RevDahlia

Ohhhhhh yeah.

Jobar

Who, this guy?

I'd pay big bucks not to know him! :wide:

KingLouie

The life of Christ represents everything in this world I'd like to be. But I don't think I have the guts.

It's hard to be like Jesus Christ, and to do the things He said and did.

Turning the other cheek -- who does this? Our nations don't, because they're busy bombing the piss out of each other and lopping each other's heads off with big rusty knives -- just like they always do. We torture each other, and seem to want nothing more than the eradication of the other side.

But in those few instances in this life that I have seen someone turning the other cheek -- and who did it for nothing more than the simple perpetuation of peace, and also, for the surrender of their own scalded ego and pride -- I love that stuff. That's Jesus, to me.

I wish that we could all turn our cheeks to each other, for that would be something to see.

But there's a downside to it, and I believe it's why most people can't seem to duplicate His sort of mold: if ever you truly find yourself behaving like Jesus Christ did; and, if you find yourself of a mindset to turn your other cheek towards all other human beings, no matter how hard they may slap; and, if you decide you would rather give your own life for your friends than to go on living yourself, and if you truly consider every human being a "Friend" as part of this simple equation -- then for some strange reason, I think that a portion of people out there will hate you for it.

Being like Christ can be interpreted as a sign of weakness, or even as a threat to the patriotism of the people who find themselves citizens of the same nationality or race of such a soul, and who have made up their minds that they will staunchly align themselves against all their perceived enemies of this world.

And if one truly loves his "enemies" -- and who would truly behave in accordance with such a perspective -- then he might find himself guilty of treason to the very agendas and desires of his "friends."

But that's Jesus, and that rocks. And how else is there to be?

I think He did awesome things -- in everything that He did. I think He did things I have never done, and things I'm not too sure I could ever do.

He rode willingly into the enemy camp, all alone and unarmed, and yet boldly onwards into the impendence of a miserable and torturous death. (And for nothing, it might seem to any who believed that He did it all for naught.)

And considering it, I guess He could've run from His self-inflicted fate, or even amassed Himself an army of believers. I'm sure He could've conceded all His arguments, and then apologized for any faulty and detrimental logic, and then turned on the "sinful" and joined in on their stoning. He could have bartered for His life with those in "power," and then begged for His pardon -- but He didn't. He bound Himself to this simple cause: that we might love each other more than we love ourselves, and that we would consider all other people like He did, and that we might cease perpetuating all the cowardly and cyclical and senseless tits-for-tats of mindless man.

No way. I've never done anything like that in my life, and I can only wonder if I ever will. I wonder if I could ever have such faith in the humanity of my enemies -- like He seemed to have.

It seems we are all far from this, on most days. But I'd like to think it's possible to achieve -- don't you? What a cool reality that could be.

But when so many in this world might find themselves scattering like pissants in a rainstorm -- and at the mere thought of being nailed to a cross; or, at the very least, who would scamper to Zed's to get themselves an AK-47 with which to shoot every damn bullet in the chamber in defense of their own lives and their own meaningless possessions -- Jesus rode to His on a mule. He was armed with nothing but a bunch of good words, and with a bunch of good will.

And so that, Mr. Thread Starter, is worth a :thumbs:, to me. At the very least.

He gave hope and consideration to hookers and the like -- to the same sorts of folk that our society -- even today -- seems determined to maintain, as it hoists itself above all the worthless and insignificant souls -- and all of it, a piety derived in their own terminable eyes.

It is, to me, a compelling proof that things haven't seemed to change since those biblical times we so endlessly argue about -- of all those people who, even today, seem determined only to clamor for their own perceived positions of power and authority and security -- and who promote their own procedures and agendas and desires over all others, yet all the while, they do so at the expense of the perceived shortcomings and weaknesses and unworthiness of others, as they stroke their egos and say, "There go I but by the grace of God."

Damn -- I don't want to be that guy; but it's very difficult most days. It's a very hard thing to be like Jesus.

Yet, even in the day when crazy-ass humans were running around doing very much the same sorts of things -- those same silly-ass and shortsighted human things -- Jesus was busy making sense of all those celestial rules: He spoke of love and compassion for others, a love over everything else in this world. He spoke of a love for friends, and also, of a love for enemies -- and to all of them, that they might try to consider each other more valuable than they consider themselves. And what a thing.

