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Jesus of Nazareth was a Jewish carpenter that was born about 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, which is now a Palestinian city located in the central West Bank about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem. Over the course of a very short period of time (about a year) Jesus developed a large following as a miracle worker and religious teacher. He was publicly executed by crucifixion around the year 35, and many millions believe the historical narrative that he was raised from the dead after three days in a tomb, and later ascended into the heavens.
Below is an English translation of one of Jesus' very famous outdoor lectures, which was widely shared by his disciples that were present, and eventually written down circa 70-90.
If you take 5-10 minutes to read this sermon, then you will know what being a Christian is actually supposed to mean.
I like to read this first thing in the morning, immediately followed by a few minutes of meditation where I sit quietly listening. I would not expect everything in the reading to speak to you, but I believe something will, as is always the case for me.
Excerpted the Gospel of Matthew - Chapters 5-7
The Beatitudes
When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Salt and Light
“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
The Law and the Prophets
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Concerning Anger
“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Concerning Adultery
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
Concerning Divorce
“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Concerning Oaths
“Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Concerning Retaliation
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
Love for Enemies
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Concerning Almsgiving
“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Concerning Prayer
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Concerning Fasting
“And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Concerning Treasures
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
The Sound Eye
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Serving Two Masters
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Do Not Worry
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Judging Others
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye.
Profaning the Holy
“Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.
Ask, Search, Knock
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, will give a stone? Or if the child asks for a fish, will give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
The Golden Rule
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
A Tree and Its Fruit
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will know them by their fruits.
Concerning Self-Deception
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.’
Hearers and Doers
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
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He gave us our moral code and it is attainable. It makes the news provided on this site interesting, but not all that important.
"The eye is the lamp of the body." Singular. Wake up.
I am not one to question the Son of God, but I have real problems with the practical application of a number of these: Anger, adultery, retaliation, love of enemies. To paraphrase comments I've heard regarding self defense: Christianity is a religion, not a suicide pact. I'm angry about a great many things and the people reponsible for them.
Regarding adultery, it is too high a standard for a healthy male to even want to aspire too. I honestly want every woman to find a good man and have many beautiful children, but their physical (and other) beauty speak to every cell in my body and I can't ignore them. I was looking at the big fall issue of Elle magazine while my wife was having her annual check-up. I realized what a sterile and beauty-free environment I work in. I'm proud our civilization has created such beauty and exalted our women in it.
gaoptimize, the teachings of Jesus are completely unattainable if a person is not born again. Being born again can often be summarized in a 4 step process.
1) Repent from your sins. (And you have to really mean it and want to change--just saying sorry doesn't cut it.)
2) Believe in Jesus.
3) Be baptized in water.
4) Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you don't go through all 4 steps, you don't have what you need to begin the Christian life properly. Being born again gives you a new heart and new desires, and it can deliver you from drugs, alcohol, and smoking instataneously. It's a radical transformation! Millions of people have had this transformation.
It's a radical gospel, and Jesus meant what He said. Your experience does not set the standard for everyone else or for getting into Heaven. Would you not respect a man that is so in love with one woman that he has eyes for no other? Is that a bad thing? I am past 40 years old, I've never been married (still waiting for the right one), and I have still learned to not lust after women--it's very liberating, and it enables you to truly care for women, not just lust for their bodies. (FYI, lest you think something else, in a recent test my testosterone level was over 700.)
If you struggle with anger, you should check in to see if you have been born again. If you can't love your enemies, you are no better than the tax collectors--even they love those who love them! (Matthew 5:44-47)
Let the Word of God judge you. Don't judge it!!!!
(For more about being born again, search on YouTube for "David Pawson born again" for an excellent series of teachings.)
Wtf is that doing here? -- Quantum Darwinism
What fool could deny that America’s cultural and moral breakup and an increase in her financial and political corruption is a cancer that will soon remove freedom and prosperity from a once-great country.
What better subject to discuss than from whence came an American government of just laws and a mutual consent to support this government.
Only a fool would deny that America was not founded on Christian principles. For it was the Bible and revelations from such as the Sermon on the Mount that created the desire for men to live together for mutual benefit with respect and with a basis for law based on God’s law.
