Some thoughts on Opposition in All Things

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slskipper
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Some thoughts on Opposition in All Things

Post by slskipper »

One more scriptural passage that Mormons bastardize to conform their sense of their cosmic importance. I have never ceased to be amazed at their propensity for doing that. We've all heard it a million times, and it is invariably interpreted to mean that they are constantly so important that no less a being than Satan himself makes special efforts to thwart their every attempt to follow the True Path. It strokes their egos to no end.

One day long ago, I actually opened the Book of Mormon and read that passage. That may be the event that first triggered my journey beyond the usual Primary level of Mormon understanding of theology. I soon realized that everybody I had ever encountered in Mormonism had no friggin' clue about its true meaning. Perhaps this community will be interested. So here goes: the passage is not about attacks by Satan at all. It is in fact a discourse on Yin and Yang. It all becomes clear when one realizes that "opposition" is a poor word choice and the better "translation" would be "opposites". The rest of the chapter goes on to describe how our understanding of reality- the creation of our "world"- is developed via sets of opposites, and it then goes on to explain that spiritual success happens when all those opposites become reconciled. This is Taoism 101.

I have learned that such ideas are beyond the ken of most Mormons, and that is the great tragedy, because it is an important door to a grown-up theology. Every mature religious tradition recognizes the concept. But Mormonism has chosen to enforce its own restrictions on expanding the members' spiritual development. As I said, it's things like this that resulted in me constantly feeling confused and left out. And here we are.

Just some thoughts. Thanks.
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Moksha
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Re: Some thoughts on Opposition in All Things

Post by Moksha »

I thought the Church desired Obedience to the Brethren in all things.
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Shulem
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Re: Some thoughts on Opposition in All Things

Post by Shulem »

slskipper wrote:
Wed Apr 19, 2023 3:08 am
Perhaps this community will be interested. So here goes: the passage is not about attacks by Satan at all. It is in fact a discourse on Yin and Yang. It all becomes clear when one realizes that "opposition" is a poor word choice and the better "translation" would be "opposites". The rest of the chapter goes on to describe how our understanding of reality- the creation of our "world"- is developed via sets of opposites, and it then goes on to explain that spiritual success happens when all those opposites become reconciled. This is Taoism 101.

I hear and understand what you’re saying. If you please, I would like to post some clips & snips from one of my threads here in the Celestial forum where I touch upon the opposites in how I understand the spiritual implications of the meaning of Yin and Yang and how we as souls incarnate multiple times to live in worlds for the purpose of experiencing opposition and opposites:

Shulem wrote:
Sun Mar 28, 2021 10:55 pm
God wants to play the game because it contributes to a range of experiences and emotions – from pain to pleasure. By myself, life isn’t much of an exploration of what consciousness may manifest as. It’s no fun playing a game all by myself. I need interaction to experience several aspects of the game. This interaction includes duality. Without duality there is nothing to interact with. There can be nothing in a mirror without an image to reflect and be observed. The world of duality and opposites is part of the set-up, the construct, but it’s all really just a game.
Shulem wrote:
Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:20 pm
Experiencing, really knowing, requires a world of polarity – of duality – of opposites. For example – how can I understand if a piece of the puzzle is big or not if I’ve not experienced what small is?

For God to be known, souls need to think they are individuals, they need to forget they are God and they need to experience duality – experience opposites. The world of duality – polarity and opposites are a necessary tool in order to experience ourselves and to really know who we are. Taken to ultimate logic, I cannot experience myself as what I am until I’ve encountered what I’m not. This is the purpose of the theory of relativity and all physical life. It is by that which I’m not that defines me.

How can I experience and appreciate warmth if I haven’t experienced cold? How can I know what pleasure is if I haven’t felt pain? How will I know, appreciate and feel love if I haven’t experienced fear? Hence the need for duality on a physical world where I come back over and over again to play out different characters. All the lives I’ve experienced are part of a greater cycle of the soul. This cycle is in place to enable me to fully appreciate duality. I have experienced what it’s like to be male and female, healthy and ill, rich and poor, good and bad, villain and hero, a king and a servant, a teacher and a student, a warrior and a pacifist, a killer and a savior and so on. I have been at this game forever. I have been playing out all the characters I can possibly imagine. This dualistic world is created to help me know who I really am – who God is. There is only One Mind and this Mind has infinite, unmanifested potential consciousness.
Shulem wrote:
Sat May 01, 2021 11:47 am
I am God in Disguise and in the space-time construct I am creating, experiencing, and living it out while manifesting the incredible potential of God. Outside the construct I am No Thing, nothing – just a potential not being realized – unmanifested. As such I need to forget who I am and experience myself. God is hidden in every soul aspect who keep coming back to the game in multi-incarnations – the program – the construct to interact and experience every defining opposite of the things God wants to experience.
Shulem wrote:
Sun May 02, 2021 3:26 pm
In order to experience being Some Thing I must go through the different emotions from pain to pleasure. Pain is unfortunately necessary in order to know what pleasure and happiness is. On my path back to remembering, I therefore also face darkness – I see the duality in play. Dark and light – pain and pleasure or light and dark – pleasure and pain. The opposites. Everything has an opposite. When I become aware of these Universal Laws and how they govern my life I also realize that I am one with the Cosmic Mind. I spread love and bring light into a world of darkness. I appreciate being part of this reality and enjoy being in the now – I play, love, laugh, and live out my uniqueness – my part of the game. I feel safe and secure because I know that I am God in disguise.
slskipper
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Re: Some thoughts on Opposition in All Things

Post by slskipper »

Very apropos. I just wish this could be discussed in Sunday school instead of Last Days stuff.
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