In an interview with Parade Magazine Elton John made this statement, "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East -- you're as good as dead."

Elton John never ceases to be controversial and this statement is no different. But John's declaration is most likely biased on one front and misinterpreted on another. And with all other perceived thinking on who Jesus was there is too little evidence to know for a fact his true personality let alone his sexual preference {although I tend to lean toward Jesus and Mary Magdalene being a couple since in that time period if a woman was a constant companion with a man she was his wife}.

John's Bias
Elton is gay. He came out of the closet many years ago and has been 'flam'boyant about his sexuality ever since. And because John does tend to spout off about things he usually has little expertise about we must dismiss any serious consideration of his knowledge. Jesus being gay mostly supports John's sexuality.

John's Misinterpretation
Whereas John may have this inherent bias, his premises about Jesus' compassion and caring nature isn't that distant from how one would perceive such a man. But what is misinterpreted is the fact we all have these inherent traits, what Jung called the anima/animus aspects of the human psyche. We all are capable of the love and compassion that Jesus displayed in the stories of his life. But this is not gender oriented {being overtly compassionate doesn't make you gay- although it is a trait many gay men possess}. It is psyche oriented and demonstrative in dreams. Jesus' greatest quality was this compassionate attitude, an example when followed provides a true foundation for a spiritual life. In fact the primary difference in Jesus and God {the God of Abraham} was Jesus was overly compassionate whereas God possessed the masculine qualities of a warrior. These opposites traits of Jesus and God is a bit like possessing a shadow aspect of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, compassionate on one side and overly tough on the other. It is fitting that we follow the directive WWJD {what would Jesus do?} and not WWGD {what would God do?}. Jesus, in what we know of him historically, had an even temperament of compassion and caring where as God tended to fly off the handle ever now and then with fits of anger and jealousy.

But John does have a point, his 'gayity' aside. Madonna, someone who can be juts as controversial had this to say about straight men;
Straight men need to be emasculated. I'm sorry. They all need to be slapped around. Women have been kept down for too long. Every straight guy should have a man's tongue in his mouth at least once".

Perhaps a little slap every now and then would make men understand the need to be more compassionate {in Jungian theory a feminine aspect}. But then again to slap would be more in the demeanor of God, a masculine attitude of violence.

On the subject of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Elaine Pagels is a great source of knowledge when it comes to the subject of the true Jesus {I'm showing my bias}. Below is my page dedicated to this great sage of our time. If you have not read her many articles and books on Jesus and the Gnostics you need to do so. She is the premier source of such information, in my humble opinion. It was Pagels and her descriptive literature on the Gnostic Jesus that freed me from the bonds of the old ideas of who Jesus may have been, those instilled in my psyche as a child from the bible. It has help provide me with the tools to be a true spiritual being and not a religious person restrained from truth. For me the example of WWJD is no different from that of WWBD {what would Buddha do?}. It is a fact Jesus had his disciples and the Buddha had his disciplines. A little difference of a few letters between the two and little difference in their message.

Elaine Pagels
The Lost Teachings of Jesus
Jesus and his Message in the Gnostic Gospels

Jerry

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Thanks again for providing a reference point to explore this fascinating subject. The Gospel of Thomas is very beautiful in it references to the Self within. I liked the introduction to the Apocrypha, about the established cannon being "strikingly divergent portraits" of Jesus. I am going to listen to the audio you linked about the diversity of Christianity under Constantine. Once again, Thank You for such valuable, coherent information.

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Thanks Sam. The article caught my attention and because of my great interest in Jesus as an 'example' to living a truly spiritual life, and my sometimes contempt {we all fall short} for Elton John, as well as a chance to reference the important role of the feminine aspect in a balance psyche, I wanted to post my thoughts. Since we all possess a feminine aspect {as well as a masculine, except perhaps Elton John being an exception} it is important to understand where the true spiritual Jesus {lacking enough historical data to know much about his real life} comes from. To say Jesus was gay is like saying all men with feminine tendencies are gay. I am not gay but have a very strong 'intuitive' aspect, a feminine quality by all accounts.

