(09-17-2010, 02:28 PM)unity100 Wrote: christ consciousness as jesus was in his day is not christianity.
Christ Consciousness may be found in Christianity, ie. among Christians, just as it may be found among those of other paths. But that's usually not what we think of when we think of the term Christianity. Ask any self-proclaimed Christian. Their definition of being a Christian has very little to do with what we refer to when we say Christ Consciousness.
(09-17-2010, 02:28 PM)unity100 Wrote: moreover, it doesnt matter how many christians are committed to that consciousness. as long as they adhere to anything that is in christianity, they will be adhering to a religion.
It matters in the sense of illustrating how the confines of a religion can be transcended. But I think what you're saying is that it doesn't matter in the sense of whether it's defined as a religion or not. Could a person immersed in a mainstream religion have Christ Consciousness? I would guess that such a person would have left rigid thinking behind long ago. They might still flavor their spirituality with religious tones and textures, but it's easy to see that they aren't the same as the average, mainstream person following that same religion.
A good example is Paramahansa Yogananda, who flavored his teachings with Hindu tones. However he was able to transcend Hinduism, and even wrote a huge discourse on Jesus. Yogananda's teachings were vastly different from that of mainstream Hindus. Was Yogananda a Hindu? He obviously came from the Hindu tradition, but I would never call him a Hindu. That label is far too limiting for such a master as he.
Interestingly, Yogananda did write copious amounts of material. His state of enlightenment was obvious from this. Contrast that with the written works of the followers of any of the mainstream religions, particularly the Abrahamic religions. To read the words written about Jesus, vs the words written by Yogananda, shows a stark contrast. This illustrates to me the value of an avatar's own teachings, vs the highly distorted teachings recorded by his followers.