Frederic Bastiat, author of “The Law,” who did most of his writing in 1847 and 1848 when France was rapidly turning to complete socialism that “must inevitably degenerate into communism,” understood that liberty exists only within a government that recognizes that “life is a gift from God,” and “the inventions of men are most nearly in harmony with the laws of God."
Bastiat...
“God has given to men all that is necessary for them to accomplish their destinies. He has provided a social form as well as a human form. And these social organs of persons are so constituted that they will develop themselves harmoniously in the clean air of liberty. Away, then, with quacks and organizers! A way with their rings, chains, hooks, and pincers! Away with their artificial systems! Away with the whims of governmental administrators, their socialized projects, their centralization, their tariffs, their government schools, their state religions, their free credit, their bank monopolies, their regulations, their restrictions, their equalization by taxation, and their pious moralizations!
“And now that the legislators and do-gooders have so futilely inflicted so many systems upon society, may they finally end where they should have begun: May they reject all systems, and try liberty; for liberty is an acknowledgment of faith in God and His works.”
http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html
Thanks, ZH.
HH is a tremendous writer.
How the fuck did I get a religion lesson on a secular website???
Since you got this education, rather you like it or not, here's a brief quiz:
Did the Sermon on the Mount actually take place? And, if it did, wouldn't you say it has a basis for discussion in a nation whose money says 'In God We Trust.'
And if you believe that it did not take place, we're going to have to assign you some homework.
NOTHING that may or may not have happened 2000 yrs ago, matters today. NOTHING.
Whether it took place or not is a forced choice, so UNask the question and instead try this:
If Jesus existed, and he made a speech on a mountain, does it matter to anyone but those human beans who cannot abide the fact that this is all there is? That a Resurrection is lot of total bullshit, perpetrated by the more intelligent power brokers of that epoch to control the masses?
You "believers" are the ones who make it possible for politicians to fool most of the people all of the time.
I'll give you the music from organized religion, which is normally inspiring to the spirit, but that's it.
Homework? I spent 16 years in Catholic grade school, High school and College with Sisters of Charity, Christian Brothers, and TOR Franciscan fathers. They were nearly all perverts, neurotics, and lying, cheating torturers of children, adolescents and young adults.
Fuck them, you and the horses they rode in on.
If there is a Father of Jesus that fucking bastard should be tried for War crimes, beheaded and his body burnt for toasting marshmallows.
Catholicism is NOT, in any way, shape, or form, Christianity.
It is the same ancient pagan Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman mystery religion painted over with a veneer of Christianity.
You left out the most important part:
In-N-Out Burger, a highly popular and successful fast food chain in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Utah, uses that same Bible verse in small print on its water cup for employees.
Other Bible verses found beneath its paper cups, containers and wrappers include:
John 3:16 (“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life") – on the soda cup,
Proverbs 3:5 (“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding") – the milkshake cup,
and Revelation 3:20 ("Behold, I stand at the door and knock…") -- the hamburger and cheeseburger wrappers.
The wrap verse used for the "Double-Double" (two burger patties and two slices of cheese) is Nahum 1:7:
“The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him”
The French fry paper carton verse is Proverbs 24:16:
“For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again, but the wicked are brought down by calamity.”
What about Artificial Intelligence (AI) ?
Is everyone who has played a shoot-em-up game with an AI a murderer ? It gets worse if Rights and Chidren's laws are considered .
See
http://andreswhy.blogspot.com/2012/10/botprize-vs-turing.html
In Wall Street they have a huge statue of a bull - a GOLDEN CALF, in my opinion.
Jesus did miracles and He said that those who believe would also do miracles (Mark 16:15-18). I have experienced some myself and there is a growing community of people that are doing them. Check out www.thelastreformation.com Jesus is still alive (in Heaven) and we (true believers) are called the body of Christ here on earth, that's why we are supposed to do the same kinds of things He did.
Excellent reminder. Thank you.
buddha was first.....and there is no god crap to cloud the message.
anyway you get there is fine, however. god or no god. just be mindful enough to include everyone in your goodwill. that is a zero tolerance that needs a lot of work.
