The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom by Timothy Freke (PDF)

Description

An Incendiary Wake-Up Call to the WorldWhat if the Old Testament is a work of fiction, Jesus never existed, and Muhammad was a mobster?What if the Bible and the Qur’an are works of political propaganda created by Taliban-like fundamentalists to justify the sort of religious violence we are witnessing in the world today?What if there is a big idea that could free us from the us-versus-them world created by religion and make it possible for us to truly love our neighbors—and even our enemies?What if it is possible to awaken to a profound state of oneness and love, which the Gnostic Christians symbolized by the enigmatic figure of the laughing Jesus?Discover for Yourself Why the Gnostic Jesus Laughs

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “A daring and thought-provoking book: Nothing you thought about the great monotheistic religions will ever look quite the same again.” —Graham Hancock, author of Fingerprints of the Gods“The Laughing Jesus is a manifesto for Gnostic mysticism. Freke and Gandy’s exposition of Gnostic enlightenment is lucid and accessible; their critique of Literalist religion is damningly severe.” —Robert M. Price, professor of scriptural studies, Johnnie Colemon Theological Seminary, and editor of The Journal of Higher Criticism“The Laughing Jesus should be considered not merely a good read, although it is, but also a matter of burning urgency, for this is one of the most important books that has emerged in this infant millennium.” —Larry Dossey, M.D., author of The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things About the Author Timothy Freke (left) has an honors degree in philosophy and is the author of more than twenty books on world spirituality. He lectures and runs experiential seminars throughout the world exploring gnosis. For information, see timothyfreke.com. Peter Gandy (right) has an M.A. in classical civilization and is an internationally respected authority on the ancient Pagan Mysteries and early Christianity. Both Freke and Gandy live in England and are the authors of five previous books, including The Jesus Mysteries and Jesus and the Lost Goddess. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1: GNOSTIC SPIRITUALITY AND LITERALIST RELIGIONThe letter kills but the spirit brings to life. —Paul, Letter to the Ephesians Wake up! Rouse yourself from the collective coma you mistake for ‘real life’. See through the illusion of separateness and recognize that we are all essentially one. Although we appear to be isolated individuals, in reality there is one awareness dreaming itself to be everyone and everything. This is our shared essential nature. The simple secret to enjoying this dream we call ‘life’ is to wake up to oneness. Because, knowing you are one with all, you will find yourself in love with all. You will fall in love with living. This is the message of the original Christians, who symbolised this awakened state with the enigmatic figure of ‘the laughing Jesus’. Have you ever seen a picture of Jesus laughing? Probably not, because we have inherited a distorted form of Christianity created by the Roman Church in the fourth century, which focuses exclusively on Jesus the ‘man of sorrows’. The image that has dominated our culture is that of a man being tortured to death on a cross. But the original Christians didn’t see Jesus as an historical man who ‘suffered for our sins’. They viewed Jesus as the mythical hero of a symbolic teaching story, which represents the spiritual journey leading to the experience of awakening they called ‘gnosis’, or ‘knowing’. The original Christians were inspired men and women who saw how good life could be if we would just wake up and live in love. They imagined a new world that would no longer be divided into slaves or citizens, men or women, Gentiles or Jews. But inadvertently, this band of non-conformists gave birth to a totalitarian regime that would rule Europe with an iron fist for over a thousand years. The result was not Heaven on Earth, but the Holy Roman Empire. The dream became a nightmare. The Roman Church did all it could to suppress the teachings of gnosis and the image of the laughing Jesus. It succeeded so well that it now seems strange to even suggest that Christianity was originally about awakening. But in the middle of the twentieth century some of the texts of the original Christians were found in a cave near Nag Hammadi in Egypt. In these texts the message of awakening is proclaimed loud and clear. Those who have realised gnosis have set themselves free by waking up from the dream in which they lived and have become themselves again. How can you bear to be asleep, when it’s your responsibility to be awake? You are asleep and dreaming. Wake up. Listen to my teachings, which are good and practical, and end the sleep which weighs so heavily upon you. People are caught up in many vain illusions and empty fictions, which torment them like sleepers prey to nightmares. When they wake up they see that all those dreams were nothing. This is the way it is with those who have cast ignorance aside, as if waking from sleep. They no longer see the world as real, but like a dream at night. They value gnosis as if it were the dawn. Whilst they exist in a state of ignorance it is as if everyone is asleep. Experiencing gnosis is like waking up. Such teachings of awakening are not exclusively Christian. Throughout history men and women of all faiths have woken up to oneness and love. We use the broad term ‘Gnostic’ meaning ‘knower’ to refer to all such individuals because, although they express their insights in the various languages of their diverse cultures, they all talk about the experience of awakening or gnosis. These charismatic individuals often inspired the formation of small communities dedicated to waking up. But, ironically, the more successful such groups become the more they turn into their opposite. What begins as a loose alliance of free-thinking non-conformists degenerates over time into an organised, authoritarian religion, and people end up completely misunderstanding the original message. We refer to this degenerate form of Gnosticism as ‘Literalism’. Gnosticism is sometimes called ‘the perennial philosophy’ because it has been found in all cultures and all times. It is not that Gnostics all say exactly the same thing. They don’t. It is rather that their teachings are like fingers pointing from different perspectives to the same experience of gnosis. Unfortunately, most people focus on the finger and miss the point. This is Literalism. Literalist religions are clubs for people who want to worship the finger of their