The Logos: The Meletic Testament (Chapter 80 Contrast with Christians)
đź“ś Chapter 80: The Contrast Between Christianity and Meleticism
1. I walked beneath the colonnades of thought, where the marble echoed not with prayers but with questions, and the air itself seemed to hum with reason.
2. In that unique silence, where the mind is free to wander, I found more truth than in any temple built by hands.
3. The Christians speak of a god who took on flesh, who walked amongst men and suffered as they do—yet I ask, what need has the eternal for pain in the mortal being?
4. If divinity must bleed to be known, then perhaps it is not divinity at all, but merely mysticism clothed in the deceit of men. Woe has no divine nature, except that nature of which it emerged from, which was from the soul.
5. They offer salvation as a gift, eternal and unearned, bestowed upon those people of their church who believe without questioning faith.
6. But I Heromenes son of Athens, do not seek rescue from the world—I seek to understand it, to meet it with open eyes and to embrace my ultimate fate.
7. Faith, they say, is the key to the kingdom in heaven, yet I find no doors that reason cannot unlock.
8. Let them cling to promises of a celestial paradise or garden; I shall walk the path of enlightenment, knowing that I am awakened.
9. They speak of original sin, a stain upon the soul from the moment of birth, inherited like a wretched curse upon human beings.
10. But I have seen the innocence in a child’s gaze, and I cannot believe that nature condemns us for the stains of our forefathers.
11. To Ena, the One does not punish—it teaches, through hardship and joy alike, without malice or favour.
12. To be born is not to be guilty; it is to begin the journey of becoming. We are not born with the stain of original sin. It is our actions or deeds that either exemplify us or lead us astray.
13. Resurrection, they proclaim, as if the body were a garment to be worn again after death and rise onto the heavens above.
14. Yet I see the body as a vessel, noble in its purpose, but destined to return to the earth from which it came. It is the Ousia that remains. It does not resurrect; it reintegrates after death.
15. If the soul survives, it does so not in flesh, but in thought, in memory, in the quiet echo of wisdom passed on, and in the breath of nature.
16. Let them await the glorious trumpet’s call from their heaven—I shall listen for the whispers of the truth on this earth.
17. They marvel at miracles and signs that defy nature, claiming proof of the divine will of a god and his blessing.
18. But I find greater wonder in the falling of rain, in the spiral of a shell, in the quiet logic of the stars. These things are the truest wonders of life, along with others of nature that manifest through the Logos and the Nous.
19. What need have I for mysticism or religion, when the Logos itself is wondrous in its order and understanding, as is the Nous in its shaping?
20. To understand nature is to stand in awe of its presence—not of gods, but of existence itself.
21. Judgement Day, they warn, shall come like a thief, bringing reward or ruin to every soul that is either blest or condemned.
22. Yet I know no judge beyond the self, no tribunal but the conscience, no sentence but the consequences of choice made.
23. If justice is real, it lives within us, not in the heavens, not in the hands of unseen powers that are godly, but in the way of the truth.
24. I do not fear divine wrath for my disbelief—I shun ignorance, and the harm it breeds. I have no need to succumb to fear.
25. Their god is said to dwell beyond the stars that glow, omnipotent and unseen, a ruler of unique realms.
26. I see beauty not in distance, but in unity—in To Ena, the totality of all that is essential in existence. I see this beauty in the cosmos, nature and the unfolding of life.
27. Not as The Father who commands over his creation, but a presence that pervades, silent and impartial to divinity.
28. The Logos is not merely above us—it is within and around, in every breath and every stone.
29. The Christians kneel in prayer, mouths moving with hope and fear, seeking divine favour as they worship their god. I see more longing than reasoning.
30. I sit in stillness, drawing breath as if it were wisdom, letting thought rise like incense. It is the moment that I discover To Ena.