I do not wish to make anyone think I am anti-homosexual. I have and have had a lot of gay friends and acquaintances, both male and female, and they are no different than anyone else {other than their sexual preferences}. I have consciously questioned many gay and bi men/women with the intent of better understanding their psyches. I do believe most gays men are biologically oriented. But there are those who seek sexual pleasure just for the sake of the physical experience who are not 'gay' but may be bi {just as there are straight people who do the same}. And there are those who are just sexually inclined to have sex with anyone because of a disjointed psychological condition. There is an abundance of those types on the Internet and in chat rooms.

As for the Gnostic Gospels, they tell a story most know little about especially Christians. The Jesus I believe in, and counter the one in many ways I grew up with in the Christian church, is the Gnostic Jesus who tells us to look within our self to find a true spirituality. You don't need to bring God in, you merely have to let him out. Live a life based on the concepts of the Gnostic Jesus {or the Buddha who also asks you to look inward} and you will find that true self and with patience and discipline the true Self.

Oh brother where art thou?
Within my friend, within!

Can I get an amen?

Jerry [pray}

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Tears

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Tears of joy/gold that is. By the way, I just turned 33 on Friday. Yay!

Jung led me to the belief that homosexuality is near to don juanism, where he finds no real satisfaction in his numerous sexual exploits because they are not sufficient in overcoming his psychic dependency on his mother. That can just as well apply to the monogamous man without his knowing it too, I'm sure.
Is that estimation of homosexuality outdated? Being from Montana, my city Missoula is only about 85,000 population. I knew a gay guy who was a very colorful person, but he had some destructive quirks. I guess a mother attatchment isn't exclusive to gay people, and I can see the same issue in other people too, looked at psychicly. Their method of response to the complex is unorthodox to me. In my dreams I've noticed that after a battle with a coyote or fox, instead of being with my wife, I was laying down with a friend, looking at my wife. Once, on the top of a hill, my wife and I cleared our house of a bunch of cats who were calling my name seductively. Right after that I was bathing in a crystalline fountain with an old male friend. I suspect that my emotional feminine side still needs development and integration. Thanks Jerry.

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"Old male friend" as in from when I was 12-14 yrs. old.

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Sam,
My belief, and I am most always often bound by scientific discovery and fact, is homosexuality is a biological trait. You don't learn to be gay, you are born that way. I am not familiar with Jung's take on homosexuality and 'don juanism' but I don't believe the sexual exploits of gays are tied to a mother attachment. Just as with the feminine aspect being a part of every human psyche, it does not portray sexual preference but demonstrates characteristics of the feminine psyche. A man who cries is demonstrating his 'feminine side' and that is what the anima is about.

There are gays, as there are heterosexuals, that are too sexual active with numerous partners and it may be easier to be that way because of the gay lifestyle. But that gets down to personal choices rather than stereotyping all gays {or straights}. Bi-sexual men, in my opinion, are more often gay than they are heterosexual indulging in gay sex. That may be partly due to the need to be 'closeted' for one reason or another. Many gay men marry but there 'heart' is dedicated to other men. They can call themselves bi-sexual but that is just a cover, again, in my humble opinion.

In your dreams, as for laying down with a friend and looking at your wife, the friend is you. If the friend is a male it doesn't change, he is still some aspect of you, unless of course you are gay and the dream is reflecting your true self. Looking at your wife may have to do with personal associations {with your true wife} but it may also be symbolic of your anima, those feminine aspects. The cats are also symbols of the feminine and since they are seductive in their nature it may be saying something about sexuality but not homosexuality. Again it gets down to personal preferences. I do believe you have it in order, and it is most likely what your dreams are trying to address, when you say you suspect your 'emotional' feminine side needs development.

Jerry

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