Thanks for that hedgeless_horseman.
All that fit on that one sheet of parchment?
If you could live by the standard that Jesus has given us, you would not need Jesus.
The standard is the goal but it is attempted obedience from a thankful heart.
Christ has met the standard for you. It is not a blind faith to believe this as failed efforts prove otherwise.
As a MUSLIM
We believe that their is no difference in the God of the Torah, Bible or the Quran.
God is ONE with no need of anyone, we are in need of him.
These verses by JESUS are consistent with what is taught in the Quran.
May the peace and blessing of God be on JESUS and his mother.
As a [THING]
You automagically set yourself into a world of specialness, exception and distinction.
GOD is NONE, period.
These versus by JESUS are the words of a clever magician, as are the other prophets.
And you proud MUSLIM, are part of a quiet majority, claiming greatness and peacefulness in your magnitude while NOT preventing other MUSLIMS or extremists from killing in your name. Your peaceful, graceful, prideful majority stands by... just like all the other religions.
FUCK THE RELIGIONS AND THE RELIGIOUS.
As a [THING]
You automagically set yourself into a world of specialness, exception and distinction.
GOD is NONE, period.
These versus by JESUS are the words of a clever magician, as are the other prophets.
And you proud MUSLIM, are part of a quiet majority, claiming greatness and peacefulness in your magnitude while NOT preventing other MUSLIMS or extremists from killing in your name. Your peaceful, graceful, prideful majority stands by... just like all the other religions.
FUCK THE RELIGIONS AND THE RELIGIOUS. All they do is fuck people out of their time on earth, they seek to control sexuality and exist essentially to provide secret enclaves for perverts. No, I don't mean homosexuals. I mean pedophiles, and people who think they have to go through all this NONSENSE so they can fuck certain people using the leverage of their positions. THAT's the perverted part.
‘You shall not commit adultery.’
So you are OK with your wife fucking the postman then? I am mostly agnostic. Look inward or outward at the world around us and a thinking man can not say this happened by accident. My problem is who is God or the Creator if you prefer. My wife is a serious non-religious Christian, working her way past the initial zealot phase. Just because you hate religion does not mean they have nothing to offer. It gives you some great rules to live life by. Doing it on your own leads to all sorts of problems. jmo and feel free to disagree. :-)
I grew up believing what you say, but a historic shift of Islam is occurring before our very eyes.
laser, perhaps you could enlighten some in the ME who act in ways that are in contradiction to your magnanimous post..your co religious across the world have violent reactions to say owning a bible in Saudi.
It is clear from the Quran that freedom of religion is a human right. Their will alway be people who choose not to adhere to the Quran and pick and choose verses.
Saudi Arabia is an extreme country with which many Muslims disagree with, including myself.
There are better examples of Muslim countries that you could look to like Indonesia or Turkey.
There are about 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, you can pick and choose the worse ones if you want.
I am sure you can also find inspirational Muslims who lead a life of goodness.
laser, indonesia?? muslim pogroms and mass murder central for asia. sad you would advise us to look to that land of violence, how about bali and the mass murder caused by muslim bombers?c How about S Thailand and the violence on buddhists there?pakistan and violence in mumbai on and on and on..
you moderate muslims have turned a blind eye to evil, caused by your fellows of the quran. an honorable person would renounce your faith as the vector of evil it has become.
What about Egypt? One of the more moderate ones, yes? Where a recent Pew Poll had 70+% of respondents stating that the proper penalty was death for leaving the religion of Islam.
I have very little knowledge of Jesus or the bible. I can read a paragraph without finding points that I disagree with.
My understanding (no doubt flawed but I prefer to keep my perspective) is that the old testament taught morality and the new testament taught kindness.
Still I question anything that divides us and that relies on faith. I my experiance the things that are correct have a rational.
Religon is an effective tool for repression and for inciting war and rationalizing the irrational and even the cruel.
The hand of god shows itself in many ways. Any man who speaks for god is delusional or manipulative.
You only need like two pages of notes to know what god wants you to do. All the rest is god inc.