founder as the One True Finger, but who have no understanding of the experience of awakening towards which it points. This book is a damning indictment of Literalist religion and a passionate affirmation of Gnostic spirituality. Let’s start by clearly discriminating Gnosticism from Literalism:Gnostics teach that the important thing is to wake up and experience gnosis for ourselves.Literalists teach that the important thing is to blindly believe in religious dogmas.Gnostics interpret their teachings as signposts pointing to the experience of awakening.Literalists see their teachings as literally the truth itself.Gnostics use symbolic parables to communicate the way to wake up.Literalists mistake Gnostic myths for literal accounts of miraculous historical events and end up lost in irrational superstition.Gnostics know that all books contain the words of men.Literalists believe that sacred scripture is the Word of God.Gnostics understand that the way the wisdom of awakening is expressed must constantly evolve to address the ever-changing human condition.Literalists want a fixed canon of scripture which has absolute authority for all time.Gnostics want us to think for ourselves, so that we become more conscious and wake up. Literalists want us to believe what they believe, so that we will join their cult.Gnostics understand that life itself is a process of awakening.Literalists believe their particular religion is the only way to the truth and condemn everyone else as lost in diabolical error.Gnosticism is about waking up from the illusion of separateness to oneness and love.Literalism keeps us asleep in an ‘us versus them’ world of division and conflict, inhabited by the ‘chosen’ and the ‘damned’.Gnosticism unites us. Literalism divides us. Throughout history Gnostics have ceaselessly exposed Literalist religion as a pernicious source of ignorance, division and suffering. This Gnostic message has never been more relevant than today. The three great religions of the West—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—are on a collision course that threatens the security of the whole world. Taking religious myths literally is the root cause of the problems in the Middle East which led to 9/11 and a host of other atrocities since. But there is nothing new about religious violence. The present conflict is just the continuation of a long and gruesome history of killing and dying for God. The burning of Christians by Pagans as flaming torches to light their games. The brutal Christian revenge on the Pagans. The relentless persecution of the Jews by Christians. The violent expansion of the Muslim empire and the bloody conquest of India. The barbaric crusades by Christians against the Muslims. The horrors of the Inquisition. The genocide of indigenous people in the New World. The mass burnings of witches. All were motivated by the desire to please God. All were justified with reference to sacred texts that not only condoned such behaviour but demanded it. These evils have not occurred because the perpetrators were bad people, but because they were in the grip of very bad ideas. The Baby and the Bathwater The time has come to say enough of this madness and consign Literalist religion to the garbage can of history. But we must be careful not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Religion isn’t all bad. It has answered the profound human yearning to understand the mysteries of life and death. It has inspired people of all cultures to create sublime works of art, glorious cathedrals and temples, transcendental music and songs. It has this power because at its heart is Gnostic spirituality. In this book we want to rescue the teachings of gnosis from under the accumulated debris of religious dogma, so that we can jettison outdated religious Literalism but retain and revivify the perennial wisdom of awakening. Let’s stop blindly believing in old books and listen instead to those heretical voices that have been drowned out by the cacophony of Literalist war cries. Just imagine for a moment that what Gnostics have been telling us throughout the ages is true. We appear to be separate, but essentially we are all one. The awareness that is conscious in you is the same awareness that is conscious in everyone. And if you recognise this, you will find yourself in love with all. Imagine what would happen if we actually began to wake up and live by the Gnostic teachings of oneness and love. If we started to truly love our neighbours, and even our enemies, because we recognise that they are actually expressions of our own deeper self. If we saw through to the reality that there are no Jews, Christians or Muslims. There is no ‘us versus them’. There is only us. This is the Gnostic vision that has inspired us to write this book. In Part 1, ‘The Bathwater,’ we undertake a religious detox to flush the poison of Literalism out of our system. We take a good hard look at the supposedly ‘sacred’ scriptures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and demonstrate that these texts are far from divine. We show that they were not written or inspired by God, but created by men. And often by the worst kind of men. Politicians dressed up as priests. In Part 2, ‘The Baby,’ we bring ancient Gnostic teachings to life, using modern language free from worn-out religious jargon. We give the timeless wisdom of awakening a make-over for the twenty-first century, so that you can experience gnosis, here and now, as you read this book. We want you to get the joke and understand for yourself why the Gnostic Jesus laughs. Read more

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I am now reading many of Tims books because this one was just what I didn’t know I needed to help put my past to rest.I grew up with orthodox dogma of the masses church and feel that it warped me; although, through this seeming curse, I spiritually awoke to the present and snapped out of the spell of the ego’s story.The anger remained about my upbringing and then along comes this book (on a great sale) and all the missing pieces fall into place. Tims other books are also good…I think I might like this one the most though, even more so than his more popular titles.If you want to discern for yourself what the truth of this deeply controversial subject (Jesus) is, you might want to spend the few bucks perhaps necessary to show you what it might well be. Tim cites the books and his speeches are wonderful. I highly recommend you youtube him and his Ted Talk and see how animated and spirited he is. His words ring true and after studying many perspectives his is the most simple and to the point. My other studies into Gnosticism from many sources are not hardly as good as this one.