He stood boldly against the wrathful judgment of fearful men -- and was armed with nothing but a continuous stream of compassion and mercy -- and all with inarguable and airtight sensibility. He gave His very life to prove -- once and for resounding all -- that not only did He talk the talk, but also, that He walked it:

And then, he did. But not before He could do what He had so boldly taught His people to do: to pray even for those folks who would take your life -- those "enemies" you so passionately oppose:

Yes, man, I'd like to be like that. And if I only had the nads.

But I'm trying, though, really hard; and, at the very least, I will even try to keep a cucumber shoved down my pants -- so's I can at least try to fake it like I mean it.

But all I can do is hope that my "enemies" will remember: it's not the size of the ship, but the motion of the notion.

Because it's hard to be the real McCoy.

From the Jungles of Derek Smalls,

Kang Louie

Skeptic Pete

You can't love your enemies because my definition of enemy is someone I hate. Simple as that.

If you think jesus really said anything of value then you might care to check this link........http://www.infidels.org/library/hist...oly_bible.html

KingLouie

My definition of enemy is someone I refuse to hate.

Given this, I hate nobody -- and I hope you hate nobody, too.

I'll go read that link, to find out how bad Jesus was.

From the Jungles of Links,

Kang Louie

NonHomogenized

My opinion of Jesus is that that dude got nailed.

More seriously, I have heard many contradicting things about "Jesus", but never any solid evidence that he existed. I see nothing particularly outstanding about the literary figure; as a demigod/god go, he wasn't all that impressive, and as a philosopher, I could think of better. *shrug* For all I know, the fellow is completely mythical, and even if Jesus actually existed, then for all practical purposes, he might as well just be a myth for all the difference it makes, IMO.

pierneef

etc

1. Jesus was not a candidate for the Presidential election in November. These are modern concepts the way you have laid them out

2. What is right about being the friend of the wealthy, and when was wealth ever the criterion of success ? Look around you !

3. You have only a few short biographies. You cannot make any of these judgements with certainty.

4. He, like all great leaders, was a prodduct of his time, and he spoke out against the inhumanity and cruelty of life in Roman occupied Galilee. Galileo didnt have an agenda for a public health system either, and Copernicus never wrote a treatise on industrial development, and Darwin didnt have a theory of fiscal responsibility. Try reading Crossan's many books on Jesus before being so dismissive.

Hedshaker

Well again, there's no proof an historical Jesus actually existed but regarding the main character in the new testament I think he was totally unoriginal. All that 'turn the other cheek' and 'love your enemy' stuff was Buddhist rhetoric, wasn't it?

Also there's only 4 years (or so) of Jesus' life chronicalled in the Bible. It's all a bit vague in the book, isn't it? Was the little dude born in a stable the same geezer who died on the cross?

Then there are the so called miracles to take into account, the performing of the imossible. Slight of hand that got exaggerated as the stories got passed on? Chinese whispers perhaps??

Orbit

TomboyMom

Strongest possibility is that no such person ever existed and Jesus of the bible is an amalgam of current events and pre-existing mythology.

If there was such a person, a local outspoken teacher of the time who was eventually executed, still more mythology sewn on than historical basis. (That's pretty clear and I think irrefutable.)

The mythical Jesus, as a fictional character--very weird. "I come not to bring peace but a sword." That one about having to hate your family. Disrespecting his mother. Mad about the fig tree. Megalomaniac. (No one comes to the father but through me.) Kinda suicidal. Arbitrary selection of not very useful miracles. Philosophically, elevating the next life over this, the actual current one--terrible philosophy. Also hate that original sin thing, that's evil.

So I give him from re: his existence to :down: on his purported philosophy.

Rene

JohNeo

Jesus didn't disrespect his mother...he filled Mary with joy by letting himself be crucified! What better way can a son honor his mother than to fulfill Old Testament Scripture? How could she ever repay him?! And you call Jesus weird!

I think the Early Christian and the Roman Catholic Church are responsible for adding the "bringing a sword" and "hating family" etc. language to scripture, and turning good wisdom (love thy neighbor etc.) into cultish bullshit. There was some merit in Jesus' teachings (or what was attributed to him), but it all goes to the dogs when it's mixed in with the messages of Paul (a sorry excuse for a human being in my opinion). Still doesn't make me believe that Jesus was a son of god, etc.

The crucifixion of Jesus is called the perfect sacrifice by his followers, but if any of the passion story is true, I think Jesus set a piss-poor example. Made a bunch of pathetic ne'er-do-wells (the apostles) feel it was honorable to die horrible deaths in the name of god. And of course it does nothing but make their god look like a callous asshole.

Jesus was a waste of life, if there was truth to any of the story. :down:

JohNeo