31. Meditation is my form, my expression—not words, but the awareness that exists in my soul.
32. I do not supplicate to a god—I merely observe, and in observation, I find my inner peace.
33. Their God commands obedience and submission, speaks in decrees and demands complete devotion.
34. To Ena reveals itself through nature, through reason, through the unfolding of patterns in life.
35. Their truth excludes all others, as if one path alone leads to the light of wisdom. They say their Christ is the only path, but I choose to use my wisdom and enlighten my mind.
36. I see truth as a living mosaic, built from many minds, many questions, many roads.
37. The body to them, is more of the prison of the flesh, a burden to be overcome with true faith.
38. But I see the body as a temple, crafted by nature, worthy of reverence and protection.
39. It is not sin that dwells in the flesh, but sensation, experience, the very tools of learning that either guide us or lead us astray. It is the ego not sin that leads men astray.
40. To reject the body is to reject the world—and I am not ready to turn away because of blind faith.
41. Time, they say, is a straight road—beginning in creation and ending in judgement.
42. But I see time as a wheel, ever turning, where endings are beginnings and becoming never ceases.
43. The cosmos does not march to the command of a god—it moves, and we are steps in its rhythm within the Logos.
44. To live is not to await an end that leads us to an afterlife, but to participate in the eternal unfolding of our mortality.
45. Their scriptures are said to be sacred, immutable, the final word of their god professed.
46. Yet I trust the voice within me, the quiet stirrings of reason that challenge and refine my doubts and enquiries.
47. No scroll, however ancient it may be, will bind my thought or silence my wisdom.
48. The truth must be discovered, not dictated upon the pages of holy scriptures or doctrines.
49. Baptism, they say, washes away the sin of one, but it is merely a ritual of rebirth through water.
50. But I believe awakening comes not from ceremony, but from genuine reflection and insight. The soul must be purified by virtues, not by the pouring of water.
51. Water may cleanse the skin, but only contemplation purifies the mind, body and soul then.
52. The soul must awaken itself—not be awakened by water or baptism that is more a ceremony than a good deed.
53. They divide the world into good and evil, as if good was divine and evil was demonic.
54. But I see human nature as a spectrum, where tendencies shift and evolve. Where it is our virtues that exemplify the self and vices corrupt the self, but it is not because of a god or demon. It is more because of how we act.
55. We are not martyrs or sinners—we are learners and teachers, shaped by experience and choice in life.
56. Shadows and light coexist amongst people, and both are needed to see clearly the direction of our path.
57. Suffering, they say is a punishment that the body must endure to reach the grace of their god.
58. I see suffering as a teacher, not a punishment, but a lesson in the resilience of the body.
59. Pain does not sanctify the body—it reveals, it sharpens, it humbles it as well as it humbles the mind and soul.
60. To suffer is to grow in the soul, not to be judged or condemned. Just as we are born to live, we are born to suffer.
61. Faith, they hold, is superior to any philosophical reason, a devotion that defies doubt.
62. But I walk with reason as my companion, questioning even what I cherish or disagree with.
63. Belief without thought is blindness, and I would rather ponder than merely believe.
64. Let them leap in joy with their chants—I shall climb in awareness with my simple silence.
65. Heaven and Hell, they promise, as destinations for the soul, eternal and unchanging. They say that heaven is for the pious and hell for the sinners.
66. But I know enlightenment and chaos as states of mind, not places beyond the stars. I reject the notion of such places known as heaven or hell; for these places only serve as allegories that project either illusion or fear.
67. The soul does not travel upon the command of a god—it transforms, and its journey is inwards.
68. Reward and punishment are human constructs that are imposed or sought; understanding is not divine.
69. Revelation, they claim, descends from heaven above, sudden and absolute in its divine nature.
70. But I find the way of the truth in contemplation, in the slow unfolding of thought that reveals the truth of the Logos.
