Message #1376 - NEW AGE 
   Date: 09-17-96 11:58
   From: YONASSAN GERSHOM
     To: GOLDEN ELF
Subject: dieties
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GE>... Summer scented breezes carried the words of YONASSAN GERSHOM

GE> YG> clearly distinguishes between the Jewish usage of those words and the
GE> YG> Christian usage, i.e., L-rd refers to the Creator as in Genesis, not
t
GE> YG> Jesus or any other deity.

GE>  Could you relate how you view the Creator? I mean....Many beliefs
GE>give it a human form...Goddess, God...

"God" does not by definition imply a human form -- hence my previous
explanation about using "G-d" to avoid this very confusion.  From a Jewish
POV, "God" or "G-d" does not have a human form or any other physical
form. The image of the old man on the Sistine chapel ceiling is
Christian, not Jewish.  Hence the use of "G-d" to indicate the Jewish
concept and not the Christian one.  There is no such thing as
"Judeo-Christian" theology.  THey are two different systems.

GE>  For me, there is never a gender specific form to this being....

Not for Jews either.  The gender problem results from the fact that
Hebrew, like Spanish or French, has no word for "it."  So every noun
is male of female.  G-d is called "he" grammatically but is not a male
person.  The soul is called "she" whether the person is male or female
because "neshamah" -- soul -- is a feminine noun.  So people may think
colloquially of these things being "male" or "female" but theologically
they are genderless, regardless of Hebrew grammar.

GE>Not really a being either.....chuckle...But a....Power source?

For us it is an intelligent being *and* a power source!  In fact,
"Source of All" is a Name of G-d.  But it is *not* the same thing as
"energy" is the psychic sense.  We are not pantheists.  It is closer to
G-d being the "generator" and we are the "light bulbs."  We manifest the
light, but the source is from the Creator.

Hopefully that's not too muddled....  :)


   ,,,, * ,,,,   yonassan.gershom@sotl.com  {6}  "It's a great mitzvah
   ||||-!-||||   (where I get my e-mail,    {1}   always to be happy!"
       _l_       not my theology!)          {3}   (Nachman of Breslov)
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 * OLX 1.53 * Total paranoia is indistinguishable frm perfect awareness

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