Georgeblast

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Hello, Georgeblast, and welcome to Wikipedia! Thank you for your contributions, especially what you did for Christian mysticism. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

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I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! Please sign your messages on discussion pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will automatically insert your username and the date. If you need help, check out Wikipedia:Questions, ask me on my talk page, or ask your question on this page and then place {{help me}} before the question. Again, welcome! Aristophanes68 (talk) 03:23, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

Christian Mysticism

Very much appreciate your contributions. I struggle with the encyclopedic idiom, so much prefer editing for content than writing. You do well.

We have a new contributor whose recent edits and lack of communication cause me concern.

I'm a bit wary of the core changes made my the most recent contributor. I see much moved around, and so it is difficult to identify what was moved, what was deleted and what was added-- especially as that contributer provided no documentation on the discussion page (thus my heightened wariness). My general impression is that the added content from that user dilutes rather than strengthens the topic; and dilution amounts to censorship.

Given that user's background, other contributions, and some discussions linked from his talk page, I fear a return to the "Illuminati" theme is developing -- one which had overrun the article when I first read it last year. I believe that treatment of the topic is reasonably considered vandalism despite the credential claimed by the contributer. For that matter, if someone leads with their credentials, as that user does in another discussion which I have read ("As a professor of comparative religions... I admire your spunk, but..."), I sense a personal agenda, passive-aggressive behavior, and trouble in general.

I would appreciate your thoughts and watchfulness. I would like to revert those changes made by that user, if for no other reason than to manifest the need for cooperation rather than what might otherwise appear as a personal agenda.--cregil 17:31, 25 February 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Crews Giles (talk • contribs)

Hello. Thanks for your comments. Mysticism is 'God-realisation' (Yogananda's words) or to use Paul's terminology 'meeting God face to face' when partial knowledge and partial vision (of God) shall be done away with (Corinthians 13). Jesus was the spiritual teacher of the twelve who were his disciples (who followed the discipline he meted out). This discipline was a path of celibacy among other things. The artists who painted halos around the heads of saints were not doing so because it looked nice. They were trying to convey the message that these people were different from ordinary people. They were people who knew God face-to-face. This state of being is called illumination (a common term in christian mysticism) or enlightenment (a term which actually appeared in christian literature long before it was applied to Eastern religion). So, yes, the twelve were the first Christian mystics and their halos in christian iconography designates their status as apostles. An apostle must have realised the doctrine to its uttermost limit. This is the significance of the halo so i think you're wrong to remove that part. 81.107.150.246 (talk) 02:44, 26 February 2011 (UTC)