71. The Logos does not shout—it whispers through nature, through silence, through reason.
72. I do not wait for mystic visions or prophecies to guide me in life—I seek the clarity of my wisdom.
73. Good and evil, they draw in stark lines, as if the world were a battlefield of blood and maim.
74. But I see gradients, complexities, choices of people shaped by context and consequence.
75. The world is not divided—it is woven, and every thread matters. It is we humans, who divide the world into fruitless distinctions.
76. Morality is not a sword to be wielded—but it is used like one to cause harm unto others.
77. Their sacred truth excludes all others who do not believe in this truth, claiming sole possession of the truth.
78. Meleticism embraces contradiction, knowing that wisdom often wears many faces, but the way of the truth is never a falsehood.
79. The world is not a monologue—it is a dialogue, and every voice deserves to speak and be heard.
80. Certainty is conformity, which it is not always true. Truth is measured not by its contents alone, but by its wisdom.
81. Religion, they say, is the path to eternal salvation, the only road worth walking as a man.
82. But I walk with the path of philosophy, which asks, which doubts, which dares to change.
83. Not dogma, but dialectic—not creed, but curiosity in men. Indoctrination is the same as mysticism.
84. I do not follow the steps of the religion of the Christians—I explore the valleys of wisdom.
85. I do not condemn their longing, for it brings comfort to many, but it limits one's knowledge.
86. I do not share their longing, for I seek the understanding of the mind, body and soul.
87. I Hermogenes, a son of Athens, reveal that my temple is my body, and my soul is the guardian of the self.
88. My altar is the reasoning of the way of the truth, and my pillars are the thoughts that are firmly embedded in me.
89. Let the Christians build their sacred places, adorned with scriptures and hymns.
90. I shall build my inner thoughts, adorned with questions and silence that brings awareness.
91. Let them preach eternal salvation to the crowd that gather and the burden of the cross.
92. I shall teach enquiry to the few people who dare to ask. My burden is not a cross, but one that I carry by myself.
93. The stars do not need gods to shine—they burn then by the natural law of the Logos.
94. Minds do not need belief to think—they awaken through the wonder of our thoughts.
95. The world is enough to see these natural wonders, if one dares to look deeply into them.
96. To see clearly these wonders is to live fully and wisely. It is to embrace the order of the Logos and the semblance of the Nous.
97. I do not fear their judgement upon me, nor crave their kingdom in a heaven that excludes more than includes.
98. I crave the understanding of life, and that is my salvation as a man. My soul is the guardian of my self.
99. If there is such a thing as divinity as they profess, it is not found in the pursuit of the truth, but in the pursuit of followers.
100. And in that unique pursuit, I see beyond the veil of their blind devotion and faith confessed.
101. They speak of divine love as unconditional, yet it is bound by belief and obedience.
102. I know love as a force that does not demand, but understands, that does not judge, but accepts. If their god is supreme, then why does he need worship from mere mortals that are supposedly beneath his grandeur?
103. If a god loves only those people who worship, then that love is not divine—it is conditional, and therefore human, making him fallible.
104. True love, like the way of the truth, must be free in its pursuit. It should not be conditioned.
105. Their prophets proclaim visions, voices from the heavens, messages wrapped in the mystery of their scriptures.
106. But I trust the quiet revelations of thought, the slow unfolding of insight born from reflection.
107. The mind is my cosmos, and reason my guide—not thunder, not flame, but clarity.
108. I do not need divine miracles to appear as a man—I need meaning to grasp a hold of my identity.
109. They say the world is fallen into wickedness, broken by original sin, awaiting redemption.
110. Yet I see a world in natural motion, imperfect but evolving, shaped by nature’s hand.
111. To call it curst is to deny its true beauty; to call it natural is to respect the order of the Logos.
112. The world is not lost and forsaken because of man's sin—it is learning and adapting to the flaws of one, and through the virtues of one also.
113. Their martyrs are exalted by others after their death, lifted above others as only models of virtue.
114. But I see virtue in the everyday people, in the quiet acts of kindness, in the courage to think freely. Are these people less virtuous and relevant as human beings than the Christian martyrs who die for their faith?
