development of our rational process and our comprehension of the laws of thought upon which our reasoning ultimately depends. My purpose is to demonstrate that with our rational development will come a corresponding advancement in our moral character. When all reach our maximum potentials for reasoning, we will reason morally and create a kingdom of heaven right here on earth.
http://www.gnosticchristianity.com/frameset_CH8.htm
found this website interesting........... any thoughts?