Take for example: Thou shalt not kill. What words in that statement are ambiguous or difficult to understand - do you need someone to explain it to you? While I suppose those are not Jesus' words that if you cannot read and accept that much then you do not follow god and you should not pretend you doyou.
Re "Religon is an effective tool for repression and for inciting war and rationalizing the irrational and even the cruel." :
And to do that, the truth must be ignored. It's like saying that cars are a great way to kill people. But that is not what cars were built for. Or perhaps, "I will shove this white dove down your throat and you will choke on it, therefore the dove is the symbol of death" is a better analogy.
Take away God. The next thing that happens is that some bully will claim the title : "No-one can beat me because I am God."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DegiYKmQySo#t=248
(start at 2:59 to see my point or here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiRbkCfld6Q
to digress and see something else interesting from the start)
Yes, Religions can be used to deceive and keep people poor. But take away religion and see what philosophies and doctrines remain. See how quickly they devolve into, "You will be richer if only you were poorer".
The evil is still there. Evil comes despite religion, not because of it.
"What would Jesus really do in less than 2500 words. "
Heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water, and give the vatican a means to manipulate the western world for 2000 years.
such a simple cynicism.
I don't think Jesus demands more than one can give. No way I am going to forgive and pray for terrorists, bankers, roving gangs of "teens" who murder my people, just because we are white. It's hard enough for me to forgive my family members and friends when they let me down, so I start there. No way I am going to willingly give a dime to the parasites crossing the border and bringing their filthy diseases with them that could sicken and kill my children. No way will I ever send a single dime to that hellhole called Africa. But I will be as generous as I know how to be with my own kind. Like I said, it's a start. I rephrase the Rabbi'a prayer from Fiddler on the Roof. May the Lord Bless and Keep the Ebola carrying Africans - - - -far away from me and mine.
Yes, if one reads the entire passage, not just the 'love thy neighbor,' out of context part, it imparts a more nuanced message of tolerance so as not to create enemies just because they are different. Jesus is not saying love those who would rape and then cut off your baby daughter's head.
He (Jesus) did. Why wouldn't he expect as much from us?
He (Jesus) did. Why wouldn't he expect as much from us?
Typical person who calls himself a Christian. You choose those parts of the Bible that you agree and ignore the rest.
As an agnostic, I respect those Christians who truly try to live as Jesus would; not so much those who claim to be Christian, but then pick and choose.
I think Matthew 5 speaks to that as well:
I guess it for me has boiled down to this:
Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Whenever I have tackled the most difficult problems in my life and kept love in my heart the way out was shown. Life is a Mirror. You show Hate and then Hate is shown back to you which causes more Hate. I have been in this spiral and it is hard to exit but if one is determined and mindful enough, one can break free. A world will open up that is unimaginable in Beauty. When one enters this world it fill you with love like a flame. The interesting part is you can't contain this flame inside. It must be given away. You will walk through your day and see others in the spiral of Hate, Despair, Fear, Guilt. Some will take your hand of Love and start to climb out. Others will walk away and spurn you. But their State cannot destroy the Love inside you which is eternal.
Laws are unnecessary with Love, though I'm not sure if many today can understand this concept.
Miffed
"Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Since so many faithful think this is the key to being a good christian, I ask you this - How many of you would do, as Abraham was prepeared to do, and willingly sacrifice your oldest child's life for the greater glory of this loving and merciful god, in whose name the majority of atrocities have bee committed throughout man's known history? I have a friend who, while childless, expressed his willingness to do so. Of course, when I asked him again after his son was born...............not happening. The christians I know, and there are very many, all claim to strive to follow in Jesus's footsteps. But it is just that - a claim. Their actions say otherwise. Remember, Lloyd Blankenfein claims to be doing God's work too.
I think you misunderstand the point of the Abrahamic sacrifice. Issac, his son, on the way with his father to be sacrificed unaware, asked his father "where is the sacrifice father?". Abraham's reply was "the Lord will provide". And He did. The point of the story was the provide an analogy that God was going to provide His Son Jesus to be the sacrifice for the world. Abraham was able to understand God's point of view of what God would have to sacrifice. In the end Abraham was stopped by the angel for completing the sacrificce of his son and the Lord provided a ram instead. Notice too that Issac was obidient in his willingness to be a sacrifice.