115. No one is born holy in the physical body—one becomes wise through struggle and choice. Eventually whole, but not holy.
116. Let them venerate the presence of icons as the representation of their faith—I shall honour the living.
117. They speak of grace as a gift or blessing from their god, as something unearned and divine.
118. But I see grace in understanding, in the moment when confusion yields to clarity.
119. It is not bestowed by a higher authority that is a god—it is cultivated, like a garden of thought.
120. And every mind may grow it, if it dares to be bold—not in mere defiance, but in wisdom.
121. Their rituals are many—baptism, communion, confession—each a step towards eternal salvation as they confess.
122. But I find no eternal salvation in the act of any ceremony performed, only in contemplation.
123. Humility is not merely in the act displayed, but in the awareness behind that act.
124. Let them perform endless prayers to their god—I shall reflect with contemplation of To Ena.
125. They speak of sin as a demonstration of one's rebellion, as defiance of divine will.
126. But I see error as part of one's learning, not a crime, but a step towards wisdom.
127. To err is not to fall and to never get up—it is to walk with dignity and the knowledge of one's mistake.
128. And every path has stones to tread upon, just as every stone is a testimony of one's journey.
129. Their morality is mostly fixed in its interpretation, written in divine commandments and laws.
130. Mine is more fluid, shaped by reason, empathy, and experience. The influence of philosophy.
131. What is right must be questioned then, and what is wrong must be understood as well.
132. Ethics is not merely the obedience of morality—it is discernment and its way of conduct.
133. The Christians fear temptation, as if desire were a demon only conceivable by their desires.
134. But I see desire as natural expression of the body, a force to be understood, not suppressed.
135. To master oneself is not to deny one's feeling, but to guide it wisely, through the hour of tribulation.
136. The soul does not grow through the imposition of fear—it grows through knowledge that develops into wisdom.
137. They speak of the soul as something that is eternal, destined for a heaven or hell in the end.
138. I see the soul as a metaphor for consciousness, a flame that flickers and fades into the breath of nature.
139. If it endures in us then, it does so in memory, in legacy, in the ripple of thought.
140. Immortality is not a place to be reached by men—it is a yearning that men covet.
141. Their heaven is a reward for the righteous, their hell a punishment for the sinners.
142. But I see both as states of mind more than reason, born from understanding or ignorance.
143. Enlightenment is not granted as a reward—it is earned, through effort and reflection.
144. Chaos is not inflicted—it is emergent and visible, when one turns away from the way of the truth.
145. The Christians speak of evil as a force of a devil, a presence that corrupts the mind of people.
146. But I see evil as ignorance, as the absence of man's understanding and empathy.
147. No one is born wicked from birth—one becomes lost when reason is abandoned in the mind.
148. To fight evil is to teach the meaning of good, not to condemn people to the illusion of a hell.
149. Their truth is singular, exclusive, a light that casts all else in shadow. Those people who do not walk their truth are seen as sinners.
150. The truth of Meleticism is plural, inclusive, a constellation of insights that illuminate together.
151. The cosmos does not speak in one voice—it sings in harmony, as it resounds in nature.
152. And every note that is heard matters, because the Logos echoes the influence of To Ena.
153. The Christians call philosophy foolish and pointless, a distraction from their divine truth.
154. But I call it wisdom, for philosophy dares to ask, dares to doubt, dares to grow beyond scriptures, where Christians establishes boundaries.
155. Religion may comfort the many, but philosophy awakens the few who dare to be bold to question religion.
156. And I choose awakening, because the enlightenment of the soul is far most rewarding than its salvation.
157. The Christians say the end is near, that the kingdom of their god is close in arrival.
158. But I see no end—only transformation, only becoming. I feel the years will pass, yet their kingdom will remain aloof. Some people will say it is because man is still a sinner, but I ask, will their kingdom ever come when man is not a sinner?
