Forgive our enemies?

I am currently struggling with certain instructions from the Old Testament, and I am now suspecting that there are, intentional or unintentional, incorrect words/teachings in the New Testament.  Currently the most difficult teaching for me to grasp is to forgive my enemy, as Jesus (allegedly) taught us in the Lord's Prayer/Our Father.  


So I have turned straight to the source - the two "great commandments", as shown in Matthew chapter 22, verses 37-9.


1) "Love your Lord" (we should not be afraid to know our Lord as we understand him. No one, no church, has dominion over what or who god is). "…with all of your heart, soul, and mind. This is the greatest commandment."


What does this mean? For me, it means that no being, human, angelic, even our very selves, gets the better of us when we put the higher being first. Not one is greater than he who began it all. When we can be strong enough to accept who we understand god to be, we will become gods in our own rights, because we will be able to stand firm in our convictions, no matter the adversary.


2) "The second resembles it. Love your neighbour as yourself."


How do we "love" ourselves? My understanding is very simple: we take care of ourselves. We eat when we need to, rest when we need to, ensure we have proper shelter, which includes both housing and clothing, not harm ourselves, such as having self-respect that allows for us to exist in dignity.


Some advice I was given back in the summer, is when we want to berate ourselves, stop and think, "would I treat my best friend that way? Would I say these things (derogatory, cruel, etc.) to my friends? Of course not! So why would I say them to myself?"


So then, how do we love our neighbours? Given the above listed ways of loving ourselves as a reference point, I think it's clear. Does this person need food, clothing, shelter, comfort, education, and if so, can we help?


So where, is forgiveness mentioned in any of this?


No where!  Only compassion is to be offered.  When Jesus said the word "neighbour", he did not literally mean the person living next door, or across the street. Jesus explains this in the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10.25-37):


"Jesus said, 'A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'


'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?'


The expert in the law replied, 'The one who had mercy on him.'


Jesus told him, 'Go and do likewise.'"


Note: One of the most significant teachings of this story requires a bit of historic background. The Samaritans were foreigners and were not well-liked by the Jews, so we can understand that Jesus was explaining our neighbour is the one who is in need.


Below is a story to follow up this parable, that I believe interchanges "neighbour" with "brethren":


"'I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'


The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did unto me.'" (Matthew 25.35-40)


I believe that when Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer/The Our Father in Luke 11.3-4, he did not actually use the word "forgive" (as in, forgive our enemies). To forgive is to wipe the slate clean – even Yahweh did not do this for Adam and Eve.  


No, I believe that Jesus said "pray" for our enemies. I believe that enemies and neighbours are opposite - the goats and the sheep (see Matthew 25.33), that will be separated on the last day, or, what I currently understand to be the day of the apocalypse - where all things hidden will be revealed.


I have concluded that the Lord's Prayer and the two commandments which the new covenant hang on are inconsistent and incompatible, so I have at this time agreed with some of the sources that I sought out that argue we are indeed to "pray" for those who harm us instead.  


"Pray for us, for our trespasses,
And we will pray for those who trespass against us."


Praying for anyone, especially our enemies, to me is not only love, but is one of the greatest signs of it, and an excellent act of compassion.


And if we can forgive, more power to us.  But I feel forgiveness is not where we become embodied as Christians in the new covenant.

No fear in the gnosis, no weakness in the eucharist

"Jesus said, 'Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all. And after they have reigned they will rest.'" The (Gnostic) Gospel of Thomas

The below are points that I agree with, taken from biblicalreader.com.  Some statements in the article, I do not support at all: most notably the assertion that Jesus did not die on the cross.  That said, the article does recognize that there are various forms of thought in what we call Gnosticism, due to a lack of creed, I suspect, and I consider that the many paths in the traditions to be heaven-sent, because mysticism is personal - a divine revelation between the individual and the Most High itself, whether that is the Adonai, our "Higher Self", or something still to be revealed (to me, at least).

After all, we are all on individual paths, being led to truths as our god, through his working relationship with us, and thereby knowing what we need, and what information we can manage to accept at the various stages of our searchings, reveals to us.  When we can, without ego and hierarchy, come together, inspire each other, and help each other to understand the ailments of this world, we can begin to reconcile with ourselves and our environments.

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1) This cross between Platonism and Christianity is now broadly referred to as ‘Gnosticism.’

2) Gnostics universally believed that the God of the Old  Testament, called ‘Yahweh,’ (or ‘Jehovah’) is not, in fact, the eternal and holy God, but rather a very powerful angelic-like being, often referred to as ‘the Demiurge’

3) To the Gnostic, Christ was not a redeemer from the power of sin, but a deliverer from the power of the false God of the Jews.

4) The serpent in the Garden was  actually an agent of good and tried to help man see the truth about the Demiurge.

5) Much of the Old and New Testament Scriptures reflect the religion of the Demiurge, and are therefore unreliable. 

6) Gnosticism can in no sense be viewed as an alternate form of Christianity as has been suggested by some.

To conclude, for those who read the full article and noticed the strong connection of Plato to Christianity, here is a note on Platonism and Christianity, taken from Wikipedia:

"Platonism influenced Christianity through Clement of Alexandria and Origen, and the Cappadocian Fathers.  St. Augustine was heavily influenced by Platonism as well, which he encountered through the Latin translations of Marius Victorinus of the works of Porphyry and/or Plotinus.

Platonism was considered authoritative in the Middle Ages, and many Platonic notions are now permanent elements of Christianity.  Platonism also influenced both Eastern and Western mysticism.

Meanwhile, Platonism influenced various philosophers.  While Aristotle became more influential than Plato in the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas's philosophy was still in certain respects fundamentally Platonic.

With the Renaissance, scholars became more interested in Plato himself.  In 16th, 17th, and 19th century England, Plato's ideas influenced many religious thinkers.  Orthodox Protestantism in continental Europe, however, distrusts natural reason and has often been critical of Platonism."

~ Adonai