⭐This book was everything I needed. As someone who was raised Christian and is currently deconstructing, this book made me love Jesus even more. Evangelical Christians have missed the mark. I believe this book could help so many, who have been traumatized by fundamentalism, find their way to a deep spirituality.

⭐As a former fundamentalist Christian and a present GR (Gospel revolutionist- see Gospelrevolution.com) I find many things interesting about this book and would even sort of recommend it. The criticisms of Christianity, Islam and other major religions are mostly valid. As a former Christian fundamentalist I find much to criticize in that faith. In particular the teaching on hell, the “end times” and the the role we play in our “salvation”. I am a “redemptionist”. A redemptionist is one that believes that Christ’s death on the Cross was the fulfillment of Old Testament scripture and that through this work on the Cross ALL of humanity is born again. In short we all died with Christ on the Cross and we all rose with him at his resurrection past, present and future generations. When the Old Testament and New Testament are read in this context then the words begin to make sense. Hell is not taught in the Old Testament- the word is “sheol” the grave. The New Testament is the same: mostly the word is the grave or “gehanna” which was a garbage dump outside Jerusalem. It was Christ’s faith not our faith, Christ’s work not our work and Christ’s belief not our belief that brought redemption to the world. When these thoughts are dwelt on then “salvation” comes to the soul. Every human that has ever lived will end up in the presence of God. You are holy righteous and perfect in his eyes NOT because of what have or have not done but because of Christ and Christ alone. This is the Gospel. This is Good News. The “end times” happened 2,000 years ago. The judgment of the world happened 2,000 years ago- it is not a coming event but a past event. With the discovery of the Dead see scrolls the Old Testament has become even more reliable from the perspective of scribal error whereas the New Testament is good reporting from a journalistic perspective but is so liable to transcription error as to make it suspect on many levels with the result that unless interpretations do not contradict the Old Testament prophecies they can be set aside. There is a freedom in the Gospel that the authors of this book have not perceived. It is inclusive in every way. Not a single person has been left out. All are redeemed. Salvation comes to those who seek and is continuous lifelong journey. To the extent that the authors encourage pursuit of the journey I recommend this read.

⭐I found this book to be profound, and I hate using that word. The first part is a good breakdown on the errors of literalistic religion, and the second part is a good introduction into some Gnostic practices without getting into the weeds.I took my time reading it, and it honestly gave me a perspective shift on spirituality by the time I was finished.Highly recommend.

⭐I read “The Laughing Jesus” after reading ” The Templars,Two Kings and A Pope”. It’s almost as if one were to follow the other;and now I am reading “Jesus and the Lost Gospels” which really should have come before ” Laughing Jesus”. No matter, as long as I read them, thats what counts. I loved the books and will continue to read more from the same authors.If the teachings of all of the above are true, as I beleive, especially after reading so much material on the same subjects before I read the above, then the message in all is potentially world changing. One other thought.If Jesus is a “mythological figure”, acording to the Freke/Gandy books, what will Royalty base their right to be Royal on. I am no expert on royalty, however, if tracing one’s lineage back to Jesus is a qualification for Royalty and Jesus is a myth then there is not much for the titled to stand on. Just a thought.

⭐This was OK. Parts were worth reading and parts just typical new age garbage. Was expecting much more. It makes me ask the question, is this just hidden new age nonsense? It almost feels like Tim is dragging the Gnostic writings through new age thought. Disappointed!

⭐It started well enough with some interesting and informative facts and figures- sadly the latter part of the book a hotch potch of jumbo and pseudo religious, philosophical clap.

⭐Another book I love I feel a lot is true but you have to already be trying to wake up. If your ‘re reading this I guess you are

⭐A very interesting book that was interesting and made you ask questions for truth not belief. Enjoyed reading it and confirmed my thinking too.

⭐its a brilliant book and should be made compulsory reading for everyone. the book is in very good condition.

⭐Mr Freke always, but always, writes a fine book. And never better than when the subject is biblical.

Keywords

Free Download The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom in PDF format
The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom PDF Free Download
Download The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom 2006 PDF Free
The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom 2006 PDF Free Download
Download The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom PDF
Free Download Ebook The Laughing Jesus: Religious Lies and Gnostic Wisdom