159. The story of existence is not about man's tragedy in this world—it is more about discovery.
160. And I, Heromenes, shall speak my part in life, as I shall continue to walk in the way of the truth.
161. They speak of divine intervention, of a god who steps into the world to guide or punish.
162. But I see a world as a river, shaped by the terrain of human thought and action.
163. No hand from the heavens steers its course—only minds, only choices, only time.
164. And in that natural flow, we must learn to navigate through the currents that come.
165. Their leaders claim authority from above, ordained by sacred texts and holy rites.
166. But I trust no crown that rests on revelation alone—I trust only the merit of reason.
167. Wisdom is not inherited—it is earned, through dialogue and doubt. Only then, shall we become wiser.
168. Let them follow their blind faith in life—I shall embrace my ultimate fate, knowing that I walk with To Ena.
169. They say the world is nothing more than a tribulation, a proving ground for the soul.
170. Yet I see the world as a teacher, not a judge, offering lessons in every breath taken.
171. Life is not a divine trial that condemns one—it is the expression of both nature and human nature.
172. And I am here to listen to its wondrous echoes resonate, through the moments of my darkness.
173. Their doctrine divides people—believer and heretic, saved and damned. This is the manifestation of their doctrine.
174. But I see no actual virtue in division, no wisdom in exclusion. I see more, virtue and wisdom in inclusion.
175. Truth must be shared by those people who unveil it, not coveted by the few that veil it; it must invite, not repel.
176. The mind grows best in open air and with an open mind. A closed mine only limits one, to not expand one's knowledge.
177. The Christians speak of obedience as a virtue, submission as a path to the attainment of grace.
178. But I see genuine freedom as something that is human, and thought as the highest offering.
179. To obey without question is to silence the soul, and to silent the soul is to forsake it.
180. I would rather speak and ask questions, even if I am wrong, than be silent in fear or intimidation.
181. Their faith rests on certainty of the afterlife, on answers given and never challenged enough by their believers.
182. Mine rests on wonder, on questions that unfold like fresh petals in the gardens.
183. I do not need to know all that the world unfolds—I need only to seek the truth which reflect my own.
184. And in seeking, I find myself at last. Not as a man deemed to be immortal, but as a mortal who one day will die.
185. The Christians fear the unknown of life, calling it darkness, danger or temptation.
186. But I walk into the unknown with open eyes, for it is there that truth often dwells.
187. The edge of certainty is not a cliff on a mountain—it is a doorway to be passed.
188. And I step through with the knowledge that I have amassed and have made into my wisdom.
189. They say their god is the beginning and the end to all in life, the alpha and the omega.
190. But I see no actual beginning, no end—only motion, only change that occurs with the presence of the Logos.
191. The cosmos is not a sentence that belongs to their scriptures—it is a poem, ever rewritten.
192. And I, Heromenes, am one verse amongst the manifold expressed. I seek not reverence for myself.
193. Let them worship in the places that they gather—I shall reflect in temples of thought.
194. Let them seek eternal salvation in the way of their Christ—I shall seek mutual understanding in the way of the truth of To Ena.
195. Let them fear judgement day is close to arriving—I shall embrace my ultimate fate.
196. Let them wait for their kingdom of heaven—I shall live in wonder on this earth.
197. I do not need their religion—I simply walk another path that belongs to To Ena. Unveiled by the Logos and the Nous.
198. A path of reason, of nature and of enquiry that leads me to the illumination of enlightenment.
199. For I believe the world is enough to know the way of the truth, if one dares to walk its path. Remember that the message is greater than the messenger. This is where the Christians made their mistake. They made Jesus greater than the message. They elevated him to a god.
200. And in knowing that am enlightened, I am free at last of the burden of the soul. It is not a god of divinity that reveals to me the way of the truth. Instead, it is one that I discovered upon the path to To Ena.
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