For two hundred years after Christ died, according to historical documents, many different and diverse gospels and ideas permeated Christianity, all competing for acceptance by the fledgling Church that was then organizing. One of these was the Gospels of Thomas.

After 200 AD, Christianity became an organized religion overseen by priests and bishops who took over the doctrines of the Church. They decided which gospels were to be included in the new testament (only a handful that met their criteria) and which were to be destroyed. They rejected all Christian alternate viewpoints as heresy regarding what Christ said and what he was trying to teach except theirs, and what was lost might have been an entirely different approach to Christianity from what we see now. There is the possibility that these original Church fathers hadn't a clue about what Jesus was really trying to teach.

The Gospels of Thomas were discovered in Egypt in 1945 and subsequently dated by the script (Coptic) and the datable materials used in the leather bindings as being in the era when the New Testament was being formed. What makes these gospels so interesting is that Thomas' impression of who Jesus was and what he was trying to teach is contrary to what is commonly believed today, and perhaps answers many questions that Christians may have about their faith. The gospels may even explain why the Christian faith, as practiced today, has not led to the results as envisioned, which is peace and love on earth.

Using this as a background, silent prayer is more in tuned with what Thomas and Thomas's Jesus was allegedly about.

(Wikipedia - The Gospel of Thomas) "The Gospel of Thomas is mystical and emphasizes a direct and unmediated experience of the truth of life. "Jesus said, "Whoever drinks from my mouth will become as I am; I myself shall become that person, and the hidden things will be revealed to him." Furthermore, salvation is personal and found through spiritual (psychological) introspection. "Jesus says, "If you bring forth what is within you, what you have will save you. If you do not bring it forth, what you do not have within you will kill you." As such, this form of salvation is idiosyncratic and without literal explanation unless read from a psychological perspective related to Self vs. ego. Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty, and it is you who are that poverty."

Silent prayer, therefore, addresses the need to open up to that which is beyond our small self and really become Christlike ourselves. If we adhere to the original Church father's doctrines and rendition of the gospels, there is really nothing we can do to proactively change ourselves except to be perpetual works in progress and sinners who have no chance of ever becoming more than that. Subsequently, we are forced to entirely depend upon the Church for our final salvation. Thomas claims that Jesus never taught this kind of thing; that all of us have the potential to become sons and daughters of God right here, right now, in this lifetime.

Praying silently is the avenue to the direct insight attained by the Prophets, Christ, the Buddha, and all enlightened beings throughout history. It explains why people in distant lands who never heard of the Bible or Christianity can become children of God simply by going within themselves. Silent prayer is available to all of us and not just the chosen few, and it is free. We can do it at home by ourselves or with friends in our Church. We can all do it.

Don't allow the naysayer to dissuade you, based on the edited gospels of the old Church that had its agenda. Don't believe that direct insight is too lofty for sinners. This only keeps you captive within the confines of closed religious dogma, unable to authentically spiritually grow, and is the reason that the world is in such a mess. According to Thomas, Jesus was teaching a universal salvation, not hog-tying Christianity into a closed, "us vs them" mentality where other religions cannot be tolerated because they don't "Believe." Jesus was teaching us the way for everyone, regardless of beliefs, by going inside.

You can become Christlike, but not by thinking about it or reading about it. That simply perpetuates the world as we see it today - full of misunderstanding and close-minded, opinionated hate. In silent prayer, thought is suspended so that God can fill your spirit, and when that happens, you fundamentally change from an angry confused person to a person who can see clearly and calmly.