God is holy and demands justice for sin. In the old testment this was through the shedding of innocent blood of lambs, bulls and goats. The sinner's sin would be ceremonially transferred to the animal prior to the sacrifice. In the New Testment God's son Himself became the unblemished lamb who came to take the away the sins of the world once and for all. His singualr sacrifice completed the work one time for all time.
Of note, the sermon on the mount was given prior to Jesus's sacrifice and only pointed out, as the Mosiac and Levitical law was intended to show you, what is holy. However, it had no ability to make you holy. It only showed how there was no way to keep it all and therefore the need for a savior to pay for it all for you.
As a Christian I still sin even though I don't want to, but those sins are forgiven. I don't need to dwell on this and be under condemnation from myself or others. This gift of grace is the only thing that keeps me from sinning more. As an example if you are convicetd of a capital crime, the wages of sin is death after all, what would keep you from sinning more since all is lost anyway and you have nothing left to lose. It is my thankfulness in not wanting to grieve the one that has given me so much that helps me to live.
Be blessed my friend and be open to the priceless gift that willingly Jesus provides to you for free, but that cost him horrivble beatings and death so that you could have it.
Toolshed,you are caught up in words. Words are the first step but not the goal. Many stay here. What I describe transcends Words. It is the meaning underneath. If you are still you may find it or you will be fighting an endless battle. Words against more Words.
Everyone of us has a Book. It is the story of our life. All day we read it over and over. It is the weeping of our Soul to be heard by God and feel unanswered. Sometimes I think I have stood before a multitude for millions of years and read my complaint against God. The Words in the Book never changed so I decided to change myself and put it aside.
Miffed
"Everyone of us has a Book."
Really? I have a copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales right here. Is that the book you mean? It makes more sense and has just as many good lessons to teach as your book. An inconvenient truth perhaps.
Striving to achieve a standard that is nearly impossible to achieve on a consistent basis, and failing to do it perfectly, means your Christian friends are human beings.
But your thought experiment about sacrificing your child because you think your deity is instructing you to do so -- that's just absurd. Is this REALLY the way you personally assess 'authentic' christians from the rest?
In every account of that story that I have ever read, He provided a ram for the sacrifice. Ergo, no humans were actually harmed in the making of the story. The point of the story is that it was a foreshadowing of what was to come through God sacrificing His Son for mankind... and that's why Abraham didn't actually kill Isaac.
Well MM, I think you are correct, but the problem is in ourselves. We are committed to sin. It is why we hate, why we lie, why we call our brother "Raca!" THIS IS WHY Christ died--to save us from OUR sins. So yes, in every instant of our lives we "walk through [the] day and see others in the spiral of Hate, Despair, Fear, Guilt." But we should also see ourselves in this cycle. It is inevitable in this life. We can glimpse love. We can glimpse true joy. But we are always thrown back into our greed, selfishness, lust. . . by our perverted and twisted notion of self-interest.
If you are better than the rest of us and live a life of love, offering to lift others out of the abyss, then I want to meet you. You have worked a miracle through the Grace of God that I have not seen in a thousand men (i.e., any and all men).
I understand what you say. I remember when I was going to church regularly. The service was beautiful and the singing angelic. I felt so close to God many times. Then I would join these same people at coffee afterwards and they gossiped and bad mouthed their fellow parishioners they had just been singing with! I was so incredulous and confused. I realized I must discover the answer and went on a personal pilgramage.
The Love I described is no pretense. It is the result from releasing of my personal inner demons through a long arduous path. I have found something that was buried deep inside me that had been squelched and I hadn't realized it. My mission is to help others discover this in themselves but, sadly, I cannot do it for them. It ultimately is a journey alone. I have an allegorical story I wrote about my path. It is deeply personal but I would be happy to share with you.
Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.
Miffed
"Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God."
Please explain the above statement MM. On the other hand don't bother. There is already enough of your idiotic ramblings on this site.